From: John Shipley <goldeneye at ior.com>

Just a few thoughts on Stanley Park, from an outsider. I applaud
Michael Price's astute evaluation of the situation there. I spent a few
hours there last week, after my last visit of 2 years ago. After
walking around Lost Lagoon about 4 times, we had great views of the
drake Tufted Duck, which was the target bird there, for my 3 clients.
This is indeed a fine locale for viewing and photographing waterfowl.
And, there aren't many places where one can observe the likes of
Buffleheads, Goldeneyes, and Hooded Mergansers feeding on bread,
do-nuts, and other preferred foods. However, it is also easy to discern
that much is amiss there. It is sad to see the quantity of non-native
vegetation planted in the Park; even sadder to see the marauding
Raccoons. They will have a rabies problem there, if they have not
already had one!

It sounds like a complex and discouraging situation is in place there,
and I would encourage more of the local birders to adopt the tenacious
attitude that Michael Price has displayed. It is a Park that obviously
has held considerable meaning for him.

Birding on our week-long trip went very well. My clients were all from
St. Louis, MO, and they are closing in on the 700 species mark. They
had 6 species on their target list, and we achieved those in 5 days.
Some of our sightings included:

March 21: Gray Partridge--1 male, 1 female viewed at the side of the
road, on the Rathdrum Prairie, NW of Coeur d'Alene.

March 22: Hwy 2 from Spokane to Coulee City, yielded 12 Rough-legged
Hawks (including 2 dark phase birds), 200+ Tundra Swans, 1 ad. Bald
Eagle, and many species of waterfowl.

March 23: A Sage Grouse lek, N. of Moses Lake, had 10 males early this
morning. A brief stop at Stevens Pass produced about 20 Red Crossbills,
in a heavy snowstorm. Late this afternoon, we managed 2 pairs of
Crested Mynas in Vancouver.

March 24: The Xantus' Hummer in Gibsons required about a 2 hour wait.
It was a gorgeous day, and 20+ other species occupied our time, during
the wait.

March 25: The male Tufted Duck mentioned above, was followed by a
couple hours at Reifel Sanctuary, and then the ferry to Victoria. We
found 4 Skylarks at the airport there. The small picnic area adjacent
to the main terminal provides a good vantage point, from which to
observe their displays. One bird landed in the grass, about 30 m from
us.

March 26: We added several new species to our trip list, during the
crossing to Port Angeles, and the return trip to Spokane. We drove
1,200+ miles during the trip, and saw only about 140 species. But,
diversity was not the objective!

I'm happy to provide details or directions, for the above.

Bonsoir,

John Shipley
Goldeneye Nature Tours, Inc.
P.O. Box 669
Post Falls, ID 83877

Phone 800-308-6444
Fax 208-777-0449
E-mail goldeneye at ior.com