Hi Tweets,

Kyle Hamish Elliott writes:

>I still haven't heard from the five remaining areas (which is my
>fault for not phoning.) Perhaps that will put the Short-eared
>Owl/Rough-legged Hawk issue into perspective; Iona/Sea, at least until
>recently, had one of the highest concentrations for both these species. I
>will post the results as I get them.

I'd suggest the way around this problem, Kyle, is to remind--in the nicest
way, of course--your surveyors that accuracy and timeliness are equally
important, if for different reasons. Publishing incomplete data will often
lead to faulty conclusions, and the completion of a good report should not
be held hostage to the convenience of your most tardy reporters.

Another factor to be taken into account for the Iona/Sea surveys is that
apparently the Canadian Wildlife Service issued a permit to Department of
Transport staff at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to kill large
birds--primarily Snow Geese Anser caerulescens--they feel may be a threat to
planes, and I've seen those guys walking around toting their shotguns even
out in the public areas on Ferguson Road *outside* the airport fence. You
may want to approach DoT officially, VNHS to Feds, with CWS sitting in to
ask some hard questions if the need arises--they'd just tell an individual
like me to bugger off--to make goddam *sure* they're not shooting raptors,
pardon m'french, but I find the matter of innocent wildlife paying the price
of human stupidity and laziness irksome. I saw a couple of good ol' YVR boys
were having a little friendly target practice last summer killing a bunch of
Glaucous-winged Gulls Larus glaucescens that were doing nothing more
dangerous than having a snooze off the W end of Sea Island, well out of the
flight lanes--got about ten or twelve, too--so it's not a stretch to have
them interpreting their remit loosely enough to include shooting
raptors--was that a hawk? ooops, sorry, thought it was a Snow Goose-- that
make the mistake of hunting in the grass that YVR keeps short along the
runways, too. 'Hey, I get to work in a union job *and* I get to shoot birds
that our grass-cutting policies attract to the runways, *too*? Aw*right*!'
("A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one...."**)

One thing is that the few times I've been down to Iona/Sea Is. this winter
I've not seen the usual crowd of Northern Harriers Circus cyaneus and
Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks Buteo jamaicensis and lagopus; this could
be for other reasons than the above. I hope.

**
--'Cripple Creek', The Band.

>As for my comments around the Swainson's Thrush sighting, in light of the
>recent controversy about the Great Knot, I was simply trying to be as
>cautious as possible. I agree that I could have used more tact, and
>apologize to anyone I offended. I would also like to point out that if 18
>qualifies me to vote, leave home, and, more importantly, get into a pub
>nine times out of ten, it follows that I should also have a mature sense
>of responsibility and good judgement (although no one would be able to
>tell it from the people elected in this country, but I digress...).
>Regardless of my age, with three years of record-keeping behind me, I
>should have been more sensitive. I can take a little criticism, when it's
>well-deserved.

Very nicely said, Kyle! I for one applaud your graciousness.

>With the large influx of Hermit Thrushes this winter, a Swaison's is
>certainly possible. I think they even had one reported on the Ladner
>Christmas Count.

I'd wonder, though, if the two could be connected as co-migrants, and the
presence of one makes the presence of the other any more likely. Certainly I
wouldn't expect the coastal 'ustulatus' race of Swainson's Thrush (SWTH)
Catharus ustulatus to stick around, arriving later and leaving earlier than
local Hermit Thrushes C. guttatus, so I'd speculate that if any SWTH did
stay behind it would be of the interior race 'almae'. Likewise, with the
local Hermit Thrushes C. guttatus, I'm curious which race does the
overwintering, and which the local breeding. Anyone?

>In future, as Michael suggested, I will spell species' names out instead
>of using codes. I was simply trying to finish my e-mail and get out of
>this prison as fast as possible.

History shows an unfortunately frequent connection between codes and prison. '-)

>But as for using difficult-to-understand
>expressions, what exactly does "non-sequitor" mean?

