Ed and Tweeters,

Don't presume yet that the "extinct" (actually, "extirpated" is a
better word) label for Chipping Sparrows in King County is invalid.
These birds may simply be migrants that are passing through. If they
are still there and singing in June, then it may be fair to assume
that a few pairs might be breeding in the county, but it would be nice
to verify that by actually finding an active nest.

In the Vancouver, B.C. area, Chipping Sparrows were considered
"fairly common" in the late 1960s, but are now extirpated as a
breeder. A few migrants are seen every spring and fall, but I cannot
remember when the last breeding record was. The main cause of their
demise is probably Brown-headed Cowbirds, which were almost unknown in
western WA and south coastal BC before 1960, but are now common. Where
Chipping Sparrows are common, they are one of the favorite hosts of
cowbirds.

I expect that Chipping Sparrows are still breeding successfully in
and around the "prairies" of Pierce & Thurston Counties and in the San
Juan Islands, where they were always commoner than in most of western
Washington. (See "Breeding Birds of Washington State".) However, the
rest of western Washington seems to be pretty much a wasteland for
them.

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops, B.C.
wayne_weber at bc.sympatico.ca



-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Newbold <newboldwildlife at netscape.net>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Cc: scholes at vtc.net <scholes at vtc.net>
Date: Sunday, April 30, 2000 9:30 PM
Subject: Chipping Sparrows unaware of my list?


Hi All,

A while back I posted an extinct list for King County which included
Chipping
Sparrow. This morning I was up on the Sammamish Plateau by Sahalee
and saw
one coming to a backyard feeder. They seemed to be singing on
territory in
that neighborhood. That combined with Michael Dossett?s sightings of
them in
Shoreview Park make me wonder if I wasn?t jumping the gun putting that
bird on
the list.


< big snip >

--Ed Newbold, Tweeter by Digest, Beacon Hill Seattle,
newboldwildlife at netscape.net