Are Chestnut-backed Chickadees found in the San Juans?

Barry Ulman
Bellingham, WA.


On Mar 26, 2012, at 10:21 PM, Charlie Wright wrote:

> Hi Charles,
> Thanks for starting this discussion about chickadees, the San Juans, and eBird.
>
> Black-capped Chickadee is certainly rare out there on the islands, but
> not completely unheard of. That said, it is likely that visiting
> birders sometimes hear chickadees and assume "Black-capped" without a
> second thought. We're now going back and e-mailing those birders
> (that's right, including Kenn Kaufman!) to see if they can help with
> details. Incidentally, we've just finished a brand new filter for San
> Juan County (it had previously been on a coastal filter) that should
> be in place later this week, and will flag Black-capped Chickadee
> reports for reviewal from now on.
>
> The spate of Black-cap reports on Orcas Island (including the CBC
> reports Barb mentioned) might indicate a small population there, but
> only time will tell. It will be interesting to see if they ever do get
> a toehold out there, and if so how rapidly they'll increase.
>
> Cheers,
> Charlie Wright
> Puyallup, Washington
>