Tweets,

Today 12 of us walked Nisqually on a really pleasant day. Warm and sunny for
most of the day.

Things got off to a great start with a PEREGRINE FALCON in the doug fir
behind the visitor center and an AMERICAN BITTERN on the pond behind the visitor
center. The good luck continued with 4 WESTERN GREBE at McAllister Creek. The
tide was way in and the grebe were upstream of the overlook. They were
spotted there yesterday also. We had another AMERICAN BITTERN sighting off the
boardwalk, but that may have been the same bird we saw earlier, and we watched a
VIRGINIA RAIL inside the boardwalk out near the twin barns turnoff. Another
PEREGRINE FALCON was seen out near the ring dike.

SPOTTED TOWHEE and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS were just about everywhere, but
sparrow numbers were way down from last week. CROWS were numerous and someone
must have spiked their morning oatmeal, because they were feisty. A couple were
chasing a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK and a couple more were harassing a male
NORTHERN HARRIER.

Raptor numbers were pretty good with several NORTHERN HARRIER, RED-TAILED
HAWKS, 2 adult BALD EAGLES, as well as the SHARP-SHINNED HAWK.

We also had the first VARIED THRUSH of the year in the riparian area by the
ring dike.

All told we had 40 species, with the VARIED THRUSH being new for the year,
giving us a total of 138 species for the year.

The only mammal sighted was a HARBOR SEAL in the Nisqually River near the
ring dike.

I will be out of town next week, so Eric Slagle will lead the walk.



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

"We were few and they were many. Now we are many and they are few."
Confucius