I've observed that it is very hazardous to say anything positive about
pesticides on tweeters, but after all the discussion on Round-up I'd like to
make a couple comments. I've been a student and lover of wildlife,
especially birds, since I was a child. I've also been in the Pest Management
industry since I completed a PhD in Entomology in 1975.

Teresa's detailed comments were very interesting, but her advocacy for
Round-up for everything seems a little misplaced. I find it is excellent for
weedy grasses and other monocots, but is poor on woody plants like
blackberries, brush, and other broadleaf's. It also is non-selective so when
you spray tansy or blackberries in a field, you kill all the grass around it.
People using it on dandelions in lawns have the same experience. The dead
spots around sprayed plants are prime for invasion of noxious weeds like
thistle, dandelions and tansy. I would use a selective herbicide which kills
only broadleaf's so surrounding grass is not harmed. For those of you who
are not totally antipesticide, the WSU Extension Service has numerous helpful
publications on pest management, including a lengthy manual devoted to weed
control.

On a birding topic, I've been watching a Stellar's jay nest in one of my doug
fir trees for a couple weeks. Last year they nested in the same exact spot
and produced 3 fledglings which hung around the area as buddies for several
months.

Recently I discovered a 3/4 grown jay nestling on the ground below the nest.
Since it still couldn't fly I decided to return it to the nest. There I
found 2 other nearly mature nestlings dead, so I removed them and returned
the live and apparently healthy nestling. He would not stay in the nest and
perched on an adjacent limb.

After the nestling left the area, I removed the nest and examined it for bird
nest blowflies (Protocalliphora), which I have studied for many years. It
was loaded with over 60 large larvae. They suck the blood of nestlings and I
suspect they were making life miserable for the surviving nestling. If any
of you have an opportunity to collect nests after young fledge, or have
observed similar problems please contact me. I'd be happy to provide anyone
interested copies of my publications on this genus.

Terry Whitworth