Gayle and Tweeters,

A Lazuli Bunting on Orcas Island is indeed an unusual sighting. I'm
sure there are some previous records for the San Juan Islands (Russell
Rogers or others, do you have details?), but I expect there are few.
They breed in very small numbers on the adjacent mainland (Whatcom and
Skagit Counties), but more in the eastern parts of those counties.
Although San Juan County got pretty good coverage during the
Washington Breeding Bird Atlas Project, 1987 to 1996, no Lazuli
Buntings were reported as even possible breeders during that period in
San Juan County (Breeding Birds of Washington State, by Smith,
Mattocks, & Cassidy, 1997).

Please keep tabs on this bird, Gayle, and lets us know if it stays
around and maintains a territory, or if it disappears after a day or
two.

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



----- Original Message -----
From: Gayle Benton <gbenton at rockisland.com>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2001 2:58 PM
Subject: Re: Lazuli Bunting


> Hi Tweeters,
> Have been reading of all the sightings of Lazuli's with interest -
they have
> always been one of my favorite birds. Went out in the yard this am
and
> heard this song - very different from the usual cacophony. I
thought, it
> can't be!! But it was. A beautiful male singing his heart out and
coming
> momentarily to an area below a seed feeder in my yard. This is very
> exciting because I am on Orcas Island and I think this is a very
unusual
> sighting. In fact, I think I need to report it. I have feeders
out, a
> small bathing pond, and so my yard really attracts birds. I must
have 50 to
> 100 Siskins around with Evening Grosbeaks,Crossbills and everything
else
> that prefers this habitat so there is alot of bird 'noise'. I'm
sure that
> is what brought this Lazuli in. Anyway, would someone kindly send
me the
> name of the person that I need to report this to? Thank you.
> Gayle Benton
> Eastsound, WA
> gbenton at rockisland.com
>
>
>