Birding at Salton Sea

Rick, I am not an expert on the subject, but spent a day at the Salton Sea
in late November. My experience was that the east side of the sea had the
most opportunities for birding. If you are coming up from San Diego, you
will probably want to check in to the Nat. Wildlife refuge headquarters,
six miles east from Hwy 111 on Sinclair Rd., near the SE end of the lake.
They have maps and info available there, and a bird list. There is a
walking trail there, out to the dikes. I had several "firsts" there for me
(without having to leave the parking lot!) including verdins and Abert's
towhees which were flitting around in the underbrush. Also seen from the
parking area was a black-shouldered kite (considered rare there,
apparently, but very familiar to me from birding at the San Francisco Bay
Refuge in the past) and a large covey of Gambel's quail. I was there during
hunting season, so waterfowl were skittish, but there's a lot of it,
including Ross' goose and, less likely, fulvous whistling duck. There's a
viewing platform at the marshy southern end of the sea, at the end of
Vendel Rd, off Hwy 86, that may be worth the trip. Regarding the Birding
festival, I don't know, but the refuge headquarters may be reached at
619-348-5278. Further north on the east side of the sea, check out the
Wister Wildlife Area. There are several miles of roads open there and,
again, interesting birds right at the headquarters. At the extreme NE of
the sea is the tiny community of Mecca, where you may drive right to the
edge of Salton Sea. Prolific numbers of shorebirds, white pelicans, etc
there. I'd pass up the Salton Sea State Rec. Area, about midway up the
lake. It is designed more for boating and fishing and had few birds. It
also has a day use fee.

Other places near there that I would look into include Joshua Tree National
Park. One of the better desert birding areas, particularily around
Cottonwood Springs, at the south end of the park. Check out around the
south visitor's center too. If you should go through the park, head west to
the Moraga area. There is a bird refuge there where Vermillion flycatchers
come in the spring and summer. Very good birding. If you are interested in
going up the coast, check out Casper's Wilderness Park, 7.5 miles inland
from San Juan Capistrano, off Hwy 74. Should be only an hour or so from San
Diego. Great oak tree area and lots of good birds, like red shouldered
hawks, ash-throated flycatchers, Calif. gnat-catchers (rare, of course),
black phoebe, lazuli bunting and black-chinned hummers. Again, check out
the visitors center. They have feeders there. Another coastal place to see,
further up the Coast Hwy, is the Bolsa Chica reserve where five different
species of terns may be seen, including nesting elegant and little terns.
They also have a small colony of skimmers there. If you happen to go inland
at all from there, the San Jacinto Wildlife Area near Lake Perris is a good
spot to stop. There are lots of tricolored blackbirds that nest there, for
example. Whatever, have fun! And if you hear anything about the birding
festival, share it. I may be in that area over President's Day weekend too.

Marvin Cooper
Seattle
----------
> From: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> To: Northwest birding email <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: TWEETERS digest 1295
> Date: Wednesday, February 04, 1998 12:04 AM
>
> TWEETERS Digest 1295
>
> Topics covered in this issue include:
>
> 1) --apologize for big digest quote.
> by Kevin Slagboom <boom at islandnet.com>
> 2) Rufous Hummingbirds
> by MEYER2J at aol.com
> 3) Owling - NOT
> by "Spitler" <spitler at wkpowerlink.com>
> 4) last words over a deceased owl (was Dead Snowy Owl)
> by "James R Lyles III, Technical Editor, Tacoma, WA "<jrlyles at usgs.gov>
> 5) A temp oasis in the "Winter Desert"
> by "Howard L. Ferguson" <ferguhlf at dfw.wa.gov>
> 6) Re: dead Snowy Owl?
> by Steve Mansfield <steve at nwnet.net>
> 7) Local rehabber near Redmond?
> by Steve Mansfield <steve at nwnet.net>
> 8) Re: Snowy Owl dead in Tacoma
> by wings at olympus.net
> 9) Re: Snowy Owl dead in Tacoma
> by Don Baccus <dhogaza at pacifier.com>
> 10) Re: Rufous Hummingbird Arrivals
> by Roger Olstad <rolstad at u.washington.edu>
> 11) Re: Rufous Hummingbird Arrivals
> by "Ed Schulz" <eschulz at gte.net>
> 12) Re: --apologize for big digest quote.
> by mprice at mindlink.bc.ca (Michael Price)
> 13) Re: Rufous Hummingbird Arrivals
> by mprice at mindlink.bc.ca (Michael Price)
> 14) Re: Rufous Hummingbird Arrivals
> by mpatters at orednet.org (Mike Patterson)
> 15) Return customers
> by Christine Maack <73201.3124 at compuserve.com>
> 16) Re: reply-to change
> by mprice at mindlink.bc.ca (Michael Price)
> 17) reply-to change
> by bhelmboldt at SEAAO.dcmdw.dla.mil
> 18) Birdfinding Help in WA/OR/ID
> by "Mike Resch" <mresch at ensr.com>
> 19) S. Calif Trip
> by "Rick Romea" <rromea at stioptronics.com>
> 20) Re: S. Calif Trip
> by Jerry Converse <sanjer at televar.com>
> 21) reply-to change
> by Jerry Converse <sanjer at televar.com>
> 22) Re: --apologize for big digest quote.
> by Paul Duval <paulb at chem.ubc.ca>
> 23) Re: last words over a deceased owl (was Dead Snowy Owl)
> by Kelly Cassidy <kelly at cqs.washington.edu>
> 24) Re: last words over a deceased owl (was Dead Snowy Owl)
> by mprice at mindlink.bc.ca (Michael Price)
> 25) reply to default change
> by "Martha Jordan" <marthaj at premier1.net>
> 26) Slaty-backed Gulls on the Web
> by Jack Bowling <jbowling at direct.ca>
> 27) El Nino, Day Length, and Bird Migration
> by Deb Beutler <dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu>
> 28) Re: S. Calif Trip
> by "H. Douglas" <hdouglas at u.washington.edu>
> 29) Re: S. Calif Trip
> by "Rob Conway" <robin_conway at hotmail.com>
> 30) Results: Snowy Plover winter survey
> by "S&C Richardson" <salix at halcyon.com>
> 31) Re: El Nino, Day Length, and Bird Migration
> by mprice at mindlink.bc.ca (Michael Price)
> 32) Re: Rufous Hummingbird Arrivals
> by ravenn at premier1.net
> 33) ideal bird-mobile
> by CATSAFARI at aol.com
> 34) Blaine barn swallows
> by CATSAFARI at aol.com
> 35) Re: reply-to change
> by SCN User <bj054 at scn.org>
> 36) Walla Walla Co. Notes
> by Deb Beutler <dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu>
> 37) Signs of Spring?
