Subject: Re: Dipper in Downtown Bellingham
Date: Nov 22 21:43:42 1998
From: Eugene Hunn - hunnhome at accessone.com


There was a Dipper that dipped the outlet of a trout hatchery in Seward Park
in the Seattle city limits for many years. It was my job to find it for the
Xmas count. But it hasn't shown for the past ten. Probably died of old age.
However, this was strictly a winter visitation. But on Olympic Peninsula
streams, and where the habitat is right, they may nest to near sea level.
Remember that timberline up here is 7000 feet; it's maybe 11000 in California.

Gene Hunn.

At 09:27 PM 11/16/98 -0800, you wrote:
>Tweeters,
>
>Walked down to the Whatcom Creek near the post office in Bellingham to
>watch the salmon. Amongst the many salmon was a Dipper. No matter how many
>years I live in Washington I will always feel like a newcomer. Having a
>Dipper in downtown (the Downtown Dipper!) is definitely part of my
>education. In California the expectation was that they had to be at least
>2000 ft or higher, so seeing a Dipper at sea level was a surprise.
>
>So are my expectations out of place here in Washington? Is elevation not as
>much a part of the formula? The Dipper did seem impressed with the Salmon.
>At least it just sat there on the edge of the creek watching maybe
>wondering if it really needed to go swimming around after larvae at this
>particular moment.
>
>Jim
>Jim Rosso
>Issaquah, Washington
>425-392-8440
>jrosso at mediaseek.com
>
>