Hi folks,

Spent the day recreating - canoed around the Nisqually delta. Note that =
canoeing in 20-knot winds is something that I should either do more =
often or less often... I know, now, which muscles are used to buck the =
wind.

I saw 2 snowy owls - one about 1/2 way between Luhr Beach and the mouth =
of the river and the other about 1/4 of the way between the Refuge =
observation tower and the river's mouth. Both spent most of the day =
sitting on logs, occasionally making little forays to another =
log/fencepost, then returning. Canoed within about 20 yards of one of =
them. Amazingly beautiful birds.. is it their relative rarity here that =
makes them seem so special? I remember the line from some sci-fi years =
ago: "If the stars were visible only once every 100 years, how we should =
marvel at the sight..."

I don't know what the owls are feeding on there. The entire marsh was =
under 10-12" of water at 7:30 a.m., so there isn't much out there in the =
way of small mammals. The birds paid little attention to the flocks of =
Dunlin and starlings and little flocks of Western Meadowlarks. A =
duck-hunting friend of mine noted that a few weeks ago he watched one =
eating a female Bufflehead (killed or crippled by the hunters? or taken =
by the owl from the water?)

Didn't see any falcons today, but did see a couple of eagles, lots of =
harriers, and a red-tailed hawk. Waterfowl numbers seemed down from a =
couple of weeks ago, and the duck hunters out there said that they had =
the same observation. I did see a flock of about 250 or so Cackling =
Canada geese fly in from the northeast and land in the Refuge. Also =
unusual was a female Harlequin Duck near the marsh (still in the deeper =
water, but I'd not seen one so near the vegetated areas before). I had =
a Red-throated Loon spend about a half-hour feeding within 50 yards of =
me... it paid little attention to me as long as I didn't move around too =
much.

The only shorebirds I saw were Dunlin. Usually I can see a few Least =
Sandpipers along the marsh edge. Did see a Virginia Rail skulking =
through the hairgrass, pickleweed and saltgrass. Lots of gulls, but I =
didn't spend much time sorting through them - didn't notice anything =
unusual.

Cold, wet, and windy. The perfect combination for either hypothermia or =
a winter day's birding in western Washington.

Jon - born on a Friday the 13th - Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net