Hi folks,

Took the morning to canoe the Black River today with some friends.
This was the "Prairie Appreciation Day" for the south Puget Prairies,
but since it's about 1-1/2 weeks past peak bloom for the camas, etc.,
we opted to do the 'glacial outwash' run.....

We launched at the Littlerock Rd put-in, and pulled out about 7 miles
downriver, about a mile west of Rochester, six hours later. Left at about
9am, and wasn't birding as much as paddling and talking and telling the
kids to sit in the center of the boat, but saw a few birds:

Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Mallard
Wood Duck
Hooded Merganser
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Osprey Nest was empty
Ring-necked Pheasant
Spotted Sandpiper
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Band-tailed Pigeon
Rufous Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Hairy Woodpecker
Willow Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Barn Swallow
Tree Swallow - including several at natural cavities and in entrances to
Wood Duck nest box
Violet-green Swallow
Steller's Jay
Crow
Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
Marsh Wren
Bewick's Wren
Robin
Swainson's Thrush
Cedar Waxwing
Starling
Cassin's Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler - This stretch of river impresses me as a place to see
the most yellow warblers possible.....
Wilson's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Brown-headed Cowbird - lots
Red-winged Blackbird - 1
Western Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
American Goldfinch
House Finch

48 species isn't too bad for a morning's jaunt. I need to do that trip
when I'm watching for birds. We did see a couple of deer, a nutria,
a beaver, a big ol' raccoon, bullfrogs, a red-legged frog, and a *lot*
of the fresh-water sponges.

Hope everyone else had as good a day.

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net