Subject: At Nisqually NWR............
Date: Jan 28 15:54:00 2001
From: Gerald Hamilton - gerald at e-z.net


................Drove up to Nisqually NWR Sat. 27th. Cold with low clouds
and some fog till 2:00 pm or so when sun came out to burn the clouds
off.
.................A Peregrine Falcon was seen just west of the Center. A
Barn Owl was reported at the Barns.
................. Plenty of Canada Geese---mostly Aleutian, and...some
Western.
.................Widgeons, Shovelers, Pintails, Gadwalls, Western Grebe,
Coots, Mallards, Common Goldeneyes, Hooded Mergansers, Red-breasted
Mergansers, Pied-billed Grebes and Buffleheads seen in the mudflats,
sloughs, and fresh water ponds. Small shorebirds observed, but too far
out to identify. An Eurasian Widgeon was spotted with a group of Am.
Widgeons on the Nisqually River.
.................Songbirds included: Red-winged Blackbird, Lincoln's
Sparrow(1), Bewick's Wren, White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Marsh Wrens.
.................Great-blue Herons, along with Red-tailed Hawk, Harrier
Hawk, and an unidentified reddish-breasted Hawk that was to far distant
to be identified with binos. Didn't see the Red-shouldered Hawk,
and....I didn't see(from my distance) the black and white barring on my
unidentified Hawk, so.....wouldn't want to 'call it' on this one!!! An
immature Bald Eagle was reported on the Sound mud flats(though I
couldn't find it!!!).
................When the low clouds and haze departed the Olympic Mts.
across the Sound were gorgeous ( though amazingly little snow on them
for this time of year). And Mt. Rainier glowed with splendor in the
light of the setting sun...........some of the scenery that make this
Refuge one of my favorites to visit..
................Cheers!!!!

................Gerald Hamilton
Brush Prairie, Wash.
gerald at e-z.net