> by Deb Beutler <dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu>
> 38) Re: reply-to change
> by Deb Beutler <dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 03 Feb 1998 07:51:20 -0800
> From: Kevin Slagboom <boom at islandnet.com>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: --apologize for big digest quote.
> Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980203075120.007ebdd0 at pop.islandnet.com>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> A quick apology to all those who had to endure my last posting. Next
time
> I'll be sure not to quote the whole digest. This was a mistake and not
> intentional. Hopefully I can be forgiven as I enjoy reading tweeters and
> wish to participate in the future.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Kevin Slagboom
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------
> Kevin Slagboom, Web Manager
> Birding Victoria, BC
> Tel: (250) 658-0940 Fax: (250) 658-3640
> Email: boom at islandnet.com
> -------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 11:18:30 EST
> From: MEYER2J at aol.com
> To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Rufous Hummingbirds
> Message-ID: <acbef5f7.34d74358 at aol.com>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
> Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit
>
> Hi Tweets:
>
> Here in Woodinville, my records show the following, for observations of
the
> Rufous Hummingbird at my feeders:
>
> First obsv. 3/9/88
> First obsv. 3/21/89
> First obsv. 3/25/90
> First obsv. 3/19/91
> First obsv. 3/20/92
> First obsv. 3/21/93
> First obsv. 3/15/94
> First obsv. 3/16/95 Last seen 7/11/95
> First obsv. 3/19/96
> First obsv. 3/17/97 Last seen 7/17/97

>
> Joyce Meyer
> Woodinville, WA
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 08:58:50 -0800
> From: "Spitler" <spitler at wkpowerlink.com>
> To: "tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Owling - NOT
> Message-ID: <01bd30c5$0008a8e0$23f234d1 at gspitler.awinc.com>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
> Hi All,
> After careful consideration of the ethical questions, I decided to try
using
> a tape to flush out local Barred Owls. In the last year or so, the owls,
> usually Barred and Northern Pygmy, have seemed quite scarce. I made a new
> tape using the recording by Lang Elliott on the Stokes Field Guide to
Bird
> Songs. [If you haven't heard these, they are absolutely excellent
> recordings. The sound quality is clear and crisp, good volume. Most of
the
> recordings include calls and songs. Too bad he isn't doing the Western
> Edition of same, but maybe the quality will be the same. Here's hoping.
> ]
> Anyway, new tape in recorder, off I went. At the first stop, playing the
> recording brought two Common Ravens, who circled overhead, lower and
lower.
> I stopped the tape, and they flew off. Started the tape again, and they
were
> back in a flash, again clearly interested in finding the source of the
call.
> The second playback also stirred up the neighbor's dog. The next stop was
in
> my fields. This time the playing of the tape drew the attention of the 5
> resident cows. First they stared intently in the direction of the sound.
> Then they charged. I was glad for the fence separating them from me.
> Later, about dusk, I tried again. This playback brought alarm gobbles
from a
> flock of Wild Turkeys who were settled in another neighbors fields.
> So all and all, no owls but 2 avenging ravens, 5 stampeding cows, 1
noisey
> dog and a flock of distraught turkeys.
>
> Ain't birding a grand experience.
>
> Gail Spitler
> Johnsons Landing, BC
> spitler at wkpowerlink.com
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 03 Feb 1998 07:58:23 -0800
> From: "James R Lyles III, Technical Editor, Tacoma, WA
"<jrlyles at usgs.gov>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Cc: dpaulson at mail.ups.edu, jrlyles at eskimo.com,
> "James R Lyles III, Technical Editor, Tacoma, WA
"<jrlyles at usgs.gov>
> Subject: last words over a deceased owl (was Dead Snowy Owl)
> Message-ID: <199802031558.HAA27828 at fs02dwatcm.wr.usgs.gov>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>
> Yesterday, Christopher Hill quite sensibly suggested
> that the dead large owl found outside my downtown Tacoma
> office building--an owl that I didn't see before it was
> disposed of--was a Barn Owl rather than the Snowy Owl that
> witnesses indicated.
>
> Last evening my reply was garbled in transmission. So I
> hope you all tweeters will indulge me as I rerun my reply
> in a more coherent version.
>
>
>
> ------- Forwarded from <jrlyles at eskimo.com>-----------------------
>
>
>
> Chris--
>
> Thanks for your skeptical note about which owl--a Snowy or,
> as you aver more likely, a Barn Owl--breathed its last outside
> my office building in downtown Tacoma.
>
> I agree that the security man's identification of the owl is
> certainly not conclusive. And I also regret that I could not
> locate the compacted corpse of the owl, which had been squashed
> into one of a whole bunch of large bundles of cardboard and other
> stuff.
>
> Indeed, I supposed, as you do, that the owl might have been a
> Barn Owl, though they too would be very unusual around here.
> Without identifying the bird illustrations in advance for security
> man, I showed him illustrations of the Barn Owl (and Great Horned
> Owl) as well as the Snowy Owl. He insisted on the illustration of
> the Snowy Owl, even when I drew his attention to the face of the
> Barn Owl and asked him to imagine a pale-backed version of the
> Barn Owl. But he had handled the dead bird, admired it and its face,
> and still said that it was big and all white (not pale), except
> for a some dark "speckles" or "sprinkles" here and there. (By
> "sprinkles," he may well have meant any kind of dark streaking,
> barring, mottling, or whatever.)
>
> In any case, the security man didn't misidentify the bird; he didn't
> pin the name Snowy Owl on it. He didn't know what kind of owl it
> was, describing it only it as a "big, white owl."
>
> I also talked to the custodial woman who had disposed of the
> bird,
> but she hadn't inspected it as closely. She just knew that it
> was an owl.
>
> So I dunno. That's the best we can do. Our common sense says that
> it's likely a Barn Owl, but the witnesses describe a Snowy Owl.
>
> Thanks.
>
> --Jim Lyles, Tacoma
> <jrlyles at usgs.gov> or <jrlyles at eskimo.com>
>
>
> ------- End of Forwarded Message
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 03 Feb 1998 09:52:46 -0800
> From: "Howard L. Ferguson" <ferguhlf at dfw.wa.gov>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: A temp oasis in the "Winter Desert"
> Message-ID: <s4d6ea54.010 at dfw.wa.gov>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain
> Content-Disposition: inline
>
> Well I was certainly entertained and laughing at Pagodromo's account of
> birding of Birding in NE WA in the winter. Not much to say the least -
> areas that you are sure look good for birds and there are none around!!
>
> But yesterday morning I ran across a bright spot in North Spokane
> County - Just E of Hwy 2 in Elk on Valley Rd South of Elk to Hwy Rd:
> (DeLorme p105 D6)
> a mixed flock of
> Common Redpoll - 100-120 (Couldn't locate any hoary's)
> Amer Goldfinches - 15-20
> Pine Siskins - 15-20
>
> They were eating alder seeds from the catkins and then eating gravel
> from the roads.
