Subject: Ross's Geese still present at Nisqually
Date: Dec 1 14:04:23 2003
From: Jason Paulios - jpaulios at earthlink.net


Got out a bit this morning in the light drizzle. First stopped at the north
end of Capitol Lake (Thurston Co.) around 10:00 AM to glass the large scaup
flocks. There are many more scaup present now than there was earlier last
month, also many are close in as well allowing for terrific scope views at
20x. Nice array of plumages on the birds, both species of scaup are present
for good comparisons. Had a P/B Grebe close in at 20x, wished that my scope
could videotape as it scanned, had a great view of the bird's pale pink bill
(mixed with darker colors along the culmen and upper mandible) also the
mixed white areas in the face which I hadn't noticed before (guess I don't
ever really "look" at these guys much, or at least at this
distance...everything is amazing at 15 feet and 20x). Anyway, didn't
notice any Redheads mixed in the flocks today. There were better numbers of
Ruddy Ducks today, couple of R/N Ducks, 3 Hooded Mergansers. Double digits
of MEW GULL on the lake, mixed in with the 'mutts'. I watched one juvenile
gull in flight and preening which I felt safe to call a HERRING GULL, in
flight it had dark secondaries with a pale area between these and the darker
primaries. Dark brown patterning above, with same colored tertials, tail
was black in flight. These downtown Oly gulls come in an array of plumages,
rarely do I find one which I can safely call just a "Glaucous-winged," I
imagine many are of mixed ancestry...part of the reason why I never care to
spend much time watching them, but this year I'm determined to find a
Glaucous Gull. So feel free to dismiss the above Herring Gull. There was
also an adult basic gull which had a pale iris (two of them even!) and a
thin paler yellow bill with a small red gonydeal spot, though the coloring
on the mantle didn't seem right and primaries weren't dark enough to make it
a Herring for me. This was enough to make me pack up my scope and head to
Nisqually to make a quick check for the S/Tailed Sandpiper (a bird which I
felt wouldn't give me such a headache!).

In the fields at the entrance to Nisqually the two ROSS'S GEESE were present
in the very large flock of Canadas. The drizzle was now starting to be
light rain, so I didn't stay long at the first pond. There was one small
flock of ever-wheeling DUNLIN, the usual waterfowl assortment but no
Sharp-tailed (in the 15 minutes I was there). Ran into a couple of fellows
who made the hike down to McAllister, they'd seen a Peregrine earlier in the
morning but didn't see the Shrike or R/L Hawk. I didn't see the Barn
Swallow during my brief visit either.

Came home to find that my small army of House Finches and House Sparrows had
emptied the feeders. How depressing.

NOTE TO OLY CBC COUNTERS: head to Gog-le-hi-te soon (pg. 199 of
BGWashington) to brush up on your Thayer's Gulls! If I remember right we
did poorly last year with the uncommon gulls...gotta give Sequim a run for
their money (o.k. so we can't beat their totals, but let's at least get back
our claim to the most G/C Kinglets and Winter Wren!).

Jason Paulios
Jpaulios at earthlink.net
Olympia, WA