Just got back to my office after two weeks and had 510 Tweeters' messages. It
was great finding out what happened with the CBC 's and new year's sightings..

Now for what I think is something special --- This Christmas there were six
Western Bluebirds in Spokane. About five years ago I worked closely with the
County of Spokane to establish a Bluebird trail on the Spokane County North
Landfill that had recently closed and covered. That area of Spokane had
thousand of Bluebirds in the 1930's, but people had driven then out. Some of
our efforts to reestablish the Bluebird in the past had met with little
success. The openness of the Landfill provided good hunting for several
families over the past five years. The family units have raised and fledged
over 130 young in some twenty nest sites.

Well, Christmas Day the Bluebirds paid a special visit to the caretaker of the
trail and his family. Their house borders the Landfill and he has a key that
allows him to check the boxes in the spring and summer. This Christmas morning
he and his family were treated to six Western Blue's on their deck. What a
special Christmas!!!!!!.

Many people reported the late leaving of the Western Bluebird from the Spokane
area this year. I had several in Moscow up until November 6th.

Keep on Looking Up,

John C. Miller
Department of Animal and Veterinary Science
University of Idaho