Tweeters, it's been a long time since Inland-NW has had more posts about
birding than Tweeters...so I guess I'll do my part to get us back into gear.
In case you hadn't noticed, it's SPRING and BIRDS are OUTSIDE.

Keith Brady and I checked out Weir Prairie in the AM hoping for some sounds
from the Bobwhites. No luck (could be due to some very noisy hounds in the
upper prairie - at 6:15 AM!). We did have a nice assortment of birds
though:
Turkey (sp.; heard gobbling, though this was most definitely some farm
turkeys; can't count 'em in Thurston anyway since they are regularly
released at Johnson Creek)
R/B Sapsucker
Pileated Woodpecker
C. Raven
B. Creeper
G/C Kinglet
R/C Kinglet
4 WESTERN BLUEBIRD (near 3 different boxes)
1 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE (working small firs on the way to the 'tree island'
in S. Prairie, Keith had two here last week)
Y/R Warbler
C. Yellowthroat
CHIPPING SPARROW (many singing)
Savannah Sparrow (common)
W/C Sparrow (common)
W. Meadowlark
Purple Finch
Red Crossbill
Evening Grosbeak

On the way back to Olympia, Keith told me how he stopped in at Del's Farm
and Feed (Old HWY 99) and saw them offering EMPEROR GOOSE chicks for $9.99 a
piece. Pretty nice deal, and the hallux were left unclipped. SO, if you
raise one of these suckers let me know about it before you release it at
Capitol Lake! Or better yet, Nisqually Reach! (Though you've got to do it
during the fall season or I can't count it).

The BALD EAGLE was sitting on the nest in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of
Olympia this AM too. Add that to the Peregrine's attempting a nest on the
marina cranes and we're not doing too badly in downtown Oly.

As I type this I add another yard bird. A male California Quail is perched
on my suburban neighborhood fence row singing a fine song. Weird. That
makes three strange yard birds for this place (including the Muscovys that
landed on the neighbors roof and the G/B Heron 'fishing' at his swimming
pool).

Jason Paulios
Jpaulios at earthlink.net
Olympia, WA