Hi Tweeters. Sorry for such a late report. Carol Schulz and I saw a few
notable birds at Nisqually NWR on 6/12/00. Here's the highlights:

LAZULI BUNTING - 3. 1 male and 1 female seen from the car in the parking lot
right in front of the road, 1 male singing from some Cow Parsnips at the Twin
Barns Viewing Platform.
VIRGINIA RAIL - 1 very cute fledgling seen from the new Visitor's Center,
VERY close in and right out in the open.
RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER - 2 birds seen at the end of the boardwalk on the
Nisqually River Trail.
RED CROSSBILL - 150-200 scattered all over the refuge from the parking lot to
Brown Farm Dike Trail. This seems a bit unusual for this time of year.
SWAINSON'S THRUSH - 10+ On the Nisqually River Trail
BULLOCK'S ORIOLE - One 1st spring male on Nisqually River Trail, near parking
lot. Probably the same bird seen a couple days earlier by us at the Brown
Farm Dike Observation Tower.
RED-EYED VIREO - 2 well seen but strangely silent on the Nisqually River
Trail, a lifer for me.
WHIMBREL - 1 bird seen from Brown Farm Dike Observation Tower. Is this a
pretty late date for Whimbrel?
AMERICAN WIGEON - 3 in with a small flock of Gadwall
BONAPARTE'S GULL - 15-20 on the mud-flats in front of Brown Farm Dike
Observation Tower, mostly in basic plumage, some molting. Another late report?

Mammal species:
Cottontail Rabbit - babies all over the place.
Harbor Seal
Mink - 1 crossed the Nisqually River Trail right in front of us.
Raccoon

We also had an odd-looking merganser species in the Nisqually River. I
hesitate to call it a hybrid between Red-breasted and Common Merganser. Is
this possible? There was also a family of Common Mergansers. The parents
(actually 2 females taking care of the little ones) chased this bird away.
The bird looked similar to the ducklings (merganserlings?) but had a white
breast and was larger. Good Birding!

Visit my birding website at:
http://hometown.aol.com/birdking88/index.html

Birdking88 at aol.com
Charlie W. Wright
Sumner, WA
Age 11