[Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Nisqually.

[Kenneth Brown via Tweeters]

Our day began with a report by early arrivers, Steve and Ellen, of a Barn Owl
at and around the southern most barn, similar to previous reports.  Craig reported a Barred Owl on a sign post along the entrance road on his drive in.  Fortunately we were able to relocate that Owl in the orchard/play area and most of the 40 (+/-) birder got a good look at it.  We counted 11 Wilson's Snipe, along with 2 dozen Greater White-fronted Geese, around the flooded field south of the access road.  Other highlights included good visuals of both Virginia Rail and Sora in the freshwater marsh, and a first of the season Trumpeter Swan and female Bufflehead out on the surge plain.  It was probably the high tide that pushed in the unusually large number of Greater Yellow legs we saw, most in the grass on the far side of McCallister Creek.  We did not find the Whimbrel seen the last several weeks but found Black-bellied Plovers and a flock of Dunlin to console ourselves.  The complete list follows:
 
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Olympia US-WA 47.07225, -122.71205, Thurston, Washington, US
Oct 23, 2024 8:13 AM - 3:41 PM
Protocol: Traveling
4.41 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Mammals seen include Harbor Seals, River Otter, American Beaver, Black-tailed Deer, Townsend's Chipmunk, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Eastern cotton-tailed rabbit.
67 species (+4 other taxa)

Greater White-fronted Goose  24
Cackling Goose  1500
Canada Goose  2
Trumpeter Swan  1
Northern Shoveler  125
Gadwall  2
American Wigeon  2500
Mallard  125
Northern Pintail  1200
Green-winged Teal  2000
Surf Scoter  45
Bufflehead  1     female.
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  40
Anna's Hummingbird  3
Virginia Rail  1     In the open on the freshwater side of the dike.
Sora  1     Seen in the freshwater marsh south side of dike.
Black-bellied Plover  4     seen from the end of the boardwalk.
Killdeer  4
Wilson's Snipe  11
Greater Yellowlegs  75
Dunlin  60
Least Sandpiper  16
peep sp.  30
Short-billed Gull  15
Ring-billed Gull  120
California Gull  1
Glaucous-winged Gull  1
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  8
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull  12
Larus sp.  300
Horned Grebe  5
Common Loon  5
Brandt's Cormorant  1
Double-crested Cormorant  25
Great Blue Heron  20
Sharp-shinned Hawk  1     Seen by Laurie.
Northern Harrier  5
Bald Eagle  15
Red-tailed Hawk  1
American Barn Owl  1     Seen by Steve and Ellen around 7am at the southerly barn.
Barred Owl  1     Seen by many in the orchard/ play area.
Belted Kingfisher  4
Downy Woodpecker  3
Northern Flicker  3
Peregrine Falcon  2
American Crow  150
Common Raven  1
Black-capped Chickadee  15
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  6
Bushtit  20
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  12
Golden-crowned Kinglet  24
Brown Creeper  2
Pacific Wren  1
Marsh Wren  5
Bewick's Wren  4
European Starling  25
American Robin  60
American Pipit  2
Pine Siskin  36
Fox Sparrow  2
Dark-eyed Junco  3
Golden-crowned Sparrow  25
White-throated Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  19
Lincoln's Sparrow  2
Spotted Towhee  8
Western Meadowlark  1
Red-winged Blackbird  6
Orange-crowned Warbler  2
Yellow-rumped Warbler  3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S200043746
 
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20241023/68c35a7b/attachment.html>