Tweeters,

I am pleased to see postings for four recent sightings of GREEN HERONS. I have been planning to acquire, compile and publish a summary of statewide data on this relatively recent newcomer to Washington. Thus, I am interested in field notes, both historic and current. Contributors will be acknowledged. I have received much encouragement and support for this project.

The first known record of a Green Heron in WA is 1938. Most records are of individuals or pairs, and most of the population appears to be be migratory. The latest unverified Christmas Bird Count data shows only 43 individuals recorded on count day (3 in the 1950s and 40 since 1991). Determining population size is difficult, due to their habitat preferences. They are regularly sighted in lowland areas during the breeding season. British Columbia's first record is 1953; they blue-listed the Green Heron in 1994.

My goal is to have THE WASHINGTON GREEN HERON PROJECT up and running in March. Specific details will be forthcoming. In the meantime, I want to encourage others to take field notes on any Green Herons encountered. General guidelines, below.

*Disturbance by recreational activity may affect some individuals and increase the potential for nest abandonment. Being sensitive to their behavior and using binoculars, scopes, and natural or artificial blinds during observations may help minimize disturbance.

************ SUGGESTED FIELD NOTES **************

Date, geographic location, TRS, lattitude-longitude, route/directions to site, public access?, observations, habitat, breeding evidence, source of information. (Intent: with skill, most notes could be transcribed to fit onto a 4x6 inch unlined index card, with a map or special notes on the reverse, and copies of original notes can be filed for reference).

DATE: DD Month YYYY; LOCATION: County, geographic place name, local community, city; TRS: Township Range and Section--use DeLorme, USGS quads or other maps to identify quarter, section, and quarter-section when possible; LATTITUDE AND LONGITUDE; PUBLIC ACCESS: yes or no; ROUTE: Detailed directions from major landmark, freeway or highway--include mileage whenever possible--may draw and label a map; OBSERVATIONS: especially numbers of individuals HABITAT: type and description, *esp. wetland type (beach, river, creek, lake pond, swamp, etc.--I am still selecting a classification system), and land uses [habitat data should be proportionately detailed for sites with concentrations of birds]. BREEDING EVIDENCE: esp. Breeding Bird Atlas evidence classes. SEE: for example, journal or other enclosure(s); SOURCE: full name, preferred title or affiliation, mailing address, city, state, zip code, 10-digit telephone, email, date info reported or submitted-dd Month 2001 (If you are repo!
!
rting another's observation, list their name and information to give proper credit).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For further reading on one of the few species to "fish" with lures and bait:
~~Davis and Kushlan. 1994. Green Heron (Butorides Virescens), in The Birds of North America, No. 129, Eds. Poole and Gill, Wash., DC: AOU, 24p.; available in the reference section of some large libraries.
~~Fraser and Ramsay. 1996. Status of the Green Heron in British Columbia, Wildlife Working Report WR-78, Victoria: Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, 18p.; a preliminary report.

Many thanks in advance,

Lisa M. Godina
Olympia, WA
LMGodina at iname.com


---------------------------------------------------
Get free personalized email at http://www.iname.com