Subject: Black Tern at Nisqually River Delta
Date: Aug 23 17:07:27 2004
From: Steve Nord - rangersteve at comcast.net


Tweets;

Following Jason Paulios and Keith Brady's report of interesting shorebirds
yesterday at Luhr Beach, I made a visit this afternoon during and after the
high tide. I began at 12:10 PM and ended at 3:00 PM. Viewing the mudflats
is difficult from Luhr due to the distance, so I decided to kayak out onto
the delta, which proved very good as the birds didn't react to me as I
drifted nearby. While waiting for the mudflats to become exposed I kayaked
over to the mouth of the Nisqually River. I had just finished watching an
immature Peregrine Falcon chasing and almost catching some Green-winged
Teal. I then saw another chase from the north, a Glaucous-winged Gull
chasing a BLACK TERN. The tern flew in from the north, the gull soon gave
up on the pursuit, and I watched the tern circle around where I was floating
just west of the mouth of the Nisqually River. The tern was last seen
flying north in the direction of the Tacoma Narrow Bridge. I did not
re-find the SURFBIRD seen yesterday. I mostly focused my birding to the
mudflats visible from Luhr Beach.

Other birds seen:

Semipalmated Plover 20
Western Sandpiper 600+
Least Sandpiper 35
Baird's Sandpiper 2
Mew Gull 1
Caspian Tern 42
Double-crested Cormorant 68
Osprey 2
Bald Eagle 2 immatures
Peregrine Falcon 1 immature
Purple Martin 2
Barn Swallow 57

38 Harbor Seal

Good Birding!

Steve Nord
Olympia, WA
Rangersteve AT comcast.net