Wayne - Data are scant, but this year's sighting at Juanita and last year's
sighting at Marymoor are nowhere near known nesting areas for Western Bluebird.
Whether this represents a small amount of migration west of the Cascades, or
whether this is some kind of pre-breeding exploration, it would seem reasonable
that there be some seasonality to this movement.

The biggest assumption I made is that it might be related to Mountain Bluebird
movements, which I don't expect (based on Marymoor data) to begin here until
next week. Western and Mountain Bluebirds winter together in some areas (i.e.
New Mexico) where they do not breed, and breed in some areas (B.C.) in which
they do not winter. So it seemed possible to me that they might migrate
between those locations together. Townsend's Solitaire might also be part of
this movement, conceivably.

A huge leap, perhaps, which clearly points to a need for much more data.

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland WA
== hummer at isomedia.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Wayne C. Weber" <contopus at shaw.ca>
To: "MICHAEL HOBBS" <hummer at isomedia.com>
Cc: "TWEETERS" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2002 1:34 PM
Subject: Re: Western Bluebird -- arrival date?


> Michael,
>
> I am wondering about the basis for your statement that the WESTERN
> BLUEBIRD sighting at Juanita Bay Park "seems early to me by about a
> week".
>
> To the best of my knowledge, WESTERN BLUEBIRD populations west of the
> Cascades are largely or entirely non-migratory. Even in the Okanagan
> Valley of B.C., east of the Cascades, a sizable percentage of the
> Western Bluebird population remains all winter.
>
> Do you have some information on "arrival dates" of Western Bluebirds
> in the Puget Sound area? If so, I'd be interested in seeing it.
>
> Wayne C. Weber
> Kamloops, BC
> contopus at shaw.ca