Seattle is very cold, or....

How much I miss the weather in Mexico!  Yes, we have arrived here in Seattle, well Puyallup actually. That is 30 miles south of Seattle, for those of you that have never been here. The great thing about this location is that it is only about a 20 drive to get to Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. This place is amazing, as far as birds, and the access that is allowed here. They have established a beautiful series of boardwalks, that allow you to walk right thru the marshland, tidal flats and several different terrains that are found here. That is the upside. The fact that it is so damn cold here right now....We pulled in here Saturday night and were informed by the RV park manager that there might not be any water as it was going to be 14 degrees over night, and they were calling for some snow! Well, a fine welcome back to Washington that is! It only got down to 21 here, but we did get some snow. I did not get down to Nisqually until Monday morning, and it was still about 22-24, but there was a 25 MPH wind blowing in off the open salt water bay, that brought the wind chill down to some where about minus 200. I was sure I was going to lose at least my fingers, and possibly my nose to frost bite. But, there was some sunshine, and there were so many birds!  I moved back into the trees where the wind was blocked somewhat, and found Black-capped Chickadees, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Red-breasted Sapsuckers, Gold-crowned Sparrows, and Spotted Towhees. There were even 4 Barn Swallows hanging out on a small branch above one of the ponds, I am sure they were wondering what the heck the came back to Washington so soon for? I got a tip from another birder that a Saw-whet Owl had been spotted, and gave me some very precise directions to the roost it had been using for the last few days. And there it was.....only about 7 or 8 inches tall, and nestled back into the cedar boughs, it was not in the mood to be photographed, but I did manage to get a few partials.

Here is the Spotted Towhee.

This is the Red-breasted Sapsucker

This American Wigeon was on the edge of the tidal flats

I love the pose this Great Blue Heron took....it is quite obvious to me that it was as cold as I was.

This Northern Shoveler was quite happy just digging around in that chilly water!

And, last but not least......here is the little bit of a Saw-whet Owl I was able to get a shot of!