[Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 4/17/2024

[Shep Thorp via Tweeters]

Hi Tweets,

Approximately 35 of us had a lovely spring day at the Refuge with cool
temperatures in the 30's to 50's degrees Fahrenheit and a steady north
breeze.  There was a Low 6' Tide at 9:40am and a High 9' Tide at 1:30pm so
we did our regular walk.  We had several out-of-towners from Minnesota and
Virginia, so many nice west coast bird sightings to share.  Highlights
included a female RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD building a nest in the Orchard,
Audubon's x Myrtle Intergrade Yellow-rumped Warbler spotted by Jason along
the Access Road across from the Ed Center entrance road, FOY BLUE-WINGED
TEAL in the flooded fields south of the Twin Barns along with nice looks of
LESSER YELLOWLEGS, FOY WHIMBREL on the mudflats west of Leschi Slough, and
FOY YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD in the freshwater marsh along the Nisqually
Estuary Trail or new dike.  We have numerous nesting birds we are observing
in addition to the Rufous Hummingbird including BUSHTIT, BROWN CREEPER,
CANADA GOOSE, RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER, TREE SWALLOW, MARSH WREN, and ANNA'S
HUMMINGBIRD.  We had a great goose day with nice looks of SNOW GOOSE,
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, BRANT GEESE, and both Minima and Taverner's
CACKLING GEESE.  Overall, duck numbers are decreasing as expected with
migration.  A nice morning chorus with a good diversity of songs.

For the day we observed 87 species, and with FOY BWTE, LEYE, WHIM, and YHBL
we've seen 124 species this year.  Other nice sightings included River
Otter, Pacific Tree Frog, Puget Sound Garter Snake and Harbor Seal.  See
our eBird list pasted below with details and embedded photos.

Until next week when we meet again at 8am at the Visitor Center, happy
birding.

Shep

-- 
Shep Thorp
Browns Point
253-370-3742


Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Apr 17, 2024 6:34 AM - 5:45 PM
Protocol: Traveling
9.191 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Wednesday Walk.  Sunny skies with temperatures in
the 30’s-50’s degree’s Fahrenheit. A light breeze from the north. There was
a Low 6’0” Tide at 9:40am and a High 9’1” Tide at 1:34pm. Mammals seen
Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Columbian Black-tailed Deer, River Otter,
Harbor Seal, and Eastern Gray Squirrel. Others seen included Pacific Tree
Frog, NW Salamander Egg Cluster, and Puget Sound Garter Snake.
87 species (+8 other taxa)

