Andy, did you ever get an answer to your query? I have tried calling Dave
Beaudette several times but he's never there and has no answering machine.
However, he actually called the BirdBox *twice* mentioning the number 20,
so at least there's no mistake about that. And the call didn't come on
April Fool's Day, either....

I'm doing the winter sightings ovewrview for the Seattle Audubon
newsletter, and this is definitely newsworthy (if true), so I'd appreciate
your feedback.

Thanks!

Hal
__________________________________________

At 7:26 PM -0800 02/23/99, Andy Stepniewski wrote:
>Tweeters,
>
>I read withamazement the following report tonight:
>
>The Washington Birdbox 2/19/99 to 2/23/99 reported on Tuesday, February 23,
>1999 9:58 PM:
>
>1-Yesterday the 21st, I (I inadvertently deleted the reporter) had 1
>WHITE-TAILED KITE.....at the Mima Acres site a mile or so west of Tenino.
>Both of these sightings were from near the entrance of the Dan Darr Farm.
>
>2-Tuesday, Feb 23, 1999, 8:11 am. Hi, this is Dave Baudette, 206-365-2083.
>On
>Saturday, Jan (Feb?) 20th, Roger Orness and I saw 20 WHITE-TAILED KITES,
>one
>was in Pacific County and 19 were in Lewis County. Of the 20, 6 were
>immatures
>and 14 were adults. The most accessible for my mind was an immature at the
>Centralia Steam Plant. This bird was perched on a post near the Biggs-
>Hannoford Rd just east of the junction with Tono Rd, DeLorme Atlas, page
>46,
>about halfway between B & C. The other coordinate near 2. Good luck and
>good
>birding.
>
>
>Twenty White-tailed Kites in southwestern Washington in one day!!!
>
>What's going on here? This is well beyond anything heretofore recorded in
>the Washington portion of Tweetersville.
>
>Andy Stepniewski
>Wapato WA