Tweets,

Yesterday 25+ of us walked Nisqually on a cloudy, cool day. Not exactly
June weather but not January either. It got breezy out on the dike and the
boardwalk. High tide was 9.6 feet at 10:54, so the tides were right. We
also did the monthly NGS survey concurrently with the walk.

Highlights included WHIMBRAL, BAND-TAILED PIGEON, CEDAR WAXWINGS, and
BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, all new for the year.

Dave Richardson saw 2 GREAT EGRETS at the start of the boardwalk while the
rest of us only saw 1. He got there a bit later then we did. We also
hade 3 WHIMBRAL fly over at the start of the boardwalk. For a variety of
reasons most of us did not walk the boardwalk although it would have been a good
day to do so.

We did see all five SWALLOW species and a single VAUX'S SWIFT and our
first of the year CEDAR WAXWINGS (everywhere) and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS as well
as many SWAINSON'S THRUSH. There was a single BAND-TAILED PIGEON at the
top of one of the trees near the picnic area by the twin barns.

We got to watch an adult BROWN CREEPER glean prey and feed a youngster and
saw several families of ducks including a female WOOD DUCK with 13
ducklings on the new pond inside the new dike.

The only raptors we saw were BALD EAGLES and the STARLINGS have taken over
the box at the twin barns where the KESTRALS were trying to nest.
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS were everywhere! There was a female sitting on a swallow box
trying to figure out how she could get inside and deposit an egg.
Fortunately she never could.

For the day we had 50 species and now have 133 for the year. Mammals seen
were EASTERN GRAY SQUIRRELS (lots), COLUMBIAN BLACK-TAILED DEER, and
COTTONTAIL RABBITT.

Until next week...


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