WASHINGTON ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Newsletter Number 20. August 1992"... to increase our knawledge of the birds of

Washington and to enhance communication

among all persons interested in those birds. II

A view of the future?Hal Michael

I recently returned from a shortvacation to southern California, 17-22June, 1992. We visited the culturalhigh points such as Disney land andKnott's Berry Farm. I found someaspects of the trip rather disturbing.

On our first introduction to thesouthern California freeway system, Iwas amazed at how similar it was toSeattle's; lots of cars going nowherefast. At rush hour traffic crawled. Thesurface streets were crowded. One areaof difference was that there were a lotof buses and shuttles so that a privatevehicle was not a necessity, at least forvisitors.

The sky, too, was the same color asSeattle's. In fact, on some days itseemed clearer, smog-wise, than I amused to around here. On most days Icould see the mountains to the east.How often are the Olympics visiblefrom Seattle in the summer?

What disturbed me the most waswhat seemed to be a distressing andalmost total lack ofbirds. House Spar­rows were, at best, common. Therewere a few Rock Doves, a few SpottedDoves, and a Starling or two. The onlynative land birds I saw were crowsand Barn Swallows. One lake hadsome Mallards, a coot or two, and

some Pied-billed Grebes. There ap­peared to be a lot of available habitat.There were trees, shrubs, reeds, lawns,and so on. There appeared to be quitea bit of surface water available inponds and the like. Where were thehummingbirds, Scrub Jays, mocking­birds, blackbirds, other swallows, etc.?

Is this the future of urban areas?Are we creating cities where birds nolonger exist; even in parks? Perhaps itis time to look at what is going on inour cities and towns, as well as ourancient forests and wetlands. Is ittime to establish feeder programs, nestbox programs for our urban environ­ments?

I might also add that, in spite of allthe pretty flowers everywhere, therewere very few butterflies. I believe Ican find more butterflies in Olympiaright now than I saw down there.

I do not know why the birds andbutterflies were so scarce. Maybe itwas the time of year, perhaps it wasbecause ofsix or more years ofdrought,maybe it was the smog. It could be theuse of pesticides and herbicides "nec­essary" to keep down aquatic vegeta­tion, lawn pests, white flies, medfly,and other exotic agricultural pests; Idon't know. I do know that it was

disturbing; especially with the othersimilarities to Pugetopolis.

One of the popular sports amongWashington residents is the trashingof California and its residents. Afterthis trip, it appears to me that we maybe following the same path whichmeans that we have not learned any­thing from their mistakes, and weseem bound and determined to repeatthem. I hope not.

4035 Indian Summer Drive SEOlympia, WA 98513

was Meetingsin Seattle

The next WOS Seattle-areameeting will be September 3rd(always the 1st Thursday) at7 :30 p.m. at the Burke Museum.Rob Thorn will present a shortprogram in September on BirdEruptions in the NW - Fact orFiction? Bring your summerslides for show and tell.

The October 1st program isstill pending. On November 5thProf. John Wingfield (UW Zool­ogy) will speak on TerritorialBehavior in Birds.

Site Guide: fall and winter birding in eastern Franklin CountyAndy Stepniewski

American Birds deadlines

Send bird sightings to:

Phil Mattocks: 915 E Third,Ellensburg, WA 98926

Tom Rogers (easternmostcounties): 10820 E. Maxwell,

Spokane, WA 99206Bill Tweit: POB 1271,

Olympia, WA 98507-1271

PALOUSE FALLS

STATE PARK

LYONS FERRY

FISH HATCHERY

WASHTUCNA

-LOWER MONUMENTAL DAM

are the only significant groves for anydistance around.

Also of interest in late fall (Oct.­Nov.) is the Lyons Ferry Hatchery lo­cated south of Washtucna on SR 261.The hatchery attracts many gulls, andrarities (for interior Washington) arepossible, including Mew and Thayer'sGulls.

Winter brings numerous rap tors tothe area's wheat fields and coulees, aswell as large numbers of Horned Larks,with a few Lapland Longspurs and SnowBuntings. Watch for Rough-leggedHawks, Prairie Falcons and possiblyGyrfalcons. Scenic Devils Canyon southof Kahlotus attracts Rosy Finches inwinter and the grain elevators down­stream from Lower Monumental Damhost hundreds of Common Goldeneyes(and a few Barrow's) and Buffieheadsduring the colder months. Gulls are anattraction at the dam itself, includingnumerous Herring and a few Glaucous­wings. Another good gull site is justdownstream from Ice Harbor Dam offthe Pasco-Kahlotus Road.

