>Kelly - In western Oregon, I have seen Redhead most often in the coastal
>estuaries, such as the following locations:
The Hammond Boat Basin near the mouth of the Columbia River.
Lake Meares, near Bayocean spit, Tillamok Bay.
Yaquina Bay, below the area known as Sally's Bend. Of the places I have
mentioned, this has been the most consistent for me.
As Wilson pointed out, this species is regular in the Columbia Gorge. I
have had it in winter as far east as the mouth of the Deschutes River, on
the Oregon side.
Tim
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kelly Mcallister <mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov>
>
>
>>I would appreciate hearing people's sightings
>>of Redheads in western Washington (western B.C.?, western Oregon?).
>>
>>Check out Luhr Beach.
>>
>>Kelly McAllister
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 18:20:12 -0800 (PST)
>From: borealis at borealis.seanet.com (Michael B. Brown)
>To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
>Subject: Tacoma Slaty-backed & Firgrove news
>Message-ID: <199801200220.SAA28533 at mx.seanet.com>
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>I visited Gog-le-hi-te today and saw the Slaty-backed Gull- my first. After
>observing it on a roof near the wetland for 20-25 minutes, Dick Kirker
>(spelling?) showed up to confirm the ID. Thanks Dick!
>
>The bird I observed had a very dark gray mantle and wings. Tips of primaries
>were black on upper surface, lighter beneath. White spots on primaries were
>prominent. There was also a very large white spot on the underside of the
>primaries. The trailing edge of the wings had a very wide white strip.
>
>The size of the bird was comparable to Glaucous-winged Gulls and Westerns
>nearby. Bill size and shape was difficult for me to judge, but there was a
>large red spot on the lower mandible. This individual had streaking or
>mottling (hard to tell from the distance) on head and back of neck, some
>noted on throat and breast as well. There was a dark area around the eye,
>which Dick referred to as a "smudge". Eye color undetermined due to the
>distance. Pink legs.
>
>While there I observed a Lincoln's Sparrow in a blackberry tangle. It was in
>beautiful plumage!
>
>I then travelled to Harry Todd Park to look for the Little Gull. I looked
>for 10-15 minutes, scanning the far side of the lake with my scope. It
>finally showed up, thanks to those black under wing surfaces. That was the
>only detail I could really make out, although it did appear smaller than the
>Bonaparte's Gulls.
>
>Following is a news report I posted to my Nature Trail web site about
>today's visit & a Kingfisher siting from December.
>
>Today many birds were seen. At the pond were about ten Mallards. Seen and
>heard nearby were Song Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, and a Spotted Towhee.
>Flying overhead were several small groups of American Wigeons. West of the
>main parking lot for Ballou Junior high is a grove of alders. In and around
>the alders were large numbers of American Robins. Also nearby was a Varied
>Thrush. A flock of Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets moved about the
>grove. A Brown Creeper was seen working the trunk of a tree.
>
>On December 30th a male Belted Kingfisher was heard then seen by the pond.
>Michael B. Brown
>Puyallup, Washington
>H-253-841-4281
>W-253-841-8733
>C-253-208-9588
>borealis at borealis.seanet.com
>Nature Trail- http://www.puyallup.k12.wa.us/USR/firgrove/brown/trail.htm
>Home Page- http://www.seanet.com/~borealis/Resume.htm
>
>"...I found myself suddenly neighbor to the birds; not by having imprisoned
>one, but having caged myself near them."
>
> -Thoreau
> _ _
> (o!o)
> ((___))
> " "
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 19:11:39 -0800
>From: "Scott Hall" <whall at silverlink.net>
>To: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
>Subject: Thanks
>Message-ID: <199801200238.SAA17355 at oly.silverlink.net>
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>I just wanted to drop a note to say thanks to the birders that I met today
>while looking for the Slaty-backed Gull in Tacoma. I met several new
>birders including Bob, Greg and Ruth Sullivan. Unfortunately, the SBG was
>not to be found (while I was around), but I hope to get back down that way
>soon for another look. I also hope to get another opportunity to bird with
>some of you again soon!
>Scott Hall
>
>whall at silverlink.net
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 19:37:27 -0800
>From: "Ruth Sullivan" <GODWIT at worldnet.att.net>
>To: "tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
>Subject: Gull identification:
>Message-ID: <19980120034220.AAA10483 at hp-customer>
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>You dont have to SHOUT!!!!!