Literally, non-sequitur means 'it does not follow', a non-logical inference
based on two non-connected facts or assertions. A simplified example: A) he
likes German beer, B) she got high marks in algebra; therefore, they should
get along. In this particular instance--and I revisit it to dissect it
objectively, not to put you on the spot, Kyle--the two non-connected facts
were A) the low likelihood of a species normally a summer resident, B) your
unfamiliarity with the observer's skill level; which you then combined to
leave the unconnected hanging inference that the burden of proof, not just
of the ID but of her credibility as well, lay upon her. As well as the
reasoning being unsound and non-sequitur, I thought you put the observer in
an unfair position compounded by naming the observer publicly. As you've
accepted responsibility for any potential insensitivity or harm and
apologised quite gracefully, the matter should be closed.

>PS: Thanks, Michael, for your write-up. I haven't had time to look at any
>of the data yet, so it's neat to see it all done up nicely.

You're welcome! I was curious about what was there as a 2/3-total picture,
so, 45 minutes with a piece of paper and a calculator later... Are you
tracking morphs and races? Male/female (where possible) and adult/immature
ratios? If not, you might consider doing so, as there may be some
indications of how healthy the populations might be in that aspect of the
data, or even some unpredictable fact, such as--just as speculative
examples--that most of the American Kestrels Falco sparverius which winter
here are First-Year females, for example, or that far more female than male
Merlins F. columbarius migrate through the checklist area, or that there's a
period when 'harlani' race Red-tails move through. Do these ratios stay the
same? Are the birds here in December the same ones that are here in March?
Do the sex- or age-ratios change over an average winter? Do the predominant
types--eagles, buzzards, etc--change over time, and how? When does each
arrive? Do males and females arrive and leave at the same time? Do the
immatures? Who travels with whom? I've always wondered about this stuff,
lots of stuff we don't know.

Surprising that immature eagles were only 14% of the total number of eagles
in the eagle-rich surveyed areas. That seems *really* low, and I'm not sure
I like what that implies--is that a normal immature-to-adult ratio for a
Cascadian coastal location? And that *over half the raptors surveyed were
Bald Eagles Haliaeetus leucocephalus*: south of Alaska, what other North
American city has Bald Eagle as its *commonest* wintering raptor in a place
where wintering raptors are common to start with? Wotta
bird-tourist/eagle-junky draw now that the Crested Myna Acridotheres
cristatellus population is steadily tanking--and that no kestrels showed up
in the surveyed areas.

>It will be
>particularly interesting to compare it to the 1970 data, compiled by Jude
>Grass. Obviously, Short-eareds have decreased since then, but I didn't
>realize Rough-legged numbers have dropped so much. Although that could be
>just this winter, or that particular weekend. Also, Short-eared Owl
>numbers are likely to be underestimated since most observers don't spend
>the whole day out, missing dawn and dusk when the owls are most active.

Unrealistic to ask people to include dawn *and* dusk in each survey, but one
or the other might be manageable on a regular basis. Type 'A's take the dawn
shift, Type 'B's the evening.

>I have also asked observers to include a habitat classification for this
>last survey, which should generate some interesting information. I hope to
>be able to show the importance of hedgerows, large trees, etc. as opposed
>to the cranberry monocultures and greenhouse complexes that seem to be
>taking over.

Note: if Skagit Delta protection is gonna happen, start buying that land
now, folks, because *this* is what's gonna happen to it in the next decade
if housing doesn't and it's not bought *for birding*. If you want to know
the future of that or similar areas, just look north at what's happened and
is happening to the Boundary Bay area. And if the NDP government of the day
had not created the Agricultural Land Reserve here in BC, there's have been
wall-to-wall houses right up to the Boundary Bay dike, and Western Canada's
most important migratory, waterfowl, raptor, and shorebird staging area
would have been a vague memory. It's still possible.

>Also, since all sightings are marked on maps, we should be
>able to make even more detailed comments on raptor distribution. For all
>its flaws, I am optimistic that we'll be able to get some solid data out
>of this project. --KE

Well, Kyle, it's both necessary and long overdue for the area: glad to see
you picking up the torch whose light was doused in 1970 in that organisation
to make way for high-pressure competitive listing. You have my heartfelt
gratitude. Thank you.

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)