291 Windy Point Drive

Wapato, WA 98951

CORRECTIONMore observant readers may have

wondered about Capt. GeorgeVancouver's trip (WOSNEWS#19) tothe Northwest in 1972 and concludedthat perhaps he really came in 1792.P.S. you have until Aug. 31st to enterthe contest.

ADAMS COUNTY

® FRANKLIN COUN"9',,-\ ® KAHLOT S @CONNE7L •

Feed lots A7n\ Kahlotus Lake--~ ~

to Othello

Three km (about two miles) east ofConnell, detour north of the highway bylooking for a gravel road which headsnorth down into the coulee. Once at thebottom, proceed east (marked MillerRoad in the DeLorme Atlas©), stoppingto bird in the feedlots north of the road.Thousands ofblackbirds and many WhiteCrowned Sparrows can be found thereand in the adjacent corn stubble in thefall. Eitherreturn to SR 260 or goeast onMiller Road about 7 km (4.5 miles) toregain SR 260 and proceed east toKahlotus. Just east of the town is aDepartment of Wildlife access to thewestern shores of the lake. Or, proceedeast on SR 260 another 1.5 km (1 mile)to gain access via a steep, but passablegravel road which leads down to theeastern shores.

Eighteen species of shorebirds werenoted here on six visits during the fall of1991, including both Black-bellied, Les­sor Golden and Semipalmated Plovers,Solitary Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit,Baird's and Pectoral Sandpipers, bothdowitchers and Wilson's and Red-neckedPhalaropes. The lake also attracts nu­merous waterfowl from late summer tofreeze-up. Tundra Swans are oftenpresent in the fall and spring: 550 of thebeautiful birds were present on 2 Nov.1991.

Chukar, Gray Partridge and RockWrens also may be found in the coulee,though most of the wrens depart southfor the winter.

The city park in Washtucna (AdamsCounty) and Palouse Falls State Parkshould be checked Gate Aug. to mid­Sept.) for migrant passerines and pos­sible vagrants, as these clumps of trees

2

Autumn(August - Nov.)

December 15Winter

(Dec. - Feb.)March 15

Spring(March - May)

June 15Summer

(June & July)August 15

Although western Franklin Countyhas received attention from birders be­cause of birding opportunities aroundPasco and the McNary National Wild­life Refuge, the eastern parts of thecounty are not well known. Several in­teresting areas deserve more attention,especially during the fall and wintermonths.

Western Franklin County lies inthe lowest, driest and warmest part ofthe Columbia Basin. Irrigated croplandshave replaced most ofthe original shrub­steppe flora. Northeast from the Colum­bia River elevations rise steadily from100 meters (350') to about 400 meters(1,250') along the eastern boundary. Anincrease in precipitation is also noted.Irrigated farmlands are replaced by dry­land wheat farming here on the westernedge of the famous Palouse Belt. Fewremnants of the native grasslands oc­cur. Such patches are usually in terraintoo precipi tous for farm machinery ,suchas along channels of the PleistoceneBretz Floods where soils are thin androcky. One prominent floodway in east­ern Franklin County is Washtucna Cou­lee.

Fall and winter birders travelingeastern Washington may find KahlotusLake in Washtucna Coulee and adjacentareas interesting. Although the lake isvery low this year (1992) due to thedrought, many shorebirds can be foundthere in the fall. To reach KahlotusLake, drive east from Connell 30 km (20miles southeast of Othello) on SR 260towards the small town of Kahlotus.

Twenty-five years on the roadWashington Breeding Bird Survey No. 004

T.R. Wahl

In the 1960s, the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service began a North­America-wide survey ofbreeding landbirds in an attempt to measure trendsin bird populations, starting in theeastern U.S. It was soon expanded tocover the west. The scheme consists ofcomputer-selected routes, 25 miles inlength, along highways in each one­minute latitudellongitude block.Briefly, the idea is to set up 50 fIxedstops where the observer stops, looks,listens and records all the birds iden­tifIed by sight or sound within min­utes. Then, hop in the car, drive one­half mile to the next stop, and so on.

