[Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 7/31/2024

[Shep Thorp via Tweeters]

Hi Tweets,

Approximately 35 of us had a nice summer day at the Refuge with overcast
skies in the morning and sunny skies in the afternoon.  Temperatures were
in the 50's to 70's degrees Fahrenheit.  There was a Low -1'4" Tide at
9:18am and a High 13'0" Tide at 5:28pm, so we did our usual walk.
Highlights included many juveniles with observation of WOOD DUCK,
SWAINSON'S THRUSH, YELLOW WARBLER, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE,
CEDAR WAXWING and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.  We had a nice migration of WESTERN
TANAGER and WILSON'S WARBLER through the Orchard and Riparian Forest.
First of Year SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER was seen from the Nisqually Boardwalk
Estuary Trail north of the McAllister Creek viewing platform and on our
return along the Nisqually Estuary Trail just west of Leschi Slough - a
nice buffy gray juvenile with short stubby bill and prominent
supercilium in comparison to the surrounding molting WESTERN SANDPIPER and
LEAST SANDPIPER.  There was a large flock of 80+ COMMON MERGANSER foraging
at the mouth of Madrone Slough seen from the Puget Sound Observation
Platform.  The GREAT EGRET continues in the freshwater marsh.
Another noteworthy observation was the BARN SWALLOW foraging on Mole Hill's
in the recently mowed field south of the old McAllister Creek Access Road -
perhaps a hatching of insects from the disturbed soil?

For the day we observed 62 Species, and with FOY Semipalmated Sandpiper, we
have seen 160 species this year.  See our eBird Report pasted below.

Mammals seen included Long-tailed Weasel, Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit,
Townsend's Chipmunk, Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Eastern Gray Squirrel and
Harbor Seal.

I've had some questions regarding locations I refer to at the Refuge.
There is a nice map available at WOS.org:
https://wos.org/documents/Birding%20Resources/NisquallyMap2014.pdf

This map refers to the Trails and Observation/Viewing Platforms that I use
in my reports.  The Shannon Slough Blind was converted into a Viewing
Platform several years ago, but is very helpful in marking Shannon Slough
as the large slough that empties into McAllister Creek along the west side
of the Refuge and comes from the Entrance Gate of the Refuge.  The largest
slough on the Refuge is Leschi which starts from the Twin Barns, goes under
the dike or Nisqually Estuary Trail, runs parallel to the dike for 100
yards and then heads out the middle of the Refuge.  The Surge Plain is a
mud flat that is north of the dike and is in between the Nisqually River
and Leschi Slough.  During high tides and heavy rain, the Nisqually River
breaches the river banks and spills over into the Surge Plain.  There is a
slough between Leschi Slough and the Nisqually River in the North Reach of
the Refuge that I rarely refer to called Animal or Six Gill Slough.  The
Puget Sound Viewing/Observation Platform is immediately adjacent to the
mouth of the McAllister Creek to the West or on the left hand side, and
opposite to that, adjacent to Madrone Slough to the East or on the right
hand side.  Madrone Slough is in between the Puget Sound Viewing Platform
and Leschi Slough, the mouth of Madrone Slough is visible from the
Platform.  Finally, the old McAllister Creek Access Road is a gated
restricted sanctuary road heading west from the west side parking lot and
west entrance to the Twin Barns Loop Trail.  This road splits the flooded
fields immediately south of the Twin Barns and is used by Refuge Associates
only to access the freshwater marsh, the central access road and the south
side of the new dike.  I use the McAllister Creek Access Road to
differentiate sections of flooded fields and the south field that lies
between the Access Road and the Entrance Road.  I hope that makes sense,
and that I've not completely confused those who are interested in the map
of the Refuge.

Happy birding until next week when we meet again at 8am at the Visitor
Center Pond Overlook,
Shep
-- 
Shep Thorp
Browns Point
253-370-3742

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Jul 31, 2024 7:26 AM - 5:11 PM
Protocol: Traveling
6.305 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Wednesday Walk.  Overcast in the morning, sunny in
the afternoon.  Temperatures in the 50’s to 70’s degrees Fahrenheit. A Low
-1’4” Tide at 9:18am and a High 13’0” Tide at 5:28pm. Mammals seen
Long-tailed Weasel, Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Townsend’s Chipmunk,
Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Harbor Seal. Other’s
seen include Red-legged Frog, Pacific Tree Frog, and American Bullfrog.
62 species (+3 other taxa)

Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima)  90
Wood Duck  13
Mallard  50
Common Merganser  80     Mouth of Madrone Slough. Seen from Puget Sound
Observation Platform.
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  6
Band-tailed Pigeon  12
Mourning Dove  1
Anna's Hummingbird  3
Killdeer  2
Semipalmated Plover  20     Two groups of 10 plus birds.  Seen from the
Nisqually Estuary Trail and Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail.
Spotted Sandpiper  1     West Bank of McAllister Creek from Puget Sound
Observation Platform.
Greater Yellowlegs  7
Least Sandpiper  150
Western Sandpiper  50
Semipalmated Sandpiper  1     Seen with mixed group of Least and Western
Sandpiper. A juvenile bird with over all Buffy tones. Short stubby bill,
white throat and breast, prominent supercilium and dark legs. Larger than
area LESA. Observed at 100 feet with 60x spotting scope.
Ring-billed Gull  150
California Gull  35
Glaucous-winged Gull  3
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  6
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull  20
Larus sp.  200
Caspian Tern  35
Brandt's Cormorant  3     Nisqually channel marker.
Double-crested Cormorant  60
Great Egret  1     Observed flying over the freshwater marsh at 1/2 mile.
Flushed from the marsh and landed in the marsh.
Great Blue Heron  150
Osprey  1
Bald Eagle  15
Belted Kingfisher  2
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific)  3
Northern Flicker  4
Peregrine Falcon  1
Western Wood-Pewee  8
Willow Flycatcher  6
Western Flycatcher (Pacific-slope)  2
Steller's Jay  2
American Crow  2
Common Raven  9
Black-capped Chickadee  18
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  7
Bank Swallow  2
Tree Swallow  10
Violet-green Swallow  15
Purple Martin  14     Gourds off Luhr Beach.
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  4
Barn Swallow  60
Cliff Swallow  2
Bushtit (Pacific)  8
Brown Creeper  8
Bewick's Wren  3
European Starling  100
Swainson's Thrush  21
American Robin  30
Cedar Waxwing  40
Purple Finch  2
American Goldfinch  25
Savannah Sparrow (Savannah)  3
Song Sparrow (rufina Group)  13
Spotted Towhee  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged)  35
Brown-headed Cowbird  10
Common Yellowthroat  6
Yellow Warbler (Northern)  10
Wilson's Warbler  3
Western Tanager  6

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S189750280
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