Subject: [Tweeters] Potholes state park weasel catches a bird,
Date: Apr 19 21:59:24 2007
From: Rob Sandelin - floriferous at msn.com




I got to spend 3 days on a nature geeking road trip and after many years of
trying I finally made it the Juniper Dunes Wilderness area, which is said to
be the hardest wilderness to get to in Washington. Since I was in the area I
did a punctuated road trip, stopping at every place of possible natural
interest. Along the way I stopped for the night at Potholes state park, and
while hiking about I was having recurring problem with something sharp in my
shoe, so I had sat down in the tall grass and was examining my shoe, sox and
foot when a bunch of noise made me stand up on one foot, still clutching my
shoe in one hand. I could not make out exactly what was happening at first,
I thought a cat had caught a bird, but a few seconds later, a handsome
weasel stood up, bird in its mouth and looked at me. I think the bird was a
white-crowned sparrow but when I reached for the bins, I dropped my shoe and
the weasel disappeared in the grass not to return.

There were 4 white pelicans at Crow Butte Park on the Columbia, east of
Goldendale and at Toppinish National Wildlife Refuge I watched a Great Blue
heron try and eat the hugest bull frog. I was completely impressed that the
heron would even try something that big, although it did not succeed while I
watched, but it was entertaining. Later while hopefully searching for a
bobolink, a Virginia rail popped out and strutted about as if on stage,
stopping now and then to lift its head and freeze, as if posing for
invisible cameras.

Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, writer