The whole thing starts one-halfhour before local sunrise when thereis maximum bird song and minimumtraffic (it's even earlier than a boattrip: starting time is about 0430). Forconsistency the survey is done in June,only under generally good conditionsofwind and weather, and the observershould avoid having birds pointed outby others and fInish within about fourhours.

In 1968, Zella Schultz,Washington's fIrst breeding bird sur­vey (BBS) coordinator, asked me totake a route. My wife Robin (thedriver) and I started on what hasturned out to be another decades-longplod in accumulating data. The routewe have covered is in Whatcom andSkagit Counties, along Highway 20from the parking area at George Creekto the highway rest stop just east ofRockport. Three times in June I was atsea, but with help we have managed,traffic or high water, to get the jobdone every year.

The Newhalem route (004) paral­lels the Skagit River though for muchof the route the road wanders "in­shore" near farmlands, woodsand resi­dential areas. In the fIrst years therewas no North Cascades National Parkand the highway was very lightly usedon weekends. There has been a greatincrease in traffic and some develop­ment (believe it or not, there was noriver rafting when we started!) andthe road alterations along much ofthe

route as Highway 20became the NorthCascades Highway. Although the earlypart of the route has a "mountain"feeling, maximum elevation is onlyabout 600 feet.

Our route is probably better offthan most, but times have broughtproblems and difficulties in maintain­ing the same quality of effort. Traffichas increased substantially and the

Terry Wahl

route seems especially attractive toever-larger pickups with ever largerand noisier tires going like bats out ofHell for fIshing spots - they can beheard for miles! Toward the end ofthesurvey we sometimes have 15or morevehicles pass in three minutes - dur­ing the fIrst ten stops there may be twoor three cars.

We run the route on Sunday toavoid truck traffic, though this is lesson Highway 20 than on most otherroads. We have had to cancel out, gohome and come back the next week

3

about three times due to bad weather(rain or too much wind). We've hadfew "incidents" interrupting surveys ­a couple of cars have stopped to offerassistance, and one guy stopped be­cause he was sure we were planning tosteal an ancient, rusty Packard parkedbehind an old barn.

Though not always next to theriver, the route has a fair number ofstops with loud water noise due tosmall streams. At one stop the noise isso loud one just looks for dippers.Seattle City Light water release prac­tices can greatly affect water noiselevels on the river ('92 was very quiet).I think our route has more waternoise than average. Lawn sprinklersin Newhalem can be a problem, and abarking dog has accompanied singingbirds at one stop for several years.

The upper part of the route, inWhatcom County and stops in Skagitwithin the recreation area, haschanged little in 25 years. Highwaystraightening (including the elimina­tion of some pull-off areas), City Lightpowerline maintenance (which peri­odically removes trees and shrubschanging the habitat-users from Wil­low Flycatchers to White-crownedSparrows) and a couple of landslidesin the gorge have had an impact.

The proposed damming ofthe riverbelowNewhalem years ago wouldhavedrastically altered habitats for theworse. Fortunately, power suppliedfrom Canada saved the riparian ar­eas. Unfortunately, creeping develop­ment including recreational housingand other habitat alterations have af­fected the lower part ofthe route alongwith the rest of the world.

We have recorded 98 species anddiscernible subspecies. Uncommonspecies are easy to miss during a three­minute stop. I consider a species to bea "regular" on the survey ifit occurs on15 of the 25 surveys. Fifty-two speciesqualify as "regulars" on that basis,and more are regular in the area evenif not seen on the survey.

Continued page 4

with Robbins et al (1986. The breed­ing bird survey: its first fifteenyears, 1965-1979. U.S. Dept. ofInte­rior Fish & Wildl. Servo Res. Publ.157) that Olive-sided Flycatchers,pewees and Hermit Thrushes havedeclined, and like elsewhere in west­ern Washington, Chipping Sparrowshave virtually disappeared.

This is definitely a "roadside" sur­vey and birds a few hundred yardsaway, particularly in forests uphill,are totally out of it. Consequently,effects of the drastic clearcuts of thelast few years may not be measured atall: I think sadly of Blown Creepersand Western Tanagers. And there is a

problem with non­breeding birds:how many arecounted, and whatproportion of thepopulation is this"excess?" Thishasimportant impli­cations: could thetotal populationdecrease by a largepercentage beforethe differencecould be detected?As the years pass Ihave become in­creasingly con­cerned that we arenot measuringbird populationsalong the Skagitbut rather mea­

suring singing males within a narrowhighway corridor. The analysis ofBBSmethods and results has been and willcontinue to be discussed (e.g. Robbinset al. 1986, and articles in Ralph andScott, eds. 1981 Estimating numbersof terrestrial birds. Studies in AvianBiology No.6).

