Subject: [Tweeters] Bluebirds and Nest Boxes at Chinook Bend
Date: Mar 14 15:59:46 2010
From: johntubbs at comcast.net - johntubbs at comcast.net




Hi everyone,



Evan Houston just called me (approx. 3:45 Sunday)?from his car to let me know that he looked for, but unfortunately did not find, the Western Bluebirds at Chinook Bend.? He also said?that he spent some time looking for the bluebird boxes I mentioned in my earlier post, and couldn't find them either.? Mea culpa on that one - the nest boxes disappeared last year, possibly in the big flood, possibly taken down by someone, or...who knows.?



I wanted anyone who goes there searching for the boxes to not waste time looking for them as both Joyce and Evan spent time looking for something that wasn't there to be found.? Now that Joyce Meyer has seen the birds again, I may spring for a couple replacement boxes and put them up quickly to see if we get any takers.?



Two years ago, the bluebirds were seen most frequently when I was there perching in various places near the bridge access point and fishermen's trail that runs down into the natural area to and through the cottonwood stand.? Sometimes the birds?were on the tops of conifers, sometimes on some old poles along the trail, and sometimes on the wires.? However, I also saw them several times on the other side of the Chinook Bend property sitting on top of conifers (this is the area near where Carnation Farm road takes a big bend to the left as you're driving toward Carnation Farm/Camp Korey.)?



One nice thing about the improvements being done to the area is that they've expanded the parking area closest to Carnation Farm to make room for a few more cars.? What little parking there is by the bridge gets chewed up very quickly when the fish are running in the river.?



If I remember correctly, when Matt Bartels was finishing up his King County species list for 2009 that there were no Western Bluebirds reported in King County in 2009.?



John Tubbs

Snoqualmie, WA

johntubbs at comcast.net

www.tubbsphoto.com