Tweets,

Bill Ward & I birded Nisqually Friday morning and had a fairly quiet day with
only 22 species between the "willows" area on the trail to McAllister Creek,
the Twin Barns, and the Ring Dike. We saw lots of COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and a
WILSON'S WARBLER along the trail between the new river overlook and the Ring
Dike, but the highligt of the trip was the 2 RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS we saw, one
in the willows along the old road from the end of the parking lot nearest the
kiosk where you sign in and the other along the boardwalk between the Twin
Barns and the Nisqually River. This is tha latest in the year I have seen
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS as they are usually gone from my feeders by early August
at the latest. We also saw a TURKEY VULTURE flying over the Nisqually River
side of the refuge near the old office.

Yesterday, the 5th I had a RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD visit my feeders. This is the
latest I've ever seen one in my yard. Does this year's weather have something
to do with these late sightings? Are these birds in migration that I just
happen to see? Are my powers of observation getting better? You probably
can't answer that last one.

Phil Kelley
Lacey, WA
scrbjay at aol.com

We were few and they were plenty. Now we are plenty and they are few.
Confucius