On Wed, 16 Feb 2000, mail to:jbroadus at seanet.com wrote:

> Yesterday, a staff person at the Rhododendron species Botanical Garden in
> Federal Way, (at the Weyerhauser headquarters) asked me what was the
> bird they saw there that looked like a red breasted nuthatch, but was white.
> I said white breasted nuthatch, but that it was "rare' down here on the west
> side, in relatively urban areas.

White-breasted nuthatches have declined as a breeding in western Washington.
As a breeder, they are virtually extirpated from the Puget lowlands. They are
rare in the winter as well. This report really needs to be verified as it is
an interesting and unusual location and habitat, in my opinion.

Kelly McAllister
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife