[Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 8/13/2025

[Shep Thorp via Tweeters]

Dear Tweets,

Approximately 40 of us had a super nice Summer day at the Refuge with
cloudy skies in the morning clearing to sunny skies in the afternoon and
temperatures in the 50's to 80's degrees Fahrenheit.  There was a High
11'5" Tide at 8:56am, so we skipped the Orchard and Access Roads at 8am to
chase the falling tide.  Highlights included great looks of swallows
BARN/VIOLET-GREEN/CLIFF/BANK and TREE on the Visitor Center Roof, First of
Year GREAT EGRET spotted by Gene and Whittier flying up the McAllister
Creek, four AMERICAN BITTERN (three juveniles and one adult) in the
freshwater marsh along the Nisqually Estuary Trail, in addition we had
great looks of VIRGINIA RAIL and SORA, there were upwards of 18
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER on the mudflats west of Leschi slough mixed in with
LEAST SANDPIPER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and SHORT-BILLED
DOWITCHER, and the return of waterfowl including AMERICAN GREEN-WINGED
TEAL, NORTHERN PINTAIL, NORTHERN SHOVELER and GADWALL.

For the day we observed 69 species, with FOY Great Egret, we now have seen
161 species this year.  See our eBird Report pasted below, photos to be
uploaded.

Others seen included Townsend's Chipmunk, Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit,
Eastern Gray Squirrel, Harbor Seal and American Bullfrog tadpole.

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

Shep

-- 
Shep Thorp
Browns Point
253-370-3742

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Aug 13, 2025 6:16 AM - 3:44 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.161 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Wednesday Walk. Cloudy in the morning clearing to
sunny skies in the afternoon with temperatures in the 50’s -80’s degrees
Fahrenheit. A High 11’5” tide at 8:56am.  Mammals seen Townsend’s Chipmunk,
Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Eastern Gray Squirrel, and Harbor Seal. We
skipped the Orchard and Access Roads in the morning to chase the tide.
69 species (+6 other taxa)

Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima)  80
Wood Duck  4     Visitor Center Pond.
Blue-winged Teal  2     Spotted by Matt flying into freshwater marsh from
Nisqually Estuary Trail. Powder blue coverts on top of wing with smaller
bill.
Northern Shoveler  10     Surge plain.
Gadwall  8     Surge plain.
Mallard  50
Northern Pintail  10     Surge plain.
Green-winged Teal (American)  90     Counted in groups of 10 in the surge
plain north of the Nisqually Estuary Trail. Mixed with Mallards, Northern
Shovelers, Northern Pintail and Gadwall.
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  30     Light post on entrance road near hiway
overpass.
Band-tailed Pigeon (Northern)  25
Mourning Dove  1
Vaux's Swift  1     Spotted by Jody on west side of Twin Barns Loop Trail
flying overhead.
Anna's Hummingbird  3
Virginia Rail  2     Seen and heard in freshwater marsh.
Sora  2     Seen and heard in freshwater marsh.
Killdeer  10
Semipalmated Plover  15     Mudflats west of Leschi Slough.
Short-billed Dowitcher  1     Photos. Saltwater side of dike between Leschi
Slough and start of Boardwalk trail. Adult in molt, spotting on sides of
neck.
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher  1
Greater Yellowlegs  40
Least Sandpiper  75
Western Sandpiper  45
peep sp.  150
Ring-billed Gull  300
California Gull  20
Glaucous-winged Gull  2
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  4
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull  10
Larus sp.  300
Caspian Tern  15
Pied-billed Grebe  1     Visitor Center Pond.
Brandt's Cormorant  5     Nisqually River Channel Marker.
Double-crested Cormorant  300
American Bittern  4     Three juveniles and one adult. Great find by
Heather on the inside of the Nisqually Estuary Trail in the tall cattails
adjacent to the dike 3/4 of the way out towards the boardwalk trail.
Great Egret  1     Spotted by Gene and Whittier flying up McAllister Creek
from the Access Road. Photo.
Great Blue Heron  70
Osprey  1
Cooper's Hawk  1     Twin Barns área and Nisqually River overlook.
Bald Eagle  15     Counted individually along Nisqually River, flying over
Refuge and out over Nisqually Reach.
Red-tailed Hawk  3
Belted Kingfisher  3
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific)  3
Northern Flicker  3
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)  1
Western Wood-Pewee  5
Willow Flycatcher  2
Warbling Vireo  3     Orchard in the morning before 8am.
Steller's Jay (Coastal)  1     McAllister Creek west bank.
American Crow  3
Black-capped Chickadee  20
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  4
Bank Swallow  4     Visitor Center Roof and fields south of the Twin Barns.
Tree Swallow  1
Violet-green Swallow  4
Purple Martin  6
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  2
Barn Swallow  100
Cliff Swallow  15
Brown Creeper  2
Bewick's Wren  5
European Starling  350
Swainson's Thrush  3
American Robin  10
Cedar Waxwing  30
House Finch  2
Purple Finch  1
American Goldfinch  25
Savannah Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  11
Spotted Towhee  1
Red-winged Blackbird  150
Orange-crowned Warbler  1     Spotted by Steve.
Common Yellowthroat  2     Spotted by Jon.
Yellow Warbler  8
Western Tanager  2     Orchard before 8am.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S267097426
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20250813/fbbfacf3/attachment.html>