> ************************
> East side Raptors
> During the last three years I have run regular raptor routes around
> Spokane and as far as a quick look at the data, the number of
> rough-legged hawks last year (96-97) were almost double from this
> year (97-98) and the previous year (95-96). My explanation being the
> harsh winter we had last year forced more northerly birds down around
> the Spokane area.
>
>
>
> Howard Ferguson
> Spokane (part of the "winter bird desert")
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 10:26:22 -0800 (PST)
> From: Steve Mansfield <steve at nwnet.net>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: dead Snowy Owl?
> Message-ID: <199802031826.KAA09627 at cypress.nwnet.net>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
> > conclusive. And I also regret that I could not locate the
> > compacted corpse
> > of the owl, which had been squashed into one of a whole bunch
of
> > large bundles
> > of cardboard and other stuff.
>
> You would think, that when they found it, they might have thought to call
> the local DOF&W folks. Depending on its condition, if nothing else, a
> museum or raptor/bird museum or museum of natural history, etc. might
have
> liked it...
>
> --
> Steve Mansfield steve at nwnet.net
> NorthWestNet Network Engineer 425-649-7467
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 10:29:32 -0800 (PST)
> From: Steve Mansfield <steve at nwnet.net>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Local rehabber near Redmond?
> Message-ID: <199802031829.KAA09841 at cypress.nwnet.net>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
> Yeah, I know, this is bleeding heart & all that, but I figure it can't
hurt
> to ask...
>
> There's a goldfinch at our feeders this morning, who looks like it may
have
> been a victim of a cat attack or some other nasty event. It's left wing
is
> a *little* ragged, but it can still fly, however it's left eye looks
really
> bad, and it look smore like an injury than an infection (though it could
> certainly become so). I was hoping someone might know of a rehabber near
> Redmond who might want to try to help the little one. It's able to get
to
> our feeders, and is eating but seems a little subdued. Anyway, any help
> available would be wonderful.
>
> --
> Steve Mansfield steve at nwnet.net
> NorthWestNet Network Engineer 425-649-7467
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 12:37:46 -0800
> From: wings at olympus.net
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: Snowy Owl dead in Tacoma
> Message-ID: <v01540b01b0fd2b5dc22e at [198.133.237.56]>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Tweets:
>
> Chris Hill wrote:
>
> >>Or, perhaps more likely at that location, a Barn Owl? If you look at
them
> >>from the front, they're "white with a few dark speckles."
> >>
> >>Hate to play the doubting thomas to what seems to be a clear ID, but I
> >>know a few cases where non-birders have reported snowies that turned
out
> >>to be something else
>
> And Dennis replied:
>
> >Although Jim's bird certainly sounds like a Snowy, I have to agree
entirely
> >with Chris. I've seen/heard of quite a few Barn Owls miscalled Snowies,
> >both live and dead ones.
>
> My first response to Jim's anecdote was the same. Unfortunately it's too
> late to be sure *what* it was. But to add another tale of Barn Owl
> misidentification...
>
> Several years ago I was in conversation with a couple of Oregon Dept.
Fish
> & Wildlife biologists. If I remember correctly, one of them reported a
> phone call he'd received, first from an irate state legislator who was
> following up on a request from a constituent, and his subsequent talk
with
> the constituent. The person had found a Spotted Owl in their barn, and
> wanted it out of there. They were reluctant to do anything about it
> themselves for fear of the wrath of regulatory-types, and seemed angry
that
> they had this problem on their hands in the first place. The biologist
> queried, "You say this owl is in your barn?" "Yes!" "What makes you think
> it's a Spotted Owl?" "Because it has these little black spots all over
it."
> "Is the bird mostly white, with a sort of heart-shaped face?" "Yes" ....
>
> -- Janet Hardin
> Port Townsend, WA
> wings at olympus.net
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 03 Feb 1998 11:37:39 -0800
> From: Don Baccus <dhogaza at pacifier.com>
> To: wings at olympus.net, tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: Snowy Owl dead in Tacoma
> Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19980203113739.00ac0fa4 at smtp.pacifier.com>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> At 12:37 PM 2/3/98 -0800, wings at olympus.net wrote:
>
> >Several years ago I was in conversation with a couple of Oregon Dept.
Fish
> >& Wildlife biologists. If I remember correctly, one of them reported a
> >phone call he'd received, first from an irate state legislator who was
> >following up on a request from a constituent, and his subsequent talk
with
> >the constituent. The person had found a Spotted Owl in their barn, and
> >wanted it out of there. They were reluctant to do anything about it
> >themselves for fear of the wrath of regulatory-types, and seemed angry
that
> >they had this problem on their hands in the first place. The biologist
> >queried, "You say this owl is in your barn?" "Yes!" "What makes you
think
> >it's a Spotted Owl?" "Because it has these little black spots all over
it."
> >"Is the bird mostly white, with a sort of heart-shaped face?" "Yes" ....
>
> ODF&W was plagued by such misidentifications when the nso issue flared up
in
> the late 1980s (ironically shortly after James Geisinger, a leading
timber
> lobbyist, virtually declared victory and allowed himself to be quoted in
the
> newspaper saying "we've not yet given up the dream of logging in National
> Parks and designated Wilderness" - hah! no wonder I have no sympathy for
> the industry!).
>
> My favorite was an editorial in the Bend daily, though, that haughtily
> proclaimed that nso not only don't need old-growth, but actually don't
> need forests at all to nest in. "As recent months have shown, spotted
> owls nest EVERYWHERE, even in junk yards like the pair in <a location
> I've forgotten>".
>
> Of course, folks were calling ODF&W with every pair of owls they found
> anywhere, and our most obvious nesting owl is of course 'old Bubo the
> great horned beast, which would probably do quite well in a junk yard...
>
> I wonder if ODF&W, during this exhausting period, kept any data? When
you
> think about it, the eagerness of rural Oregonians to prove that spotted
> owls nest everywhere probably resulted in the most comprehensive survey
> of GHO, screech, and barn owl nest sites ever performed in the state! :)
>
>
>
> - Don Baccus, Portland OR <dhogaza at pacifier.com>
> Nature photos, on-line guides, and other goodies at
> http://donb.photo.net
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 11:54:11 -0800 (PST)
> From: Roger Olstad <rolstad at u.washington.edu>
> To: Michael Price <mprice at mindlink.bc.ca>
> Cc: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: Rufous Hummingbird Arrivals
> Message-ID:
<Pine.A41.3.95b.980203114247.70136A-100000 at homer11.u.washington.edu>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
>
> Where extreme cases (e.g.very early arrivals) would affect the mean
> (average date of arrival), one should use the median, which in this
> instance would be the middle date, determined by counting up (or down)
> from the earliest (or latest) date until you have reached the date
> representing 50% of the total number of dates in the data set.
