[Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 7/12/2023

[Shep Thorp]

Hi Tweets,

another wonderful day at the Refuge with mostly sunny skies and
temperatures in the 50's to 70's.  About 25 birders joined us as we did our
'usual' walk.  There was a Low 0'0" Tide at 8:44pm and a High 11'0" Tide at
4:11pm.  Highlights included AMERICAN REDSTART 75 feet in from the westside
entrance to the Twin Barns Loop Trail, FOY GREEN HERON in the Visitor
Center Pond, two MERLINS one in the Orchard and the other on the Loop
Trail, continuing RED-EYED VIREO, numerous WOOD DUCKS and VIRGINIA RAIL,
and over 200 CASPIAN TERN on the mudflats.

Starting out at 8am at the Visitor Center Pond Overlook we observed three
clutches of WOOD DUCK, a total of 24 ducklings seen.  The RED-EYED VIREO
was heard singing along the westside entrance of the Twin Barns Loop
Trail.  We had great looks of a juvenile BELTED KINGFISHER, fishing the
pond.  A Columbian Black-tailed Deer with two fawns walked across the
pond.  American Beaver was observed earlier at 7am.

The Orchard was good for a hunting subadult MERLIN perched high in a tree.
We had nice looks of MOURNING DOVE, CEDAR WAXWING and WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE.

The fields adjacent to the Access Road and south of the Twin Barns were
great for picking through the swallows.  BARN SWALLOW, CLIFF SWALLOW and
BANK SWALLOW were most prominent, with occasional TREE SWALLOW, NORTHERN
ROUGH WINGED SWALLOW, and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW.  It seems many of our adult
breeding Tree Swallows were not around.

The westside of the Twin Barns Loop Trail is where a few got onto the
AMERICAN REDSTART with confirming photos.  A female type with 1/2 of the
underside of the tail being yellow closest to the body, and a gray head
with eyering.  We were approximately 75 feet into the trail when the bird
was seen loosely associated with a flock of foraging Chestnut-backed
Chickadees.  Some of our group also got onto the RED-EYED VIREO, but
neither sighting was easily relocated.  We had great looks of the AMERICAN
BITTERN in the Visitor Center Pond, it's been reliably relocated in this
area for the last two weeks.  There have been 2-3 Bitterns seen as well as
an occasional GREEN HERON which was seen by the leading section of our
walk.  After walking through, a second MERLIN flew in from behind, likely
hunting the numerous juvenile swallows at the Refuge.

The Twin Barns Overlook was quiet, but with great looks of WILLOW
FLYCATCHER.

The Nisqually Estuary Trail was good for BALD EAGLE, PEREGRINE FALCON, and
early arriving peeps (WESTERN SANDPIPER and LEAST SANDPIPER).  The
freshwater marsh was challenging to find waterfowl, we did see HOODED
MERGANSER, AMERICAN WIGEON, male WOOD DUCKS and numerous MALLARD.  Many
VIRGINIA RAIL were heard, the squeak call from several areas.  Some birders
observed a chick flying after an adult from one clump of cattails to
another.

The Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail was good for DOUBLE
CRESTED-CORMORANTS, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, CALIFORNIA GULL, RING-BILLED GULL
and CASPIAN TERN.  We counted over 240 Caspian Tern, two with leg bands.
SPOTTED SANDPIPER was spotted along the west bank of McAllister Creek.
PURPLE MARTIN and BRANDT'S CORMORANT could be scoped from the Puget Sound
Viewing Platform.  An active CLIFF SWALLOW mud hut nest continues at the
gazebo.

On our return, the east side of the Twin Barns Loop Trail was good for
BROWN CREEPER and probably two family groups of WARBLING VIREO.

We observed 68 species for the day, and have seen 147 species this year.
Mammals seen included American Beaver, Columbian Black-tailed Deer with
fawn, Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Townsend's Chipmunk, Eastern Gray
Squirrel, and Harbor Seal.  See eBird list with photos pasted below.

I'll be away next week, 7/19, but Ken, Rob, Pete and others will lead in my
absence.  I'll be back on 7/27.  Until then, happy birding!

