Tweets,

I was also out on the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge loop trail today (Jon and I walked a
portion of the trail together). I can't add much to Jon's list. I was pretty much motivated
to make a bee-line for the observation tower where I could try to get a count of Caspian Terns
and determine if any were exhibiting nesting behavior (I was working, Jon was not). A couple of
things that I saw that weren't on Jon's list:

Pileated Woodpecker
Blue-winged Teal (pair)
Whimbrels (at least 50 out probing the mud)
Golden Plovers (one male and, I believe, two females or subadults)

The male Golden Plover because of its vivid plumage coloration. Unfortunately, it was distant
and, in my scope, it was difficult to see much plumage detail. The two brown companions appeared
to have the same body form and flew loosely with the male so I presume they were the same species.
Unfortunately, I was totally unaware of the sparseness of information on American versus Pacific
Golden Plovers and, now that I have read Dennis Paulson's account of these two species, I will
take a lot more time inspecting the next birds I come across.

The Great Blue Heron colony along McAllister Creek is totally abandoned so it is another one the
has failed, once again, to produce any young at all. I counted 12 Bald Eagles in a single sweep
of the shoreline and the two adults attending the eaglet at the nest along McAllister Creek
were almost certainly out of my sight at the time so there is a good bunch of eagles spending
the spring/summer at Nisqually during this new millenium and it is fairly safe to assume that
they have forced the herons to abandon their nesting attempt this year.

Both Jon and I were listening and looking for the Vesper Sparrow that Rick Romea mentioned but
didn't come up with it. Maybe if it were sunnier.... sigh.

Kelly McAllister
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Olympia, Washington