[Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR 4/3/2024

[Shep Thorp via Tweeters]

Hi Tweets,

We had a mixed weather day with partly cloudy skies and nice sunbreaks, but
around noon we had a short rain and hail squall which split up the day and
sent some of our birders home.  We started with approximately 25 birders
and ended the day with 7, some of them joining us in the afternoon after
the squall blew through.  Temperatures were in the 40's to 50's degrees
Fahrenheit and there was a high Low 8'2" Tide at 8:51am and a low High
10'5" Toide at 12:21pm.  Highlights included First of Year CLIFF SWALLOW,
SNOW GOOSE, BONAPARTE'S GULL, CALIFORNIA GULL, and CINNAMON TEAL.  We also
enjoyed the nice looks of three BUSHTIT nests, and an unidentified
hummingbird species (ANHU or RUHU) nest.  There were nice sightings of
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, WILSON'S SNIPE, COMMON
YELLOWTHROAT, COMMON LOON and SAVANNAH SPARROW.

Bushtit nests (3) were observed in the Orchard, off the Maintenance
Building Road just northeast of the Entrance Road, and on the outside of
the north section of the Twin Barns Loop Trail across from the Canada Goose
nest in the old owl nest tree.  There were BROWN CREEPERS building a nest
in an Alder Tree with bark shingles across the parking lot from the
Education Center.  We had Wilson Snipe in the flooded field south of the
Twin Barns and the Visitor Center Pond.  A pair of RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER
are likely nesting in the large Maple Trees around the Twin Barns.  Both
Common Yellowthroat Warbler and Savannah Sparrow were singing on territory
on either side of the Nisqually Estuary Trail dike.  Both male and female
Cinnamon Teal were seen in the freshwater marsh.  We had great looks of
perhaps three breeding plumage Common Loons foraging in McAllister Creek.
A hummingbird sp. nest, either ANHU or RUHU, was observed 4 railing planks
north of the Riparian Forest cut-off on the inside of the trail in an Alder
on the right hand side, 8 branches up, and 6 feet out on the right,
approximately 20 feet high.

For the day we observed 84 species, with FOY CLSW, SNGO, BOGU, CAGU, and
CITE, we have seen 117 species this year.  See eBird report copied below
with details and embedded photos.

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
Apr 3, 2024 7:15 AM - 5:04 PM
Protocol: Traveling
7.376 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Wednesday Walk.  Mostly cloudy skies with sun
breaks, breezy conditions, and short period of rain and hail.  Temperatures
in the 40’s to 50’s degrees Fahrenheit. A high Low 8’2” Tide at 8:51am and
a low High 10’5” Tide at 12:21pm. Mammals seen Townsend’s Chipmunk, Eastern
Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Eastern Gray Squirrel,
and Harbor Seal.  Other reports of Pacific Tree Frog, Red-legged Frog,
Bullfrog, and NW Salamander Egg clusters.
84 species (+10 other taxa)