One ofthe interesting things abouta BBS is that you must stop and lookfor birds at places you'd never stop atotherwise. This systematic exercisehas forced me to look entirely differ­ently at "birding" in known places,and especially at stakeouts in hot spots.This is true for other systematic cen­suring, too. I'm sure Christmas BirdCounters see this; certainly the ob­servers whohelped sogenerously withour NOANEP A study of marine birdsin 1978-79 saw not only a few goodiesbut also could not help but note spe-

route should be at least 85.

We have tried to do our surveyearlyinJune, which allowsfor weatherdelays, but we have done it as late asthe 28th (twoweather cancellations inone year). Are we too early for maxi­mum numbers ofRed-eyed Vireos, forexample, which presumably migrateup the middle of the continent ratherthan up the coast? Looking at Red­eyed Vireos by the day of the month,no. Same forSwainson' s Thrushes and,in fact, some species (e.g., MacGilli­vrays Warbler) decreased in numberslater. This seems reasonable as manybirds are virtually finished with nest­ing by late June. It is also possible thatsome migrants are still present ear­lier. Variation from year-to-year isgreat but on our route it appears toeven out and numbers in general aresimilar, though I would tend to agree

mit Thrush (13 times but not in thelast four year) Solitary Vireo (eighttimes), Hutton's Vireo, Common Yel­lowthroat (regular in area), Wilson'sWarbler, AmericanRedstart, Yellow­breasted Chat, Golden-crowned Spar­row (once), Gambell's White-crownedSparrow, Red-wingedBlackbird, West­ern Meadowlark (twice; habitat lim­ited), Bullock's Oriole (five times),House Finch (certainly regular in areabut in small numbers), Red Crossbill(regular in area) and House Sparrow(only ten times!). I consider onlyabout 13 of these to be not regularin the area, so the total "expect­able" list for bird finding along the

Toward the end of the survey we sometimes have 15ormore vehicles pass in three minutes ...

Regulars include Common Mer­ganser, Blue Grouse, Killdeer, Spot­ted Sandpiper, Rufous Hummingbird,Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers, Red­shafted Flicker, Western WoodPewee,Willow, Hammond's and Pacific-slopeFlycatchers, Tree, Violet-green,Rough-winged, Cliff and Barn Swal­lows, Steller's Jay, Common Crow,Common Raven, Black-capped andChestnut-backed Chickadees, WinterWren, Swainson's and VariedThrushes, American Robin, CedarWaxwing, Starling, Warbling Vireo,Red-eyed Vireo (found all 25 years),Orange-crowned Warbler, NashvilleWarbler (18 years), Yellow, Audubon,Black-throatedGray, Townsend'sand MacGilliv­ray's Warblers,Western Tanager,Black-headedGrosbeak, LazuliBunting (20years), Rufous­sided Towhee,Chipping Sparrow(none since 1987;maybe gone), Sa­vannah, Song, andWhite-crownedSparrows, OregonJunco, Brewer'sBlackbird, Brown­headed Cowbird,Purple Finch, PineSiskin, AmericanGoldfinch andEvening Grosbeak.

Species noted on fewer that 15surveys include: Great Blue Heron,Canada Goose, Mallard, Hooded Mer­ganser, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Sharp­shinned, Cooper's, and Red-tailedhawks, American Kestrel (hawks getup late), Ring-necked Pheasant, RuffedGrouse, Rock Dove (four times only!),Mourning Dove, Band-tailed Pigeon(only three times), Common Night­hawk, Vaux's and Black Swifts (swiftsare slowin the morning), Belted King­fisher, Downy Woodpecker, Red­breasted Sapsucker, Olive-sided Fly-

, catcher, Western Kingbird (once),Eastern Kingbird (13 times and nowundoubtedly regular), Common Bush­tit (once), Brown Creeper (regular inarea but not closeto the road), Bewick'sWren (twice),Dipper (regular in area),Golden-crowned Kinglet, Veery, Her-

4

Acknowledgments: First, I thankRobin for her patience and assistance.I suspect our BBS efforts and experi­ences have not been far off averageand long ago I decided a real test ofmarriage has been during argumentsover precisely how far it has beensince out last stop and the exact loca­tion of the next one -- at 4:45 in themorning, before breakfast, some driv­ers can be pretty testy ...ifthose high­way mileage markers had just beenthere during the first year! I thankalso Norm Lavers, Fran J eppersonand Geri Walker who filled in for mein 1975, 1980 and 1986 respectively.

