I saw small numbers of Band-tailed Pigeons throughout the nesting season in
the wooded areas along the Scatter Creek Valley east of Tenino. On Sept. 2,
along with a major movement of hundreds of Cedar Waxwings and perhaps a
hundred Evening Grosbeaks, there were a number of small groups of
Band-tailed Pigeons moving through - and one flock of perhaps 200. Last
week I saw a number of small flocks (10 or less) along the road up to
Hurricane Ridge.

Bob Sundstrom
ixoreus at scattercreek.com
Tenino, WA

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Lyles" <david at davidlyles.net>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, September 16, 2002 2:39 PM
Subject: Re: poor Band-tailed year?


> I am having the usual numbers of Band-tailed Pigeons (8-10 at a time)
> in my backyard near downtown Portland. They are regular fall visitors
> to a tree that produces small, dark purple berries (nobody has been
> able to tell me yet what the tree is -- it is not an elderberry,
> though). I have a nice closeup photo I took yesterday, and can put it
> up on my website if anyone is interested.
>
> David
>
> At 2:02 AM -0700 9/16/02, Mark Egger wrote:
>
> >Hello Tweets,
> >
> >I've been wondering if anyone else has noticed the lack of
> >Band-tailed Pigeons this spring and summer. I've had them in my back
> >yard and elsewhere around the Matthews Beach area every year, nearly
> >year round, for well over a decade, but they seem to be locally
> >extirpated or else gone elsewhere,,. all within the last year! Has
> >anyone in this area seen them? Pigeons are such cool birds (possibly
> >excepting urban rock doves, I hate to loose a species like that,
> >especially when it's held on for so long against all urban
> >odds...I've always associated these forest pigeons with the pine-oak
> >of the SW and the Sierras of W Mexico, and to have them in the
> >Seattle backyard was a real treat! I was never sure where this group
> >found its salt -- can anyone on the list shed some light on that? I
> >know the Band-tails of Matthews Beach long pre-date MY arrival on
> >the scene (moved to neighborhood in 1986), so their disappearance,
> >if that is what it is, should be an "environmental consequence"
> >worthy of some further note and analysis...
> >
> >Mark
>
>
> --
>
> David Lyles
> Portland OR
> http://www.davidlyles.net
>
> -------------------------
> Just say "No" to Negativity
> -------------------------