Mary, I have wondered the same thing about finding nests
in Alaska. I can find more songbird nests in my parents'
back yard in Virginia than I can find in Anchorage in ten
years. I had the same thought as Andy, that the tree nesters
favor the spruce trees which provide such good cover you
don't see the nests.

I found magpies nesting in a spruce along the bike trail
and even their nest blended right in unless you knew
exactly where to look.

Chris Maack
Anchorage, AK
CMaack at compuserve.com