Subject: BirdBox 11/21/97-11/23/97
Date: Nov 24 01:10:46 1997
From: Jane Hadley - jhadle at halcyon.com


Transcribed by Jane Hadley
jhadle at halcyon.com
phone: (206) 328-7605

Please contact me by phone or e-mail if you have any
corrections, comments or questions.

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 most recent messages,
call (425) 454-2662 and follow the prompts.

Sunday, Nov. 23, 9:06 p.m. Good evening. Robert Hausen,
206-454-2662. The XANTUS HUMMINGBIRD was again
seen today up at Gibsons. The directions have been given on
previous reports, so I won't repeat them. It was seen in both
clear and rather rainy and drizzly weather, very
photographable, very good bird. Hope you get a chance to
see it.

Sunday, Nov. 23, 6:24 p.m. This report for Point No Point at
the northeast tip of the Kitsap Peninsula was filed by Vic
Nelson on Saturday Nov. 22 at 9:54 p.m. In the last week or
so a CLARK'S GREBE has been seen occasionally at Point
No Point. Also a first winter BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE
was seen on the 21st, and hundreds of ANCIENT
MURRELETS are in the area. Thanks.

Sunday, Nov. 23, 5:32 a.m. Hello, this is Craig Kemper at
206-789-9255, reporting for Sunday, Nov. 22nd. Kathy
Kemper, Alan Richards, Fred Bird and an unidentified couple
from Olympia and myself relocated and observed the BLACK
PHOEBE between 11:15 and 11:45 at the Washougal Sewer
Treatment Plant at Milepost 17.5 on Highway 14 just west of
Washougal. The bird was seen flycatching insects in a
settling trough next to the southernmost settling pond. You
should be aware that this property is posted "No
Trespassing." However, one of the workmen there opened
the gate and allowed us access, telling us to be careful to
climb over the gate on the way out. Thank you.

Saturday, Nov. 22, 9:24 a.m. Hi, Scott Downes, 361-7073.
Today Jim Flynn and I went up the Columbia River birding
and had a couple of good birds. The first would be a pair of
WESTERN BLUEBIRDS on County Road 1230, which is
DeLorme C-5 about a mile west of Balch Lake Road, where
acorn woodpeckers are frequently seen. This can be reached
by taking the road just before Rowland Lake and heading up.
It's about 2 miles on this road. The birds are on the left in a
field. The other notable sighting was a winter plumage
PACIFIC LOON at Spring Creek National Fish Haterchery,
just before entering the town of White Salmon on Highway
14 along the Columbia River. This is DeLorme C-4, page 24.
ACORN WOODPECKERS were looked for, though none
were found today. Thanks. Good luck and good birding.

Saturday, Nov. 22, 7:55 p.m. Hi. This is Barry Levine,
206-526-8676, reporting from Seattle about a trip that Kate
Tillotson and I took today to look for the XANTUS
HUMMINGBIRD. Along the way, we ran into Gene Hunn,
Todd Hass, Richard Rowlett, and Dennis, whose last name I
did not catch, and his son. We were successful seeing the
bird in Gibsons, B.C., from 10:45 in the morning til 12 noon.
If you're following the instructions that were put on
Tweeters, you might want to make this note. When you
come into the town of Gibsons, you'll be coming in on
Highway 101. The highway bends to the right at a T junction.
Make sure that you continue straight on through at that
junction until you come to Gower Point Road. Make a right
onto Gower Point Road and follow that for a couple of miles,
and then you'll start seeing the streets become numbered. At
that point, you will soon come to Second Street, and you'll
make a right there, and a couple of houses up on your left is
where the bird is being seen. We also tried to find the
COMMON EIDER today, but we did not see it. That's the
report. Good luck.

Saturday, Nov. 22, 11:54 a.m. This is Bob Morse. A report
from Washougal that the BLACK PHOEBE was back as of
11:30 on Saturday morning. It was seen at the west end of
the sewer ponds in a depression, where there's a lower area
than the rest of the ponds, sitting on planks of wood.

Friday, Nov. 21, 8:56 p.m. Hi, this is David Chelimer.
206-329-3015. We've just come back from B.C. looking at
the XANTUS HUMMINGBIRD, which is a glorious bird. We
thought we ought to let you know that what might put a
damper on your trip is the ferry schedule. The ferry leaves
from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale every two hours beginning
at 7:20 in the morning with minor variations. Coming back is
no problem. Also on board the ferry, there are brochures
marked "The Sunshine Coast" -- free tourist guides, which
have decent maps. And on page 18, which is a continuation
of the map on the previous page, there's Ocean Beach
Esplanade, directly above where page 18 is listed at the
bottom. That's where Second Street is. Good luck and good
birding -- eh?

Friday, Nov. 21, 7:53 p.m. Hello, this is Wayne Weaver
phoning from Delta, B.C. 604-597-7201 with a further report
on the XANTUS HUMMINGBIRD in Gibsons, B.C. I was
there with about a dozen other birders between about 11 a.m.
and 1 p.m. today, and the bird was coming to the feeder quite
regularly at about 10- or 15-minute intervals. You can see it
at very close range. It appears to be an immature male. It has
a completely black bill. The location is 221 Second Street,
which is just off Gower Point Road, along the shoreline,
about four miles west of Gibsons, which is just a ferry ride
away from West Vancouver across Howe Sound. For further
updates on this bird, please phone the Vancouver Rare Bird
Alert. Also, John Ireland and I saw the COMMON EIDER
again this afternoon. This bird has been present in the
Vancouver area for about a year now, but it's in full breeding
plumage. We saw it in Stanley Park about 500 meters east of
the south end of the Lion's Gate Bridge in with a flock of
about 1,500 to 2,000 SURF SCOTERS. But if you're looking
for the eider, be sure to call the Vancouver Bird Alert first,
because it's been seen recently also in West Vancouver, and
even Iona Island. It moves around a great deal. That's it for
now.

Friday, Nov. 21, 5:37 p.m. Hello, this is Patrick Sullivan.
253-564-7419. The BLACK PHOEBE at the Washougal
Sewage Treatment Plant in Clark County was again observed
today and photographed and was observed by several
observers between 10:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Thank you.
Good luck and good birding.

[Messages last checked at 11:20 p.m. Sunday Nov. 22]
--
Jane Hadley
jhadle at halcyon.com
Seattle, WA