Subject: Wood Ducks, swans, shrike
Date: Jan 13 09:03:43 2000
From: Kelly Mcallister - mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov


Tweeters,

While I am back to reading and posting messages, I completed most of my
waterfowl surveys last week and found 9 Wood Ducks on Pattison Lake near
Lacey Washington. This is my first winter sighting of Wood Ducks (I know,
I lead a sheltered life).

There is a Trumpeter Swan that apparently has year-around residency at
Silver Lake in Pierce County (sort of near Eatonville) and I saw two
unidentified swans at a distance on Cranberry Lake, which is very near Silver
Lake.

Not too much else to cause excitement. Bald Eagles were present at 3 out of
every four lakes visited. European Wigeons were reliably found in small
numbers (1-3) in the larger flocks of American Wigeons.

On weekends lately, I have been chasing a shrike along Evergreen Valley Road
about .5 miles from its junction with Johnson Road (both are south of Yelm
Highway southeast of Olympia). I have been unable to determine what species it
is.

Kelly McAllister
District Wildlife Biologist
Thurston and Pierce Counties
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov