Tweets:

Phil Kelley, aka SCRBJAY, and I did an early morning jaunt at Nisqually
Refuge today. Just the Twin Barns Loop and a little ways out towards
McAllister Creek. Phil may report also, and -- viewer beware -- his
report will be more complete and accurate. Highlight was a GREAT HORNED
OWL in one of the tall trees adjacent to the Twin Barns. Phil explained
that GHOs had nested in those trees before -- so field mice, watch out,
They're Back!

The bird to my eyes-only inspection was indistinguishable from the tree.
I kept nagging at Phil, hey there's nothing there. But through the
glasses there he was, bright yellow irises, ear tufts and all. Simply
majestic.

Oh, that's right, the list. Well, here goes (in "my poor memory" order,
not taxonomic order):

Robins
Starlings
Tree Swallows
Violet-green Swallows
Barn Swallows
Cliff Swallows (seen by Phil, 1)
Song Sparrows
Savannah Sparrows
White-crowned Sparrow
Redwing Blackbirds (one male was notable having a nearly all "yellow"
chevron)
Brown-headed Cowbirds
Common Yellowthroats
Yellow Warblers
Wilson's Warbler (Phil got a good look at this one, I didn't. I think he
was confident enough for a positive i.d. to add to the day list)
Mallards
Gadwall (1)
Norther Shovelers
Blue-winged Teal
American Wigeon
Great Blue Herons
Canada Geese
Red-breasted Sapsucker (1)

I think that's it. After finishing the Refuge Phil and I went our
separate ways, but just happened to end up at Luhr Beach, to try out new
spotting scopes. (I took a detour by the Hawks Prairie Burger King.)
There were Bald Eagles, mainly immature, "as far as the scopes could
see." Just about every washed up log or chunk of tree had an eagle on it
to the limit of the seeing distance of the scopes. One immature on a
washed up stump fairly close in treated us to a demonstration of Bald
Eagle table manners: he was brunching on something Not from Burger King.
And did I say "table manners" -- perhaps absence thereof would have been
more descriptive.

>From the Luhr Beach observation pier Phil counted 30 Great Blue Herons.
There were of course many gulls, but I'll leave it to Phil to deal with
the gull report. Another highlight, though, was seeing 2 Caspian Terns -
very pretty.

Well, it's a report. I haven't tried this "complete reporting thing"
before, Tweets, so please forgive the awkward moments when you give it a
grade. Meanwhile, Good Birding!

Bill Ward
Lacey WA
wward at mail.cco.net