I am glad to see Tweets have been having such a good time birding in Victoria & White Rock this winter. And while I did not make any money, I was deluged with requests for the ABA Washington Bird-finding Guide on clearance. Interestingly enough most requests were from outside King County and indeed from other states.


The Washington guide no longer covers British Columbia, for which the best guide is: RussellCannings,Richard Cannings, Birdfinding in British Columbia, paper, 2013, 466 pages, cost $29.95, US. Now I have to admit, I have way too many of this guide also, so if any Tweet would like to buy one at cost plus sales tax, i.e. $20 approx, I would be glad to supply.


Of course, BC is a vast place, much,much bigger than Washington State, but still driveable for a birding vacation. I have often wondered why we get all these wandering eastern US passerines in our state, warblers & flycatchers for example. In the north-east corner of BC province is a fascinating parkland zone, often called the Peace River Country. A quick look through the Cannings' book may show why.


Along with Yellow Rail, Upland Sandpiper, Broad-winged Hawk, Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher occur a plethora of warblers including Ovenbird, Black & White,Palm, Canada, Black-throated Green, Cape May, Bay-breasted, Black-throated Blue and Tennessee. In reality, these species are scattered over a still wide area and most are at the limit of their range. Due diligence would be rquired. But it does seems like a lot of these species are cropping up regularly in our state.


David Hutchinson,

Flora & Fauna

3213 West Wheeler St,#6

Seattle, WA 98199

206-282-0093