Dennis wrote:
"I'm struck by looking at the latest postings in tweeters at how much
time
birders spend at malls, marinas, sewage lagoons, suburban yards, city
parks,
and other heavily humanized habitats. It finally struck me that one of
the
reasons I see so few rare birds is that my wife loves to get out of the
city
and into nature, as far from people as possible, and that's the only way
I
can entice her to go birding."

Kelly wrote:
"I was particularly struck by how Violet-green Swallows
are common in Pullman during the summer, but virtually absent out here
on the
higher, windier, colder plains. Why? Certainly not feeders. The
explanation might be that Pullman has more nesting locations, but I
think
it's because Pullman sits next to the Palouse River while our property
sits
next to only a small, intermittent stream."

Hi Tweeters

OK, Im one of those single species fanatics, but during the past two
summers some of the best birding Ive done has been under the interstate
freeway overpasses within urban Sacramento California. Once you get past
the exhaust fumes and the endless traffic noise, both from the road deck
above and the city streets below, the litter, and the occasional
homeless encampment, etc., it's really not that bad.

Sacramento's Purple Martins, probably the largest concentration within
the state, currently nest inside these hollow-box concrete bridges,
entering the internal chambers by way of vertical holes in the bottoms
of the bridges. This only known breeding location within the central
valley is apparently the result of nest cavity availability in these
transportation structures. From when first noted there in bridges in
the 1960's, after decades of nesting on buildings (mostly under roof
tiles), the number of breeding pairs recorded has modestly but steadily
increased until the present. Sacramento sits at the confluence of the
Sacramento and American Rivers.

Martins also nest inside this type of bridge elsewhere in California,
along the coast in completely undeveloped localities, and in Oregon at
Brookings. Ive heard of no sites in Washington, but it may only be a
matter of time, as Ive seen many bridges of this type with seemingly
suitable holes.

Stan Kostka
lynnandstan at earthlink.net
Arlington