>
> Roger Olstad
> Seattle (Lake Forest Park)
>
> On Mon, 2 Feb 1998, Michael Price wrote:
>
> > But this is something I've never quite figured out how to deal with:
data
> > that are waayyy out of pattern: do you include them knowing they're
likely a
> > one-off that's gonna distort whatever means and averages, or do you
ignore
> > them? For example, let's say arbitrarily that this is the pattern of
Barn
> > Swallow arrival, leading to the derived (and equally arbitrary for
purposes
> > of this immediate discussion) average arrival date of April 07 above:
> >
> > 4 12
> > ----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----
> > J F M A M J J A S O N D
> >
> > then along comes 1998, which leaves the record looking like this:
> >
> >
> > 1 4 12
> > ----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----
> > J F M A M J J A S O N D
> >
> > which then pulls the average arrival date sometime into mid-March or
even
> > late February, clearly not reflecting reality. I'm sure there's
something
> > simple way to absorb that kind of temporary distortion of the 'normal'
> > pattern that I'm overlooking here. Anybody with statistics in their
blood
> > (ie, related to that famous Gaul, Vitalstatistix '-) who knows how to
fix this?
> >
> > 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)
> >
> >
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 12:42:24 -0800
> From: "Ed Schulz" <eschulz at gte.net>
> To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Re: Rufous Hummingbird Arrivals
> Message-ID: <199802032048.OAA28277 at smtp1.mailsrvcs.net>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
> Or you could look at the mean and standard deviation (a measure of
> the distribution around the mean). One of the problems of trying
> to represent complex events by one or two numbers in order to make
> things manageable is that part of the story gets left out. In
> these cases you have to decide if this is an important part of the
> story or not.
>
> Ed Schulz
> email: eschulz at gte.net
> Phone: (425) 259-6877
> Everett, WA
>
> ----------
> >
> > On Mon, 2 Feb 1998, Michael Price wrote:
> >
> > > But this is something I've never quite figured out how to deal
> with: data
> > > that are waayyy out of pattern: do you include them knowing
> they're likely a
> > > one-off that's gonna distort whatever means and averages, or do
> you ignore
> > > them? For example, let's say arbitrarily that this is the
> pattern of Barn
> > > Swallow arrival, leading to the derived (and equally arbitrary
> for purposes
> > > of this immediate discussion) average arrival date of April 07
> above:
> > >
> > > 4 12
> > > ----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----
> > > J F M A M J J A S O N D
> > >
> > > then along comes 1998, which leaves the record looking like
> this:
> > >
> > >
> > > 1 4 12
> > > ----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----
> > > J F M A M J J A S O N D
> > >
> > > which then pulls the average arrival date sometime into
> mid-March or even
> > > late February, clearly not reflecting reality. I'm sure there's
> something
> > > simple way to absorb that kind of temporary distortion of the
> 'normal'
> > > pattern that I'm overlooking here. Anybody with statistics in
> their blood
> > > (ie, related to that famous Gaul, Vitalstatistix '-) who knows
> how to fix this?
> > >
> > > 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)
> > >
> > >
> >
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 13:01:40 -0800
> From: mprice at mindlink.bc.ca (Michael Price)
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: --apologize for big digest quote.
> Message-ID: <E0xzpTQ-0008Kh-00 at dewey.mindlink.net>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hi Tweets,
>
> Kevin Slagboom writes:
>
> >A quick apology to all those who had to endure my last posting. Next
time
> >I'll be sure not to quote the whole digest....
>
> For your penance, Kevin, pull up and transcribe in longhand *everything*
in
> the Tweeters Archives on the following subjects: the Dreaded Cat Thread,
the
> Dreaded Hunting Thread, American/Northwestern Crows
and--nyahahaaaa--*gull*
> ID. '-)
>
> I for one am really glad to see sightings from Victoria BC once again
making
> it to the Internet. More, more! Welcome back!
>
> 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)
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 13:01:44 -0800
> From: mprice at mindlink.bc.ca (Michael Price)
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: Rufous Hummingbird Arrivals
> Message-ID: <E0xzpTT-0008Kh-00 at dewey.mindlink.net>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hi Tweets,
>
> Thanks to all who answered publicly and privately my query about outliers
in
> a range of data: consensus was unanimous that medians work better than
> averages or means where there are outliers.
>
> Thanks again!
>
> 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)
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 13:01:12 -0800
> From: mpatters at orednet.org (Mike Patterson)
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: Rufous Hummingbird Arrivals
> Message-ID: <199802032101.AA27011 at ednet1.orednet.org>
>
>
>
>
> For data on arrivals, the numbers we generate are for when we first
> notice the species. Those of us who work during the day may miss a
> genuine first arrival. Therefore, we should be loading our numbers
> with qualifiers. Mean, median, standard deviation and maximum and
> minimum all contain information that qualifies the statistic and each
> by itself implies something different about arrivals.
>
> With hummingbirds, where site fidelity is fairly strong, it is very
> likely that if a bird shows up on multiple years on Feb 21, it may well
> be the same bird (I had arrival dates in 4 consequetive years on Feb 21
> and I put out the feeder on Feb 1). Site fidelity is as likely to
> affect the mean arrival date more than say... El Nino.
>
>
> >
> >Or you could look at the mean and standard deviation (a measure of
> >the distribution around the mean). One of the problems of trying
> >to represent complex events by one or two numbers in order to make
> >things manageable is that part of the story gets left out. In
> >these cases you have to decide if this is an important part of the
> >story or not.
> >
> >Ed Schulz
> >email: eschulz at gte.net
> >Phone: (425) 259-6877
> >Everett, WA
> >
> >----------
> >>
> >> On Mon, 2 Feb 1998, Michael Price wrote:
> >>
> >> > But this is something I've never quite figured out how to deal
> >with: data
> >> > that are waayyy out of pattern: do you include them knowing
> >they're likely a
> >> > one-off that's gonna distort whatever means and averages, or do
> >you ignore
> >> > them? For example, let's say arbitrarily that this is the
> >pattern of Barn
> >> > Swallow arrival, leading to the derived (and equally arbitrary
> >for purposes
> >> > of this immediate discussion) average arrival date of April 07
> >above:
> >> >
> >> > 4 12
> >> > ----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----
> >> > J F M A M J J A S O N D
> >> >
> >> > then along comes 1998, which leaves the record looking like
> >this:
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > 1 4 12
> >> > ----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----
> >> > J F M A M J J A S O N D
> >> >
> >> > which then pulls the average arrival date sometime into
> >mid-March or even
> >> > late February, clearly not reflecting reality. I'm sure there's
> >something
> >> > simple way to absorb that kind of temporary distortion of the
> >'normal'
> >> > pattern that I'm overlooking here. Anybody with statistics in
> >their blood
> >> > (ie, related to that famous Gaul, Vitalstatistix '-) who knows
> >how to fix this?
