Hi all-

Sorry for the tardiness of this message, I have been quite busy since I
actually took this trip. I slipped out to Nisqually NWR for an
afternoon on Wednesday, 9/18, and unfortunately caught the high slack
tide, so very few shorebirds, and nothing thrilling. I did, however
see a pair of Peregrine Falcons having some sort of a squabble in
midair (adult vs. juvenile), which was nice, but confusing. Could this
have been a territorial dispute?

Also seen were several flocks of Golden-Crowned Sparrows, several
Common Yellowthroats, three adult Harriers (2 female, 1 male), Wood
Duck, mousing GB Herons, three Turkey Vultures along the Nisqually
River, and one Cooper's Hawk. From the observation platform at the NW
corner of the trail, a mixed flock 500+ strong of Green-Winged Teal,
Northern Shovelors, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, and Common
Merganser were visible feeding in the shallow water, and a group of
Caspian Terns, California and Ring-Billed Gulls, and Double-Crested
Cormorants were roosting on an exposed sandbar and nearby pilings. It
was here that I found my only shorebird of the trip, a lone Greater
Yellowlegs in the flooded grass at water's edge. Like I said, nothing
heart-stopping, but a fun little outing nonetheless. I'll try to be
more punctual with my next reports;)
Good Birding!

Chris Duke
Renton, WA
dukec at cc.wwu.edu