3041 Eldridge

Bellingham, WA 98225

lar species; can you detect declines?I'm uncertain. In 1992, after lookingat ever-increasing clearcuts on theway up the valley, I did not find onewoodpecker during the survey. Re­turning two weeks later and stoppingfor a total of three or four hours atseveral regular BBS stops, I heardseveral Pileated Woodpeckers, severaldownies and two flickers. I'm sureman and Starlings have not been goodfor woodpeckers but I doubt my BBSnumbers can prove it. I am happy atpresent to let others apply statistics incontinent-wide and region-wide analy­ses and draw conclusions. An interest­ing and unpursued study possibility

for this route: how manyEastern Kingbirds and La­zuli Buntings are therealong the powerline right­of-way? Has the transmis­sion line corridor expandedthe distribution of thesespecies? Buntings occur al­most west to 1-5 and king­birds can be found sparselyin the lowlands.

If you'd like to find outabout doing a Breeding BirdSurvey in Washington(there are some 50 routeslast time I heard), contactstate coordinator Ed Millerin Richland. There may besome routes open, and I amsure on others there aresomelong-timeobserverswhowant tostart training replace-

non-BBSbird at Colonial Creek Camp­ground in 1981)and followedby a bird(probably a pair) off the road south­west of Newhalem in 1992. AmericanRedstarts were noted at the What­com-Skagit county line from 1981 to1987and presumably bred there (prob­ably in Skagit County, foraging partlyin Whatcom County!). Venturing offthe road (two weeks after the survey)to check on robins going bananasturned up a Barred Owl in 1992. In­teresting: White-crowned Sparrowssinging Gambell's songs heard in New­halem in 1976, 1987 and 1992 (thelatter was still there two weeks later).Though we have never had one on the

cies composition, habitat associationsand seasonal variations because theyhad to do systematic observations andtake notes, rather than just taking ashot (in the daylight) at finding a rarebird or chasing a phoned-in report.

Whatever the implications regard­ing BBS interpretations of popula­tions ofbirds, this exercise and otherslike it provide new information ofbirddistribution. We have also enjoyedlearning about the area and haveturned up a number of interestingbirds and occurrences when campingin the area as well as during the briefBBS stops. The count itself, nibblingat the edge of obviously good habitat,has encouraged return tripsto look longer and fartherfrom the road, includingNorth Cascades Instituteand other class trips.

Among the many inter­esting features of the routewas the discovery ofthe con­gregations of hundreds ofBlack Swifts at Newhalem(perhaps the largestknown), the small but regu­lar population of NashvilleWarblers from Newhalemup the gorge, Lazuli Bun­tings and Eastern Kingbirdsalong the powerline right­of-way, and the abundanceofRed-eyed Vireos (perhaps

the greatest concent~ation •••the route has a fair number of stops with loudin the state). The vIrtual •absence ofspecies like bush- water nOIsedue to small streams ...tit, Bewick's Wren and Hutton's Vireo BBS itself, we found Calliope Hum- . ments.confirms their limited distribution. In- mingbirds across the riverin the New­credibly, it seemed at first, Olive-sided halem Campground several timesFlycatchers and Golden-crowned Kin- while viewing the spectacular eveningglets are seldom heard on the route flights ofBlack Swifts above the area.stops! If this does not say something If you take the time to check out spe­about the roadside effect ofthis type of cies on a BBS route in Jewett et al.survey, I do not know what does. The (1953. Birds of Washington State.survey led us to explore the unique Univ. of Wash. Press) or Mattocks etlodgepole pine habitat across the Ska- al. (1976. A checklist of the birds ofgit from Newhalem which, unfortu- Washington state, with recent changesnately, became a campground. Explor- annotated. Western Birds 7:1-24)youation expanded from the route has soon find that you have new informa­turned up a number of Barred and tion on a lot of the species in that

. Pygmy Owls, too. "bible" (and on some which are not inTo rare bird seekers even three- it). From such acorns (or better yet,,

minute stops can sometimes be of in- cones) grow forests of knowledge. Atterest. Wehad a Yellow-breasted Chat the very least, this survey has addedatBacon Creek in 1976(found a couple several species to the Whatcom Countyof times later that summer), a Veery list.at Newhalem in 1983 (preceded by a What about abundances of regu-