> >> >
> >> > 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)
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >
> >
>
> --
> *********************************
> * Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR *
> * mpatters at orednet.org *
> http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 16:08:46 -0500
> From: Christine Maack <73201.3124 at compuserve.com>
> To: "INTERNET:tweeters at u.washington.edu" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Return customers
> Message-ID: <199802031609_MC2-31BE-A2E at compuserve.com>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> Content-Disposition: inline
>
> Having very little evidence to back this up, I'm still willing to bet
> those hummers that come up to your window with that "Well?"
> attitude are repeat customers. After all, banders catch the same
> individual birds in nets on the same sites in subsequent years,
> both migrants and breeders. I think they have pretty good memories.
>
> Chris Maack
> Anchorage, AK
> CMaack at compuserve.com
>
> Joan McDonald wrote:
> >
> Which brings me to a question. Before I learned to put the feeder out
> before
> I expected the birds, I'd first see them right at my window, looking in
=
> at
> me
> which I interpreted as "well, where's the feeder?". Are those repeat
> customers from last year or did they pick my yard because they see other
> type
> feeders or because I have salmonberries? <
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 13:11:59 -0800
> From: mprice at mindlink.bc.ca (Michael Price)
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: reply-to change
> Message-ID: <E0xzpdP-00003J-00 at dewey.mindlink.net>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hi Tweets,
>
> Okay, I gave the change of the default 'reply-to' to sender a month's
fair
> trial, after which I still prefer the original default reply-to-list. I'd

> really like to see Dan Victor change the 'reply-to' default back to the
> Tweeters list.
>
> 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)
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 03 Feb 98 13:20:31 PST
> From: bhelmboldt at SEAAO.dcmdw.dla.mil
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: reply-to change
> Message-ID: <9801038865.AA886541058 at SEAAO.dcmdw.dla.mil>
>
>
> I also would prefer that the reply-to address be reset to Tweeters.
>
> Bruce
>
> . 0> Bruce Helmboldt "tHe cold bumBler"
> . _/_)_ bruhelmboldt at worldnet.att.net
> . / stardotstar at usa.net
> . bruhelmboldt at hotmail.com
> . Duvall, WA, USA
> . 47* 42' 22" North, 121* 58' 26" West
> . http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/8468/
> 
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 98 17:51:57 EST
> From: "Mike Resch" <mresch at ensr.com>
> To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Birdfinding Help in WA/OR/ID
> Message-ID: <vines.bd,6+BytpoA at ma01.ensr.com>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> I am a Massachusetts birder planning a birding trip to WA/OR/ID in early
> April. I'll have about 6-8 days available for birding. My primary goals
are
> to add birds to my state lists in these three states. My only potential
life
> birds would be Spotted Owl and maybe a late Yellow-billed Loon (in
addition
> to any rarities that may be around).
>
> I have birded the WA and OR coasts 2-3 times each, and spent some time in

> Seattle, though my state lists still have a number of gaps for possible
> coastal species. However, I have never been east of Seattle in WA or
each of
> the coast in OR. My Idaho list is quite small - so many species would be

> new.
>
> Where would you suggest going to maximize my potential new state birds in

> these 3 states? (I've been using "Birders Guide to Oregon" (Evanich),
"Guide
> to Bird Finding in Washington" (Wahl & Paulson), and ABA's new Idaho
> birdfinding guide as references.)
>
> Thanks for your help.
>
> Mike Resch
> Pepperell, MA
> mresch at ensr.com
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 15:00:46 -0700
> From: "Rick Romea" <rromea at stioptronics.com>
> To: "Tweeters Post" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: S. Calif Trip
> Message-ID: <002501bd30ef$2e102950$5879d5ce at ntr155a>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
> Hi Tweeters,
>
> Cindy and I are planning a one week trip to the area around San Diego
next
> week...We're planning to spend time in the San Diego area, and also get
over
> to the Salton Sea...
> Anyone have any tips/experience on birding in S Calif?
>
> Rick Romea "We're gonna need a bigger boat"
> Seattle, WA - Jaws
> rromea at stioptronics.com
> 206-523-5831 (Home)
> 425-827-0460 X 316 (Work)
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 03 Feb 1998 15:10:57 -0800
> From: Jerry Converse <sanjer at televar.com>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: S. Calif Trip
> Message-ID: <34D7A401.E51 at televar.com>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
> We would like to know also.
> Hint--It could be very wet down there.
>
> ************************************************************************
> Jerry and Sandy Converse Owls of the night, silent in flight,
> Grand Coulee, WA detect their prey, without light of day.
> ************************************************************************
>
> Rick Romea wrote:
> >
> > Hi Tweeters,
> >
> > Cindy and I are planning a one week trip to the area around San Diego
next
> > week...We're planning to spend time in the San Diego area, and also get
over
> > to the Salton Sea...
> > Anyone have any tips/experience on birding in S Calif?
> >
> > Rick Romea "We're gonna need a bigger boat"
> > Seattle, WA - Jaws
> > rromea at stioptronics.com
> > 206-523-5831 (Home)
> > 425-827-0460 X 316 (Work)
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 03 Feb 1998 15:24:16 -0800
> From: Jerry Converse <sanjer at televar.com>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: reply-to change
> Message-ID: <34D7A720.1B22 at televar.com>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
> Us also! Back to tweeters as the default. We (Sandy and I) need all the
> input we can get.
>
> ************************************************************************
> Jerry and Sandy Converse Owls of the night, silent in flight,
> Grand Coulee, WA detect their prey, without light of day.
> ************************************************************************
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 15:35:11 -0800 (PST)
> From: Paul Duval <paulb at chem.ubc.ca>
> To: Michael Price <mprice at mindlink.bc.ca>
> Cc: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: --apologize for big digest quote.
> Message-ID: <Pine.A32.3.91.980203153033.26192A-100000 at chem.ubc.ca>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
>
>
>
> On Tue, 3 Feb 1998, Michael Price wrote:
>
> > Hi Tweets,
> >
> > Kevin Slagboom writes:
> >
> > >A quick apology to all those who had to endure my last posting. Next
time
> > >I'll be sure not to quote the whole digest....
> >
> > For your penance, Kevin, pull up and transcribe in longhand
*everything* in
> > the Tweeters Archives on the following subjects: the Dreaded Cat
Thread, the
> > Dreaded Hunting Thread, American/Northwestern Crows
and--nyahahaaaa--*gull*
> > ID. '-)
> >
> > I for one am really glad to see sightings from Victoria BC once again
making
> > it to the Internet. More, more! Welcome back!
>
> I would like to second that motion. BTW, One doesn't hear much about the
> Victoria area skylark population during the winter. Is there an
> established pattern for the resident birds? Just wondering.
