Subject: [Tweeters] Nisqually NWR 1/12/06
Date: Jan 12 19:54:29 2006
From: Scrubjay323 at aol.com - Scrubjay323 at aol.com


Tweets,

Today four of us swam, er, walked Nisqually on a rainy, miserable day. It
could have been worst...it could have been colder and windy. We didn't drag our
feet. We finished the 4 miles in less than 4 hours, and we did see some good
birds, just not many passerines.

Highlights included 2 AMERICAN KESTRALS out toward McAllister Creek, a male
and a female in separate locations, a SNOWY OWL way out toward Nisqually Reach
through our scopes at max power, and a couple of WESTERN MEADOWLARKS just
off the parking lot as we started the walk.

The real highlight was an immature TUNDRA SWAN that flew in about 9:45 as we
were coming back from McAllister Creek. It landed by the SNOW GEESE and soon
realized they might be white, but they weren't other swans. There was a
brief skirmish and off it swam.

Needless to say there was water everywhere and the ducks were scattered
accordingly. Most of the usual suspects were seen including an EURASIAN WIGEON
out toward McAllister Creek and a pair of HOODED MERGANSERS on the pond behind
the visitor center. We did see a GREEN HERON out toward the ring dike, but
dipped on a bittern.

All told we had 44 species. Mammals seen were EASTERN GRAY SQUIRRELS and
several COLUMBIAN BLACK-TAILED DEER.

Until next week, when I hope the weather is better....

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