[Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 7/23/2025.

[Shep Thorp via Tweeters]

Hi Tweets,

We had a nice Summer Day at the Refuge with Temperatures in the 60's to
90's degrees Fahrenheit  and a Low -3' Tide at 11:08am and a High 14'1"
Tide at 7:02pm.  So we split the day into a morning walk and afternoon
walk, saving the Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail for the afternoon.
Highlights included many recently fledge young including WOOD DUCK,
SWAINSON'S THRUSH and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, nesting BARN SWALLOW and CLIFF
SWALLOW, we had great looks of BAND-TAILED PIGEON and PURPLE FINCH, a fun
surprise was a BARRED OWL flushed from the stand of trees between the
slough adjacent to the Twin Barns and the Nisqually Estuary Trail, in the
afternoon we had high counts of BANK SWALLOW and RING-BILLED GULL on the
tide flats on the incoming tide.

For the day, we observed a total of 64 species.  With Barred Owl as FOY, we
are now at 160 species this year.  See our eBird lists pasted below.

Others seen included Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Townsend's Chipmunk,
Muskrat, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Harbor Seal, Columbian Black-tailed Deer
and Coyote pup.

There are two birders who I have misplaced their contact information, Jack,
and Jared.  Please feel welcome to text or email your information so I can
add you to the report.

Next week I'll be away on a Westport Pelagic, Ken Brown and all will lead
in my absence.  Until next week when the walk meets 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
Jul 23, 2025 6:55 AM - 1:42 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.128 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Wednesday Walk. Cloudy in the morning with clearing
skies in the afternoon. Temperatures in the 60’s to 90’s degrees
Fahrenheit. A Low -3’ Tide at 11:08am and a High 14’1” Tide at 7:02pm.
Mammals seen Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Townsend’s Chipmunk, Muskrat,
Eastern Gray Squirrel, and Harbor Seal. Split walk into two segments.
Morning segment including Orchard, Access Roads, Twin Barns Loop Trail and
Nisqually Estuary Trail.  Afternoon segment included the Nisqually Estuary
Boardwalk Trail.
52 species (+2 other taxa)

Wood Duck  12
Mallard  10
Hooded Merganser  1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  3
Band-tailed Pigeon (Northern)  6
Mourning Dove  4
Anna's Hummingbird  1
Rufous Hummingbird  2
hummingbird sp.  2
Killdeer  1
Glaucous-winged Gull  1
Larus sp.  1
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Blue Heron (Great Blue)  5
Northern Harrier  1
Bald Eagle  7
Red-tailed Hawk (calurus/alascensis)  1
Barred Owl  1     Flushed from stand of trees between slough adjacent to
Twin Barns and Nisqually Estuary Trail.
Belted Kingfisher  1
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific)  3
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)  7
Western Wood-Pewee  8
Willow Flycatcher  5
Western Flycatcher (Pacific-slope)  1     Heard only. East side of Twin
Barns Loop Trail on inside of trail near Beaver Deceiver.
Warbling Vireo (Western)  1     Heard behind Education Center.
American Crow  2
Black-capped Chickadee  11
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  3
Bank Swallow  4
Tree Swallow  10
Violet-green Swallow  3
Purple Martin  3
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  2
Barn Swallow (American)  75
Cliff Swallow (pyrrhonota Group)  15
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1     Heard only, near Nisqually Land Trust building
or Tech Building.
Brown Creeper  5
Marsh Wren  1
Bewick's Wren (spilurus Group)  6
European Starling  100
Swainson's Thrush  26
American Robin  6
Cedar Waxwing  55
House Finch  3
Purple Finch  6
American Goldfinch  30
Savannah Sparrow (Savannah)  6
Song Sparrow (rufina Group)  26
Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group)  2
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged)  200
Brown-headed Cowbird  18
Common Yellowthroat  6
Yellow Warbler (Northern)  8
Wilson's Warbler  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S262383713

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Jul 23, 2025 2:59 PM - 3:03 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.035 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Wednesday Walk. Afternoon session.  Walk out to the
end of the boardwalk and back. 4 miles.
39 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima)  150
Wood Duck  5
Northern Shoveler  1
Mallard  6
Mourning Dove  1
Virginia Rail  1
Greater Yellowlegs  2
Least Sandpiper  60
Short-billed Gull  1
Ring-billed Gull  500     Counted, probably more. Observed upwards of
600-800 birds.
California Gull  75
Glaucous-winged Gull  10
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  50
Caspian Tern  3
Brandt's Cormorant  5
Double-crested Cormorant  200
Great Blue Heron (Great Blue)  75
Bald Eagle  4
Belted Kingfisher  2
Red-breasted Sapsucker  1
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  2
Western Wood-Pewee  3
Steller's Jay (Coastal)  1
American Crow  2
Common Raven  1
Black-capped Chickadee  2
Bank Swallow  25     Counted individually on a snag on the mudflats. Photo.
Scoped with 60x spotting scope.
Tree Swallow  1
Purple Martin  5
Barn Swallow (American)  50
Cliff Swallow (pyrrhonota Group)  20
Marsh Wren  1
European Starling  150
Swainson's Thrush (Russet-backed)  8
American Robin  2
American Goldfinch  15
Song Sparrow (rufina Group)  3
Red-winged Blackbird  200
Brown-headed Cowbird  25

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S262273103
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