Tweets,

Today was a very pleasant day at Nisqually starting out cool & overcast. It
overcast throughout the morning, but it did warm up. Two of us enjoyed a good
walk with 43 species encountered.

Highlights included 2 GREEN HERON, one on the slough on the way out to
McAllister Creek and another (the same one?) a bit later on the pond behind the
Visitor Center. Other highlights were LEAST SANDPIPERS and GREATER YELLOWLEGS.
These were seen both on the slough at the end of where the ponds used to be
across from the parking lot and on McAllister Creek, which was really low.

The refuge is still very dry and the grass is high, so viewing is a bit of a
challenge. We did see CEDAR WAXWINGS just about everywhere and there were lots
of young birds begging food from their parents. We saw 14 COMMON MERGANSER
chicks on the Nisqually River side near the start of the Ring Dike with 5 female
COMMON MERGANSERS. Not sure who was or wasn't mom, but there seemed to be a
lot of adult supervision there. We saw several DOWNEY WOODPECKERS and BELTED
KINGFISHERS, as well as several BALD EAGLES, a female NORTHERN HARRIER and a
RED-TAILED HAWK. Raptors have been scarce lately, as have been the KINGFISHERS,
so it is good to see them showing up.

I haven't seen a GREAT BLUE HERON on the part of the refuge I walk recently,
but yesterday I went to Luhr Beach at the public boat launch and saw at least
75 GREAT BLUE HERON on the mud flats in the oyster beds. Not much need to come
on the refuge from there. I haven't walked the complete loop since January
31st so it might be time to throw in a long walk & check the outer mud flats for
shorebirds. I also need to incorporate my sightings from January 31st into
this list.

No mammals today! Unusual, but then the grass is waist high, so they could be
hiding.

As I said 43 species for the day, nothing new for the year, so still at 111
for the year.

Until next week.


Phil Kelley
scrubjay323 at aol.com
Lacey, WA
360-459-1499

"We were few and they were many, now we are many and they are few."
Confucius
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