>
>And now the long awaited moment ... almost as fantastic as the unveiling
>of the official Tweeters T-Shirt ... nearly as exciting as finding three
>subspecies of White-crowned Sparrows in your bedroom ... here is the
>'reviewed' summary of Orange-crowned Warbler BBA data from eastern
>Washington. Basically, I threw out sightings prior to May 28, and
>summarized eastern Washington by three major regions. Now that we have
>data, let's look again at our arguments and see if the data bear them out.
>A legend is in order: \ = present in suitable habitat during breeding
>season, x = singing in male in suitable habitat, M = 7 or more singing
>males in suitable habitat, T = territoriality observed, A = agitated
>behavior (nest nearby?), P = pair in suitable habitat, FL = fledgelings
>incapable of sustained flight, NE = nest with eggs. These are in their
>respective columns of PO (possible breeder), PR (probable breeder), and CO
>(confirmed breeder). In a few cases, I did not find the cards in my file,
>that probably means Phil has them. A '1' is in the appropriate column for
>these records, but no details are available without the cards. I
>abbreviated the counties to their first four letters. In the quad column,
>that is shorthand for BBA quads (T21R19ESE = T21N R19E SE quad). Note
>that all townships in Washington are 'north'.
>
>It would seem that the large number (32) records from the East Cascades
>during this period point to a nesting population in this region. I'll let
>the rest of you analyze these data to death. I'm going outside. The
>southeast WA and northeast WA records I added 'just for fun'. In a few
>days, a similar summary will appear for Wilson's Warbler.
>
>Eastern Cascades
>Dates YearCountyQuad PO PR CO Observer
>June16-Aug.111988Chel T21R19ESE \ Tangren/Jahn
>July 18 1988Chel T21R21ESE \ Tangren/Jahn
>Jul 7-8 1990Chel T24R16ESW \ Hunn
>June 1989Chel T26R20ENW x T Ortiz-Torres
>Aug 6 1992Kitt T18R15ESE \ Mattocks
>no card 1990Kitt T19R17ESE 1
>June1 1996Kitt T19R18ENW \ Smith
>June 14 1992Kitt T21R12ENE x Stepniewski
>Aug 15 1992Kitt T21R13ENE \ Mattocks
>Aug 15 1992Kitt T21R13ESE \ Mattocks
>June 2-July 21989Kitt T21R18ESE \ Walter
>June 16 1990Kitt T22R14ENE x Brunner
>June 16 1990Kitt T22R14ENW x Brunner
>July 28-29 1990Klic T06R10ENE \ Gatchet
>June 24-25 1989Okan T34R21ENW T Hutchinson
>July6-22 1990Okan T39R24ESE x Weber
>June 8 1991Okan T39R24ESW \ Stepniewski
>Aug 15 1991Okan T40R17ENW x LaCasse
>July2-3 1989Okan T40R18ESW x Stepniewski
>June 1 1992Okan T40R26ESE x Cannings
>June 30 1992Okan T40R26ESW x Stepniewski
>June 1 1992Okan T40R26ESW x Cannings
>July 10-Aug 41989Skam T03R09ENE x Mattocks
>July 10 1989Skam T04R09ESE \ Mattocks
>July 4 1995Skam T05R09ESE M Christen
>July 10 1989Skam T05R09ESW x Mattocks
>June 25 1989Yaki T07R19ESW x Stepniewski
>July30-Aug2 1990Yaki T13R11ENE P Mattocks
>June 7-July 11988Yaki T13R13ENW P Stepniewski
>May 7 - July 1988Yaki T13R14ENW A Stepniewski
>June 8-30 1989Yaki T16R17ENE x Thorn
>June 3-5 1988Yaki T16R17ENE x Thorn
>
>Southeastern WA
>Dates YearCountyQuad PO PR CO Observer
>June 17 1996Asot T07R43ESW x Smith
>May 30 1992Asot T07R45ENW MPA Denny
>June 18-July 1988Asot T07R45ENW x Palmer
>June 11 1988Colu T08R40ENW M Knittle
>June 13 1996Colu T08R41ENW x Smith
>June 13 1987Colu T09R41ESW x Muse
>June 24 1987Colu T09R41ESW x Hunn
>no card 1993Colu T10R39ESW 1
>June 26 1988Colu T10R41ESE x Muse
>June 13 1987Colu T10R41ESE x Muse
>June 26 1988Colu T10R41ESW x Muse
>June 16 1996Garf T07R42ENE x Smith
>June 15 1996Garf T08R42ESE x Smith
>June 15 1996Garf T08R42ENE x Smith
>no card 1992Wall T07R38ESE 1
>June 23 1987Wall T09R36ENW x Muse
>June 18 1996Whit T14R44ENW x Smith
>June 19-Aug.11988Whit T16R44ESE x Palmer
>June 11-Aug. 1988Whit T16R45ENE x Palmer
>
>Northeastern WA
>Dates YearCountyQuad PO PR CO Observer
>June 27-28 1993Ferr T29R31ESE x Weber
>June 27-28 1993Ferr T29R32ESW x Weber
>June 27 1993Ferr T32R32ESW x Weber
>June 20 1988Ferr T32R33ESW x Miller
>June 20 1988Ferr T32R35ENE x Miller
>June 20 1988Ferr T32R35ENW x Miller
>June 18 1991Ferr T36R36ESE x Cannings
>May 31 1993Ferr T38R35ENE x Paulson
>May 30-31 1993Ferr T39R34ENW x Paulson
>May 30-31 1993Ferr T39R35ESE x\ Paulson
>May 30-31 1993Ferr T39R36ESE \ Paulson
>July 5 1991Ferr T40R33ESE x Cannings
>June 9 1993Linc T27R37ENW x Weber
>June 9 1993Linc T28R36ESE x Weber
>June 9 1993Linc T28R37ESW x Weber
>no card 1993Okan T29R31ESE 1
>June 26-27 1993Okan T32R31ESE x FL Weber
>July 5 1991Okan T35R31ESE x Hill
>June 15 1989Okan T38R29ENE x Hunn
>June 14-15 1989Okan T38R30ENW x M Hunn
>June 18-19 1989Okan T39R28ENE x Cannings
>June 19 1989Okan T39R28ENW M Cannings
>June 15 1989Okan T39R29ENE x Hunn
>June 21 1991Okan T39R29ENW x Cannings
>June 19-20 1990Okan T39R30ESE x M Cannings
>June 15-16 1989Okan T39R30ESE x Hunn
>June 20-21 1993Okan T39R30ESW x Wahl
>June 16 1989Okan T39R31ESE x Hunn
>June 22 1991Okan T40R29ESW NE Johnston
>June 15-16 1989Okan T40R30ESW x Hunn
>June 28 1990Pend T37R42ENW x Stepniewski/Gerdts
>June 25-26 1988Pend T37R44ESE M Stepniewski
>June 28 1990Pend T38R44ENW x Stepniewski/Gerdts
>June 19 1990Pend T39R43ESE x Cannings
>June 22 1988Pend T39R43ESW \ Brunner
>June 19 1990Pend T39R44ESE x Cannings
>June 3-4 1988Pend T39R44ESW x Palmer
>June 18-19 1990Pend T39R44ESW x Cannings
>June 3-5 1989Spok T24R44ENW x Rogers
>May 29 1993Stev T29R38ENE x Paulson
>May 29-30 1993Stev T29R39ENE \ Paulson
>May 30 1993Stev T29R40ENE x Paulson
>May 29 1993Stev T29R41ENE \ Paulson
>June 18 1991Stev T31R39ESW x Cannings
>June 18 1991Stev T31R40ESE x Cannings
>no card 1995Stev T32R41ENE 1
>no card 1995Stev T32R41ENE 1
>June 17 1993Stev T36R40ENW x AP Hunn
>June 1 1993Stev T36R41ESW x Paulson
>July 2 1993Stev T37R38ESE x Weber
>June 17-18 1993Stev T38R41ENE x M Hunn
>June 17-18 1993Stev T38R41ENW x Hunn
>June 17-18 1993Stev T39R41ENE x Hunn
>July 2 1993Stev T39R41ESE x Weber
>June 17-18 1993Stev T39R41ESE x Hunn
>June 26 1993Stev T39R41ESE x Stepniewski
>July 7 1991Stev T40R37ENW x P Cannings
>
>-------------
>Michael R. Smith
>Univ. of Washington, Seattle
>whimbrel at u.washington.edu
>http://salmo.cqs.washington.edu/~wagap/mike.html
>

