Hi folks,

A colleague of mine, Pete Hahn, just reported to me that he saw 2 Tree Swallows yesterday (Jan 02 2006) just west of the Visitor's Center at Nisqually NWR.

At about 3:30 p.m., he got good looks of the 2 birds for 10-15 minutes, sweeping back and forth low to the ground, apparently hunting.

This species is often the latest of the swallows to migrate south and earliest to return north, but I believe that it's still pretty unusual to have a pair winter-over.

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Wash
festuca AT olywa.net