Not to prolong a discussion, but a couple of comments...

Dennis Paulson wrote,

>Actually, I associate Chestnut-backs in Washington with two habitats: (1)
>the low-altitude wet forests of the west side and the very northeastern
>corner of the state, which are very similar (lots of west-side plants &
>animals in that area); and (2) relatively high-altitude wet conifer
forests
>in all the mountain ranges of the state. Where wet forests are continuous
>with high-elevation forests, as in western WA generally, the range is
>continuous, but in the Blue and Wenatchee mountains and Okanogan
Highlands,
>CBCHs are found only at higher elevations, essentially isolated as are
many
>other high-mountain birds. They are typically in fir, hemlock, and spruce
>rather than pine forests in the mountains.
>
>On the average, CBCHs are found in wetter, denser conifer stands in the
>mountains, Mountain Chickadees in drier, more open stands, but they
>certainly occur together in many areas. Both came to pygmy-owl calls at
>several sites at 4-5,000' above Swauk Pass in the Wenatchee Mountains last
>week.
>
>Mountains and Boreals seem to overlap completely in the northern part of
>the state, but I don't think I've ever found Chestnut-backed and Boreal
>together. Perhaps Chestnut-backed aren't so common in the high-elevation
>spruce and lodgepole pine forests that Boreal frequents. Any comment,
>Andy?
>

Problem in many discussions is what's high elevation to one person may be
not be to another. I never really regarded the C-bCs in the Blewett Pass
area as being at high elevation. The whole area sort of runs together in my
mind, and it's the more moist sites that I associate them with. The higher
elevations are the ridge tops which are typically drier.

The highest populations of C-bCs in Chelan Co. are in the Lake Wenatchee
area where many sites are dominated by cedar and hemlock. I never thought
of this area as high elevation.

>Mountains and Black-caps coexist wherever deciduous and riparian woodlands
>abut conifer forests in eastern WA. I *am* surprised at Chestnut-backs in
>Jerry's apple tree in Wenatchee; I would have thought that was way out of
>their range, or only a destination of the occasional wandering bird in
>winter. Is that a regular phenomenon, Jerry?

>Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798

Regular? perhaps a more regular habit. C-bCs apparently wander quite a bit
more than Mountain when you compare the relative numbers of individuals
found in atypical habitats (Wenatchee backyards) versus the numbers found
in the mountains just to the west.

Jerry Tangren