Hal,

You wrote,,,

-- the aversion of Lewis's Woodpecker to human
>encroachment seems well documented. A pair will abandon a perennial
>nest site if a new building is constructed close by. The increase in
>development that is going on in our interior valleys is likely
>closely correlated to the declining numbers of Lewis's Woodpeckers
>there. In contrast, human activity *attracts* European Starlings.
>Development creates new opportunities for them in the form of
>human-built structures where they readily nest (which, of course,
>Lewis's do not). Lawns and fields are wonderful starling foraging
>areas, whereas Lewis's Woodpeckers need open forest with big old
>trees and intact understory -- a marginal place for a starling to
>make a living.


How does this fit in with the situation at Ft Simcoe? Is Lewis's Woodpecker
on the decline in that location too? I was under the impression that
population was more-or-less stable.

Dennis Rockwell Kennewick, WA dennis.rockwell at gte.net