Hey Tweets--
I visited the Mary Theler Wetlands yesterday over in Belfair, WA. I was mostly out just for an exercise stroll with a friend while our kids were at a nearby Girl Scout camp but of course sought out the birds. It was delightful to come across a pair of Virginia Rails poking about in the mud near a tall stand of water plants and feeding their tiny, black, fluffy chicks. We watched for about 10 minutes and the scene ended with the mother bird tucking all her babies under her feathers and sitting down. She certainly wasn't thin as a rail anymore after stuffing all those chicks under her feathers!
I looked in vain online for a bird list for the Theler Wetlands, like a list of bird species seen there, only came across some generic sort of ones that listed the bigger birds like ducks, they didn't offer smaller birds like the little shorebirds I saw and some sparrows--I wanted to doublecheck some other sightings I made, not that I could confirm them but could at least satisfy my curiosity. I wonder if any of you have birded there and might be able to provide a list or point me to one. Thanks!
The Viriginia Rail family was enough to keep me happy for a long time :)
Christina, Seattle
cwilsdon at earthlink net