This report was mailed for Doug Canning by http://birdnotes.net

Date: April 23, 2001
Location: Luhr Beach, Thurston County, Washington

I was here today from 0820 to 1730 for a meeting in the Nisqually
Reach Nature Center. Most of the observations were between 0820 and
0900 before the meeting. Other species seen: 1 Mink on the pier
aggressively chewing up the old pier surface planks to get at the
Rock Dove nests and their eggs underneath; 1 River Otter in water and
on beach.

Birds seen (in taxonomic order):

Common Loon (Gavia immer) 1 [1]
Great Blue Heron 5
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) present [2]
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) 4 [3]
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 9 [4]
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) 13 [5]
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 6 [6]
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 1
Glaucous-winged x Western Gull present
Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia) 10
Rock Dove (Columba livia) 6 [7]
Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) 1
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 4
Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) 8 [8]
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) heard [9]
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 2 [10]
Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus) 2

Footnotes:

[1] Breeding plumage.
[2] 4 males plus uncounted females.
[3] All females.
[4] 2 males, 7 females.
[5] 6 males, 7 females.
[6] 1 adult, 5 juveniles.
[7] Nesting under pier and under pier roof.
[8] Nesting in nest boxes.
[9] Heard.
[10] 1 pair nesting in a nest box.


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Douglas Canning
Olympia, Washington
dcanning at igc.org
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