Subject: Osprey Nest
Date: Apr 15 14:07:53 2000
From: Sharron Huffman - sharron at ptialaska.net


Hi Tweeters,

I enjoyed a brief trip to Camas, Washington, this week. The weather was
almost as good as Ketchikan's -- but it started to rain Thursday in Camas,
and it's still sunny here. And it was sunny when I left last Monday
morning. Amazing.

Anyway, two things I felt worth passing on. My mother, sister and her
family and I were eating outside at the good old "Old Fashioned Maid" along
what I call "the old highway," Washougal's E Street, by the old One Stop
Shopping Center, and -- wow! -- we suddenly noticed a large nest on top of
a tower adjacent to the "6th St. Storage" building. Soon we saw the birds
-- two beautiful osprey. Took my mind off the traffic, the noise, the
sprawl .... I get a lot of sad feelings usually when I visit the country I
grew up in.

Tuesday (the day it reached 75) we went to the Ridgefield NWR. Fabulous
day! I had never been there before, and found it much more satisfying than
previous trips to the Vancouver Lake area. Of course, the timing and the
weather were perfect. We did both the walking and driving loops. Lots of
migrants, lots of nest building activity and pixillation among the resident
passerines. Most notable bird sighting: a pair of BLACK-NECKED STILTS
towards the end of the driving loop. And it was a real treat to see a
number of PAINTED TURTLES stretching their necks fully out to the sun's
warmth.

I came home to a beach full of gulls and GOLDENEYES gobbling the freshly
laid herring eggs -- at Herring Cove. I've had one early YELLOWLEGS
(greater, I think), and expect oodles of WESTERN SANDPIPERS and assorted
other shorebirds soon. :-)

If any of you are planning Alaskan cruises, look me up -- my studio/gallery
(fish prints and linocuts) is just a few steps from the notorious Creek
Street.

Sharron

Sharron Huffman "We are confronted with
Herring Cove Originals insurmountable opportunities."
229 Stedman --Pogo
Ketchikan, AK 99901
907-247-COVE