Tweeters;

I birded Nisqually NWR today from 11:30-15:30. Partly sunny with some snow
still on the ground.

The highlight of the trip was 5 WESTERN BLUEBIRDS. 4 males and 1 female
seen at the beginning of the boardwalk, leading to the barns, from the
western most parking area. Seeing these blue colored birds against the
white snow was a nice treat. This was also the first time I've seen this
species at Nisqually in the 5 years I've birded the refuge.

Under the category: "You Don't See That Everyday" - I watched a SHORT-EARED
OWL flying over a field north of the barns. That it was 12:30 in the
afternoon was odd enough, but this owl gradually climbed in altitude,
eventually riding a thermal upward. In the same thermal were about a dozen
gulls and a BALD EAGLE. The owl was the highest bird in this thermal. The
owl would "soar" much of the time, with occasional wing flapping. Except
for it's unusual profile and flight pattern, it appeared just like any hawk
soaring hundreds of feet above the ground. I can not judge the altitude the
bird eventually reached, but it would have been difficult to ID the bird
with my 8x binoculars had I not watched it climb. To the naked eye it was a
little more than a speck in the sky. The bird eventually left the thermal
gliding to the north. This behavior was not something I would have expected
from a SHORT-EARED OWL. Anyone else have experience with "soaring" owls?

That's all for now
Good Birding Everyone

Steve Nord
Lacey, WA
birdersteve at home.com