The Slender-billed White-breasted Nuthatch (I'm sure their slenders bills are quite noticeable) is a subspecies of
intense interest lately. Since the subspecies has been lost from the breeding fauna of the Puget lowlands, there's
lots of interest in figuring out how to get it back. Of course, it doesn't hurt that prairie and oak woodlands are
currently the main focus of conservation in the Puget lowlands, with many agencies and The Nature Conservancy
working on restoration and species recovery.

All of this blather is by way of introduction to my biological questions. Why are White-breasted Nuthatches turning up
on the Olympic Peninsula and Vashon Island? They're not regarded as migratory. To what extent do they disperse long
distances? If habitat were suitable at, say, Scatter Creek Wildlife Area, is it possible that the nuthatches would find
it and colonize it?

Right now, the prevailing attitudes are that Slender-billed White-breasted Nuthatches will not colonize suitable habitat,
once it is created. They will need to be translocated from distant places, like the Columbia River. These sightings of
nuthatches in western Washington make me wonder, though. It's really important that sightings of this species in western
Washington be evaluated carefully. If they are solid, credible observations, they have meaning and value to the ongoing
efforts to restore the species, in my opinion.

Kelly McAllister
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Olympia, Washington
Reply to: mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov