Thought I'd also post a few notes on a jaunt down to Capitol Lake I took
way back on May 2. I had my father and kid brother with me, and as it was
pretty windy and beginning to rain, they only let me hang around about 15
minutes, down by the interpretive center. Still, I saw some interesting
stuff.

(Capitol Lake is a shallow, artificial lake created by the damming of the
Deschutes River (the little one in Washington, not the big one in
Oregon) at its mouth in Olympia, WA. It was created from what had been
marshland, basically as a reflecting pool for the Washington state
capitol, which sits on a hill above the lake.)

The highlight for me was a pair of absolutely magnificent Common Loons in
breeding plumage. They came quite close to the dock and from time to time
would stretch their wings, affording good views of their beautiful marbled
backs. There must have been a lot of bugs out, as there were huge flocks
of swallows of various species strafing the lake as well.

Species encountered (lifers in CAPS):

COMMON LOON Gavia immer
GREEN HERON Butorides virescens
Cormorant Phalacrocorax sp.
(too distant for a positive ID)
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER Melanitta fusca
(I think; they were black, with white on their cheeks and wings)
BONAPARTE'S GULL Larus philadelphia
Glaucous-winged Gull L. glaucescens
Rock Dove Columba livia
Vaux's Swift Chaetura vauxi
(seen earlier in the day at Tumwater Falls Park)
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina
NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Crow Corvus sp.
Bewick's Wren (heard) Thryomanes bewickii
American Robin Turdus migratorius
spot-breasted thrush Catharus sp.
(Tumwater Falls Park)
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
SONG SPARROW Melospiza melodia
House Finch (heard) Carpodacus mexicanus

Not bad for 15 minutes! I plan to go back soon.

Nick Pharris
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
(253)535-7045
pharrinj at plu.edu