Subject: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher still present 06/05
Date: Jun 6 14:59:42 2002
From: Jason Paulios - jpaulios at hotmail.com


Kristin Stewart and I spent Tuesday night and Wednesday in the Wenas area,
specifically for the state celebrity bird. He was right where you've all
said he would be. First heard the "wheezy" song in the long Ponderosa Pine,
where we got decent looks. We had some trouble finding the cairn of rocks,
as the weeds seem to be growing up around them now. Also had trouble
locating the nest, but the moment you step off the road that bird let's you
know you are too close. He was seen sitting on the nest, seemed to be
pulling on the material and making it mold to his body...basic upkeep work
is how it looked. No other Gnatcatcher was seen during our time there on
Wednesday. One note of caution for you westside birders making the trip:
there are Rattlesnakes present over there! I almost made a greenhorn
blunder, I narrowly missed stepping on a young Rattlesnake right in the
middle of the road next to the Ponderosa (I was looking for the Dusky
Flycatcher we were hearing). So be careful! Especially those looking for
the nest.
Other birds of note:
Tuesday night, Umtanum RD
2 Great Horned Owls (1 Young bird)
3 Common Poorwill
WEDNESDAY, AUDUBON RD
1 Wood Duck (flyby)
1 Ruffed Grouse (heard drumming)
2 Common Nighthawks
1 Calliope Hummingbird (male)
1 Red-Naped Sapsucker (2-3 primaries on the left wing were damaged, he could
not fly)
1 Lewis's Woodpecker
3 Bank Swallows
3 Eastern Kingbirds
8 Veery
MALOY RD
1 Gray Catbird
7 Cassin's Finch
HARDY CANYON
1 Dusky Flycatcher
3 YB Chats
3 Nashville Warbler
3 Common Nighthawks
1 Wilson's Warbler

Jason Paulios
JPaulios at hotmail.com
Olympia, WA



_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com