Subject: [Tweeters] Nisqually NWR 4/14/10
Date: Apr 14 21:26:45 2010
From: Scrubjay323 at aol.com - Scrubjay323 at aol.com


Tweets,

Just another wonderful Spring day at Nisqually. Sunshine, warm weather,
and 22 of us enjoying a great show. We took a little longer than usual today
but we had good reason. Too bad some folks left early and missed the show
out at the end of the new dike...2 AMERICAN BITTERN displaying in what
appeared to be a territorial dispute!

Other highlights included the first of the year CLIFF and BARN SWALLOWS,
SNOW GOOSE , AMERICAN PIPITS, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, and COWBIRDS. We also
saw an adult GREAT HORNED OWL with 2 young, and RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD,
BUSHTIT, and BEWICK'S WREN nests, all active.

The AMERICAN BITTERN were spotted in the rushes outside the new dike out at
the end and both birds displayed with feathers fluffed (like a RUFF)
showing white flank patches and strutted and pranced until one bird finally
chased the other one off. too bad we didn't have a video camera there. It was
quite a show.

We found a total of 3 HUMMINGBIRD nests, all up high and difficult to see.
The BUSHTIT nest is very visible inside the slough about 75 yards past
the hummingbird sign on the Nisqually side. The BEWICK'S WREN nest is in a
hole in a small fractured tree between these 2 points.

The OWLS have left the nest area and were about 50 yards closed to the
parking lot on the outside of the trail on the Nisqually River side. The
young were flying around and moving a lot in the trees. The adult was right
bedside the young at first and then flew up a couple of branches above them.
When we returned on our way back to the visitor center the young were more
active and moving about more.

Waterfowl seem to be pairing up with some CANADA GEESE already on the
nest. We had several pairs of WOOD DUCKS and 2 pair of CINNAMON TEAL. The
SNOW GOOSE was in a huge flock of CACKLING GEESE that flew onto the refuge
about 12:30. The black wing tips were very visible.

For the day we had 59 species. The six new species gives us 98 species for
the year.

The only mammal seen was a BLACK-TAILED DEER.

Until next week....

Phil Kelley
scrubjay323 at aol.com
Lacey, WA
360-459-1499