[Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 11/27/2024

[Shep Thorp via Tweeters]

Dear Tweets,

We had a nice pre-Thanksgiving birding day at the Refuge with cloudy skies
and temperatures in the 40's to 50's degrees Fahrenheit.  There was a Low
6'4" Tide at 8:53am and a High 13'2" Tide at 2:25pm which was perfect for
our regular route.  Highlights included three RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER and
one PILEATED WOODPECKER in the Orchard, upward of eighteen WILSON'S SNIPE -
fifteen were in the flooded field across the entrance road from the
Orchard, six WESTERN MEADOWLARK in the surge plain, good sized flocks of
DUNLIN with a few WESTERN SANDPIPER mixed in, and continuing GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and SNOW GEESE in the freshwater marsh.  We were
unsuccessful in relocating the Short-eared Owl that has been reported over
the weekend.

For the day we had 74 species with nothing new for the year.  See our eBird
list for additional details pasted below.  Until next week when we meet
again at 8am at the Visitor Center Pond Overlook...

Happy birding, Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Holidays, and be well.

Shep

-- 
Shep Thorp
Browns Point
253-370-3742


Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Nov 27, 2024 7:42 AM - 4:20 PM
Protocol: Traveling
6.115 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Wednesday Walk. Cloudy, temperatures in the 40’s to
50’s. A Low 6’4” Tide at 8:53am and a High 13’2” Tide at 2:25pm. Mammals
seen Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Coyote, Harbor
Seal, California Sea Lion, and Steller Sea Lion. Also seen Pacific Tree
Frog.
74 species (+6 other taxa)

Snow Goose  4     Freshwater marsh.
Greater White-fronted Goose (Western)  23
Cackling Goose (minima)  700
Cackling Goose (Taverner's)  8
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima)  12
Northern Shoveler  100
Gadwall  30
Eurasian Wigeon  1     Spotted by Jon from McAllister Creek Viewing
Platform along McAllister Creek.
American Wigeon  1200
Mallard  250
Northern Pintail  500
Green-winged Teal (American)  1000
Ring-necked Duck  1     Spotted by Laurie in Visitor Center Pond.
Greater/Lesser Scaup  30
Surf Scoter  30
Bufflehead  200
Common Goldeneye  10
Hooded Merganser  1     Twin Barns Loop Trail.
Red-breasted Merganser  25     McAllister Creek
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  25
Anna's Hummingbird  1
Virginia Rail  2     Heard only. Freshwater marsh.
American Coot  6
Wilson's Snipe  18     15 seen in flooded field across from Orchard.
Greater Yellowlegs  50
Dunlin  1000
Least Sandpiper  100
Western Sandpiper  15     Spotted by Jason and Heather, mixed in with
Dunlin flocks.
Bonaparte's Gull  75
Short-billed Gull  50
Ring-billed Gull  80
Glaucous-winged Gull  2
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  10
Larus sp.  200
Pied-billed Grebe  1     Freshwater marsh.
Horned Grebe  3     Scope views, Nisqually Reach
Common Loon  1     Scope view, Nisqually Reach.
Brandt's Cormorant  8     Nisqually River channel marker.
Double-crested Cormorant  15
Great Blue Heron (Great Blue)  20
Northern Harrier  2
Bald Eagle  10
Red-tailed Hawk  3
Belted Kingfisher  3
Red-breasted Sapsucker  3     Orchard.
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific)  2
Hairy Woodpecker (Pacific)  1
Pileated Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)  2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted x Red-shafted)  1
American Kestrel  1     Surge plain.
Peregrine Falcon  1
American Crow  200
Common Raven  3
Black-capped Chickadee  10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  20
Golden-crowned Kinglet  50
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1     Orchard.
Brown Creeper  3     Along entrance road.
Pacific Wren (pacificus Group)  4
Marsh Wren  4
Bewick's Wren (spilurus Group)  3
European Starling  100
Varied Thrush  2     Orchard area.
American Robin  10
House Finch  3
Purple Finch (Western)  10     Twin Barns Overlook.
Pine Siskin  100     North segment of Twin Barns Loop Trail.
Lesser Goldfinch  1     Spotted by Steve at Twin Barns Observation Platform
in morning.
Fox Sparrow (Sooty)  3
White-crowned Sparrow (pugetensis)  1     Spotted by Jason where Leschi
Slough goes under dike.
Golden-crowned Sparrow  20
Savannah Sparrow (Savannah)  3     Freshwater Marsh.
Song Sparrow (rufina Group)  23
Lincoln's Sparrow  3
Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group)  12
Western Meadowlark  6     Spotted by Priscilla in surge plain along Leschi
Slough.
Red-winged Blackbird  50
Orange-crowned Warbler (lutescens)  4

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S203827188
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20241129/757aec46/attachment.html>