I hope Jile doesn't get as upset about reporting Collared Doves as Scrub
Jays. I still haven't seen a Scrub Jay in Pullman, Jile.



I'm not a big fan of bird feeding, but I'll confess to spreading seed out
sometimes, especially when I want to get a count of certain species.



Last Saturday was one of the days I threw a generous amount of seed around,
then watched out the window to see what showed up. The usual suspects, plus
15 EURASIAN COLLARED DOVES. Last winter, there were a couple hanging
around. I knew at least one pair nested in the yard. But 15 birds by fall!
That was a minimum. They were moving back and forth between ground and
conifer trees. Not a big deal to see them anymore, but I continue to be
amazed at how they exploded in numbers in the last 5 years.



15 was the magic number that day. We decided to haul away a stack of moldy
plywood that had been sitting outside on concrete for a few years. Between
the bottom layer of wood and the concrete, we found a LONG-TOED SALAMANDER.
Cool! Then another, and another, and another. There were about 15. I
felt guilty about disturbing them from their shelter just before winter. I
distributed them around the yard in places where they might find a new
winter shelter. The stripes on their backs were olive green.



Kelly Cassidy

Pullman, WA



From: tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Jile
Hulme-deborchgro
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2010 12:15 PM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] When are we going to stop reporting Scrub Jays?



I mean, all right, people. We know they're here! So are Mallards, coots,
etc., but that don't mean we report them every time we see one.