[Tweeters] Nisqually Wednesday.

[Kenneth Brown]

A bright sunny morning brought out about 30 bird nerds to start the walk, a few more were added as the day went on. While there is a core group that makes a full day out of it, most birders who attend this walk do not stay the whole day.  Everyone is welcome, but no one is obligated to stay longer than they want to, except the person keeping the list.  Highlights beside the wonderful weather were as good a look at a Barred Owl as anyone could ask for (4-5' from the boardwalk just above eye level with good light and no obstructions) and more distant sightings of Northern Shrike and Red-shouldered Hawk.  A nice mix of shorebirds were present.  One item of potential concern was an adult American Beaver on the shoreline of Shannon Slough, just south of the green gate near the start of the McCallister Creek boardwalk.  It was seen before the group went out on the boardwalk and was thought to be just preening and sunning itself but after we returned, it was in the water, the tide having come in, and seemed very lethargic.  When approached closely it finally slowly swam a little bit from shore but returned as soon as I backed away.  The consensus belief is that the animal was/is ill.  With that downer, the full tally is as follows:
 
 
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Nov 8, 2023 7:58 AM - 4:25 PM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Wednesday Walk.  The morning began sunny, calm and 39º F, with high fog developing for a couple of hours before burning off again for a beautiful 54º Autumn day.  There was a low 3’ 5” tide at 7:42 a.m., flooding to a 13’ 1” high water at 2:28 p.m.  Besides birds, the Pacific chorus frogs were out; Columbian black-tailed deer and eastern grey squirrels were in the woods; a coyote was seen hunting along the west bank of McAllister Creek, a lethargic beaver was on the salt water side of the dike at Shannon Slough, and Harbor Seals and California Sea Lions were seen from the estuary boardwalk.
81 species (+9 other taxa)

Cackling Goose (minima)  3155
Cackling Goose (Taverner's)  55
Canada Goose  50
Trumpeter/Tundra Swan  5     Near the mouth of the River; too far to ID to species
Northern Shoveler  18
Gadwall  16
Eurasian Wigeon  2     Both drakes; no females found
American Wigeon  2375
Mallard  50
Northern Pintail  465
Green-winged Teal  1885
Ring-necked Duck  4
Greater Scaup  25     Nisqually Reach
Surf Scoter  45     Several in McAllister Creek; remainder on Nisqually Reach
White-winged Scoter  2     Nisqually Reach
Bufflehead  110
Common Goldeneye  1     McAllister Creek
Hooded Merganser  2
Red-breasted Merganser  12     Several in McAllister Creek; remainder on Nisqually Reach
Horned Grebe  3     McAllister Creek near Luhr Beach
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  17     Near Entrance gate
Band-tailed Pigeon  2
Mourning Dove  1     Orchard
Anna's Hummingbird  3
American Coot  6
Long-billed Dowitcher  30
Wilson's Snipe  3
Greater Yellowlegs  28
Dunlin  250
Least Sandpiper  20
Western Sandpiper  2
Bonaparte's Gull  35
Short-billed Gull  28
Ring-billed Gull  335
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  6
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull  20
gull sp.  200
Common Loon  2     Nisqually Reach
Brandt's Cormorant  5     Nisqually Reach channel marker
Double-crested Cormorant  50
Great Egret  1     Freshwater side of Leschi Slough near Twin Barns
Great Blue Heron  18
Northern Harrier  3
Cooper's Hawk  2
Bald Eagle  10
Red-shouldered Hawk  1     Vocalizing from near Twin Barns; seen in riparian near Nisqually River
Red-tailed Hawk (calurus/alascensis)  3
Barred Owl  1     Provided excellent views near the Twin Barns observation deck
Belted Kingfisher  3
Red-breasted Sapsucker  1     Orchard
Downy Woodpecker  3
Northern Flicker  4
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)  1
Merlin (Black)  1     Very dark; expected subspecies.  Perched, then seen hunting Dunlin in amazing flight
Peregrine Falcon  1
Northern Shrike  1     Perched in dead trees in cattail marsh
American Crow  28
Common Raven  2
Black-capped Chickadee  38
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  7
Bushtit (Pacific)  21
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  14
Golden-crowned Kinglet  20
Brown Creeper  5
Pacific Wren  4
Marsh Wren  4
Bewick's Wren  4
European Starling  455
Varied Thrush  8     Many in Orchard
American Robin  30
American Pipit  5
House Finch  3
Pine Siskin  265
Lesser Goldfinch  6     Counted 1x1 in orchard
American Goldfinch  2
Fox Sparrow (Sooty)  3
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)  1     Orchard
White-crowned Sparrow (pugetensis)  2
Golden-crowned Sparrow  9
White-throated Sparrow  2     One in Orchard; another in willows north of Twin Barns
Song Sparrow  29
Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group)  3
Western Meadowlark  3
Red-winged Blackbird  55
Orange-crowned Warbler  3
Orange-crowned Warbler (lutescens)  6
Yellow-rumped Warbler  3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)  2
Townsend's Warbler  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S154070210
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