Subject: Red-naped sapsucker on Lummi Island!
Date: Apr 27 09:37:42 2001
From: WAYNE WEBER - contopus at home.com


Clark, Whatcom Birders, and Tweeters

Good sighting! The Red-naped Sapsucker has turned out to be a rare
but regular spring migrant around Vancouver, BC. It has been seen 1-3
times most springs since 1985, with a few earlier records. However, it
is almost never seen in fall.

I have 13 "spring arrival" dates for Red-naped Sapsucker in Vancouver,
with an early date of March 26, a late arrival date of May 2, and an
average of April 19. However, only 2 of these arrival dates are
earlier than April 11.

Your sighting is right in the usual time window for this species,
coinciding with the major migration east of the Cascades.

One word of caution-- there are 1 or 2 records of Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker at Vancouver (and at Victoria), although this species is
extremely rare in southwestern BC, and I'm not sure if it has ever
been seen in WA.

Good birding!

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops and Delta, BC
contopus at home.com


----- Original Message -----
From: Clark Blake <mcblake at cc.wwu.edu>
To: <whatcombirds at lists.wwu.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2001 8:47 AM
Subject: Red-naped sapsucker on Lummi Island!


> This morning while I was watching a skein of snow geese fly north
over Lummi Island, a sapsucker landed in the old alder tree in my
front
yard. I looked at it and much to my surprise it was a beautiful, male
red-naped sapsucker: red crown, nape and throat on striking black and
white
head; big white wingbars and a streaky black and white back. I didn't
note any
yellow on the breast; it seemed more grayish. I am very familiar with
these
birds having had them at cabin in Winthrop.
>
> Clark
>