Tweets,

Yesterday 7 of us enjoyed a nice walk at Nisqually. The morning rain never
materialized and the temps were relatively mild. Surprisingly, most of the
ponds still had a thin sheet of ice on them.

Highlights included a couple of BALD EAGLES flying low from McAllister Creek
to the cottonwoods by the twin barns just as we arrived about 8:00 AM. Their
flight put up a couple of thousand waterfowl that were massed in the grasses
out behind the twin barns. Most of these ducks soon settled back down next
to the frozen ponds. Quite a sight!

Other highlights included a couple of NORTHERN SHRIKE sightings, a couple of
KESTRAL sightings, a couple of VARIED THRUSH sightings, and both COMMON
GOLDENEYE and COMMON MERGANSER on the Nisqually River.

We saw NORTHERN SHRIKE out near McAllister Creek and we had another bird
near the ring dike. We saw a KESTRAL in the cottonwood trees near the turn off
to the twin barns and saw another one (it?) fly over the parking lot as we
finished the walk. VARIED THRUSH were seen in a ground feeding flock of ROBIN
at the picnic area near the twin barns and again along the boardwalk along
the Nisqually River side.

The winter flocks of passerines seemed to have broken up as most of the
kinglets and creepers we saw were scattered birds. It seems a little early to me
for these flocks to scatter, but the birds don't seem the think so.

For the day we had 47 species, giving us 59 species for the year.

Mammals seen included EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL, HARBOR SEAL, and RIVER OTTER
near the visitor center.

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