Snow Goose  1     Continuing. With migrating flock of minima Cackling
Geese.  Freshwater marsh in the afternoon.
Brant (Black)  50     Nisqually Reach.
Cackling Goose (minima)  400
Cackling Goose (Taverner's)  30
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima)  30     Nest in Visitor Center Pond and old
owl tree nest on inside of north section of Twin Barns Loop Trail.
Wood Duck  4
Cinnamon Teal  2
Northern Shoveler  125
Gadwall  20
Eurasian Wigeon  2
American Wigeon  250
Eurasian x American Wigeon (hybrid)  1
Mallard  100
Northern Pintail  75
Green-winged Teal  600
Ring-necked Duck  10
Greater Scaup  1     Freshwater Marsh
Greater/Lesser Scaup  100     Off Luhr Beach.
Surf Scoter  40
Bufflehead  200
Common Goldeneye  30
Hooded Merganser  4     Visitor Center Pond.
Common Merganser  6     Nisqually River.
Red-breasted Merganser  20     McAllister Creek.  One observed in Nisqually
River.
duck sp.  400
Pied-billed Grebe  2     Freshwater marsh.
Horned Grebe  4
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  25
Band-tailed Pigeon  2     Orchard.
Mourning Dove  4     Orchard.
Anna's Hummingbird  2
Rufous Hummingbird  3
hummingbird sp.  1     Nest. Could not determine species. Photos. Four
railing planks north of Riparian Forest cut-off on the inside of the trail.
Alder farthest to the right, 8 branches up on the right side, 6 feet out on
the right side from the trunk on a small horizontal branch below the main
branch. Tall cup. Possibly it could be ANHU or RUHU.
American Coot  100
Black-bellied Plover  1     Heard from McAllister Creek viewing platform.
Wilson's Snipe  3     Twin Barns Loop Trail Visitor Center Pond. Along
access road in flooded field south of Twin Barns, flooded field adjacent to
Twin Barns.
Spotted Sandpiper  1     West Bank of McAllister Creek
Greater Yellowlegs  20
Dunlin  200     Mudflats around McAllister Creek Viewing Platform.
Least Sandpiper  25     Mudflats along Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail
between McAllister Creek Viewing Platform and Puget Sound Viewing Platform.
Western Sandpiper  3     Three observed in flock of 100 plus Dunlin.
Previously reported. Observed at 300-500 feet with 60x spotting scope
foraging on mudflats for 1 minute. Smaller and shorter billed then area
Dunlin, white throat in contrast to other non breeding small shorebirds in
the area. Lighter gray back than Dunlin.
Bonaparte's Gull  1     Roosting briefly with SBGU on mudflats along north
Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail.
Short-billed Gull  100
Ring-billed Gull  25
California Gull  1
Glaucous-winged Gull  1
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  15
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull  100
Larus sp.  100
Common Loon  3
Brandt's Cormorant  7
Double-crested Cormorant  10
Great Blue Heron  15
Northern Harrier  1
Bald Eagle  12     Two occupied nests. One in tall Cottonwood West Bank of
Nisqually River north of dike. The other west and across the McAllister
Creek from Puget Sound Viewing Platform. Did not see bird this week on nest
across creek and south of McAllister Creek Viewing Platform.
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Belted Kingfisher  2     Burrows in bank on west side of McAllister Creek.
Red-breasted Sapsucker  3     Maples around Twin Barns.
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific)  4
Northern Flicker  2
Steller's Jay  1
American Crow  30
Common Raven  2
Black-capped Chickadee  6
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  3
Tree Swallow  50     Nest boxes by Twin Barns.
Violet-green Swallow  75
Barn Swallow  3
Cliff Swallow  1     Spotted by Heather over flooded field south of Twin
Barns.
Bushtit (Pacific)  6     Three occupied nests: 1) Orchard; 2) east side of
Maintenance Building Road just north of entrance road and 50 off road at
eye level in Douglas Fir Tree; 3) outside of Twin Barns Loop Trail across
from old owl nest tree with Cañada Goose at eye level in mixed small
Cottonwood and Himalayan BlackBerry.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  8
Golden-crowned Kinglet  1
Brown Creeper  6     Across parking lot from Entrance to Education Center
in Alder with bark shingles.
Pacific Wren  1
Marsh Wren  8
Bewick's Wren  6
European Starling  30
Varied Thrush  1     Orchard.
American Robin  30
Purple Finch  2
Pine Siskin  2
American Goldfinch  4
Fox Sparrow (Sooty)  2
Golden-crowned Sparrow  6
Savannah Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow (rufina Group)  24
Lincoln's Sparrow  1
Spotted Towhee  3
Red-winged Blackbird  50
Orange-crowned Warbler  3
Common Yellowthroat  3
Yellow-rumped Warbler  20
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  5
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)  20

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S167160542
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