Tweets,

11 of us enjoyed a foggy, cold walk at Nisqually this morning. At least is
was foggy and cold until about 10:30 when we left the twin barns.
Unfortunately it was foggy on the way to and from McAllister Creek so we may have
missed some good birds. As it was we saw 51 species.

The highlight of the day was the GREAT HORNED OWLS off the boardwalk near
the junction of the Nisqually River trail and the boardwalk to the twin barns.
We saw the adult on the way from the twin barns and what looked like prey in
a crotch just below the adult. We couldn't figure out what it was but it
looked like a duck to me. Later a better look from the Nisqually River side
showed a juvenile owl in the same crotch...with dead prey behind it. We also
sighted another owlet in a hole in the tree just beneath the first owlet. This
area is about 75 yards or so from last year's nest site. The best views
were from just left of wood duck box 18 on the Nisqually River side.

Speaking of which, several folks saw a pair of WOOD DUCKS in the slough on
the way back from the ring dike. We also saw all three mergansers and a
LESSER SCAUP on the pond behind the visitor center with some RING-NECKED DUCKS.

We had all five woodpeckers that frequent the refuge for the second straight
week, and had the three wintering wrens. MARSH WRENS, BEWICK'S WRENS, and
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS are starting to get territorial now.

There were a couple of nice mixed flocks of passerines with several BROWN
CREEPERS being seen.

The only new bird for the year was the LESSER SCAUP. He gives us 75 species
for the year.

The only mammal seen was an EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL.

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




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