Subject: [Tweeters] Nisqually NWR 7/21/10
Date: Jul 21 22:00:52 2010
From: Scrubjay323 at aol.com - Scrubjay323 at aol.com


Tweets,

Today 25 of us enjoyed a shortened walk at Nisqually due to some aerial
construction work on the new boardwalk. They were helicoptering some bridge
sections and had most of the new dike closed...out to the best shorebird
pond. Ratz!

Other than that it turned out to be a pretty good day. Nothing
spectacular but pretty good. Summer is finally here and most of the nests are now
empty with lots on strange looking young birds about. We still had the YELLOW
WARBLER feeding the COWBIRD chick and the GOLDFINCH is still on the nest
over the boardwalk near the second overlook on the way to the twin barns but
that was about it for nests.

I guess the best birds we saw were a male AMERICAN KESTRAL on one of the
snags outside the new dike and a juvenile GREAT HORNED OWL inside the
boardwalk along the Nisqually side in the tall cottonwoods. Hard to find but it
has been in that general area for 4 or 5 weeks now.

Matt got out to the pond after the dike was opened and saw LEAST SANDPIPER,
DUNLIN and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS. I'm surprised that everything wasn't
chased off by the helicopter flying about.

For the day we saw 39 species with nothing new for the year. The only
mammals seen were an EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL and COLUMBIAN BLACK-TAILED DEER.

Until next week when Eric & Shep will lead the walk...

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