Geoff, I saw your note on Washington?s Tweeters, and I wanted to add what I
could about a species that you?ll be able to see in abundance in Portland.

Vaux Swifts gather at several chimneys around the Northwest throughout the
month of September, with the high point around mid-September. One of the
surest places to observe them, and the largest gathering of swifts in this
area, is at Chapman School in Northwest Portland (Northwest 27th &
Pettygrove).

Every evening throughout September, Audubon Society of Portland will have
volunteer Swift Watch educators, of which I am one, at the school to help
the community understand what?s going on. People bring a picnic supper and
start gathering around 7 pm, and the show can get pretty interesting. The
hill that slopes down to the school provides a perfect vantage point. It?s
usually a really fun evening and, in years past, we?ve been treated to
thousands of swifts. Last year, the numbers were down, and we suspect it
may have had something to do with the Cooper?s (or was it Sharp-shinned?)
Hawks that sat on the rim of the chimney, grabbing dinner as it flew by.
Very interesting!

If you have any further questions about directions, or times or dates,
Audubon Portland?s phone numbers are 503/292-6855 and their Nature Store?s
number is 503/292-9453.

Carol Ledford
Gresham, Oregon
kestrel at aaahawk.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Geoff & Kristin Malosh [mailto:maloshgk at stargate.net]
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 7:56 PM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: RFI - Washington in mid-September

Hello Tweeters,
I will be visiting your wonderful state from September 17-23 and I was
wondering if any of you wouldn't mind providing some suggestions on finding
the species below. I have a special interest in finding the
mountain-dwelling specialties of your area, and I will only have one, or
maybe two days in which to try in this habitat. I will be based in the
Seattle area, and am debating whether to go north to the general area of Mt.
Baker, or south to Mt. Rainier. There may be a chance that I could go to
both locations, but I am not sure. I will also be traveling down the coast,
passing Hurricane Ridge and the rest of Olympic National Park, and through
Ocean Shores ending up in Portland, OR.
Any thoughts you may have on which area will give a better chance for the
birds below will be greatly appreciated (or which be more accessable in
mid-September since I'm not sure when the roads start closing for winter).
I have been reading with some interest the sightings in the "Nile burn" area
as well as the ptarmigans on Mt. Rainier.
Highlands species sought:
Blue Grouse
Mountain Quail
White-tailed Ptarmigan
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Spotted Owl
Red-naped Sapsucker (too late?)
Williamson's Sapsucker (too late?)
Three-toed Woodpecker
Black-backed Woodpecker
Clark's Nutcracker
American Dipper
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
I also have an interest in any of the following anywhere else along the way:
Trumpeter Swan
Western Screech-Owl
Vaux's Swift (too late?)
Rock Wren
Golden-crowned Sparrow (too early?)
Harris's Sparrow (??)
Thanks very much in advance, and I look forward to hearing from you!
Geoff Malosh
Pittsburgh, PA
maloshgk at stargate.net