This message is from Jamie Smith, who studies cowbirds at UBC and was,
incidently, awarded "top ornithologist" by the Society of Canadian
Ornithologists for 2000.

> Dear Birders,
>
> I am seeking records of foster parents feeding FLEDGLING (i.e. out of the
> nest) brown-headed cowbirds from the Lower Mainland and Fraser Delta areas
> over the past 12 years. I am particularly interested in:
>
> 1) the species of the foster parent
>
> 2) The age of the cowbird young (which can be estimated by giving a
> fraction of the tail length of the adult cowbird, e.g., "tail 1/2 adult
> length"), and if any host young are also being fed by the same parents.
>
> 3) Two categories of habitat for the record:
> (a) suburban, forest, marsh, or field?
> (b) riparian (i.e., near water, including lakes and oceans), or upland?
>
> 4) The date: day/month/year
>
> These data will provide information on which host species do most to
> perpetuate cowbirds in the local landscape. Because not all hosts can rear
> cowbirds successfully, records of birds feeding fledglings tell us less
> about which hosts cowbirds select when laying their eggs.
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Jamie Smith,
> Zoology, UBC
> e-mail: smith at zoology.ubc.ca,
> phone: 604-822-3363
>