Tweets,

Today eight of us enjoyed walking the outer dike at Nisqually. We started
out in cool, overcast, weather and we finished up in warm sunshine.

Highlights included 5 AMERICAN BITTERN sightings, an OSPREY, and a PEREGRINE
FALCON. We started off with 2 BITTERN at the overlook at the visitor
center, had another fly over the trail to McAllister Creek, had another at the
photo blind along McAllister Creek, and had the last one in the slough inside the
dike out near Nisqually Reach. The OSPREY was flying over Nisqually Reach,
and the PEREGRINE flew over the Reach and up McAllister Creek. The OSPREY was
the only new bird for the year.

SWALLOW numbers were way down with only a few BARN, CLIFF, TREE, and
VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS being seen. We did see several VAUX'S SWIFTS along McAllister
Creek. The only shorebirds seen were a couple of SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, 4 LEAST
SANDPIPERS, and several GREATER YELLOWLEGS. There is not much water on the
refuge so things were pretty scarce.

Passerine numbers were pretty good in the riparian area along the Nisqually
River and there were several small mixed flocks of BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE,
BUSHTITS, WILSON'S WARBLERS, and YELLOW WARBLERS. We also saw NORTHERN FLICKER,
DOWNWY WOODPECKER, and BROWN CREEPER.

For the day we had 52 species.

Mammals seen included MUSKRAT, RACCOONS, and two sightings of a juvenile
COYOTE.

Until next week......



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