5

Pitcairn Island scientific expeditionMurphy's petrels at home

Jim Jolly

Murphy's Petrel on its nest on Dude Island, Pitcairns- Photo by Jim Jolly

The following article is reprinted fromthe March, 1992 (No. 62) issue ofOSNZnews, the newsletter of the Ornitho­logical Society of New Zealand. The articlewas supplied by Ken Jacobsen (Seattle), awas and OSNZ member. We reprint thearticle to add perspective to this spring'sdiscovery of Murphy's petrels off the Wash­ington coast (WOSNEWS No. 19, June1992).

Henderson Island, the expedition'sbase, proved to be as extraordinary andfascinating as we had imagined. Its sur­face is fossil coral, weathered into jaggedridges and gullies, and raised 30 metersabove sea level. It is clothed, for the mostpart, in dense, low forest that offers foodand shelter for the four species of land­birds and nesting sites for at least eightspecies of seabirds. We also camped ontwo atolls of the group, Ducie and Oeno.Ducie, which is a broken ring of mostlydead coral, must be one ofthe most remoteplaces on this planet and is the nestingplace of tens of thousands of petrels. Mostof the World's population of Murphy'sPetrel breed there. Oeno, which has morediverse vegetation than Ducie, is host tothree species of waders (Bristle-thighedCurlew, Wandering Tattler, and PacificGolden Plover), the Reef Heron, and theSpotless Crake as well as seabirds.

Four species of gadfly petrels are re­corded from Henderson Island (theKermadec, Herald, Phoenix and Murphy'sPetrels), but the expedition doubts thepresence ofthe Phoenix Petrel. Analysis ofmeasurements, feather lice, and DNAshould resolve whether the Herald Petreloccurs in two color morphs or whetherthere are both Herald and Phoenix Petrelson the island. The expedition found thatthese light and dark color"morphs" segre­gate in breeding pairs and favor differentbreeding sites on the island.

My priority task was to collect stom­ach samples for Mike Imber's study ofpetrel foods. This work was curtailed onHenderson Island because the nesting ofall petrels failed almost completely. Al­most all losses were of young chicks, andas far as we were able to determine, thelosses were due to predation by kiore(*).We witnessed predation by kiore duringlong vigils at nests (all petrels species aresurface nesters at the Pitcairn Islands)and found kiore sign with freshly killed

chick carcasses.

I collected 70 regurgitations fromchicks on Ducie and Oeno, mostly fromMurphy's and Kermadec Petrels. Otherwork on the petrels included monitoringnests, collecting lice for Ricardo Palma,and tape recordings for Les McPherson.

The three major landbirdstudies werean assessment ofabundance offorest birdson Henderson Island, a study ofthe diet ofthe Henderson Island fruit dove in rela­tion to foods available and their seasonalchanges, and breeding and behavioral stud­ies ofthe Henderson Crake. Wealso loggedthe distribution and feeding activity oftheHenderson Lorikeet.

The crakes proved to be confiding(though extremely difficult to catch) andwere the main attraction at our base camp,particularly as they chose to nest nearbyand to bring their chicks in for breakfast.Chuck Doersch (Nebraska) and I took theopportunity to study parental care by thelocal pairs (including their breakfasts).We found that both parents feed and guardthe chicks and vigorously pursue kiore,but we also found that they leave evenyoung chicks unguarded at times.

The three islands have an importantbird fauna, but our observations haveshown the vulnerability to predation ofboth the seabirds and the landbirds. Else­where in the Pacific, some ofthese species,or their close relatives, are in decline orare already absent through introductions

of more predators or diseases, throughhabitat loss and hunting.

The long sea voyages to and from thePitcairns gave plenty of opportunities forrecording seabirds, but also emphasizedthe paucity of birds in this region com­pared with New Zealand waters. One hourcounts generally produced between 0 and2 sightings. Between Tahiti and Pitcairn,in July, we saw Red-tailed Tropicbirdsand Red-footed Boobies frequently, andTahiti and Collared Petrels and MaskedBoobies infrequently. In mid-ocean wealso saw a single, cheery Wandering Tat­tler which whistled as it circled our yachtbefore continuing onits way. Near Pitcairnand Henderson we saw Cape Pigeon andone Giant Petrel (both species were well tothe north of their usual ranges), a stormpetrel and the species which breed on theislands. South from Pitcairn in Septem­ber, on the direct route home to NewZealand, Wandering Albatross followedthe ship from 28 degrees south, and I sawsome Grey Petrels and one White-headedPetrel, as well as Giant Petrel and CapePigeon. The numbers of birds seen in­creased noticeably from about 32 degreessouth with species common in New Zeal­and waters.

