Tweets,

Nine of us walked Nisqually on a crisp fall morning today. It was in the 40s
when we started under sunny skies, but warmed up and became overcast by
noon. The birds were not real cooperative, but we did have a good day.

Highlights included a VIRGINIA RAIL on the last pond inside the boardwalk
just before the twin barns that didn't care if we were 20 feet away. It feed on
a stickleback and posed quite nicely for us to see. It was still there after
15 minutes when we moved on. At the start of the ring dike we found a like
minded AMERICAN BITTERN, that sat on the edge of the reeds and ignored us. It
was in the same place after we walked the ring dike.

The third highlight was a PILEATED WOODPECKER that called just as we got to
the riparian area after the Nisqually River overlook. As we entered the woods
there it flew down the trail away from us and circled back to our right where
it lit just off the trail affording us all good views, before it flew off.

Ducks are starting to return to the refuge...now if we would only get some
water. MALLARDS, SHOVELERS and AMERICAN WIGEON were all seen, as well as some
lingering WOOD DUCKS.

Noticeable in their absence were most of the WARBLERS, and there were no
SWALLOWS seen at all today.

All told we had 42 species, with nothing new for the year.

Mammals seen were MUSKRAT and EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL. We also saw a RED-EARED
SLIDER sunning itself on a log in the pond behind the visitor center.

Until next week....

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