Thread #1. I received my latest Smithsonian magazine yesterday and it had
a very interesting article about banding birds. {Interesting to me
because I know very little about it.} Article dealt with the
perception that it is cruel.

Thread #2. Migration. I saw about a dozen Northern Pintails on the
water yesterday. {Off Lummi Point, about 3 miles north of Lummi
Island} and the flock was increasing. This is interesting because my
records show that they usually arrive around the third week in
September. I hope that they do not know something about the coming
winter that we have yet to learn.

Question: In the same area, we have a Common Loon who remains here
12 months of the year. {He has a marking on the left wing which is
discernable in the scope.}Is this rare or fairly routine? Sometimes
he is joined by one or two other loons but when they leave, he
remains.

Question: Has anyone else noticed a decline in the number of Great
Blue Herons? I am painting my house so I am spending great amounts
of time looking out at the length of the beach, {about six klicks from
one end to the other}, and I must be the only house painter who takes
his birding binos up the ladder with him. Five years ago, same house
same chore, I counted up to 79 GBH's on the beach. This year, same
tidal conditions etc., the maximum I can see is 17. I really hope
that this is a local event. Could it be related to the increased
development along the beach? There are about 40% more houses. And one
of the great problems for the GBH's is dogs. They charge in the water
and chase the GBH's while they are feeding. {I am NOT trying to start
an anti-dog thread.} If their feeding is disturbed, can they go
elsewhere? I have noticed that they leave the entire beach when
chased away by a dog. {And, yes, I probably am the slowest house
painter on the block--or any block--but, as my wife says, "I work
cheap". And there are all these birds that need watching.}

I enjoy Tweeters very much, but I do not do much posting.

don lockwood.