Tweets,

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day and people turned out in droves for
the weekly walk and the birds cooperated, too. 24 of us enjoyed a clear,
sunny day that started off good and got better.

Highlights included an AMERICAN BITTERN right in front of the viewing
platform at the visitor center and included great views of a MERLIN on the hunt
and a NORTHERN SHRIKE.

The MERLIN was roosting on one of the snags outside the dike before he took
off and swung around the barns and snatched a small bird and then took off
toward the Nisqually River. The NORTHERN SHRIKE also was perched on one
of the snags but it flew from one to another and was in view for several
minutes.

Waterfowl numbers are down but the diversity remains high. We did not see
any CACKLING GEESE for the first time in a long time but other than that
just about everyone was accounted for. We did see our first WOOD DUCK of the
year on the refuge.

Passerines are still few and far between but we did find an active BUSHTIT
nest over the slough inside the boardwalk on the Nisqually River side.

We saw both adult GREAT HORNED OWLS, one at the nest tree and one inside
the boardwalk not far away. Again we did not see the young. We saw pictures
taken the night before of 2 owlets at the nest. They appeared quite
small. Perhaps this are a second clutch with the first clutch having failed
when the tree blew over the end of January.

All told we had 53 species for the day with the MERLIN, WOOD DUCK and
BUSHTITS being new for the year.

The only mammals seen were a couple of COLUMBIAN BLACK-TAILED DEER.

Until next week....

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