...................Hiked 6-7 miles around Nisqually NWR just east of
Olympia Sat. under a warm sun(except in the later aft. when clouds and a
breeze came off the Puget Sound.) The Olympic Mts. were spectacular!!!
....................Birds of note observed (in addition to the more usual
diving and dipping ducks):
Large numbers of Cackling Canada Geese(some Westerns)
Tree and Violet-green swallows
Barrow's Goldeneye (F)
1 Downy Woodpecker
Green-winged Teals
Common Yellowthroats (5)
Golden-crowned Sparrows
1 Lincoln's Sparrow
Spotted Towhees
1 immature DC Cormorant
Savannah Sparrows
Gadwalls
Harrier and Red-tailed Hawks
2 immature Bald Eagles
Brant ( quite a few)
1 Turkey Vulture
1 Greater Yellowlegs
Dunlin and West. Sandpipers
West. Grebe
Both White-winged and Surf Scoters
Red-winged Blackbirds and....several more mundane Sparrows.
........Saw what appeared to be several Pacific-slope Flycatchers( Both
Thayers and Audubon pictures were not exactly like what I saw..olive
brown body with brownish wing. .light underparts---of flycatcher size).
Though I saw a slight eye-circle. Saw this same bird at Ridgefield NWR a
week ago. Any ideas???? Their quick 'flitting' around makes ID
difficult.
................The Wild Salmonberry and the Skunk Cabbage were starting
to bloom; and the Garter Snakes and several Western Painted Turtles were
sunning themselves. and the frogs were playing a symphony What a
wonderful day to be alive!!!!!!!

Gerald Hamilton
Brush Prairie, Wash.
gerald at e-z.net