Subject: [Tweeters] McLane Creek Trail: Birds, reptiles & mammals
Date: May 1 19:42:45 2009
From: Douglas Canning - dcanning at igc.org


Tweets -

This afternoon, after a narrow escape from the lunacy of Lacey's
traffic and round-abouts, I made a slow walk around the McLane Bottoms
beaver pond complex, 1445 to 1630 pst. At least 9 turtles were out
sunning (13 yesterday). The Mallard and Wood Duck pairs of of recent
days were not to be seen. In compensation, I saw 2 or 3 Beaver kits
swimming, one of them taken by an adult female Mink which we followed
for about 160 yards on her way back to her nest to feed her kits.
Circle of life...

The two Common Yellowthroat males are setting up their territories. The
Red-wing Blackbirds, on the other hand, just don't seem serious yet
about establishing territories. Yesterday, 13 robin found singing
and/or calling, today only one; maybe they take Friday afternoons off
too?

This report was mailed for Doug Canning by http://birdnotes.net

Date: May 1, 2009
Location: McLane Creek Nature Trail, Thurston County, Washington

Birds seen (in taxonomic order):

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 2 [1]
Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) 1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina)
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 4 [2]
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 1 [3]
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 2 [4]
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 5 [5]

Footnotes:

[1] 1 light phase, 1 dark phase.
[2] Calling and singing.
[3] Calling and singing.
[4] Males, singing rarely.
[5] 3 males, 2 females.

Total number of species seen: 10
***************
Douglas Canning
Olympia, Wash.
***************