>
> Paul Duval (just us bitterns lurking in the reeds again)
>
>
> >
> > 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)
> >
> >
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 16:14:56 -0800 (PST)
> From: Kelly Cassidy <kelly at cqs.washington.edu>
> To: tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Re: last words over a deceased owl (was Dead Snowy Owl)
> Message-ID:
<Pine.SUN.3.91.980203160621.2111B-100000 at salmo.cqs.washington.edu>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
>
> > Thanks for your skeptical note about which owl--a Snowy or,
> > as you aver more likely, a Barn Owl--breathed its last outside
> > my office building in downtown Tacoma.
>
> snip, snip
> >
> > So I dunno. That's the best we can do. Our common sense says
that
> > it's likely a Barn Owl, but the witnesses describe a Snowy Owl.
>
> I won't argue that mis-identification of owls is common, but my common
> sense (or lack of) would lean towards Snowy. The location was in or near
> down-town Tacoma, wasn't it? Barn Owls are rare in cities, but, based on
> data from last year's irruption data, Snowys in winter often stumble into
> coastal cities. Last winter, most had clustered in estuaries by late
> winter, but a few hung around cities all winter. Arguing against that
> theory is that one would have expected a Snowy in Tacoma would have been
> noticed by now.
>
> Kelly Cassidy -- Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
> Box 357980, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195
> kelly at u.washington.edu --- 206-685-4195 --- 206-368-8076
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 16:53:19 -0800
> From: mprice at mindlink.bc.ca (Michael Price)
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: last words over a deceased owl (was Dead Snowy Owl)
> Message-ID: <E0xzt5a-0005Fb-00 at dewey.mindlink.net>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hi Tweets,
>
> Kelly Cassidy writes:
>
> >...Barn Owls are rare in cities, but, based on
> >data from last year's irruption data, Snowys in winter often stumble
into
> >coastal cities. Last winter, most had clustered in estuaries by late
> >winter, but a few hung around cities all winter.
>
> Speaking of Barn Owls Tyto alba, one was rasping away over my place in
> westermost Kitsilano, in Vancouver BC, the other night. They're actually
not
> all that uncommon in Vancouver skies, but being visible only when the
lights
> reflect off their bright white underparts and audible only when
background
> traffic noise drops below a certain level, seem to be scarcer than they
are.
>
> Snowy Owls Nyctea scandiaca in cities usually tend to hang out around the

> harbors, and if personal observation in Vancouver BC is a guide, are more

> likely to show up in a city on their northbound return migration. Upon
> seeing crows or gulls divebombing something atop and office buidling or
> apartment, it's always a good idea to check it out, especially between
now
> and mid-April, as there's *some* chance that it might be a Snowy Owl.
>
> 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)
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 05:43:07 -0800
> From: "Martha Jordan" <marthaj at premier1.net>
> To: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: reply to default change
> Message-ID: <199802040142.RAA18204 at premier1.premier1.net>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
> I vote to change it back to tweeters, please, and soon.
>
> Martha Jordan
> marthaj at premier1.net
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 18:46:50 PST
> From: Jack Bowling <jbowling at direct.ca>
> To: Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Slaty-backed Gulls on the Web
> Message-ID: <E0xzurk-00079N-00 at jack.direct.ca>
>
> Hi, Tweets. After much yeoman service, Steve Hampton from California has
scanned some of my
> Slaty-backed Gull slides from the western Pacific and put them on his
gull web page. A good
> assortment of plumages. Warning: the dupe slides were on the red side and
the scanning
> copied everything faithfully so be forewarned. Put your blue shades on
while viewing!
>
> The URL is:
>
> http://www.agecon.ucdavis.edu/homepages/hampton/larus/schi1.htm
>
> - Jack
>
> P.S. Dan V. - may be an idea to add this page to the Tweeters home page
if not already
> there.
>
> ------------------
> Jack Bowling
> Prince George, BC
> jbowling at direct.ca
>
> cc: dpaulson at ups.edu
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 18:59:56 -0800 (PST)
> From: Deb Beutler <dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: El Nino, Day Length, and Bird Migration
> Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980203185523.34cf2384 at wsunix.wsu.edu>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> I would be surprised to see a large number of birds arriving
early
> due to El Nino. Spring migration and other breeding behaviors seem to be
> controled by day length, not temperature, particularly in passerine
birds.
> Research by avian physiologists suggests increasing day length
> causes the release of hormones in the brain of the bird. These hormones
> travel to the pituatary and cause the release of gonadotropin horomones
> which go to the gonads and tell them to start growing and produce
> testosterone and estrogen. (In birds, the gonads regress during the
> non-breeding season and grow before the breeding season.) Most of theses
> studies were done on sparrows (particularly White-crowned Sparrows) but
> similar results have been found for a wide range of birds that have been
> looked at.
> Birds use day-length as a signal because it is a good predictor
of
> spring, better than temperature. As we all know, the temperature
fluctuates
> greatly, day to day and year to year. The birds need a reliable
predictor
> of upcoming warm weather and increasing day length does that. El Nino and
> other large-scale weather patterns alter temperature but have no effect
on
> day length.
> Obviously, this works best for birds that breed and winter in the
> north temperate zones and restrict breeding to the spring and summer
months.
> Birds that winter along the equator may have an additional factor,
probably
> a circannual rythmn, that makes them more sensitive to sunlight a certain
> time. Birds that winter south of the equator may be "turned on" by
shorter
> day lengths. Birds that nest in unpredictable environments or depend on
> unpredictable food source (such as crossbills) may use a variation of
this
> pattern or may use a totally different system we haven't yet found.
> Variation in arrival dates arise due to conditions along the
> migration route. The day length starts the process. Then the bird
starts
> migrating. If food supplies along the route are below average, the bird
> might have to spend more time at stopovers. If food is abundant, the
trip
> may go faster. However, I doubt the process sped up by several weeks.
> An alternate explanation for apparent "early migrants" are winter
> stragglers that never left and were never discovered. It is possible
that
> every winter a few birds just don't leave; winter weather usually takes
care
> of them. However, during mild winters, particularly El Nino winters,
they
> can survive and are "found" on those early dates.
>
> I predict that most birds will be right on time.
>
> Deb Beutler
> Department of Zoology
> P.O. Box 644236
> Washington State Univerisity
> Pullman, Whitman Co., WA
> dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 19:26:11 -0800 (PST)
> From: "H. Douglas" <hdouglas at u.washington.edu>
> To: Rick Romea <rromea at stioptronics.com>
> Cc: Tweeters Post <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Re: S. Calif Trip
> Message-ID:
<Pine.A41.3.95b.980203192057.129806A-100000 at homer30.u.washington.edu>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
>
> Try telephoning the San Diego Audubon Society Office for information on
> places to bird in the area. Cheers ,Howard Douglas
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 03 Feb 1998 19:52:41 PST
> From: "Rob Conway" <robin_conway at hotmail.com>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: S. Calif Trip
> Message-ID: <19980204035241.27141.qmail at hotmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain
>
> Rick,
>
> Some of my old stomping grounds. If you want a full list of San Diego
> birding spots go to the SD Audubon web site:
>
> http://www.audubon.org/chapter/ca/socal/sd-locs.htm
>
> There is an excellent listing there. Here are a few of my must not miss
> spots:
>
> #1 - Tijuana River Nat'l Estuarian Sanctuary - Herons, rails, etc..
