Hi Tweeties!

Eleven or so folks joined me at the Nisqually Delta today for some pretty
darned good birding. Jim Pruske shared his wealth of knowledge with my
group which consisted mostly of Tweeters and two, possibly three from the
Mountaineers and a couple of tag-alongs who we welcomed part way in. Our
weather was PERFECT!

We hit the trail at about 8:45 and our first sighting was a mixed flock of
geese. In the flock were several Cackler sized Canada Geese, Dusky Canada
Geese, "Commuter Canada Geese", and two feral domestics.

Other highlights included several NORTHERN HARRIERS - immature first year
female, a male going after a cloud of shorebirds, and perhaps two others.

Here is a "roll call" of what we saw in order of sighting:

Cackler sized CANADA GEESE (they were *very* small with narrow white
necklaces)
Dusky Canada Geese
"Commuter" Canada Geese
ROBIN (whoppeee!)
NORTHERN SHOVELER - females
NORTHERN HARRIER - Immature
WHITE CROWN SPARROW - first year
FOX SPARROW
RED WING BLACKBIRD
NORTHERN HARRIER, male
RED TAILED HAWK
GREATER YELLOW LEGS
BELTED KINGFISHER - many of those shaggy braggarts!
GREAT BLUE HERONS - two immatures, one adult perched in tree
SPOTTED TOWHEE - posed for many pictures for Jim!
GREEN WING TEAL
AMERICAN WIGEONS
GADWALL
BLACK CAP CHICKADEE
SHARP SHIN HAWK - including one being horribly harassed by two crows
RED TAILED HAWK - several, including one sitting in the "Treaty Tree" near
I-5
NORTHERN FLICKER
CEDAR WAXWINGS
AMERICAN BITTERN
AMERICAN KESTRAL - male
WOOD DUCKS - several young females
GREEN WING TEAL - females
WESTERN MEADOW LARK - heard
KILDEER - heard
GOLDFINCH - heard
SNIPE
GOLD CROWN KINGLET
RINGBILL GULL
GLACOUS WING GULL

The people who joined me at the Nisqually included:
Jim Pruske (THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!), Dave Hayden, Tom
Foote, Phil "Scrub Jay", Nicklas Jonzen from Sweden, Linda Wakeman, Jo
Waldron, Rosalind - sorry I forgot your last name, Theresa Hall from the
Mountaineers, and another lady from the Mountaineers whose name I glub-glub
have forgotten.

Thanks again to everyone who came along.

Lydia In Kent, WA
Lydia Gaebe
lgaebe at msn.com

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