Tweeters,

I talked to Bill Tweit about Orange-crowned Warblers on the east slopes of
the Cascades last night. He will send me the data from his BBS from White
Pass to Rimrock Lake for the years for which I don't have data. To the best
of his recollection, he has but one observation in the June period during
which he undertakes his survey. He states (without me prompting) that
"OCWA's cease singing early in the breeding season, therefore I'm missing
them. This is what I stated.

I want to impart my view on the atlas data at this point. The fact there are
so few "confirmed" nesting of OCWA's on WA should not be construed the
species is a migrant or not nesting. I wonder what a table for all
passerines in the atlas database such as what Michael Smith has presented on
OCWA's would look like. I suspect it might show a high percentage of
observations in the "observed" to "possible" and "probable" category but
relatively few in the "confirmed. Of course for waterfowl, hawks and a few
other groups, a higher % degree of certainty has been achieved.

How many "confirmed" Townsend's Warbler observations or nests were found
though this is a characteristic summer resident of many coniferous forests
in WA? Or Golden-crowned Kinglets? And so on!

This is not meant to devalue the atlas program. The scale of the project is
enormous. Necessarily, coverage by volunteers (for a good part of the
project) means most areas (especially east of the Cascades) have received
thorough coverage. However, the atlas program stands on the shoulders of
well over a 100 years of ornithological work throughout WA. The collective
wisdom of work before us is enormous. We are simply refining their results
and incorporating the very significant habitat changes (mostly degradation)
that have occurred in WA. I suspect that to those who know their terrestrial
plant communities, substrate and slope in WA, a fairly high degree of
predictability about the breeding avifauna is possible without even visiting
the site. This is precisely what I find so wonderful about the maps churned
out by Michael.

I am waiting for a call from those who want to see OCWA's along the east
slope of the Cascades. I will drop what I'm doing on a weekend and we'll
make a search, even if it takes a forced march. We will find the little
buggers (before 5 July)!

I, of course, am going to focus on this troublesome Vermivora. I'm willing
to retract my assertion that it is a "fairly common summer resident of
brushy habitats along the eastern slopes of the Cascades."
Maybe it needs refining to "locally, a fairly common summer resident in
moist brushy habitats along the eastern slopes of the Cascades."

Jeez ...Tweeterites, this is fun!


Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA