>Andy,
> I'm not sure how far away from the mountains you want these
>sightings to be. I watched the courtship display of 2 RNSS just east of
>Carlton up the Benson Cr drainage(Methow Valley) on April 6,1996. I've
>seen them in this area for the last 3 years. Yes, this is the same area
>where you can also see flammulated owls and white-headed woodpeckers.
>Mary Poss
>Dept Microbiology
>UW
>mposs at u.washington.edu


Mary, I was interested in gaining a sense of the passage routes followed by
Red-naped Sapsuckers. I sense this species and the Williamson's Sapsucker
(and many, many other mountain breeders) largely follow routes in the
mountains either going north in spring or heading south in the fall rather
direct flights through the Columbia Basin. I have lived for 18 years 40 km
from the eastern foothills of the Cascades. My "yard" data for mountain
breeders is relatively meager. Bob Boekelheide lived for 7 years 25 km from
these foothills. The frequency of many migrants such as Empidonax, vireos
and warblers was much greater and the species involved more diverse than my
list.the right days either in spring or fall, at the east base of the
foothills, one can be fairly swamped by migrants, a phenomenon rarely
occurring in the Columbia Basin except at favored sites.

Andy Stepniewski