My participation in the HendersonIsland Expedition was supported by grantsfrom the OSNZ Projects Assistance Re­serve and the Pacific Development andConservation Trust.

(*Ed note: what is a kiore?)

6

1249 NE 92nd Street

Seattle, WA 981157

On a somewhat more serious note,I'm considering we truly need a Wash­ington Guide to Publicly ConvenientBathrooms. If you've ever led a bird­ing group, you know what I mean.And I can't forget how impressed myfuture wife was as a I led her from onewell-appointed restroom to another ­all over the state. So, send me a list ofyour favorite (ifthat's the right word)restrooms and I'll put together a list.Just wait until the was board hearsof this scam!

(206) 527-2859(206) 322-3848(206) 767-9937(206) 232-8340(509) 877-6639

Bright-eyed birdingFred Bird

I have come to associate long-dis- board. Cle Elum remains a wastelandtance birding with sleep, or the lack of for caffeine, but Roslyn has severalit. Almost ten years ago I took a three- stands keeping the Northern Expo­month trip down the west coast, into sure tourists jarred up.Arizona, Texas and north through Farther east Nordstrom's in Ya­Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and kima on Yaki~a Avenue offershome again. Driving alone for ~O to 12 espresso to well-healed cowboys, orhours a day wears you out qUIckly.I you could enroll at West Valley Highfound that as soon as I began to yawn, School where cafeteria espresso cre­it was time to pull offthe road and take ated something of a local controversy.a short nap. Pushing on beyond that No more sleeping through school. Inpoint was dangerous. Kennewick, try the Bon. Klickitat

My van had rigid, uncomfortable County not only imports west sideseats, but I managed these short naps garbage, but Jerry's Stop and GoMar­by crudely wrapping my head in the ket (Columbus & Court Sts.) ratedsafety belt harness and hanging my front page coverage in the Goldendalefeet over the steering wheel. I sur- Sentinel when espresso hit town.vived these contortions even in the Farther north the tourist indus­heat and humidity of West Texas. Air try in Winthrop ~arantees good cof­conditioning was just a day dream, fee at the Pony Espresso stand, but Iand though I suffered, my dog suf- was amazed to find two outlets infered worse. I do not have fond memo- Tonasket. Really, now. Crossing theries of the experi~nce, so when I later North Cascades Highway, you willboughtaHonda Wlthcomfortable,fold- have to wait until Cascadian Farmdown seats, it was a lap ofluxury. Air three miles east of Rockport to get ~conditioning eventually came along ration.with a subsequent marriage. Perhaps the oddest or most incon-

To this day I still look to the first gruous espresso outlets can be foundyawn as a sign to pull over and rest. in Aberdeen that true hotbed ofliber­And though most of my driving is ated thinki~g (Aberdeen was mem­confined to Washington, the early or bers exempted!). Westbound stop atlate hours required of good birding the WishkahCookhouse(500Wishkahcan be exhausting. Ave.) where you can "Dine Like A

Then along came espresso! Logger" and sip like a Yuppie.Used to be I'd start a trip with two Eastbound stop at Anjo's Quick Stop

or three cups of regular coffee which on Simpson Ave. for a quick fix. If youbarely dented my consciousn~ss and make it to Ocean Shores, there's anquickly sent me searching for a bath- espresso kiosk at the supermarket,room or bush. among other outlets. I'm surprised

Then along came espresso! they didn't put the kiosk at the citygate.

Used to be that espresso was con- N hi d " . '1' . "l'kfined to the Yuppie environs of down- ot ng sprea s CIVIlzatlOn 1 etown Seattle -- every street corner, to the prospect of a profit.be exact. In fact, there are reportedly * *232 espresso outlets listed in the Se­attle YellowPages. And since you can'tkeep good entrepreneurs down, sooncaffeine freaks in the suburbs weregreedily lining up for their doubleshots.

