Subject: Thurston County 4/10
Date: Apr 10 20:56:09 2000
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit at worldnet.att.net


Hello Ryan.
When we birded on 2-26 this was a Saturday on the Weir Prairie the MP was
going around checking people out and ask what the purpose of us beeing
there.After there found out we are birders there said is ok visiting
there.This is the day we had all the Western Bluebirds with one Mountain
mixed in.Patrick goes there all the time and nothing like you experienced
ever happen.It's a good place to bird.I heared the Sora calling again in
the afternoon when i visit Black-Lake Meadows.

Ruth

----------
> From: RTShaw80 at aol.com
> To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Cc: hmerg at frii.com; nlblock at rice.edu; Sngcanary at aol.com;
Kestrel923 at aol.com; Sammyjay2K at aol.com; LTJaeger4 at aol.com; XemaSab at aol.com
> Subject: Thurston County 4/10
> Date: Monday, April 10, 2000 4:26 PM
>
> I spent a good part of the day birding certain parts of Thurston County.

> Here are some of the highlights
>
> Black Lake Meadows
> 3 calling VIRGINIA RAILS
> 3 N. ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS
> 2 GREATER YELLOWLEGS
> 20+ COMMON SNIPE
> 6 singing COMMON YELLOWTHROATS
> 1 male MYRTLE WARBLER
> 1 male PILEATED WOODPECKER
>
> Weir Prairie
> Many singing WHITE-CROWNED and SAVANNAH SPARROWS
> 5 NORTHERN RAVENS
> 1 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE
> 2 pairs WESTERN BLUEBIRD
>
> Backyard in Lacey
> Singing male HUTTON'S VIREO
> Singing male TOWNSEND'S WARBLER
> Pair of BUSHTITS, (new for the yard list since yesterday, when the pair
was
> seen bathing in my pond's waterfall)
>
> The Lacey Clear-cut was pretty quiet, with only a few calling HUTTON'S
> VIREO'S and a DOWNY WOODPECKER as semi-highlights.
>
> East Bay Marina was pretty slow, a quick check for Martins, but they have
yet
> to return.
>
> Lake Lois Park in Lacey has the pair of WOOD DUCKS back.
>
> The strangest part of the day, which freaked me out for a bit happened at
the
> Weir Prairie. I was on the main road sitting on a stump observing a pair
of
> Western Bluebirds, when I see 2 Humvees coming over towards me. They are

> screaming out "There he is!" "All Stop!" 5 soldiers get out of the
vehicles
> come towards me pointing there rifles directly at me, telling me to throw
my
> arms in the air, walk over to the vehicle, and get down on my knees. I
do
> this wondering what the heck is going on, and what I did. They see my
> freaked out expression on my face and ask if I am a real Civilian. I
reply I
> am, so they all drop there guard and explain to me that they are MP's out

> doing field exercises, and there are soldiers in the area dressed in
civilian
> clothes that they are supposed to be chasing and apprehending. So I got
> caught in the middle for a bit. They were friendly after they discovered
I
> wasn't military, and let me go on my way birding, but warned me it could
> happen again with another group. So I left quickly, not wanting another
> group thinking I'm a Fleece wearing, Binocular carrying assassin in
disguise.
> It is all right to be in the Prairie area as long as you stay on or near
the
> main roads, but watch out if you go there and they are performing some
> "exercises."
>
>
> Ryan Shaw
> Lacey, WA
> RTShaw80 at aol.com
> http://hometown.aol.com//rtshaw80/index.html