[Tweeters] Wednesday Walk for Billy Frank Jr NWR 12/20/2023 second try.

[Shep Thorp]

Hi Tweets, second try!

Approximately 25 of us had a very cheery day at the Refuge despite the
foggy conditions.  Temperatures were in the 30's to 50's with a High 14'11"
Tide at 11:48am.  Highlights included NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL spotted by
Whittier from designated trail near the west end parking lot in a small
Cedar; continuing BLACK SCOTER seen from the McAllister Creek Viewing
Platform; four WESTERN SANDPIPERs mixed in with upwards of 2000 DUNLIN both
in the freshwater marsh and Nisqually Reach; and a very cooperative BARRED
OWL near the Education Center parking lot.  We also had great sightings of
RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER, HAIRY WOODPECKER, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, and
WESTERN MEADOWLARK.  See our eBird list below with details on location and
embedded photos.

We observed 67 species for the day, and with our First Of Year Northern
Saw-whet Owl, we've seen 175 species for the year which is a new high total
for our annual count.

Until next week when we meet again at 8am at the Visitor Center Pond
Overlook, happy birding and good sightings to you and your friends!

Shep

-- 
Shep Thorp
Browns Point
253-370-3742

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Dec 20, 2023 7:37 AM - 4:07 PM
Protocol: Traveling
7.19 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Wednesday Walk. Foggy with temperatures in the 30’s
to 50’s. A High 14”11’ Tide at 11:48am. Mammals seen Eastern Cotton-tailed
Rabbit, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Harbor Seal.
67 species (+4 other taxa)

Cackling Goose (minima)  1000
Cackling Goose (Taverner's)  6
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima)  40
Northern Shoveler  100
Gadwall  30
Eurasian Wigeon  1     Shannon Slough
American Wigeon  600
Mallard  300
Northern Pintail  200
Green-winged Teal  1500
Ring-necked Duck  3     Visitor Center.
Surf Scoter  10
Black Scoter  1     Continuing rarity seen from the McAllister Creek
Viewing Platform. Photo. Short billed diving sea duck with light cheeks.
Loosely associated with Surf Scoters.
Bufflehead  115
Common Goldeneye  15
Hooded Merganser  4     Surge plain
Horned Grebe  2
Anna's Hummingbird  2     Orchard and West End parking lot.
Virginia Rail  1     Flooded field south of Twin Barns. Spotted by Tom.
American Coot  50
Long-billed Dowitcher  20     Freshwater marsh.
Wilson's Snipe  3     Spotted by Miles and Jon. Flooded field south of Twin
Barns and just north of the restricted old McAllister Creek Access Road.
Spotted Sandpiper  1     West side of McAllister Creek
Greater Yellowlegs  40
Dunlin  2000
Least Sandpiper  30
Western Sandpiper  4     Possibly more. Located one in freshwater water
marsh with 2000 Dunlin. Three additional located with a small group of
Dunlin on a strip of marsh during high tide just east of Puget Sound
Observation Platform.  Peep sized shorebird with white throat, shorter bill
then Dunlin and lighter gray back.
Short-billed Gull  50
Ring-billed Gull  50
Glaucous-winged Gull  2
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  4
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull  10
Red-throated Loon  3     Shannon Slough and Nisqually Reach.
Double-crested Cormorant  6
Great Blue Heron  50
Northern Harrier  2
Sharp-shinned Hawk  1     Spotted by Tom along the slough adjacent to the
Twin Barns.
Bald Eagle  8
Red-tailed Hawk  2
Barred Owl  1     Education Center Parking Lot.
Northern Saw-whet Owl  1     Spotted by Whittier in small Cedar near the
West Side Parking Lot from the designated trail.
Belted Kingfisher  3
Red-breasted Sapsucker  1     Orchard.
Downy Woodpecker  2
Hairy Woodpecker  2
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)  3
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted x Red-shafted)  1
American Crow  250
Common Raven  1
Black-capped Chickadee  11
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  6
Golden-crowned Kinglet  15
Brown Creeper  5
Pacific Wren  3
Marsh Wren  11
Bewick's Wren  4
European Starling  100
American Robin  20
House Finch  2
Purple Finch  1
Pine Siskin  20
Fox Sparrow (Sooty)  4
White-crowned Sparrow (pugetensis)  1     Aqueduct under dike.
Golden-crowned Sparrow  25
Song Sparrow  27
Lincoln's Sparrow  1     New dike or Nisqually Estuary Trail.
Spotted Towhee  5
Western Meadowlark  3     Nisqually Estuary Trail.
Red-winged Blackbird  30
Orange-crowned Warbler (lutescens)  1     Spotted by Tim in Orchard.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S156824202
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20231221/07d41218/attachment.html>