In a message dated 9/24/99 6:20:43 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
MBlanchrd at aol.com writes:

> So all in all, I'm willing to bet that the purported cardinal in Gig Harbor
> is a wild one, not an escapee. (especially as it's illegal to keep
> indigenous
> birds in captivity.)
>
> I hope so, because I think the Cardinal is the King of the Birds.

Oh, I dunno. Not only the species present, but also the species lacking,
contribute to what makes a bioregion unique. I guess I wouldn't mind
cardinals too much in themselves, but it would also be yet another sign that
this unique region is becoming just like everywhere else!

--Nick Pharris
Olympia, WA, Cascadia
mailto: NJPharris at aol.com