Hello everyone,
With a couple of good birds in mind, I headed out to Nisqually this morning
with my dad. A layer of fog seemed to have just burned off at the time we
arrived. We walked out to the Twin Barns and saw the pair of Ross's Geese
which are still very comfortable in the noisy flock of Cacklers. There's
what seems to be a Greater White-fronted x Canada hybrid in the area as
well, which seems to be the same bird I saw here this past May. We then
decided to walk part way out on the gravel road to McAllister Creel and
check the seasonal ponds at about 10:45am. I was immediately stopped by a
juv. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in the first pond north of the path, only about
30 feet away. Many people got a chance to study this bird in the morning.
Thanks to Joseph Higbee for his excellent photos!

A couple of hours later we headed to Luhr Beach where in a extensive scan of
the Nisqually Reach, I eventually got six Northern Fulmars. As there was
very little wind, I have never seen a fulmar flap so often. There was also
a number of Eared Grebes offshore.

We stopped again at Nisqually NWR on our way back home, but word is that the
Sharp-tail was flushed by a Merlin sometime before we arrived. Right at
dusk, many people were able to observe up to five Short-eared Owls
interacting over the meadows.

12 November 2003 (9:30am-4:45pm).
Thurston County - 86 species.
Mainly clear; calm early, then N 5-10mph; 35-45 F.

Nisqually Nat'l Wildlife Refuge (9:45am-12:45pm; 3:45-4:45pm):
Greater White-fronted Goose (3: 1ad., 2 juv.)
Gr. White-fronted x Canada Goose hybrid (1)
ROSS'S GOOSE (2: 1 ad., 1 juv.)
Cackling Canada Goose (1200)
Gadwall (4)
Eurasian Wigeon (2)
American Wigeon (250)
Northern Shoveler (60)
Northern Pintail (120)
Green-winged Teal (80)
Ring-necked Duck (1)
Greater Scaup (8)
Bufflehead (20)
Ruddy Duck (1)
Pied-billed Grebe (1)
Bald Eagle (3)
Northern Harrier (15+)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (1f.)
Red-tailed Hawk (10+)
American Kestrel (1m.)
Merlin (1)
Peregrine Falcon (2)
Virginia Rail (4)
Greater Yellowlegs (1)-McAllister Creek.
SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER (1)
Dunlin (6)
Long-billed Dowitcher (15)
Wilson's Snipe (2)
Mew Gull (70)
Ring-billed Gull (150)
California Gull (1)
Glaucous-winged Gull (40)
Mourning Dove (1)
SHORT-EARED OWL (5)
Hairy Woodpecker (1)
Common Raven (1)
Varied Thrush (2)
American Pipit (3)
Cedar Waxwing (80)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (1)
Fox Sparrow (4)
Lincoln's Sparrow (6)
White-crowned Sparrow (20)
Golden-crowned Sparrow (15)
Purple Finch (2)
Red Crossbill (3)
Pine Siskin (50)

Luhr Beach Public Boat Launch (1:15-3:15):
American Wigeon (50)
Greater Scaup (15)
Surf Scoter (170)
White-winged Scoter (150)
Bufflehead (60)
Common Goldeneye (60)
Barrow's Goldeneye (10)
Hooded Merganser (25)
Red-breasted Merganser (14)
Red-throated Loon (18)
Common Loon (15)
Horned Grebe (23)
Red-necked Grebe (3)
Eared Grebe (7)
NORTHERN FULMAR (6)
Double-crested Cormorant (10)
Pelagic Cormorant (12)
Peregrine Falcon (2)-same birds as observed at Nisqually.
Dunlin (400)
Bonaparte's Gull (500+)
Mew Gull (300)
Western Gull (3)
Glaucous-winged Gull (100)
Rhinoceros Auklet (5)
European Starling (3000)

Cheers and good birding
Charlie Wright
Sumner, WA
charlie at birdwright.com