I agree with Jim Flynn. If someone posts a link to a website or blog,
inviting Tweeters subscribers to take a look, it's appropriate that Tweeters
subscribers who have a critique to share, go ahead and share it with the
group. It's not that different from someone posting a link to a picture of a
bird that want help identifying, having me post a message to the group
misidentifying it, and having others post messages correcting my
misidentification. It happens frequently and it's a growth experience for
everyone involved.

And, now that I've totally discredited my own abilities, I'll mention that
I've been a fairly active and engaged birder (and wildlife biologist) in the
Puget Sound lowlands since 1980 with annual Christmas Bird Counts and
midwinter waterfowl inventories getting me for prolonged periods during the
winter. The only Northern Goshawks I've positively identified near sea level
in the Puget Sound region were immature birds, during winter. Both were in
the South Bay area north of Olympia, one hanging out looking at chickens in
a pen off of Lemon Road and the other perched on poles along the pier of the
old Naval facility on the Budd Inlet waterfront.

Wahl, Tweit, and Mlodinow's "Birds of Washington" suggests rarity or
complete absence from the Puget lowlands, at least on the east side of Puget
Sound.

I'd be among the first to admit that may be something amiss with the level
of effort and expertise that's been applied to the question in all areas of
the Puget Lowlands but I'd reject any suggestion that it's a regularly
occurring species throughout the region.

You can believe the frequent sightings in the north Sound if you want to and
I can show you many other questionable information you may wish to believe,
like maps of sightings of wolves and grizzly bears from all over Washington
state and the maps of Lynx extending well into Oregon.


And I just had a bit of a dogfight between a crow and an accipiter outside
my window. Wonder what it was... a goshawk maybe? Yeah, that's it...

Kelly McAllister
Olympia, Washington