Hi Inga - I was up in the "Vail Unit" of Weyerhauser's "Tree Farm" just south of Rainier/Vail in Thurston Co. this past Saturday.

I, too, saw several small (8-12 birds) flocks of western bluebirds from the Porcupine Ridge. They appeared to be working their way south along the ridge-tops, and I presumed that these were birds migrating from the North & East.

All the birds I could get the binocs on were Westerns; I can neither discount nor assume the possibility of some Mountain BBs in the flocks, as most were at & beyond the far end of my ID range....

As far as staying around, there are always a few that over-winter. Jewett, et al. state: "On January 8, 1916, Bowles saw many Mexican bluebirds at Nisqually, there being a good deal of snow and ice in the vicinity". They also give a few other December - February records in their 'migration' notes for the species.

I grew up in the Willamette Valley, and western bluebirds were pretty common wintering birds - often feeding on the mistletoe berries in the Oregon white oaks (Q. garryana). I do not see mistletoe in the oaks of western Washington as commonly as I do to the south, and presume that the bluebirds find other fare when they winter with us.

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net


Inga Holmquist <ingawh AT yahoo.com> wrote:
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2003 09:25:01 -0700 (PDT)

For the last three weekends in a row I have seen flocks of 5 to 10 bluebirds in Roy, Washington. I've been going there every weekend for 4 1/2 years, and have never seen bluebirds until this year! I'm guessing the breeding program in Fort Lewis is responsible - it must be going very well.

Does any know how late into the fall these guys stay around?

Inga

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Inga Holmquist
P.O. Box 1141
Orting, WA 98360
ingawh AT yahoo.com