How long has it been since we've had a decent mid-April?! Mmm mmm mmm, what
a day!

Spent abt 2.5 hrs at Thelter Wetlands in Belfair, Mason County, today.
Here's what I saw/heard:

House Sparrow
European Starling (get those guys outta the way first)

A couple of surprises (to me):

*Mourning Dove, in the grassy area behind the Community Ctr
*Golden-crowned Sparrow, along the river trail towards the end, scratching
for food under some bushes

Usual suspects, no particular order:

American Robin
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow, many many everywhere!
White-crowned Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Pine Siskin
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Black-capped Chickadee
Hermit Thrush (I think; didn't see the bird, just heard it)
Common Yellowthroat
Marsh Wren
Red-winged Blackbird
Great Blue Heron
Gull sp.
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Bufflehead
Common Merganser
Canada Goose
Violet-green Swallow
Tree Swallow
Cliff Swallow (just a quick glimpse, but got the flash of the very light
forehead; am wondering where they nest around there)
Crow
Bald Eagle (immature)
House Finch

There's one more bird but I can't remember it, and my list is downstairs in
the car...

A few fun behavior things:

Two male Song Sparrows in trees maybe 15 feet apart. One would start
singing with the introductory 2 or 3 notes, and the other would pick up the
song where the first one left off. Had never heard that before.

Another coupla SOSP, on the ground, in a stand-off, puffing up their
feathers, hopping slowly towards each other 'til they burst up into the air,
had a little tussle, then flew to different trees and started singing.

Was able to watch a mom CAGO work on her nest, getting the down just right
and hunkering into it. She stood up only briefly so I wasn't able to see if
she was on eggs yet.

For you folks who've never been to the Theler Wetlands and have been
thinking about visiting, Do!! It's really great. A gorgeous setting, nice
variety of habitats, there's a decent pit toilet for when the Community Ctr
is closed, there are latte joints in Belfair, it's a pretty drive from
Bremerton out to Belfair once you get past Gorst.

Oh yeah, on the way home, two more BAEA, one adult in flight, and a juvie
perched in a tree. I think that was my first Kitsap/Mason Co. 3-eagle day!

Good birding to all,
Mary

Mary Klein
Bremerton WA
CelloBird at seanet.com