Subject: Nisqually shorebirds 07/14
Date: Jul 14 13:52:14 2003
From: Jason Paulios - jpaulios at hotmail.com


Got out to Nisqually this morning ahead of the ominous dark clouds, was
hoping that they'd scare some shorebirds into making an emergency pit stop
at the refuge. The two main ponds near the parking lot have completely
dried up, was hoping that they'd be able to divert some water here but it
looks like they are going to leave it be for the fall...so pray for some
more rain! Anyway there is some decent shorebirding to be done in the
flooded areas along Mcallister Creek. If you stop at the new gate next to
the culvert (after the eagle's nest) you can scan some prime freshwater mud.
At this site I had:
1 P/B Grebe
5 Wood Duck (juv)
9 Killdeer
6 Greater Yellowlegs (ad)
1 Spotted Sandpiper (juv)
25 Least Sandpiper (ad)
28 Long-billed Dowitcher (ad)

Also a note for interested parties that there are two G/W X Western chicks
on the roof of the KGY radio station along Budd Inlet. Pretty neat to see
the patterning on these little fellows. I figured that the gulls bred
somewhere nearby but was surprised to see them at this location...also I
figured they would be much larger by now. Didn't see the Peregrines, does
anyone know if they had success with the nesting on the crane?

Jason Paulios
Jpaulios at hotmail.com
Olympia, WA

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