Greetings --

On Saturday, about 0800, I was basking on my back porch, drinking my
3rd cup of coffee, and feeling more-or-less awake, when a commotion
and KWACK!-ing in the upper canopy of a large Red Alder across the
yard along the creek stirred me to put on my glasses and grab for the
binoculars. I just caught the chestnut neck and breast of an adult
Green Heron darting out of the alder and behind some conifers. A few
minutes later I located more KWACK!-ing in a Douglas-fir in my
neighbor's yard and then saw the trailing bright yellow legs of an
immature flying down the creek towards Black Lake, 1/4 mile east.

This evening, at 2015, I was again sitting out on the back porch,
when again some KWACK!-ing aroused me -- looking up I saw at least 3
(possibly 4) Green Heron circling and darting overhead and amongst
the trees and settling into some Red Alders. Eventually I got a good
look at one of them perched in the open in a Western Redcedar:
clearly an immature from the streaked breast and yellow legs. A few
minutes later I located by its nervous kuk-kuk-kuking another perched
in mid canopy in the cedar - alder swamp west of my place.

I've lived here for close to 11 years and this is the first time I've
seen Green Heron here, let alone be roosting. Probably should not be
a surprise, as the extensive swamps at the south end of Black Lake
are only 1/2 mile SE.


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Douglas Canning
Olympia, Washington
dcanning at nisquallyestuary.org
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