Snow Goose  1     With Cackling Geese.
Greater White-fronted Goose  2
Brant (Black)  65     Nisqually Reach, mouth of Madrone Slough.
Cackling Goose (minima)  500
Cackling Goose (Taverner's)  30
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima)  25     Nest Visitor Center Pond and old owl
tree nest north section of Twin Barns Loop Trail.
Wood Duck  9
Blue-winged Teal  3     Flooded fields south of Twin Barns and Twin Barns
Observation Platform.
Cinnamon Teal  6     Flooded fields south of Twin Barns and Twin Barns
Observation Platform.
Northern Shoveler  200
Gadwall  35
American Wigeon  300
Mallard  100
Northern Pintail  50
Green-winged Teal (American)  400
Ring-necked Duck  15
Greater Scaup  1     McAllister Creek off the Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk
Trail.
Lesser Scaup  1     Visitor Center Pond.
Surf Scoter  20     McAllister Creek.
Bufflehead  80
Common Goldeneye  20
Hooded Merganser  6
Red-breasted Merganser  24
Pied-billed Grebe  1     Freshwater marsh.
Horned Grebe  4     Breeding plumage in McAllister Creek.
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  24
Band-tailed Pigeon  3     Orchard.
Mourning Dove  2     Orchard
Anna's Hummingbird  2     Nest four planks north of Riparian Forest cut-off
on Twin Barns Loop Trail. On inside of trail, most right Alder, on 8th
branch up on right side, 6 feet from main trunk, on small horizontal branch
just of main branch. Approximately 20 feet high.
Rufous Hummingbird  8     7 males, one female. Nest building in Pear Tree
at entrance to Technician Building.
Virginia Rail  2     Heard in Freshwater Marsh. Male’s gidik, gidik, gidik,
call.
American Coot  175
Black-bellied Plover  3     Mudflats west of Leschi Slough.
Killdeer  1
Whimbrel (Hudsonian)  1     Mudflats west of Leschi Slough.
Wilson's Snipe  5     Flooded fields south of Twin Barns, Twin Barns
Observation Platform, Freshwater Marsh.
Spotted Sandpiper  1     West Bank of McAllister Creek from Puget Sound
Observation Platform.
Lesser Yellowlegs  1     FOY, with Greater Yellowlegs north of old
McAllister Creek Access Road in flooded field. Seen from closure gate on
Access Road west of west end parking lot.
Greater Yellowlegs  40
Dunlin  4
Least Sandpiper  25
Bonaparte's Gull  100     10 plus birds foraging close over channels on
reach adjacent to Madrone Slough, another 100 birds foraging in deep water
channel between reach and Anderson Island 1 mile out.
Short-billed Gull  200
Ring-billed Gull  25
Glaucous-winged Gull  2
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  10
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull  50
Larus sp.  200
Caspian Tern  2
Double-crested Cormorant  15
Great Blue Heron (Great Blue)  15
Sharp-shinned Hawk  1     Being chased by Swallows while flying over west
end parking lot.
Bald Eagle  18     Four occupied nests: 1)West Bank of Nisqually River in
tall Cottonwood north of Nisqually Estuary Trail; 2) West Bank of
McAllister Creek south of McAllister Creek Observation Platform; 3)West
Bank of McAllister Creek across from Puget Sound Observation Platform; 4)
south of I5 in tall Cottonwood.
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-breasted Sapsucker  1     Nest cavity/hole in Maple Tree in Twin Barn
Picnic Table Area.
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific)  4
Northern Flicker  2
Peregrine Falcon  1
American Crow  10
Common Raven  2
Black-capped Chickadee  10
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  2
Tree Swallow  70
Violet-green Swallow  2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  8
Barn Swallow  30
Cliff Swallow  20     Good numbers observed at entrance ramp to south bound
I5 at overpass of McAllister Creek.
Bushtit (Pacific)  3     Four nests: 1) Orchard; 2) east side of
Maintenance Building Entrance Road 30 feet off road in Doug Fir; 3) outside
of north section of Twin Barns Loop Trail across from old owl nest tree; 4)
east entrance to Twin Barns Loop Trail.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  2     Heard only.
Brown Creeper  4     Nest in Alder in median on southeast side of Ed Center
parking lot entrance road.
Marsh Wren  10     Freshwater marsh
Bewick's Wren  5
European Starling  50
American Robin  20
American Pipit  4     Fly over dike and Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail.
Purple Finch (Western)  3     Orchard.
Pine Siskin  6     Twin Barns and east side of Loop Trail.
American Goldfinch  2
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)  2
White-crowned Sparrow (pugetensis)  1
Golden-crowned Sparrow  30
White-throated Sparrow  1     Seen by Lin in Orchard with GCSP.
Savannah Sparrow (Savannah)  10     Nisqually Estuary Trail.
Song Sparrow (rufina Group)  25
Spotted Towhee  2
Yellow-headed Blackbird  1     Freshwater Marsh along Nisqually Estuary
Trail.
Red-winged Blackbird  50
Brown-headed Cowbird  3
Orange-crowned Warbler  3     Orchard and Nisqually Estuary Trail.
Orange-crowned Warbler (lutescens)  1
Common Yellowthroat  16
Yellow-rumped Warbler  73
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  20
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)  30
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle x Audubon's)  2     Two males identified.
Initially spotted by Jason at green gate on access road across from
Education Center. Observed at 30-50 feet in Cottonwood Tree with 10x
binoculars for several minutes. Seen by numerous birders. A yellow throated
Yellow-rumped Warbler with white demarcation behind auricles, white trim
around yellow throat, black facial mask and white supercillium or eyebrow.
Not unexpected given the large numbers of migrating Yellow-rumped Warblers
on this day.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S169188369
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