Poor Steve seems to have kind of backed himself into a corner here, so I'll
keep it shorter here today. Yet, and in view of Dennis' forwarded comments
at the tail of Ruth's note, we find that the old Russian saying comes true:
"the truth emerges from argument." And isn't that in the spirit of our
pursuit, given the intellectual challenges and polemics it can present?

I get from Steve's latest note that he has not accepted that Skagit Flats is
(a) more than a "tidal flat", and (b) that indeed there is brackish habitat
there. I found it interesting to note that the Sullivan's Stilt Sand report
came from a "tidal pond," not the open mud edge formed out at low tide--and
the bird was found south and east of the immediate Jensen access dike--the
same general area where I've encountered Stilt Sands in the past. This is
the whole point: contrary to Steve's note, there is considerable brackish
habitat in various uppertidal sites, and shorebird numbers can be very
significant there, but are out of view of the viewing dike. These are much
like certain sites at Boundary Bay. So I disagree sharply that such areas
of Jensen are "like the rest of Skagit Bay and Puget Sound."

Scott Atkinson
LAke Stevens
email: scottratkinson at hotmail.com

>From: SGMlod at aol.com
>Reply-To: SGMlod at aol.com
>To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu
>Subject: Shorebirds
>Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2001 21:40:45 EDT
>
>Greetings Again
>
>I'll risk being tedious here.
>
>Firstly, we all speak from personal experience. Wayne's post is full of
>such.
>I've birded along the west coast from Mexico through Vancouver BC for the
>last 17 years. I've focused more on shorebirds than any other group of
>birds. I think that allows me to make some statements and draw some
>conclusions.
>
>Indeed, the one spot that I have seen a Stilt Sandpiper on a tidal flat is
>along Boundary Bay at the spot Wayne mentions. This particular point on
>Boundary Bay is, perhaps, unique because of the freshwater outflow. Even at
>low tide, birds (such as Lesser Yellowlegs, Stilt Sandpipers, and yes,
>accumulations of Semi Sandpipers) are still close to the dike in large
>numbers. By contrast, at other locations (elsewhere on Boundary Bay, at
>Jensen Access, at English Boom, etc) the great majority of shorebirds are
>out
>at the mud's edge.
>
>If Wayne wants quotes from literature and not personal experience
>
>"The Stilt Sandpiper frequents shallows at the edges of lakes, sloughs,
>ponds, and sewage lagoons." Campbell et al. (1990) Birds of British
>Columbia,
>vol. 2
>
>"Stilt Sandpipers are usually seen in fresh or brackish marshes or sewage
>lagoons and only rarely on mud flats, even in coastal areas." Paulson
>(1993)
>Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest.
>
>Crockett Lake is a brackish marsh. The Mansion area of Boundary Bay is
>probably a brackish area due to the freshwater outflow there. Jensen access
>is like the rest of Skagit Bay and the Puget Sound.
>
>Does this make a Stilt Sandpiper impossible on a tidal flat. Of course not.
>This would be foolish thought. Do I get a twinge of anxiety when I hear of
>such a report. Yes. Hence a desire for more details.
>
>Regarding Semipalmated Sandpiper -- I did not address this bird in the
>detail
>it warranted in this post, but those who are interested can go back to a
>previous post to Tweeters that included this species account in the
>upcoming
>Birds of Washington.
>
>Semipalmated Sandpipers are found, in greater proportion, on nontidal
>flats.
>The top high counts for both BC and WA come from such areas (See Paulson
>1993). In BC, where Semis occur in significantly larger numbers than WA,
>large numbers are sometimes seen in tidal areas. Nonetheless, the
>proportion
>of Semis: Westerns is distinctly higher in places like Iona than any
>location
>on Boundary Bay, except perhaps at the Mansion sight. The same is true on
>Whidbey. The tidal portion of Deer Lagoon has a lower Semi:Western ratio
>than
>Crockett Lake. In Grays Harbor County, I think most would agree that a
>large
>percentage of the Semi Sand reports are from the Damon Point Pond and the
>Brady Loop Pond. I do think there is some observer bias here, in that
>nontidal areas usually afford a closer look and make the Semis easier to
>pick
>out. Nonetheless, I think the overall tendency is there. (For those itching
>for a fight, please take note of the word TENDENCY).
>
>Now, onto today. Clearly many birds have moved out.
>
>West 90 Ponds: 3 Lesser Yellowegs, 2 Wilson's Phal, 2 RN Phal, 1 Am Golden
>Plover, 1 Least Sand, 6 LB Dow.
>
>Jensen Access (thoroughly walked at high tide): 7 LB Dow, 3 Greater
>Yellowlegs, 1 BB Plover, 4 Least Sand, 1 Killdeer.
>
>Cheers
>Steven Mlodinow
>
>


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp