Tweets,

Today 9 of us walked Nisqually in windy, wet conditions. Most of the birds
were smarter then we were and were hunkered down.

Highlights of the day included 2 sightings of 3 SANDHILL CRANES, and 4
sightings of AMERICAN BITTERN, perhaps the same birds twice in both locations.

We first saw the SANDHILL CRANES flying from McAllister Creek toward the
twin barns and later saw them flying from the twin barns out toward the sound.

We saw the first BITTERN in the wetland across from the parking lot and
later saw a BITTERN flying from that direction toward the pond behind the visitor
center. The next BITTERN was seen in the marsh just before the ring dike
trail. Later we saw a BITTERN fly from near that point in to the marsh inside
the ring dike.

This rain will help as ducks are starting to arrive and there isn't much
water for them to use. Numbers of MALLARDS, AMERICAN WIGEON, and NORTHERN
SHOVELERS have increased in the last couple of weeks, but there isn't much water
for them to rest on. More will arrive in the coming weeks, so we need this rain.
At least it didn't pour until we had completed today's walk.

All told we had 43 species today, but not a great number of any one species.
We saw no mammals today, and had nothing new for the year.

Next Thursday we will walk the full loop for the last time until February as
the outer trail will close the 15th of October. Until then....


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