Ian and Tweeters,

Black-capped Chickadees are definitely reluctant to cross open water.
They are absent from Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands of BC, and the
San Juan Islands, despite being abundant permanent residents on much
of the adjacent mainland.

Although Mountain Chickadees seem to be much more frequent wanderers
than Black-caps, at least in the Pacific Northwest, there is strong
evidence that they, too, do not like crossing expanses of water.
Though Mountain Chickadees do not breed near Vancouver, they show up
in small numbers in the area every few winters, including this year.
Despite this, Mountain Chickadees have apparently never been recorded
from Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands-- just like Black-caps.

So, even though one Mountain Chickadee has apparently made it to
Vashon Island, it's not a species I would expect to occur on
Bainbridge, and I wouldn't go overboard trying to find one there.

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net


----- Original Message -----
From: Ian Paulsen <birdbooker at zipcon.net>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 9:46 AM
Subject: [Tweeters] Mountain Chickadeeless on Bainbridge Island, WA


> HI:
> Does anyone know if Mountain Chickadees are reluctant to cross open
> water? Here on Bainbridge we haven't seen any but have had them
reported
> nearby in Kingston.
>
> --
> Ian Paulsen
> Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
> A.K.A.: "Birdbooker"
> "Rallidae all the way!"