I spent a couple of hours at Steigerwald Lake on the 29th; seemed like a
good gift to give myself on my birthday. Sure enough, I was rewarded by
spotting the first pair of CINNAMON TEAL I have ever spotted at
Steigerwald. They were just hanging out on the far edge of the Lake,
north of the trail as it approaches the locked gate. Several SHOVELERS,
PINTAILS and a few SCAUPS in the same area

Other fun sightings/hearings were:

A GREAT BLUE HERON, just 15 feet in front of me as I came around a
bend in the trail, with a snake in his mouth (probably a GARTER
SNAKE, very blue, but didn't see any markings); he froze, I froze,
then he lifted up and away, snake in tow;
Lots of BUFFLEHEADS in the pond near the dike;
Watched a male KESTREL take a couple of mid-air false starts at prey
that got away;
On my return to my car, I heard a YELLOWTHROAT and a MARSH WREN;
Watched a male NORTHERN HARRIER carry what looked like a small bunch
of algae to a mid-meadow/marsh spot, with a female HARRIER
supervising; both disappeared in the grass within a second or two of
each other... an apparent nesting sight.

Next visit I'll go later in the day and see if I can spot the
SHORT-EARED OWL Dwight spotted hunting on the same day. I've read they
are most active an hour or so before sunset.

Susan O'Hara
Vancouver, WA