Tweeters,

Saturday dawned chilly and foggy, but cleared up for a gorgeous day for ten
Seattle Audubon trippers to Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. Tops on the list for
us were two NORTHERN SHRIKES, three falcons (MERLIN, AMERICAN KESTREL, and
PEREGRINE FALCON), a female CANVASBACK, at least seven GREATER WHITE-FRONTED
GEESE, a COOPER'S HAWK, and up to six NORTHERN HARRIERS and five RED-TAILED
HAWKS (the latter two species in the air at one time). Two of the harriers
(a fem. and a imm.) persisted in diving on a hapless imm. RTHA, even when
that youngster moved several hundred yards from one shrub to another after
being harassed the first time.



We saw well over 500 Cackling Geese, and several hundred Cedar Waxwings, the
latter of which were picking berries everywhere berries were found.



Mammals included a beaver and an eastern gray squirrel at the refuge HQ, and
a harbor seal on the Nisqually River.



The complete list of 45 spp of birds is included below for those of you
intending to visit the refuge soon. (Note: The loop is closed in the usual
places due to hunting season, which opened the same day as our trip.)



Greater White-fronted Goose

Cackling Goose

Canada Goose

American Wigeon

Mallard

Green-winged Teal

Canvasback

Pied-billed Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Cooper's Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

American Kestrel

Merlin

Peregrine Falcon

Killdeer

Ring-billed Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Rock Pigeon (I)

Vaux's Swift

Belted Kingfisher

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Northern Shrike

American Crow

Black-capped Chickadee

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Bushtit

Brown Creeper

Bewick's Wren

Marsh Wren

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

American Robin

European Starling (I)

Cedar Waxwing

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

House Finch





May all your birds be identified,



Denis DeSilvis

Roy, WA

Mailto: avnacrs4birds at q.com