Kelly Cassidy wrote:
> Somebody posted a trip report in the last couple of days describing a
> birding trip through NE Washington. That person reported seeing a passle
> of Common Goldeneye brood. I deleted the post before the information hit
> the thinking parts of my brain.
>
> To that poster: Are you sure you saw Common Goldeneyes and not Barrow's
> Goldeneyes? Common are very UNcommon breeders in WA, but Barrow's are
> quite common. Commons are worth filling out a Breeding Bird Atlas card
> for.

A WDFW biologist who has looked at goldeneyes in northeastern Washington for
years was recently overheard to state that Common Goldeneyes are *the*
goldeneyes east of western Ferry County. To the west of that blurry line, the
Barrow's begin. The eavesdropper was left with the impression that Commons may
not be very uncommon in the northeast, although they probably aren't all that
common, either.
--
Scott Richardson
northeast Seattle
salix at halcyon.com