To add a nickel's worth, I have often found Swainson's Thrush and Veery
side by side in wooded riparian corridors in the Ponderosa Pine belt of the
lower Cascade slope in Kittitas County, Washington. How exactly they sort
it out within these narrow strips I don't know. However, Veery is never
far from the stream, while Swainson's continues upslope on either side --
and eventually meets Hermit at higher elevations (both upslope from the
stream and upstream, in the Interior Douglas-fir zone), by which point
Veery has dropped out. Of the three, Veery has by far the most
specialized, and hence restricted, distribution.

Hal Opperman
_______________________________________

At 1:58 PM -0800 06/16/99, Jane Westervelt wrote:
>Wayne Weber wrote:
>> My experience is generally that, in the Pacific Northwest, one
>> does not normally find two or more species of "brown thrushes"
>> (Catharus and Hylocichla species) breeding in the same forest stand.
>
>(snip)
>> I hasten to add that my experience that 2 species of brown thrush
>> do not usually breed in the same forest stand does not always hold in
>> other parts of North America
>
>I can't even say that Wayne's experience holds true in the Pacific
>Northwest. I have frequently observed Hermit and Swainson's Thrushes
>utilizing the same forest stand, whether it be deciduous or
>coniferous with a deciduous understory. I can't recall what I've
>seen in a strictly coniferous stand, so I won't comment on that.
>(Perhaps the difference in observations comes down to a difference in
>definitions of what counts as Pacific Northwest.)
>
>Sadly, I have yet to find any Veeries in any habitat, so if anyone
>has some good ideas on where to find them in or near Idaho (Moscow)
>I'd love to hear them.
>jw
>Jane Westervelt
>Steve Kalloger
>Moscow, ID