Hi, Folks!

Visited Nisqually refuge for a couple of hours Saturday morning.
There were several birders out looking for purported Snowy Owls,
but I saw none, and didn't talk to anyone who had either.

Rarest bird: a House Wren I pished up along the dike trail in
a bramble of blackberries. Made sure it wasn't a Marsh Wren -
this is very late for House Wren. The back was unstriped.
Interestingly, the inside of the mouth was bright yellow-
orange. I don't know if adults have this color, or not. I know
certain young birds have bright mouths, but I haven't the time
right now to look it up.

A Short-eared Owl was flopping around the prairie, then flushed
a Rough-legged Hawk out of the grass. A white goose with a
pink bill was down in a ditch. I thought it was going to be
a Snow Goose, but when it flapped its wing they were entirely
white. It appeared to be an albino Canada Goose.

At least the sun came out for a half hour, and we made it back to
the car before the next downpoor. Very nice there.

4-5 Band-tailed Pigeons were in the residential area to the west
of the delta.

-greg-

--
Greg Gillson <guide at teleport.com>
Pelagic trip: Saturday, December 7. $60 from Depoe Bay.
Short-tailed Shearwater, Laysan Albatross, Ancient Murrelet
http://www.teleport.com/~guide