> #2 - Salton Sea (quite a drive but worth it)
> #3 - Palm Canyon
> #4 - San Clemente Canyon - Marion Beark Park
> #5 - Las Penasquitos Canyon
> #6 - The Lagoons in the City of Carlsbad
> #7 - Torrey Pines State Reserve
>
> I saw a number of lifer birds in that little corner of California
> including a Zone Tailed Hawk, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Harris's
> Hawk and others. Salton Sea is worth the time it takes to get there and
> bird. The desert sites like Palm Canyon can yield surprises, and add
> birds like Bendires, Crissal and LaContes Thrashers to a lot of life
> lists. Remember, even though this is Southern California, the mountains
> to the east are HIGH (~10,000 ft peaks) and winter weather can sneak up
> on you just like it can in our passes. Have a great time!
>
> Good Birding
>
> Rob Conway
> Bellevue, WA
>
> robin_conway at hotmail.com
>
>
> >Hi Tweeters,
> >
> >Cindy and I are planning a one week trip to the area around San Diego
> next week...We're planning to spend time in the San Diego area, and also
> get over to the Salton Sea...
> >Anyone have any tips/experience on birding in S Calif?
> >
> >Rick Romea
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 14:47:45 -0800
> From: "S&C Richardson" <salix at halcyon.com>
> To: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Cc: "Eric Cummins" <cummiebc at dfw.wa.gov>, <richasar at dfw.wa.gov>
> Subject: Results: Snowy Plover winter survey
> Message-ID: <199802040408.UAA17376 at smtp4.nwnexus.com>
>
> Saturday, 31 January, was the date for the annual Snowy Plover winter
survey
> along the coasts of Oregon and Washington. I thought Tweeters might be
> interested in knowing how it went in Washington.
>
> The short story is our composite count for Leadbetter Point, Midway
Beach,
> Westport, Damon Point, Connor Creek, and Copalis Spit: zero.
>
> Don Williamson reported that Leadbetter Point had been overwashed
considerably
> by recent high tides, leaving almost none of the dry sand beach that
seems to
> be favored by Snowy Plovers. I found a similar situation on Midway Beach
(a
> 1.5-mile stretch north of Cape Shoalwater), although some patches of dry,
> unvegetated dune were still available.
>
> Warren Michaelis reported "lousy conditions" at Damon Point and Oyhut
Spits,
> where wind made surveying difficult.
>
> The zero count was a bit surprising; I expected plovers at Leadbetter
Point and
> Midway Beach, two areas that consistently support a few snowys each
during
> winter. Discovering winter Snowy Plovers any further north would have
been
> notable.
>
> In other bird news, Warren found two Peregrine Falcons at Damon Point and
one
> flew past me on Midway Beach. Dunlin and Sanderling flocks were easily
seen and
> I found 8 Semipalmated Plovers just north of Warrenton Cannery Road.
> --
> Scott Richardson
> northeast Seattle
> salix at halcyon.com
>
> Remember:
> Female Belted Kingfishers have a rusty "belt," which the males lack.
> Both sexes have a blue breast band.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 21:16:26 -0800
> From: mprice at mindlink.bc.ca (Michael Price)
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: El Nino, Day Length, and Bird Migration
> Message-ID: <E0xzxCD-000254-00 at dewey.mindlink.net>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hi Tweets,
>
> Deb Beutler writes:
>
> (snip)
> > Variation in arrival dates arise due to conditions along the
> >migration route. The day length starts the process. Then the bird
starts
> >migrating. If food supplies along the route are below average, the bird
> >might have to spend more time at stopovers. If food is abundant, the
trip
> >may go faster. However, I doubt the process sped up by several weeks.
>
> Perhaps in the cases of the Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica and--less so--
> Rufous Hummingbirds Selasphorus rufus, I'd agree; quite a few of the
former
> have wintered further N than usual, and a some of the latter arrived in
> California about ten days ago with the first Allen's Hummingbirds S.
sasin.
> They may be undertaking their first migratory steps as normal timing
might
> dictate, but many degrees of latitude north of their usual start.
>
> > An alternate explanation for apparent "early migrants" are
winter
> >stragglers that never left and were never discovered. It is possible
that
> >every winter a few birds just don't leave; winter weather usually takes
care
> >of them. However, during mild winters, particularly El Nino winters,
they
> >can survive and are "found" on those early dates.
>
> Attention to the plumage pays off here (and why databases tracking bird
> records should, in my opinion, have a field for such): initially, male
> Yellow-rumped Warblers Dendroica coronata migrate ahead of the females,
so
> any Definitive Alternate-plumaged singing male in a bunch of still
> Basic-plumaged silent warblers is overwhelmingly certain to be a migrant
> among wintering birds.
>
> > I predict that most birds will be right on time.
>
> For record-keeping, then, it may be useful to mark not only the first
> arrival but the first significant number--and that would be whatever was
> appropriate to the species, say, a flock of 50 Western Sandpipers
Calidris
> mauri, or three Pacific Golden-plover Pluvialis fulva. It would be easy
to
> see if the migration were generally accelerated compared to other years:
> just compare the date of peak northbound numbers this year with peaks
dates
> of other years.
>
> I'll join Deb in suggesting that though we may be seeing record-early
> arrivals this year, some might be wintering survivors indistinguishable
from
> bona fide migrants and some might be jumping off from a starting line
> several hundred to thousands of miles further north than usual, the
> *majority* of each species will come in pretty much on time for the
reasons
> she describes.
>
> When's someone gonna invent a bar-code and scanner to clear stuff like
this
> up? '-)
>
> 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)
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 03 Feb 1998 21:47:18 +0000
> From: ravenn at premier1.net
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: Rufous Hummingbird Arrivals
> Message-ID: <34D79066.75BA at premier1.net>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
> I know so little about statistics that for me trying to figure out means
> etc would be meaningless. All I know is that I have had customers come
> into to the store and ask for the hummingbird mixture because they have
> seen Rufous Hummingbirds already. Today one man told me he's had two
> hummingbirds at his feeders for two weeks now. They came and hovered
> where he ususally puts out his feeders as if begging. They've been back
> to the feeder now that he has put them out for this season. I'm putting
> mine out tomorrow.
