Sounds like we need a "build chimneys for swifts"
campaign!

Andrea Wuenschel
North Seattle

From: "Rachel" <RachelWL at msn.com>
Subject: [Tweeters] Human safety and the needs of
birds
CC: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 11:32:26 -0700
To: "'Dennis Paulson'" <dennispaulson at comcast.net>

Conflicts between the needs of birds and human safety
aren't limited to tree-cutting. The chimney in Monroe
that hosts the Vaux's Swifts is apparently going to be
demolished because it is at risk of collapsing.
Because the site is an elementary school, the safety
of the children is a big concern. I believe someone
from SAS is meeting with the people involved, to see
if somehow the chimney can be saved.

Rachel Lawson
Seattle
RachelWL at msn.com


-----Original Message-----
From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On
Behalf Of Dennis Paulson
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 10:07 AM
To: Tweeters
Subject: [Tweeters] poor woodpeckers

I just heard today's BirdNote on woodpeckers, fun
listening as always. Then I came home to see that the
neighbors behind us, at the lip of the Thornton Creek
ravine, were cutting off ALL the dead wood on the
bigleaf maples behind their house, all trees in our
viewshed. These are the trunks and branches where both
flickers and Pileated Woodpeckers have nested for
years and where, when I heard a Pileated call, I could
often look out and see it up there silhouetted against
the sky. I know Red-breasted Nuthatches and
Black-capped Chickadees also nested there. Now these
nest sites are all gone, and I see nothing but green
leaves. I suppose they got the trees pruned for safety
reasons, although most would have fallen into the
ravine, not on their house. These are neighbors very
concerned about the world, including the environment,
yet they blithely got rid of all this nesting habitat
without a second thought. This was a reprise of
another set of neighbors next to us who trimmed off
all the dead branches of the maple in their yard that
had always been attractive to trunk-pecking birds,
Olive-sided Flycatchers, and other birds that liked
open views. We actually asked them not to do it, but
our request fell on deaf ears, as they were more
concerned with branches falling on their children.
This is of course a valid concern, but it certainly
doesn't paint a rosy picture for cavity-nesting birds
in settled areas. Sadly, another problem without an
apparent solution, short of a city ordinance that if
you cut down dead branches you have to put up bird
boxes to replace them!
-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net




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