Tweets,

Today 13 of us walked Nisqually on a Black Hills Audubon Society field trip.
We started at 7:30 in cold, sunshiny conditions and finished at 1:30 in
warmer weather, but with a high overcast. All told we saw 54 species.

Highlights includes an AMERICAN BITTERN in the slough between the Nisqually
River overlook and the ring dike, 3 WOOD DUCKS, 2 male and a female in the
same area, and 2 SNOWY OWELS, one on a root wad on the outer flats and the other
sitting on a wood pile in the middle of the refuge. Both were best seen from
the dike trail along the sound.

There were also a couple of flocks of DUNLIN along the sound and in
McAllister Creek and there were several BRANT opposite Luhr Beach. In the same area
we saw HORNED GREEBE, SURF SCOTERS, WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, COMMON GOLDENEYE,
and a COMMON LOON. We saw all three mergansers and all the expected ducks were
seen.

There were very few CANADA GEESE seen and no CACKLERS were present today.
BALD EAGLES and RED-TAILED HAWKS were quite common, but we only saw a couple of
NORTHERN HARRIERS. We did get great looks at an AMERICAN KESTRAL near the
twin barns.

BROWN CREEPERS were abundant, as were RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS. We saw a DOWNEY
WOODPECKER and had a PILIATED WOODPECKER fly over near the Nisqually River
overlook.

Mammals seen included a couple of COLUMBIAN BLACK-TAILED DEER, 2 very
healthy looking COYOTE, an EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL, and a beach full of hauled out
HARBOR SEAL out on the flats.

The total for the year at Nisqually now stands at 74 species.



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

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