Subject: [Tweeters] Nisqually NWR 12/22/05
Date: Dec 22 22:58:41 2005
From: Kelly Mcallister - mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov


Good to hear about the Barred Owl. On Monday, December 12, I picked up a dead Barred Owl on the shoulder of Interstate 5,
just one quarter mile east of the Nisqually River bridge. Marian Bailey, the refuge biologist, told me about a Barred
Owl that was being seen recently at the refuge and I was wondering if this dead bird might spell an end to the
sightings on the refuge. I guess there's no shortage of Barred Owls around. This one may be the only one reported during
count week of the Olympia CBC though.

Kelly McAllister
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Olympia, Washington
Reply to: mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov

On Thu, 22 Dec 2005 Scrubjay323 at aol.com wrote:

> Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2005 19:28:42 EST
> From: Scrubjay323 at aol.com
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Cc: mnmkirschner at gmail.com
> Subject: [Tweeters] Nisqually NWR 12/22/05
>
> Tweets,
>
> Today seven of us braved rain, wind, rain again.....and some sunshine at
> Nisqually. The weather was really variable, but we were rewarded with a
> beautiful rainbow that started just inside McAllister Creek and finished inside the
> refuge near the photo blind on the McAllister Creek side. It was the first
> time I ever saw a complete rainbow including both ends at the ground!
>
> While the weather was funky, the birds were not. We started with about a
> dozen SNOW GEESE just off the parking lot, found a BARRED OWL in the first clump
> of trees on the way out to McAllister Creek, and got good scope looks at a
> SNOWY OWL from the twin barns overlook. The BARRED OWL was on a branch about 5
> feet above the pond just off the trail about 8:30 this morning. We all got
> great looks and two of our members got good pictures. Other folks also saw the
> owl but it was gone when we returned to the area about 10:00.
>
> The SNOWY OWLS apparently have moved into the interior of the refuge and can
> be seen by scanning the low vegetation out toward the Nisqually Reach.
>
> Other birds of note included an AMERICAN BITTERN of the trail to McAllister
> Creek and a GREEN HERON near the hummingbird sign inside the boardwalk on the
> Nisqually River side.
>
> There were plenty of ducks and geese, but they are pretty scattered as there
> is an abundance of water on the refuge after the recent rains. Raptors were
> a plenty with NORTHERN HARRIERS and RED-TAILED HAWKS the most abundant . We
> also saw PEREGRINE FALCON, BALD EAGLES, AMERICAN KESTRAL, and COOPER'S HAWK.
>
> Passerines were scarce, but we did manage to see most of the expected birds.
>
> All told we saw 46 species, with BARRED OWL and SNOWY OWL being new for the
> year. Our yearly total now stands at 141 species.
>
> Mammals seen included 2 COLUMBIAN BLACK-TAILED DEER and 5 HARBOR SEALS in
> the Nisqually River.
>
> Until next week...
>
> Phil Kelley
> Lacey, WA
> scrubjay323 at aol.com
> 360-459-1499
>
>