[Tweeters] Wednesday Walk for Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 9/24/2025

[Shep Thorp via Tweeters]

Hi Tweets,

Approximately 25 of us had a nice first of Fall walk at the Refuge with
sunny skies and temperatures in the 50's to 70's degrees Fahrenheit.  There
was a High 12'2" Tide at 8:04am so we skipped the Orchard in the morning to
catch the falling tide out on the Nisqually Estuary Trail or dike.
Highlights included first of Fall CACKLING GEESE and GREATER WHITE FRONTED
GEESE both in the flooded fields and the surge plain, a nice WILSON'S SNIPE
show in the freshwater marsh, all three falcons - AMERICAN
KESTREL/MERLIN/PEREGRINE FALCON made an appearance, great looks of WHIMBREL
at the McAllister Creek Viewing Platform, and Ken scoped 75 plus First of
Year WESTERN GREBEs from the Puget Sound Observation Platform between
Nisqually Reach and Anderson Island.  We puzzled over an immature
Black-bellied/Pacific Golden type plover at a significant distance and were
not able to relocate species reported by others such as Lesser Yellowlegs
and Red-shouldered Hawk.

For the day, we observed 70 species.  With Western Grebe being our FOY, we
now have observed 169 species so far this year.  eBird report pasted below.

Other observations included the Isabella Tiger Moth, or Wooly Caterpillars
on the dike.  A Muskrat continued in the afternoon at the cut-off bridge
towards the Twin Barns from the Twin Barns Loop Trail.  We heard of a pack
of Coyotes calling east of the old Nisqually River dike north of the
Riparian Forest Overlook Trail.

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

Shep

-- 
Shep Thorp
Browns Point
253-370-3742

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Sep 24, 2025 7:35 AM - 4:45 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.15 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Wednesday Walk. Sunny skies with temperatures in
the 50’s to 70’s degrees Fahrenheit. A High 12’2” Tide at 8:04am and a Low
4’9” Tide at 1:52pm. Others seen included Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit;
Eastern Gray Squirrel; Pacific Chorus Frog; Isabella Tiger Mouth
Caterpillar; Harbor Seal; Muskrat; American Bullfrog; Spotted Tussock Moth
Caterpillar; Coyote; and Townsend’s Chipmunk.
70 species (+5 other taxa)

Greater White-fronted Goose (Western)  14
Cackling Goose (minima)  150
Wood Duck  10     Visitor Center Pond.
Northern Shoveler  2
Gadwall  1
American Wigeon  20
Mallard  115
Northern Pintail  150
Green-winged Teal (American)  20
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  5
Band-tailed Pigeon (Northern)  1
hummingbird sp.  1
Virginia Rail  1     Freshwater Marsh
Black-bellied Plover  3     Mudflats
Black-bellied Plover/golden-plover sp.  1     Associated with BBPL,
smaller, golden wash, could not differentiate between immature BBPL and
PGPL.
Killdeer  2
Whimbrel (Hudsonian)  1     McAllister Creek Viewing Platform.
Long-billed Dowitcher  3
Wilson's Snipe  3     Freshwater marsh.
Spotted Sandpiper  1     West Bank of McAllister Creek.
Greater Yellowlegs  30
Least Sandpiper  300
Western Sandpiper  600     Counted in groups of 100 with spotting scopes at
1/4 mile on mudflats of surge plain and adjacent to Nisqually Estuary
Boardwalk Trail.
Ring-billed Gull  200
California Gull  3
Glaucous-winged Gull  2
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  5
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull  20
Larus sp.  300
Caspian Tern  3
Pied-billed Grebe  2
Western Grebe  75     Between Nisqually Reach and Anderson Island. Scoped
from Puget Sound Viewing Platform.
Common Loon  1     Viewed from Puget Sound Viewing Platform beyond
Nisqually Reach.
Brandt's Cormorant  4     Nisqually River Channel Marker.
Double-crested Cormorant  40
American Bittern  1     Freshwater marsh.
Great Blue Heron (Great Blue)  25
Turkey Vulture  5
Cooper's Hawk  1
Bald Eagle  5
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Belted Kingfisher  4
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific)  2
Hairy Woodpecker (Pacific)  1
Pileated Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)  4
American Kestrel (Northern)  1
Merlin  1
Peregrine Falcon  1
American Crow  10
Common Raven  5
Black-capped Chickadee  16
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  3
Barn Swallow (American)  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  2
Golden-crowned Kinglet  16
Brown Creeper  9
Pacific Wren (pacificus Group)  2
Marsh Wren  2
Bewick's Wren  4
European Starling  30
Swainson's Thrush  1
American Robin (migratorius Group)  25
Cedar Waxwing  10
American Pipit  4
Purple Finch (Western)  6
American Goldfinch  6
Fox Sparrow (Sooty)  2
Golden-crowned Sparrow  18
Savannah Sparrow (Savannah)  1
Song Sparrow (rufina Group)  10
Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group)  2
Western Meadowlark  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged)  30
Common Yellowthroat  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S275330194
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