Subject: [Tweeters] Nutria and winged things at Montlake Fill 11-27-05
Date: Nov 27 09:44:58 2005
From: Brett Wolfe - m_lincolnii at yahoo.com


Hi tweets. I'll write about birds in a sec, but first:

I misremember who wanted info when someone sees nutria at the Fill - I keep thinking Russell Link?? Anyway, I was birding the Fill this morning at about 8:30 when I spotted a nutria leaving the water. I was on the main path, at the farsouthwest corner where the sharp bend is. Once I spotted it, I remained still and watched. It made a beeline for some grasses on the opposite side of the path, taking it some 50 feet from the water, which really surprised me that it would leave shelter so far behind. It did stop to look for motion and to sniff, but I was downwind from it so it didn't know I was there until I announced myself with a cough. By this time, it was feeding some twenty feet from me. It kinda stiffened when it realized I was right there, but knew it couldn't possibly outrun me, so it stood there, rather resignedly, but ready to fight if it came down to it. I walked over, chastising it softly for getting so far from the water, but I got a great look at it, bent over f!
rom 5
feet away - it was probably 15-16 inches in length, plus a tail about the same length, maybe a little longer. Big head, with whitish whiskers all around the mouth, which had nice sized orange incisors. Beady eyes. I estimated it probably weighed about 6-8 lbs., as it was about the size of a small to medium housecat. I didn't mess with it more than standing and looking at it, and when I walked a few short feet away, it went right back to eating instead of heading for shelter, silly thing!

So, birding. Quite a few good duck species there: both Hooded and Common Mergansers; Ringed-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup and a few Redheads (right up close to shore too! Closest I have seen Redheads yet). Also Wood Duck, Mallard (including one odd drake with a white breast - either an aberrant coloration or, I thought, a half-breed domestic), Gadwall, American Wigeon, Ruddy Duck, Bufflehead, Northern Shoveler and Green-winged Teal. I do love this time of year that you can almost always find 13-15 species of ducks, more if you check a saltwater spot too. Diversity is awesome!

Besides all the quackers, I mostly just got the usual assortment of juncoes, robins, wrens (Marsh, Bewick's and Winter), chickadees, Bushtits, towhees and sparrows (Song, Golden-crowned, White-crowned, Lincoln). I also heard a Northern Shrike call out twice, but I did not see it. Umm..Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker and Downy Woodpeckers all made themselves noticed, as did a total of 6 Great Blue Herons. Let's not forget coots and crows, as well as Mew, Ring-billed and Glaucous-winged Gulls. And Canada Geese. All in all, not a bad way to spend the 8-9am hour!

Brett A. Wolfe
Seattle, WA
m_lincolnii at yahoo.com



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