Subject: FW: Re: [Tweeters] Great Blue Heron-NEW WA State bird?
Date: Feb 7 11:24:45 2011
From: Eric Kowalczyk - aceros at mindspring.com


Presently seven states lay "claim" to the Western meadowlark and six states have the Northern cardinal. I am not sure what qualifications were used, but obviously they were not considering uniqueness to the state.

As was mentioned, the Willow goldfinch had previously replaced the Western meadowlark for WA. What is the need to change it to GBHE? (Conservation status and concern?) Do other states change their "state bird" to better fit the present day mood?

Eric
Seattle

----- Original Message -----
From: Wilson Cady
To: vogelfreund at comcast.net
Cc: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: 2/7/2011 10:53:33 AM
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Great Blue Heron-NEW WA State bird?


There is nothing regional about a Great Blue Heron that says "Washington" or even "Pacific Northwest", there isn't a state they are not found in. How about considering a species that was first discovered in the State, like the Mountain Quail (Lewis & Clark at Washougal in 1806) or Tundra Swan also found near there by them. And there is a long list of birds first identified here by John Kirk Townsend during his 1834 journey and stay at Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River. These birds include Western Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Winter Wren, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Varied Thrush and MacGillivray's Warbler plus others I am not remembering off of the top of my head.


Wilson Cady
Skamania County, WA