Today, at Nisqually NWR, I was enjoying the antics of a Willow Flycatcher who
I have been watching for weeks - I think it's always the same one. (For W. WA
folks, he's at the first boardwalk just east of Twin Barns on the trail
eastbound to Farm Dike Trail.)

I noticed he seemed to be perched on one leg. As I watched him in my scope for
a long period, at 5 or 6 different perches, It became clear that he has only a
right leg. There is just a dark area where I would expect the left leg to
emerge. He seems to be doing quite well, but with a little more tail flicking
than normal and a certain (imagined?) unsteadiness on the perch in a breeze. He
certainly does well with the bugs - I got to watch a beautiful catch in the
scope when a juicy, but hapless, bug flew within a foot of the little guy.

This is the kind of thing where you'd like to be able to monitor his whole life
process to see how well a perching bird that has no use for the ground can do
with one leg.

Western Wood Pewees are still brooding eggs -- west side of Farm Dike Trail
just north of the T with the McAllister Creek Trail, and east side Farm Dike
Trail just south of the junction with the westbound trail to Twin Barns. Both
in horizontal Ys far out on limbs.

Pacific-slope Flycatchers, calling frequently, on Farm Dike Trail along the
river, and Willow Flycatchers in good numbers, and now very vocal, especially
in the McAllister Creek area. A Red-breasted Sapsucker is a regular near the
first nest location described above, hammering on a hollow dead limb stub. His
territory assertion only attracts a couple Downys regular to the area.

Clumsy Tree Swallow youngsters are easily identified in flight by stalls, near
crashes, spins, and three-point crash landings on limbs where they decide to
wait for mommy to feed them. The swallow activity, especially near the shop, is
literally an air campaign the likes of Midway. Four flavors of swallows are
abundant. I nearly got hit by a fecal sac - an indication of the great respect
Barn Swallows hold for birders.

Weasels, a bold and curious pair, also near the first nest location, above.
They came out on the trail and stared at me, twice, from about 15 feet away.

Jerry


E-mail from: Jerry Blinn, 09-Jul-1996