I've been birding at the St. Martin's College/Abbey campus (Lacey) lately.
They have a very nice collection of habitat -- coniferous forest with
dense deciduous undergrowth, large grass areas, and some wetlands. There
are many well maintained, quiet paths through the forest areas. Things
there seem to be picking up, bird-wise.

Does anybody else bird there? If so, do you have special places or
birds there?

I saw a Huttons's Vireo pair there today - building a nest - and got some
nice pictures of 'em. Spent an hour watching them at work. The female (I
assume) was clearly in charge. When the male brought lichen and carefully
placed it, the female would invariably shimmy down into the nest, then get
out, move the lichen the male had just placed, shimmy down again, and
settle in with a satisfied look. When she went out to get lichen, she
placed it, shimmied in to check it, and left it in the same place. When
the male would bring spider web, he would carefully weave it into the nest.
When he would leave, the female would strip the web out of the nest, and
weave it in some place else.

Jerry Blinn
Silverdale


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