Subject: Gnatcatcher iceberg
Date: Jun 4 17:23:18 2002
From: Ruth Sullivan - GODWIT at worldnet.att.net


Hello Ray,
Nicely said about wenas.We been going there for at least since 1986,few years missed when we tried out Malheur.Even if you dont drive around since it is always dusty,the birds come right in to the campsite.I also agree that not to many birders going to the coast.When i started in 1986 there where many Shorebirds around on the coast and so the birders.One think i noticed than,that Dennis Paulson giving more classes on Shorebirds.So the lack of knowledge keeping the masses away to identifying all the different species in different plumages.As you all know that Patrick and i are regular on the coast.I never get tired seeing the same birds over and over,and that is what it takes to learning all species of Shorebirds.And we do need people to teach special classes, on this shorebirds.I photographed more shorebirds than any other species combined.I find this critters absolutley fascinating to watch.Even so now,when we dont see that many birds in Ocean Shores since the pond on Damon point turned in to a saltwater pond,we still get some shorebirds there.I still looking every year for a "RARE STINT"what easy could be showing up in Ocean shores.Remember there was a Curlew Sandpiper found by a birder from Oregon on Oysterville,that is leading to the beach on Ledbetter Point.I was the only birder there to see this bird.When i first got there there was no one around,i figured that of this rare sighting ,birders would flock to see this bird.I first was thinking i was at the wrong place,but i walked from Oysterville on the beach to Ledbetter Point where the Snowy Plovers are nesting.I saw this Curlew Sandpiper only brief that evening.I slept in my car that night,to start again in the morning all alone in drizzel rain.
I finaly found this bird feeding on ealgrass on an outgoing tide.This was one of the most exiting bird to photograph,walking behind him holding my camera in hand and wiping my camera lense all the time It was only after i posted this bird that birders flocked than to see this shorebird on the weekend,but to no avail.One good bird is all what it takes to make birding on the coast exiting.


Ruth Sullivan
Tacoma
----- Original Message -----
From: Scott Ray
To: tweeters
Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2002 3:19 PM
Subject: Gnatcatcher iceberg


This gnatcatcher is almost surely one of several, if not many, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers that visit Washington every spring and fitting nicely into the "tip of the iceberg" theory. How likely is it that birders found the only individual in the entire state? Hardly likely. Hardy Canyon and the surrounding Wenas Valley have no special attraction to unusual birds. Yet every spring good birds are found in the area such as Least Flycatcher, American Redstart, Gnatcatcher, etc. Why, not because it has special magnetism for vagrants but because hundreds of birders spend a lot of hours looking there every year.

For every Indigo or Lark Bunting, Snowy Egret or whatever, found in Washington there are certainly dozens of others that are never detected. During any given week, the combined eyes of all the state's birders scrutinize an exceedingly small portion of the state. Even the most popular birding places such as the Walla Walla River delta or Tokland go unbirded for the most of the week while birds continue to move through.

The fear of disturbing this individual gnatcatcher should be kept in context. Treat it like any other bird would deserve.

Now get out there and find those other buggers!

Scott Ray
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" Scott Ray "
" Yakima, WA "
" scray at wolfenet.com "
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