I found the recent posts regarding the arrival of White-crowned Sparrows in our Puget Sound area yards interesting, simply because we have had an embarrassment of them living year-round in our yard/neighborhood for the past 7 years we?ve been here near Lynnwood/Edmonds (approx 1 block away from the Sound). I just assumed they were common all over the region now, but apparently only area-specific??it?s nice to learn things from what is posted here. Lots of juvies in our area Spring through Fall, creating families in waves.
I was born/grew up here (Vashon Island/West Seattle) and don?t recall seeing them at all when I was younger.
They sort of ?rule? the yard and we joked about them literally lining up for our birdbath this summer, like cars at the car wash. (We don?t have feeders out, but several neighbors do.) Kept me on my toes trying to keep water in it, with all the splashing. Facing each other down across the basin, occasionally tussling, and I cheer when a Towhee wins the right to use it for a change. One day I noticed 6 post-bath birds hunkered down/sprawled out in the sun drying off, around the base of a low azalea bush, while several more still contested to be next to bathe.
They and many of the other birds have also been very busy harvesting from the bumper crop of berries on my two native Evergreen Huckleberry bushes for a few weeks now?a shrub I can highly recommend as bird-friendly, easy care, and attractive.

Dee Warnock
Edmonds

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