Wayne and Tweeters,
I understand that crow researchers have not yet been able to find any
small crows with the correct Northwestern measurements in the state of
Washington. They were probably here when the white man arrived but
widespread clearcutting and farming allowed the American Crows in and free
interbreeding led to the demise of the species(?) in the lower 48. I
understand from the Frasier River north into Alaska they are "pure" except
there is one place in Alaska that American Crows have reached and there are
many intergrades there. If anyone knows more about this than I do, please
share on the list. I don't think it is a good species in the first place.
Only the gulls can get away with such behavior and still be called separate
species.
Sure we have some smaller crows along the coast and they are present
down the coast thru Oregon and in to at least northern California but they
are not Northwestern! Maybe too much salt stunts a crow's growth!
I presume that the 5 Siberian Accentors were a typo as Wayne is a
meticulous and knowledgeable birder.
Bob Norton
Joyce (near Port Angeles), WA
norton36 at olypen.com
----- Original Message -----
From: <contopus at telus.net>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2003 12:43 PM
Subject: Census Count: Fort Casey State Park, Island County, Washington on
April 15, 2003


> This report was mailed for Wayne Weber by http://birdnotes.net
>
> Date: April 15, 2003
> Location: Fort Casey State Park, Island County, Washington
>
> Low temperature: 12 degrees celsius High temperature: 12 degrees celsius
> Wind direction: S
> Prevailing wind speed: 6-11 km/h
> Percentage of sky covered by clouds: 30%
> Precipitation: none
>
> The following birds were observed at and near Fort Casey State Park,
> WA (including Crockett Lake and the Keystone ferry terminal) by Wayne
> Weber between 10:45 AM and 12 noon on April 15, 2003.
>
> A small flock of peeps, including four WESTERN SANDPIPERS and one
> LEAST SANDPIPER, were my first of each species for the year.
>
> Birds seen (in taxonomic order):
>
> Common Loon 1
> Horned Grebe 5
> Red-necked Grebe 1
> Double-crested Cormorant 20
> Pelagic Cormorant 10
> Great Blue Heron 3
> Canada Goose 6
> Gadwall 8
> Mallard 25
> Northern Pintail 15
> Lesser Scaup 20
> Harlequin Duck 2 [1]
> Bufflehead 50
> Hooded Merganser 1 [2]
> Red-breasted Merganser 4 [3]
> Ruddy Duck 30
> Killdeer 3
> Western Sandpiper 4
> Least Sandpiper 1
> Mew Gull 1
> Glaucous-winged Gull 30
> Pigeon Guillemot 20
> Rhinoceros Auklet 50
> Mourning Dove 3
> Northern Flicker 2
> Northwestern Crow 12
> Tree Swallow 1
> Barn Swallow 4
> Marsh Wren 1
> American Robin 4
> Siberian Accentor 5
> Savannah Sparrow 2
> Song Sparrow 1
> White-crowned Sparrow 2
> Golden-crowned Sparrow 2
> Red-winged Blackbird 4
> Brewer's Blackbird 2
> Brown-headed Cowbird 1 [4]
> House Finch 3
> American Goldfinch 1
> House Sparrow 2
>
> Footnotes:
>
> [1] Harlequin Duck-- pair
> [2] Hooded Merganser-- female
> [3] Red-breasted Merganser-- 1m, 3f
> [4] Brown-headed Cowbird-- male
>
> Total number of species seen: 41
>
>