A pleasant casual walk at Nisqually NWR yielded mostly observations of young birds. Near the westside boardwalk, a female Hooded Merganser with six young. Then later, a very young Swainson's Thrush, marked by its lightly spotted breast, calling repeatedly; Lois, who has normally good ears (unlike mine), said it was calling alternately with another thrush in the distance. Then at the visitor's center we stood only a few feet from newly fledged Cliff Swallows, sitting without a trace of fear on the railing. Photographers were out in abundance, too, set up at the two previously reported hummingbird nests: one along the eastside boardwalk and one at the end of the riparian boardwalk. The whole area is filled with Red Elderberry at its brightest, and from what I could see, only Robins seem to be feeding on it. A pleasant walk, as I said, though we're concerned about some areas being bulldozed for the restoration project that have historically been some of the most beautiful and most hospitable to birds.

Burt Guttman
The Evergreen State College
Olympia, WA 98505 guttmanb at evergreen.edu <mailto:guttmanb at evergreen.edu>
Home: 7334 Holmes Island Road S. E., Olympia, 98503