Hi Tweets,

Michael Hobbs writes:

>And don't forget the White-crowned Sparrows. We seem to have lost our
>wintering flocks, and I heard my first singing White-crowned in Tacoma last
>Saturday and several more since. The singing ones are almost certainly
>migrants (although I haven't spent the time to learn/identify races).

Yeah, it's time for the 'gambelii' migrant floodgates to open, though
'pugetensis' should also be tuning up. Best way I can think of for
distinguishing them by song is as follows (the management requests that you
please keep your guffaws quiet until after leaving the auditorium):

gambelii: pleez, pleez, chili-chili, pleez

pugetensis: zurr, zee, zweet zweet zue (first two notes clear, last
three trilled)

Another 'masked' migrant species: a male non-Alternate Purple Finch
Carpodacus purpureus, a species which has become quite uncommon, even rare,
in Vancouver BC without anyone noticing, was singing in the yard this
morning, the first--and probably only--for the year. A decade and a half
ago, this was a common flocking wintering bird here, but now surprisingly
difficult to find. Anyone else notice a similar drop in its numbers?

Michael Price A brave world, Sir,
Vancouver BC Canada full of religion, knavery and change;
mprice at mindlink.net we shall shortly see better days.
Aphra Behn (1640-1689)