Subject: What A Day On The Nisqually Delta! (long)
Date: Sep 5 19:39:11 1999
From: Lydia Gaebe - lgaebe at email.msn.com


Hi Tweeties!

Today I headed down to the Nisqually Delta to see what ever I could see. I
just packed my binoculars and hit the trail in hopes of spotting something
other than the "usual suspects".

I hit paydirt. I'm not kidding here's what I saw.....First sightings are in
CAPS.
First sightings are "personal firsts".

BROWN PELLICANS! Yes, I saw the brown pelicans, and there were three!
First sighting in Washington State.
Gold Finches (in winter plumage)
Song Sparrows
Black Capped Chickadee
Immature Bald Eagle possibly a first year youngster, very, very mottled
plumage!
Common Yellow Throat - several
Several Great Blue Herons - immature and adults
CASPIAN TERNS
Ring Billed Gulls
Western Gulls
Glacous Wing Gulls
NORTHERN HARRIER
COOPER HAWK
AMERICAN BITTERN (2) First time spotting them in Washington State!
Double Crested Cormorants Many, many!
Common Mergansers - bazillions!
Pintails - bazillions!
DOWITCHERS - from a distance
TURKEY VULTURES - first sighting in Washington State
Peeps - unknown variety - flying overhead
Green Heron
Belted Kingfisher (2)
Redwing Black birds - about three visible, heard many more
American Crows - countless
Canada Geese - too many
American Wigeons - lots!
Mallards - many

And a critter report: Five Harbor Seals raiding Nisqually Indian fishing
nets in the river! I even spied one of the seals with a big fish in its
mouth...

Now, how did a beginner birder manage to hit paydirt in one day? Well,
about halfway around the delta I spied a couple of guys carrying some pretty
"big guns" binoculars and camera with a 500mm telephoto. I stopped to talk
to them, figuring they knew what they were doing. They did. I asked them
if they were looking for the pelicans, and mentioned Tweeters. The tall,
lanky younger man said he had heard about the pelicans on Tweeters. I
introduced myself, and he recognized my name. I *finally* met another
"Tweet" in the field!

Okay, DAVE HAYDEN, Tweeters Lakewood ListLurker come out, come out where
ever you are! Youse busted fella! Lurk No More!

Dave was assisting wildlife photographer JIM PRUSKE, an associate of Tom
Foote. I began picking their brains. I ended up hanging out with Dave and
Jim all day, picking their brains and learning how to id many, many other
birds......and hence my incredible sighting list. I learned a lot about
birds and birding from those two "pros". Thank You Dave and Jim!

What started out as a blustery, rainy day became utterly wonderful. So what
if we got rained on a little bit.
And thanks again to Dave and Jim and their "Birding 101" cram course!


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

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