> i got approached today by Birders about you message concerning the Slaty-
>backed Gull.There said quote:because you are a Top birder you not
>GOD.Poeple now are realy confused, what there realy looking for, two or
>three Slaty- backed Gulls?When i said only i look at the Head, Bill smudge
>aroud Eye and fine gold brownish pinstripes, [THIS IS FOR ME ONLY} i can
>identify this Gull not by the dark mantle alone.According to Dennis this is
>a typical normal Plumage for this Species.I know for fact, there do have
>lighter Plumage Slaty- backed Gulls, this i know before the Gull on
>1-1-1994 arrived, because i had a Photo which was taken in Ravelstok BC
>Patrick found.The point i try to make here, that we not all DUMMIES, only
>the Top-Notch Birders have to be right.
>Ruth
>GOGWIT at worldnet.att.net
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 20:16:42 -0800
>From: mpdossett at juno.com (Michael P Dossett)
>To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
>Subject: Re: Redheads
>Message-ID: <19980119.201906.3566.1.MPDossett at juno.com>
>
>I have seen a pair once last November at the Everett Sewage Ponds
>
>
>Michael Dossett
>Shoreline, Washington
>mpdossett at Juno.com
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 19 Jan 98 20:15:19 PST
>From: Riesen Reto <riesenr at chem.ubc.ca>
>To: tweeters at u.washington.edu (tweeters)
>Cc: riesenr at chem.ubc.ca (me)
>Subject: Oregon? ...OREGON???
>Message-ID: <199801200415.UAA25712 at chem.ubc.ca>
>
>Hey you Oregon birders down there!
>Do you realize that it's time to start your own little war on tweeters -
>I mean, you are fast becoming old-fashioned, looking at B.C. and WA...
>
>BTW, I don't want to imply that I gave up on Idaho and Alaska already!
>
>The occasional private mails under the former default reply-to-tweeters
>were duller.
>
>Reto Riesen
>Dept. Chem.,UBC
>Vancouver, B.C.
>riesenr at chem.ubc.ca
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 20:22:12 -0800
>From: "Ruth Sullivan" <GODWIT at worldnet.att.net>
>To: < at silverlink.net>, "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
>Subject: Re: Thanks
>Message-ID: <19980120042704.AAA23564 at hp-customer>
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>Hi Scott,
>Greg called me, and after i left he saw the Slaty- backed Gull clos to thr
>Rail Road Tracks. I showed him all the places where the Gull could be
>found, and sure enough, he found the Bird, you can see now what happen on
>tweeters about to identify this Gull, hope you will go again.
>Ruth
>GODWIT at worldnet.att.net
>
>----------
>> From: Scott Hall <whall at silverlink.net>
>> To: Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
>> Subject: Thanks
>> Date: Sunday, January 18, 1998 7:11 PM
>>
>> I just wanted to drop a note to say thanks to the birders that I met
>today
>> while looking for the Slaty-backed Gull in Tacoma. I met several new
>> birders including Bob, Greg and Ruth Sullivan. Unfortunately, the SBG
>was
>> not to be found (while I was around), but I hope to get back down that
>way
>> soon for another look. I also hope to get another opportunity to bird
>with
>> some of you again soon!
>> Scott Hall
>>
>> whall at silverlink.net
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 20:46:51 -0800 (PST)
>From: Eugene Hunn <hunnhome at accessone.com>
>To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
>Subject: Re: Great Knot and RBA reporting protocol
>Message-ID: <199801200446.UAA06645 at accessone.com>
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>It's not so much who saw/reported the bird, but the fact that those with
>reputations as experts are most likely to have provided exactly the details
>one would hope everyone would provide for extraordinary sightings. The
>expert reputation is built on years of providing such careful documentation
>and demonstrating a critical attitude toward one's own observations. Once
>one achieves "expert" status one should not, of course, abandon those good
>habits.
>
>Gene Hunn, Seattle, hunnhome at accessone.com
>
>At 05:51 PM 1/19/98 -0800, you wrote:
>>John Chandler wrote:
>>>
>>> As the current operator of the Vancouver RBA I should provide you with some
>>> background on this.
>>>
>>> A possible Great Knot was first reported to the Vancouver RBA by a very
>>> excited Rick Toochin on the afternoon of Jan 12. Rick and his brother Mike
>>> and one other very good birder had seen the bird. Mike has seen this
>>> species in Australia. As I understand it, they were reasonably confidant
>>> in the ID but waited until they could consult their shorebird texts at home
>>> before confirming the sighting Monday evening. The RBA tape had already
>>> been updated when the confirmation was confirmed. I spoke with Rick on
>>> Tuesday evening and he told me the observers were confidant they had seen a
>>> Great Knot.
