On 8/18, the American bittern was out in the open for a long long time, in the pond just north of the HQ at Nisqually, maybe just 50 feet from the trail. And I had left my camera back inthe car! Best view ever.

Lots of western wood-pewees on the move and Wilson's warblers that morning. Also two different mink along the riparian trail. Great views.

On 8/22, in the early afternoon, it was real quiet, not even any swallows, compared to 8/18, until one big flock was encountered on the riparian trail. In one long loose bunch of birds were, up close, just feet away, 2 brown creepers, 2 downy woodpeckers, 3 Bewick's wrens, 6 black-throated gray warblers, 4 Wilson's warblers, a dozen chickadees of both species, 6 western wood-pewees, 2 orange-crowned warblers, a Cassin's vireo, a warbling vireo, a house wren (yes), 2 rufous hummingbirds, and a very bright yellow warbler. They moved by and it got quiet again. No mink this time. (Though, when I stopped at Vance Creek County Park near Elma, a little later in the day, there was another mink near the parking lot - I can go ten years or more and never see a mink, and all of sudden I got three in four days - strange!).

Frank Brown
Seattle, WA