Hi all,

Schmitz Park near Alki in West Seattle was beautiful in the rain this morning. A PILEATED WOODPECKER was foraging & a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER was tending its ?farm-field? of rows of holes in a big Western Red Cedar. It?s exciting to see the improvements in this park that have put nature where a parking lot once was, to see all the native vegetation and the refreshing lack of English Ivey. Apparently KEN SHAW deserves a bunch of the credit for this, and I am told he conducts work parties in the park on the last Sat of every month beginning at 9 am.

IN YardBirdRace news, Current reigning Acreage-yard-type champion GARY BLETCH has 83 as of Nov. 11. SHORT-EARED OWL, BANK SWALLOW & TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE are three on this list that one doesn't normally encounter on local yard lists. Still, Bletch needs 8 to tie his own record from near Lyman n the Skagit Valley: Will he make it?

Meanwhile CYNTIA FAUBION has in the last couple of days picked up two in quick succession in Mt. Baker, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW & RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER, to put her within two of the Mt. Baker record of 43.

In Cathlamet, GEORGE EXUM is already three over the current record with 78 including an OVENBIRD and a WHITE-TAILED KITE.

Up 11 species already from the previous Brier record, TAYLER BROOK expects to still add a few more to her list of 66. BROOK has COMMON NIGHTHAWK & CALIFORNIA GULL.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg.


To see lots more news, the current press release featuring new photos including a great Towhee & Wilson?s Warbler shot by DAWN BAILEY (up 11 species in Eatonville), and a great Barred Owl shot by DIANNA MOORE, (leading in Ocean Shores,) go to

http://www.ednewbold.com/links.htm

to see the leaderboard:


http://www.ednewbold.com/yardbird.htm

Tweeters who have been keeping a year 2006 yard list (species seen from the yard, they don?t have to be in it) are welcome to enter the YardBirdRace at any time.


Thanks all, Ed Newbold ednewbold1 at yahoo.com Seattle WA




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