>>>
>>I'll make this short -
>>
>>With no disrespect to Mr. Toochin and Mr. Toochin, I'd like to share my
>>previous understanding that it doesn't matter if the reporters are
>>Dennis
>>Paulson and Ken Kaufmann (arbitrarily choosen birders). I had always
>>thought that what mattered was not the reputation of the observer
>>(except I suppose if a person had a reputation for false reporting), but
>>the comprehensiveness of the field notes, pictures or other records of
>>the sighting.
>>
>>Sincerely,
>>Michael Kennedy
>>Victoria
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 21:22:27 -0800
>From: Ignasius Seilie <ade171 at worldnet.att.net>
>To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
>Subject: Re: Tweeter on Bill Nye
>Message-ID: <34C43493.70B6 at worldnet.att.net>
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>To all those people wh are talking abput Bill Nye,
>
>I watch Bill nye the Science guy myself(by the way, I 'm just a kid). I
>did recognize but couldn't remember who that person was. I will let you
>know if I can remember.
>--
>=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
>Sachiko Seilie, Bellevue
>ade171 at worldnet.att.net
>=================================================================
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 22:30:40 -0800
>From: "Scott Ray" <scray at wolfenet.com>
>To: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
>Subject: Sandhills?
>Message-ID: <199801200631.WAA10665 at wolfenet.com>
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>Does anybody have any idea what birds this lady is talking about?
>Surely not Sandhill Cranes(?). Found this posting on
>sci.agriculture.poultry
>
>: My new chicken coop in Central Florida as attracted some unexpected
>: guest. Every winter 5 to 8 Sand Hill Cranes live on my property. They
>: have never had any chicks before, but yesterday I found a clutch of
>: eggs (3) in a bale of straw they've been tearing into for the last
>: week, building a nest apparently. Today I enclosed the area, much to
>: the anger of the cranes, with a large pen of wire, open on top of
>: course. The cranes can fly in, but the critters can't just walk to the
>: next and feast on the eggs. My question is does anyone have any idea
>: how long a Crane's egg takes to hatch?
>
>: Two of the cranes live on my property year round. I started setting
>: out feed 4 years ago and they just stayed year round. The cranes are
>: common in my area and every now and then you see them with chicks.
>: Does anyone have any ideas? BTW, these birds are about 4 feet tall,
>: with a wingspan of over 6 feet, and noisier than a flock of roosters,
>: but what a sight! And the chickens just line up at the fence and watch
>: the cranes all day, cheap entertainment, I guess.
>
>O
>
>Scott Ray
>Yakima, WA
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 22:12:21 -0800
>From: "John Chandler" <chandler at uniserve.com>
>To: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
>Subject: RBA Vancouver, BC. January 19, 1998
>Message-ID: <E0xuXVM-0002Vc-00 at pop.uniserve.com>
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>This is the Vancouver Bird Alert for Monday January 19 10:06 PM update.
>
>To report call: (604) 737-3074
>
>Featured bird is Common Eider
>
>Birds mentioned:
>
>Yellow-billed Loon
>Black-crowned Night-heron
>Eurasian Widgeon
>Green-winged Teal
>Redhead
>COMMON EIDER
>Northern Goshawk
>American Avocet
>Whimbrel
>Long-billed Curlew
>Rock Sandpiper
>Short-eared Owl
>XANTUS' HUMMINGBIRD
>American Dipper
>Crested Mynah
>YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
>Harris' Sparrow
>Hooded Oriole (Terrace, BC)
>Brambling (Victoria)
>
>Sightings for Monday, January 19
>
>The COMMON EIDER was in English Bay, perched on a rock in front of the
>Sylvia Hotel and in a flock of Western Grebes. The Immature HARRIS'
>SPARROW was in brambles near the Stone Bridge in Stanley Park. A REDHEAD
>was with canvasbacks on Lost Lagoon.
>
>Two CRESTED MYNAHS were in a tree south of 73rd and Angus and an AMERICAN
>DIPPER was seen on a tributary of Lynn Creek north of the Premier Creek
>Landfill in N Vancouver. A ROCK SANDPIPER was at the foot of Sullivan
>Street in Crescent Beach and a LONG-BILLED CURLEW was at Blackie Spit.
>Four AMERICAN AVOCETS are at the mouth of the Serpentine River.
>
>In a late report for Friday, 2 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were at Maplewood
>Flats in North Vancouver. For those of you that want to go on a long
>distance trip a HOODED ORIOLE is still coming to a feeder at 5021 Medeek
>Ave in Terrace, BC.
>
>Sightings for Sunday, January 18
>
>Many of the regulars were seen today. The YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER at 1773
>El Verano on Gabriola Island was seen repeatedly by several observers
>today. The XANTUS' HUMMNIGBIRD was seen at 221 2nd Street in Gibsons. The
>Common Eider was in English Bay, perched on a rock in front of the Sylvia
>Hotel. The Immature Harris' Sparrow was at the stone Bridge in Stanley
>Park.
