Notes from W Washington BBS Routes
Run by Don Norman for Puget Sound Bird Observatory

Don asked me to post about the 3 BBS routes he runs. The Breeding Bird
Survey is a 24.5 mile road survey where you stop every half mile and list
all the birds you see (but mostly hear) in 3 minutes. There are 4000 routes
across North America and people commit to run on only one morning each year
during the breeding season, but for several years. They are really fun and
important for determining population trends for many of our species; this
continental monitoring program was conceived in the 1960's and has been
running continuously ever since. Routes are available! Try one--there is
still time this year!

http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBS/results/routemaps/index.htm

I ran one of my routes on May 31 from Lakewood to Fort Lewis for the 15th
year, and it was pretty ho hum, except that I had the most Olive-sided
Flycatchers ever, and all 5 species of woodpeckers - I actually found 2
Hairy Woodpecker nests while at my 3-minute stops! Probably due to the big
burn areas. I stopped at Johnson's Marsh (just east of the East Gate
entrance) to look for the usual Yellow-headed Blackbirds as well as the
Ring-necked Ducks but saw none. I did snag the Purple Martins on my stop
there. Has anyone seen the blackbirds or the ducks there this year?? I also
had a Lazuli Bunting on the 13th division prairie on Fort Lewis.

I ran another route on the outer coast (89-009) on June 6. This year was was
also not too exciting, but counting 113 swainson's thrushes was a chore! I
did have one new bird for the count, which was my 17th year running it, so
it's pretty unusual to get a new bird, a Hermit Warbler. In terms of
unusual records, there were Red-breasted Nuthatches, but not a single Pewee
or Tanager, compared to the inland routes. Pretty strange.

And finally, I run a route in the Carnation Valley typically with the best
birds. This year I ran it on June 21 and had a Western Kingbird (near Oxbow
Farms on NE 100th, near the Carnation Farms), Bank Swallows, but the most
unusual bird was a singing Least Flycather at SE 3rd, just north of Fall
City. I had actually heard one on the June 6 across the river just south of
the Carnation Marsh after I got rained out of my first attempt to run the
route and just stopped by there in the rain to bird a little. Carnation
valley is full of Red-breasted Sapsuckers, Lazuli Buntings, Red-eyed Vireos,
and all kinds of neat stuff.

Taking the time to run a route (most in eastern WA are open these days)
gives you an excuse to visit a new area and cover it well! Happy birding!
don norman

Dan Froehlich
Seattle WA
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*******************
Daniel Froehlich
President, Puget Sound Bird Observatorypresident at pugetsoundbirds.org
www.pugetsoundbirds.org
Sound Science -- Scientific Information -- Informed Public
Puget Sound Bird Observatory studies birds and their habitats in the Pacific
Northwest to better understand changes in bird populations, to inform
decision makers, and to engage the public with birds and their needs.
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