Tyler and Tweets,
Had a break in the weather Sunday and got in two hours at Reifel before the
monsoons started anew. Biggest surprise on the road in was the pair of
Sandhill Cranes poking in a severely muddy field only a few feet from a pair
of women digging a drainage channel. It turns out the cranes are wild, but
seem to have adopted the area and no longer migrate. Most astounding. AT the
Sanctuary, at tree 300 there was a napping Sawhet Owl. It was sighted by a
young man about Tyler's age who had a very good eye. The bird was about 4
feet up on the underside of a large cedar bough just off the trail. This was
one solid sleeper for all the people and ducks marching by. We also saw a
mom Great Horned Owl on her nest. All you could see were the tufts of her
"horns". We were surprised because her nest was way out in the open in a
deciduous tree with absolutely no cover, except her. With all the Bald
Eagles around, and we counted about 15, you'd think she'd have gone under
something. We saw 7 Greater Yellow Legs, a bunch of Trumpeter Swans, but no
Snow Geese or Snowy Owls. The woman at the front desk said there had been
no Snowy Owls all winter. Lots of perchers including a Chestnut-Backed
Chickadee and a Golden-Crowned Sparrow.

The place is overrun with Mallards who are a real pain. It is sad that they
let people feed the critters because they flock after you and stomp around
your feet begging. We saw people with 2 pound coffee cans of seed and bags
of bread. It really spoils the "wildlife" aspect of the place.

Cheers,
Caroline Feiss