Subject: [Tweeters] Nisqually NWR 5/7/14
Date: May 8 07:34:02 2014
From: scrubjay323 at aol.com - scrubjay323 at aol.com




Tweets,

Yesterday 33 of us enjoyed a great walk at Nisqually. The weather was great and the birds were on stage! We had an 8.8 high tide at 12:22 so we had mostly mud in off the estuary boardwalk.

Highlights included FOY CEDAR WAXWINGS, WARBLING VIREO, PIRPLE MARTIN, and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, Some of the folks reported NASHVILLE WARBLER and BLACK SWIFTS. Naturally I missed the last two.

Passerines were singing everywhere there were perches. We saw lots of YELLOW-RUMPED, YELLOW and WILSON'S WARBLERS, as well as WARBLING VIREOS. ORANGE-CROWNED were heard as were COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and many MARSH WREN.

Raptors are now scarce on the refuge with only BALD EAGLES being sighted. There are 2 active nests on the other side of McAllister Creek, one near the last observation platform on the estuary boardwalk.

I was surprised by the lack of shorebirds after seeing so many Saturday. Our only sightings of the day were LEAST SANDPIPERS on the mud flats and flybys of WESTERN SANDPIPERS and WHIMBRAL.

We did relocate the GREAT HORNED OWLS inside the boardwalk near the beaver dam where there was an adult and we saw a juvenile fly deeper into the woods.

For the day I had 63 species and now have 108 for the year. Mammals seen included COTTONTAILED RABBBIT, MUSKRAT, and HARBOR SEAL.

Until next week...

Phil Kelley
scrubjay323 at aol.com
Lacey, WA