>
> Yvonne Bombardier
> Everett, Wa
> ravenn at premier1.net
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 00:57:52 EST
> From: CATSAFARI at aol.com
> To: borealis at borealis.seanet.com, tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: ideal bird-mobile
> Message-ID: <5cd77dc3.34d80362 at aol.com>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
> Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit
>
> Michael, check out the Subaru line for the ideal bird-mobile. You would
have
> full-time all-wheel drive in any model from compact (sub-compact?)
Impreza
> sedan throught the small and large wagons to the new sport-utility model.
I
> sold my much-loved Mazda 626 last spring to buy the Impreza Outback Sport
> wagon, just for the all-wheel drive. It's a much smaller car than the
legacy
> wagon, but to me is the ideal bird-mobile. (I'm a small-car person.)
It's a
> 4-passenger car with plenty of gear space and a roof rack. It goes down
> steep, rutted, muddy canyon roads with numerous stream crossings with no
> problem!
>
> Cathy Mohns
> Mill Creek WA
> catsafari at aol.com
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 01:23:08 EST
> From: CATSAFARI at aol.com
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Blaine barn swallows
> Message-ID: <158e8a6.34d8094e at aol.com>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
> Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit
>
> Hi Tweeters. I was on Brent Grisim's Seattle Audobon field trip t
Blaine and
> Lummi Flats Sunday, Feb. 1. He asked me to report the pair of Barn
Swallows
> we saw between the Blaine Marine Park and Peace Arch Park. The sighting
was
> confirmed by 6 others in the group. Thanks for the great day, Brent!
> Cathy Mohns
> Mill Creek WA
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 22:35:23 -0800 (PST)
> From: SCN User <bj054 at scn.org>
> To: Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Re: reply-to change
> Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.980203223151.13225A-100000 at scn>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
>
>
> Another vote to change the default reply back to 'reply-to-list'.
>
> Gary DuVall
> Seattle
> bj054 at scn.org
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 23:01:41 -0800 (PST)
> From: Deb Beutler <dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Walla Walla Co. Notes
> Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980203225709.3b5f4f32 at wsunix.wsu.edu>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> On Saturday, Jan. 31, 1998, I had the chance to do a little bit
of
> birding before a visiting my in-laws in Irrigon, Oregon. James Holloway
(my
> significant other) and I visited several spots in Walla Walla County,
> Washington.
> The weather was less than cooperative. When we left Pullman, it
was
> sunny and warm. But as we got near the Tri-Cities, it became very foggy,
> cold and windy.
> The first stop was the slough behind Mc Nary National Wildlife
> Refuge Headquarters. There was the usual ducks with Northern Shovelers
> being the most common. Other duck species, in no particular order were
> Mallards, Canvasbacks, Redheads, Lesser Scaup, Buffleheads, Common
> Goldeneye, Common Merganser. There was a Pied-billed Grebe diving as
well.
> Canada Geese were everywhere.
> The best show was put on by an adult Bald Eagle. Just as we
parked
> the car, the eagle flew low over the slough, making the waterfowl very
> nervous. Then it landed in a tree less than twenty yards from our car.
A
> few minutes later, it repeated the buzz over the slough and returned to
the
> tree. It repeated this behavior several times. I assume it was checking
> out the ducks to see if there were any wounded ones. Another eagle, this
> one an immature, make the Canada Geese in the nearby fields fly into the
> air. There were several hundred geese flying and honking in the air
around
> us. What an amazing sound! The immature continued past our car and was
> ignored by the adult eagle. The adult eagle continued harassing the
> waterfowl until someone came out of the headquarters to dump some trash.
> We past up the famous "Wallula Poop Piles" because there were no
> gulls to be seen.
> Our only other stop was Madame Dorian Park. We found the Harris'
> Sparrows (2) and the White-throated Sparrow (1) among the massive flock
of
> White-crowned Sparrows feeding on some seed left there (I assume by the
Mike
> and MeriLynn Denny). Three Double-crested Cormorants flew over the park
(my
> first for the year).
> I didn't bird the Walla Walla River Delta due to the fog. When
we
> drove over the bridge to turn into Madam Dorian Park, I could barely make
up
> shapes on the delta. There were lots of birds out there but I couldn't
> identify them in the fog.
> All of these locations are along U.S. 12 between Pasco (where you
> exit 395 to get to 12) and the intersection with WA 730 (which takes you
to
> Umatilla Oregon along the Columbia).
> We did a little birding Sunday morning (while the in-laws were in
> church) in Morrow and Umatilla Counties. We didn't see very much. We
did
> stop at McNary Dam but there were only a few gulls too far away to
identify.
> The morning was very cold and foggy and there wasn't very many birds out
> except the typical robins, flickers, crows and magpies.
>
> Deb Beutler
> Department of Zoology
> P.O. Box 644236
> Washington State Univerisity
> Pullman, Whitman Co., WA
> dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 23:09:41 -0800 (PST)
> From: Deb Beutler <dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Signs of Spring?
> Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980203230509.3a2713f2 at wsunix.wsu.edu>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> On Saturday, Jan. 31, 1998, at McNary NWR, Walla Walla Co., WA,
the
> Song Sparrows and the Red-winged Blackbirds were singing. I also noticed
> Red-wings singing in Colfax, Whitman Co., and Song Sparrows were singing
in
> Irrigon, Morrow Co., Oregon. This was the first time I had heard either
> species sing.
> On Monday, Feb. 2, I noticed that several of the American Robins
> have began singing around my house.
> Of course, the earliest singer was the House Finch. They started
up
> on Jan. 28.
> I have read several post from other parts of the country
> (particularly Kansas) that suggest their Red-winged Blackbirds began
setting
> up territories this week as well. The weather in Kansas has been fairly
> normal; sounds like the days are getting long enough for the Red-winged
> Blackbirds!
> Considering I haven't seen any hummingbirds yet this year, I have
to
> look for what signs I can get.
> A sign that winter isn't yet over: I spotted a Northern Shrike in
> Franklin County, WA on Saturday somewhere between Kahlotus and Connell.
> Large flocks of Horned Larks were also present.
>
> Deb Beutler
> Department of Zoology
> P.O. Box 644236
> Washington State Univerisity
> Pullman, Whitman Co., WA
> dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 23:10:46 -0800 (PST)
> From: Deb Beutler <dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: reply-to change
> Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980203230613.34cf61ba at wsunix.wsu.edu>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>
> I agree!! Please change it back!
>
> At 22:35 3/2/98 -0800, you wrote:
> >
> >Another vote to change the default reply back to 'reply-to-list'.
> >
> >Gary DuVall
> >Seattle
> >bj054 at scn.org
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> Deb Beutler
> Department of Zoology
> P.O. Box 644236
> Washington State Univerisity
> Pullman, Whitman Co., WA
> dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of TWEETERS Digest 1295
> ***************************