Hello everyone,

Today my class went to the Mima Mounds Prairie (12 miles south of Olympia) to
pull scotch broom that is encroaching onto the prairie. We got there at about
9:00am and everyone looked up as about 40 Turkey Vultures flew low overhead.
For the next 3-4 hours they came by in groups of about 20 or more with one
kettle to the west of the mounds having about 60 birds. It was an amazing sight.
I counted at least 200 birds for the whole day. Interestingly, an Osprey was
also flying with the TVs that were low overhead in the beginning of the day.
Other birds seen:
1 Sharp-Shinned Hawk
Common Ravens
1 Bald Eagle
2 Red-tail Hawks
Stellar's Jays
A large flock of goldfinches (about 50)
2 Hairy Woodpeckers
Northern Flickers
California Quail (heard)
Dark-eyed Juncos
American Robins
1 Great Blue Heron

A praying mantis was also spotted at the end of the day!

Simone Cook
Seattle/Olympia
Zingie at aol.com