Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 00:37:00 +0000
From: vogelfreund at comcast.net
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Swainson's thrush nest near Maple Pass
To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu
Message-ID:

<082320060037.16643.44EBA32C0000E8BD0000410322070209530B029A0A9D00040A09
0190 at comcast.net>


=======================
8/22/06

I'll add another two cents.

Mud in the nest sounds more like robin than Swainson's Thrush, and I
would be shocked to find either spotted thrush nesting this late,
whereas robins (perhaps because they are residents) have a long
breeding season. Yellow bill also sounds like robin, not to mention
rusty breast. As far as cowbirds are concerned, robins are cowbird
egg rejectors and rarely (never?) are parasitized by cowbirds.

I assume it's clear where I stand on including non-birds on tweeters,
Sadly, there is no local listserve for discussing other aspects of
nature (there is one on butterflies, I believe), so tweeters fulfills
an important need. As Brian Bell wrote, the breadth of discussion on
tweeters is what makes it a unique resource.

Dennis Paulson

----------
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 00:37:00 +0000
From: vogelfreund at comcast.net
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Swainson's thrush nest near Maple Pass
To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu

Theoretically, any thrush nesting high up in the Cascades would be a
Hermit Thrush. Although I haven't cracked open a book to check,
Swainson's Thrush should be migrating south already.

Well, there's my 2 cents worth...

It must be grand up in the Cascades right nnow!

Phil Hotllen
Bellingham, WA
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Len Mandelbaum <lmandelbaum at olympus.net>

> Aug 16 we hiked from Rainy Pass (Hwy 20) up the Maple Pass trail to
> Heather Pass. Right at Heather Pass we thought we saw a nest like
> structure next to the trunk of a small dense conifer. We walked to
> the other side of the tree, lifted a branch and beheld a nest
> containing at least 2 hatchlings. One was larger with matted
> feathers(?), the other smaller and apparently all dark (?)brown lying
> at the bottom of the nest. The larger one's head looked black
> speckled with white; its breast seemed rust colored and its beak was
> golden. We didn't look long or up close for fear of disturbing
> these babies. The nest was dark brown and looked as though it had
> been cemented with mud.
>
> Just before discovering the nest, we saw a Swainson's thrush perched
> on a low tree close by with a large insect in its mouth. It stayed
> long enough for us to get a great close up view, then flew to another
> nearby small tree. Of course we wondered if that was the mother
> altho the large hatchling looked more like a robin in
> coloration. Then we thought maybe it was a brown cowbird baby, the
> one hatchling being more developed than the second and likely to
> claim any food brought to the nest. We couldn't find any pictures
> of Swainson's progeny.
>
> Any ideas on this? We'd have posted this right after the hike
> except for a computer breakdown!
>
> Thanks. Len Mandelbaum, lmandelbaum at olympus.net
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tweeters mailing list
> Tweeters at u.washington.edu
> http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters

-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net

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