Hello Wayne,
I always thought that Shipping Sparrow in large numbers are in eastern
Washington. We had few sightings here and there. To i start birding in Lacy
at the CLEAR-CUT from where i been reporting many times. There are so many
Shipping Sparrows there out number the White- crowned Sparrows. I start
birding there since the Clay-colored Sparrow was sighted in ealy spring in
1998. I noticed than how many Shipping Sparrows where. This year on 4/24/99
While collecting a early Dragonflie i noticed again so many Shipping
Sparrows, last report was few weeks ago. Seeing them in the city is quite
rare and breeding is proable verry rare. I had Shipping Sparrows here where
i live in Tacoma, but is one time sighting and there go on.
Ruth Sullivan
Tacoma

----------
> From: WAYNE WEBER <WAYNE_WEBER at bc.sympatico.ca>
> To: phainopepla at yahoo.com; Tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: Shoreview Chipping Sparrows...
> Date: Wednesday, July 07, 1999 1:08 PM
>
> Dear Tweeters,
>
> In view of Michael Dossett's report of Chipping Sparrows at
> Shoreview, I thought it would be worthwhile to mention that there are
> Chipping Sparrows on territory, and apparently trying to breed, at
> Pitt Meadows, just east of Vancouver, B.C. (fide Larry Cowan and Brian
> Self). If there is a successful breeding there, this would be the
> first in several years near Vancouver. They are now quite rare even as
> spring and fall migrants at Vancouver. Is their status the same around
> Seattle?
> In the late 1960s, Chipping Sparrows were a fairly common breeder
> around Vancouver, especially in parks and residential areas with a
> combination of Douglas-firs for nesting and for song perches, and
> lawns or short grass for foraging. They have almost disappeared
> in the intervening 30 years. Most people attribute this to Cowbird
> nest parasitism. Cowbirds were rare in the Puget Sound/Georgia Strait
> area until the 1960s, but have increased dramatically since then.
> Chipping Sparrows are one of the Cowbird's favorite hosts wherever the
> two species occur together, and in this case, it looks like Cowbirds
> have virtually wiped out the local Chipping Sparrow population. If the
> sparrows are starting to make a bit of a comeback, that's good news.
> East of the Cascades, however, where Chipping Sparrows were always
> far more abundant than on the west side, I can detect no long-term
> decrease of Chipping Sparrows.
>
> Comments, anyone?
>
> Wayne Weber
> Kamloops, B.C.
> wayne_weber at bc.sympatico.ca
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Dossett <phainopepla at yahoo.com>
> To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu <Tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Date: Wednesday, July 07, 1999 7:22 AM
> Subject: Shoreview Chipping Sparrows...
>
>
> >Hi Tweets,
> >
> >I just wanted to let you all know the latest on the Shoreview
> Chipping
> >Sparrows. There are at least two (maybe three) singing males on
> >territories. At least one of which has attracted a mate (I saw them
> >copulating on the fence near the entrance yesterday morning).
> >
> >Michael Dossett
> >Bothell
> >Phainopela at yhaoo.com
> >
> >_________________________________________________________
> >Do You Yahoo!?
> >Get your free at yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
> >