I think Stewart is right about this. Maybe there is a larger movement
than usual, but this is a species that likely moves through the Puget
Sound lowlands every spring in small numbers. It was a bird of
special interest to me, because I discovered one of only 2 or 3 nests
of solitaire ever located in the Oregon Coast Range, when I was
working at a creek cleaning job in a clear cut unit in Lane Co. in
the mid-70s. The birds were actually nesting (incubating eggs) in the
hollow of an uprooted tree in the middle of the clear cut! (Don't
tell Weyerhauser -- they'll use it in their propaganda about how
great clear cuts are.) I moved to a (then) rural spot outside of
Woodinville in 1979, where I lived until 1984. I observed Townsend's
Solitaires almost every spring in the horse pastures around the
property in Woodinville, always in April. Anyway, it's good to hear
of all these sightings -- maybe they had a good year for nesting last
season...

Mark




>When I saw a Townsend's Solitaire maybe 2 to 3 weeks ago at McDonald Park
>(in Carnation, WA, east King County, under 300' elevation, near the edge of
>the Snoqualmie River) I thought it noteworthy to see in the lowlands, but
>didn't know if it was particularly noteworthy, especially as it is close to
>the base of the Cascades where I would expect them to be seen regularly.
>With all of these reports of Townsend's Solitaires I'm not sure whether we
>are experiencing an unusual flurry of lowland sightings or whether one or
>two reports has spurred on an unusual level of reporting of the usual
>scattering of lowland occurrences of Townsend's Solitaires in the spring
>(and possibly an unusual level of people keeping an eye out for this species
>leading to additional sightings / identifications). In Eugene Hunn's
>birding in Seattle and King Co (1982) he says they pass through the lowlands
>and foothills in the spring, making me wonder more if it may be a flurry of
>additional reporting than an unusual number of lowland occurances of this
>bird more typical of montane habitats. Any thoughts from our more seasoned
>birders?
>
>Stewart Wechsler
>Ecological Consulting
>West Seattle
>206 932-7225
>ecostewart at quidnunc.net
>
>-Advice on the most site-appropriate native plants
> and how to enhance habitat for the maximum diversity
> of plants and animals
>-Educational programs, nature walks and field trips
>-Botanical Surveys
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kelly McAllister
>
>
>Yesterday, I saw a single Townsend's Solitaire in the South Weir Prairie
>(known on USGS maps as Tenalquot Prairie) just north of the town of Rainier
>in Thurston County, Washington. ...
>--
>No virus found in this outgoing message.
>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.5.7/771 - Release Date: 4/21/2007
>11:56 AM


--
Mark Egger
Seattle, WA
USA
mailto:m.egger at comcast.net