Hello Tweets,

After reading Dennis' informative post, I thought it was appropriate to
mention the Seattle Audubon Neighborhood Bird Count, a long-running
monthly bird census in eight of Seattle's parks.

A quick query of our database found the following sightings for both
Pacific-slope and Olive-sided Flycatcher, from 2000-2008 and listed by
park (keep in mind that some park surveys are older than others).

Pacific-slope Flycatcher:
http://seattleaudubon.org/uploadedFiles/Science/NBP_PSFL_2000-2008.pdf
Olive-sided Flycatcher:
http://seattleaudubon.org/uploadedFiles/Science/NBP_OSFL_2000-2008.pdf

The Neighborhood Bird Project has over 80 dedicated volunteer citizen
scientists who perform the point counts year-round! For more
information, please visit http://seattleaudubon.org/science.cfm?id=75

Cheers,
Adam Sedgley

Science Associate
Seattle Audubon
206-985-6993
adams at seattleaudubon.org

www.birdweb.org <http://www.birdweb.org/>


________________________________

From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Dennis
Paulson
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 10:24 AM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] very late migrant?


Dianne and Amy et al,

I think Pacific-slope Flycatchers are one of many species that breed in
forested environments all around Seattle but probably don't breed in the
city any more, except perhaps in our most spacious parks. We badly need
continued censuses of birds in the city parks, just to see if I'm right.
I'm certainly right about my yard and the well-wooded Thornton Creek
ravine behind it, where I have never before detected a PSFL in the
summer in 17 years of living here.

The city is losing birds, particularly migrant birds, especially those
that migrate to the tropics. These are birds that have to arrive in
migration and set up territories anew every spring. It is fairly well
known that cities can be POPULATION SINKS, places where populations
would decline, because mortality exceeds natality (production of young),
if it weren't for continuing immigration from the surrounding natural
habitats (which are POPULATION SOURCES). As we develop and expand the
suburbs around the city more and more, we are essentially pushing the
population sources farther and farther away, to the point at which
certain species disappear completely from the city, even though there
are appropriate habitats here and there. This really seems to affect
migrants more than residents, which can make do with reduced habitat
quality. One reason they do, I suppose, is because so many of the
resident species are aided and abetted by bird feeders. Not so with
Pacific-slope Flycatchers.

In some species, individual male birds continue to come into what seem
like acceptable habitats in the city, sing their little hearts out, but
fail to attract a female. Perhaps the females are better at assessing
the value of habitats. If I were a female, I would certainly try to find
the very best breeding habitat when I arrived from a winter in Mexico,
and it wouldn't be a 10-acre patch of woodland in a city park surrounded
by development.

We also need a lot more research on, for example, the density of insects
available to an insect-eating bird in a wooded city park as opposed to a
similar forest outside the city. I suspect there will be a substantial
difference. Having wooded parks and green belts in a city is a great
idea, and a wonderful amenity for both humans and some subset of
wildlife, but we are kidding ourselves if we think these habitats will
support the same biodiversity as the expanse of natural forest that used
to be here.

Dennis




Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:37:10 -0700

From: Diann MacRae <tvulture at vei.net>

Subject: RE: [Tweeters] very late migrant?

To: amy schillinger <schillingera at hotmail.com>

Cc: Tweeters at u.washington.edu

Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20080616103421.023c3620 at vei.net>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"




Hi Tweets, Amy, and Dennis




I have lived in a very forested area of Bothell for over twenty

years. I have Pacific-slope flycatchers all summer, every year.
They

are pretty vocal. I'm not sure why they would stay all summer
and not

nest, especially when it goes on every year.




Cheers, Diann




Diann MacRae

Olympic Vulture Study

22622 - 53rd Avenue S.E.

Bothell, WA 98021

tvulture at vei.net


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