>
>A Eurasian race GREEN-WINGED TEAL was at the eastern end of River Road in
>Richmond. After you come over the Queensborough Bridge, turn north onto
>Boyd and then West onto River Rd. The bird is about 200 m along River Rd.
>
>In a late report for Friday a CRESTED MYNAH was at West 73rd and Selkirk in
>S Vancouver.
>
>Sightings for Saturday, January 17
>
>The YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER at 1773 El Verano on Gabriola Island was very
>cooperative, staying in view for up to an hour at a time. The
>YELLOW-BILLED LOON was at the foot of Sullivan St in Crescent Beach.
>
>A LONG-BILLED CURLEW, a WHIMBREL, a SHORT-EARED OWL and 2 EURASIAN WIDGEONS
>were at Blackie Spit. A NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen on MacDonald Rd about
>halfway between Ferguson Rd and MacDonald Beach.
>
>Four AMERICAN AVOCETS are still at the mouth of the Serpentine River. An
>adult HARRIS SPARROW, first seen on the White Rock CBC, was relocated today
>in brush at 13941 40th Ave in Surrey.
>
>A BRAMBLING was seen near Port Alberni. Call the Victoria RBA at
>250-592-3381 for details.
>
>If you have a query about Vancouver Birds or birding please call:
>John 274-8777 Mark or Eleni
>438-6529
>Jo Ann or Hue 538-1676 Catherine
>685-7460
>
>Thank you for calling the Vancouver Bird Alert & good birding.
>
>End transcript
>
>
>John Chandler
>Alandale Training Corporation
>Richmond, BC, Canada
>Phone: 604-274-8777
>email: chandler at uniserve.com
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 23:48:18 -0800
>From: mprice at mindlink.bc.ca (Michael Price)
>To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
>Subject: Expert Reputation (was: Great Knot and RBA, etc.)
>Message-ID: <E0xuYPw-00023Q-00 at dewey.mindlink.net>
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>Hi Tweets,
>
>Gene Hunn writes:
>
>>It's not so much who saw/reported the bird, but the fact that those with
>>reputations as experts are most likely to have provided exactly the details
>>one would hope everyone would provide for extraordinary sightings. The
>>expert reputation is built on years of providing such careful documentation
>>and demonstrating a critical attitude toward one's own observations. Once
>>one achieves "expert" status one should not, of course, abandon those good
>>habits.
>
>Who decides to award 'expert' status? Who inducts the individual into the
>'expert' lodge? Who establishes the benchmarks and how?
>
>Reading the above over a few times made me realise there's a difference
>between expert status (your level of acceptance within the community of
>other experts who decide whether you're an expert, too) and expertise (how
>much and how well you know your stuff). We assume they're synonymous. Most
>often it turns out they are. Where the goalposts are and whether they shift
>around depends on the internal political health of the organisation and
>whatever consensus it fosters.
>
>While practising documentation skills consistently is usually the best way
>to develop a critical attitude, and is necessary to gain expert status, and
>most importantly renders your ID open to testing, it isn't the only road to
>gaining expertise. Locally, there are a couple of old-time birders I would
>not hesitate to call expert based on their empirically-gained knowledge,
>their acute observational skills, and keen intelligence to integrate what
>they see with what they already know, who have never dipped pen in ink to
>write down a description or rarity report or even to 'keep records' as we
>birders usually use the term. Yet they are as well-prepared for an
>'extraordinary sighting' as any expert (one showed me my lifer King Eider
>(Somateria spectabilis) he'd found, a properly-sexed female along Stanley
>Park's seawall, and, boy, are eiders ever scarce here), though less likely
>to be taken seriously in reporting it. Rarity, schmarity, they'd say.
>
>Personally, I think if one doesn't write it down, it's a waste of good
>expertise; ya can't take it with ya. And I believe, with Gene, that if you
>do become an expert--whatever that term comes to mean; it's slipperier than
>it seems at first glance--it's absolutely necessary to avoid letting your
>expert status begin to do the work of establishing ID's for you instead the
>quality of your documentation doing so. I speak from personal experience
>that it's happened (I'm shocked, simply shocked '-) that reputation as an
>expert has led to acceptance of rarity reports so incomplete and perfunctory
>that if they came from people outside the elite they'd get the well-deserved
>boot into the 'rejected: insufficient details' bin.
>
>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)
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>End of TWEETERS Digest 1280
>***************************
Tim Shelmerdine
Lake Oswego/Aurora, Oregon
shelmert at mail.clackesd.k12.or.us