Shep
-- 
Shep Thorp
Browns Point
253-370-3742

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Jul 12, 2023 6:45 AM - 4:37 PM
Protocol: Traveling
8.253 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Wednesday Walk. Cloudy in the morning, sunny in the
afternoon. Temperatures in the 50’s to 70’s degrees Fahrenheit. A Low 0’0”
Tide at 8:44am and a High 11’0” Tide at 4:11pm. Mammals seen are American
Beaver, Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit,
Townsend’s Chipmunk, Eastern Gray Squirrel, and Harbor Seal.
68 species (+2 other taxa)

Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima)  60
Wood Duck  28
Blue-winged/Cinnamon Teal  1
American Wigeon  1
Mallard  75
Hooded Merganser  8
Pied-billed Grebe  1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  1
Band-tailed Pigeon  1
Mourning Dove  1     Orchard.
Vaux's Swift  1
Anna's Hummingbird  1
Rufous Hummingbird  1
Virginia Rail  6     Freshwater Marsh. Vocalization between adults and
fledglings.
American Coot  1
Killdeer  1
Least Sandpiper  12
Western Sandpiper  56
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Ring-billed Gull  300
California Gull  200
Glaucous-winged Gull  5
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  2
Caspian Tern  245     Two Banded Terns:  1) left leg - green/blue/silver,
right leg - black weighting on yellow band C287; 2) left leg -
white/blue/gray, right leg - white writing on red band A6__
Brandt's Cormorant  5     Nisqually River channel marker.
Double-crested Cormorant  90
American Bittern  1     Visitor Center Pond
Great Blue Heron  90
Green Heron  1     Visitor Center Pond
Osprey  1     Foraging over confluence of Shannon Slough and McAllister
Creek. Several birders noticed string/line from mouth of bird trailing 2-3
feet.
Bald Eagle  8     Occupied nest West Bank of Nisqually River north of Twin
Barns and Nisqually Estuary Trail.
Belted Kingfisher  2     Visitor Center Pond and Nisqually River.
Downy Woodpecker  1
Merlin  2     Orchard and west side of Twin Barns Loop Trail.
Peregrine Falcon  1     Mudflats.
Western Wood-Pewee  6
Willow Flycatcher  6
Pacific-slope Flycatcher  4
Warbling Vireo  8
Red-eyed Vireo  1     Seen along the west side of the Twin Barns Loop
Trail. Heard in this location earlier in the morning. Also heard on the
right side of the Visitor Center and from the double bench overlook on the
east side of the Twin Barns Loop Trail.
American Crow  8
Black-capped Chickadee  6
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  10
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  8
Purple Martin  6     Over Refuge and at Luhr Beach Gourds.
Tree Swallow  6
Violet-green Swallow  4
Bank Swallow  8     Three to five seen over the flooded fields along the
access road. Six to nine seen over the freshwater and saltwater marsh on
the Nisqually Estuary Trail.
Barn Swallow  71
Cliff Swallow  35     Occupied nest Puget Sound Observation Platform.
Bushtit  2
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1     Heard along the east entrance to the Twin
Barns Loop Trail.
Brown Creeper  4
Marsh Wren  12
Bewick's Wren  5
European Starling  300
Swainson's Thrush  30
American Robin  30
Cedar Waxwing  18
Purple Finch  2
American Goldfinch  15
Savannah Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  24
Spotted Towhee  3
Red-winged Blackbird  75
Brown-headed Cowbird  20
Common Yellowthroat  10
American Redstart  1     Photo pending. Seen 75 feet in from the west side
entrance of the Twin Barns Loop Trail. Female type with yellow underside of
tail base contrasted with dark outer tail, split 1/2 and 1/2, gray plain
head with eye-ring, light throat. Observed at eye level in felled Maple
Snag on inside of Loop Trail adjacent to waters edge.  Seen by a few of our
group when photo taken, associated with feeding flock of Chestnut-backed
Chickadees.  Flushed and unable to relocate.
Yellow Warbler  15

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S144421641
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