Transcribed by Hal Opperman
halop at u.washington.edu
phone (206) 635-0503

The Washington BirdBox is a voice mailbox sponsored by the Washington
Ornithological Society. To leave a message about a notable sighting, or
to listen to the 12 most recent messages, call (206) 454-2662 and follow
the prompts. First-time BirdBox users may find it convenient, before
calling, to review the status of Washington's chickadee species.

[Mailbox previously checked at 11:30 a.m. on February 27, 1997]

3:58 p.m. February 28th - This is Ian McGregor, 361-4784. I observed a
male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER on February 24, near Pe Ell, on Highway 6.
Today I returned to the site with Dave Beaudette, Kevin Aanerud, and Ben
Feltner, and the bird was relocated. To find this bird from Seattle, go
south on I-5 to Chehalis. Go west on Highway 6 to Pe Ell, and from the
bridge over the Chehalis River at the west end of town, continue on
Highway 6 for one and a half miles to McCormick Road, which turns off to
the right. There is an area to park, just over a tenth of a mile in on
the right-hand side. We saw the bird feeding about 30 feet up in a tree,
near some yellow flagging on the fence, at one tenth mile in from the
highway. The bird seems to prefer broad-leaf maples, and has drilled most
trees in that pasture, with most drillings under ten feet above the
ground. Good luck and good birding!

10:19 a.m. March 1st - Hello. This is Patrick Sullivan from Tacoma,
Washington, at area code 206-564-7419. The YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was
again noted briefly this morning between 7:50 and 8:10 a.m., at the
previous location, just west of Pe Ell along State Route 6. Thank you.
Good luck and good birding!

[Mailbox checked last at 11:30 a.m. on March 1, 1997]