Then a couple ofyears ago I finallyfound a valid reason to visit Phil Mat­tocks in Ellensburg. The Valley Cafedowntown on 3rd Avenue began serv­ing espresso. The food's pretty goodtoo. Since then at least six otherespresso outlets have opened up there,as has the prospect of getting backover the pass without a rest stop atIndian John. If you make it as far asthe pass, the Summit Inn has come on

Short TakesMEMBERSHIP

Anyone interested in joining WOSshould send dues to the address below.Annual memberships are $10 for indi­viduals and $14 for families. Send all yourmoney to was, POB 85786, Seattle, WA98145.

NEWLETTER CONTRIBUTIONS

I suspect some may notice that thismonth's WOSNEWS is eight pages in­stead of the usual six, thanks to greatcontributions from Terry Wahl, AndyStepniewski, Hal Michael, Dick Lindstromand others.

The quality and size of future news­letters depends on you. Please send newsitems, articles, opinion pieces orjust goodphotographs (preferably black and white,but I can convert) for the next WOSNEWSby Sept. 23 to Fred Bird, 1249 NE 92ndStreet, Seattle, WA 98115 .• (206) 526­5671.

SITE GUIDESIn the last issue I asked for site guide

suggestions. Needless to say, the responsewasn't overwhelming, so I've started as­signing this VERY small chore. Still,WOSNEWS is eager to regularly publishreaders' favorite birding sites, whether ornot the sites are already published in stateor regional guides. We can always addinformation and useful maps. Send yourinformation, particularly on fall migra­tion sites (passerine traps, shorebird mudflats, etc.) to the editor (address above), orgive us a call. No sophistication required!We do all the work.

WASHINGTONORNITHOLOGICAL

SOCIETYOfficers:Tom Schooley, President (206) 357-8851Dennis Paulson, Vice-Pres. (206) 528-1382Jan Wiggers, Secretary (206) 757-0772Hal Opperman, Treasurer (206) 455-1364

Board of Directors:Michael Donahue

Judy DuVallLinda Feltner

Nancy MomingstarAndy StepniewskiEditorial BoardDennis Paulson, Editor (206) 528-1382Robert Ashbough (206) 937-8676Unda Feltner (206) 767-9937Fred Bird, Newsletter Editor (206) 526-5671

(for a while!)

© 1992 Washington Ornithological SocietyRaven illustrations © 1989 Linda Feltner

As I was about to embark onmy small boat to venture outinto Puget Sound from my prop­erty last fall, for the purpose offinding new birds (perhaps anAncient Murrelet) for my HouseList, I suddenly realized that Iwas undoubtedly violating someunwritten code of listing.

I had always assumed thatbirds seen or heard on one's prop­erty or seen or heard from itcould be counted for the HouseList, including water birds in orflying over the water. But now1- was about to stretch my ad­vantage over my land-lockedfellow birders. I concluded that

it wouldn't be proper to extendmy boundary line beyond itsnormal limit, i.e., low tide wa­terline, and that going out in aboat would simply not be fair.

Boundary disputesRichard D. Lindstrom

If one applies the same logicto State Lists, one would have toconclude that those species ob­served by boat on pelagic trips,etc. outside of state boundaries,should be recorded separatelyas oceanic birds or off-shore spe­cies and listed on the ABA List­

ing Report Form as State Oce­anic List Data. This changewould not affect the standingsdrastically, but it would give amore realistic comparison be­tween one state and another. Ofcourse, a decision would alsohave to made as to whether or

not these birds of the open seashould be dropped from theNorth American lists and givena separate category.

P.O. Box 10610

Banbridge Island, WA98110

Editor's note (how could I resist): Sincelisting, particularly "competitive" list­ing is both fun and contributes some­what to the science's expanding knowl­edge of birds and their ranges, habi­tats, etc., any suggestion to change /modify the generally acknowledgedlisting "rules" is bound to start a goodnatured argument. Here are mythoughts: I subscribe' to the rule thatany bird seen with binocs from myproperty is countable, including theblack swifts flying over the next block.By the same logic, any seabirds seen(regardless of distance) through ascope from a waterfront yard would becountable. Using a boat is anotherissue. As to separating seabirds off thecoast from the state list, there are toomany memories shared by too many oftoo many breakfasts lost off Westportto seriously interest most birders inrevising their state lists. We earnedthose birds! Then again, perhaps wa­terfront yards should be granted thesame 200-mile limit accorded the coast.

Think of the possibilities!

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98146

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