[Tweeters] Wednesday at Nisqually.

[Kenneth Brown via Tweeters]

It was a crisp, cold morning.  The small pond in front of the Visitor's Center was completely frozen over.  The larger pond behind had a bit of still-open water that concentrated the ducks making them easier to see and count.  Crows streamed westerly overhead as we walked south through the parking lot.  A Bald Eagle, perched in a Cottonwood, was being half-heartedly harassed by a few Crows.  The eagle ignored them and they soon went away. A few Kinglets, a Black-capped Chickadee, and a Brown Creeper hung out near the Education Center with a couple of Black-tailed Deer.  At the entrance to the frost covered play area were several Gold-crowned Sparrows and a Red-breasted Sapsucker.  A Northern Flicker looked us over from the top of an Alder.  The orchard was bird-free except for a Hairy Woodpecker and few more Golden-crowned Sparrows.  The entrance road yielded a few more Kinglets, and a couple Song Sparrows.  To the west on the icy far shore of the frozen peek-a-boo pond was a lone Killdeer.  The southerly pond west of the service road was also frozen and duck-less but in the center, an American Kestrel shared a tall Willow with a Red-winged Blackbird and a Crow. 
 
A Red-tailed Hawk sat high in a Fir tree overlooking a pair of Bufflehead in the center pond as we entered the west side of the loop trail.  Another Hairy Woodpecker flitted back and forth between trees on either side of the boardwalk. Spotted Towhees, both Kinglets, Brown Creepers, both Chickadees, a Downy Woodpecker, Fox Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Bewick's Wren, Pacific Wren and Robins all made their presence known.  A side trip west to the frozen flooded field showed us a few American Wigeon on the ice, an American Coot, more Golden-crowned Sparrows along the road and a flock of a couple hundred Cackling Geese yelping as they flew south over the fields.  Looking north, a pair of Eagles perched near their old nest south of the barns.  
 
Out on the dike, another pair of Eagles seemed to cuddle in the Cottonwood next to the Nisqually River, where they've nested in the past.  A pair of Purple Finch were in the top of the small Alders on the north side, several more Golden-crowned Sparrows and a single White-crowned Sparrow foraged on the edge of the bramble on the south side.  A Northern Harrier cruised low over the surge plain.  Walking west, we left the shade of the Willow thicket and the sun began to warm us a bit, thawing frozen fingers, and slowly melting the frost.  Lincoln's Sparrow and Marsh Wrens darted from bush to grass and back.  A bit of open water on the fresh water side held a concentration of American Wigeon and a smaller number of American Coots.  The now resident flock of Greater White-fronted Geese waddled along the dike, unbothered by the presence of us hominids.  Another Harrier hunted the freshwater marsh.  The ducks we hadn't seen earlier were out on the ice-free salt water side, a lot of American Wigeon mixed with Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Northern Shovelers, and Mallards.  A large flock of Dunlin wheeled and flashed to the north.  Gulls were scattered in small numbers, Ring-billed and Short-billed with the occasional "Olympic" Gull.
 
Out on the estuary boardwalk, the shadows of the railing were printed in frost on the walkway.  Harbor Seals lounged on the far shore of the creek.  Just past high tide, there were few shorebirds on the way out, several Greater Yellowlegs paced the shore and further out a couple Spotted Sandpipers foraged separately at the waters edge.  Common Goldeneye, Wigeon, Bufflehead, Surf Scoters, and    Red-breasted Mergansers in small groups occupied the creek.  From the gated north end we saw more of the same species and a couple of Common Loons.  A small flock of Least Sand pipers worked the waters edge east of the walkway.  Jason pointed out a Eurasian American Wigeon among the American version.  Two Brandt's Cormorants were on the Channel marker and several Double-crested Cormorants were scattered about.  As we returned, the tide having fallen, a large flock of Dunlin settled on the exposed mud, giving us a closer view.  Smaller flocks of Least Sandpipers also cooperated.  Returning east on the dike, a single Herring gull pulled rotting flesh from the carcass of a dead Sealion slowly decomposing on the edge of the tide flat. Five Semipalmated Plovers were foraging on the mud near Leschi Slough.
 
At the Nisqually River overlook a Pied-billed Grebe dove and surfaced in the bend of the river, a pair of Common Mergansers shared the space with a couple Common Goldeneye and some Mallards. Turning south we stopped at our memorized, narrow, obstructed Great-horned Owl viewpoint and were once again rewarded.  Returning to the Visitor Center deck to finalize our tally, a pair of Ravens flew overhead.  The checklist follows:
 
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Jan 22, 2025 7:48 AM - 3:25 PM
Protocol: Traveling
4.66 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Temp. 25°- 35°  F.  NE Wind 2-3 mph. Partly cloudy.
66 species (+4 other taxa)

Greater White-fronted Goose  26     on dike.
Cackling Goose  400     flyovers by large flocks.
Canada Goose  14
Northern Shoveler  100
Eurasian Wigeon  3
American Wigeon  750
Eurasian x American Wigeon (hybrid)  1
Mallard  125
Northern Pintail  250
Green-winged Teal  100
Ring-necked Duck  6     all on open water in Visitor Center pond.
Surf Scoter  45
White-winged Scoter  4
Bufflehead  50
Common Goldeneye  30
Common Merganser  2     Seen from Nisqually River overlook.
Red-breasted Merganser  8
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  40
American Coot  20
Killdeer  1
Semipalmated Plover  5     Continuing on tide flat.
Spotted Sandpiper  2
Greater Yellowlegs  15
Dunlin  1800
Least Sandpiper  100
Western Sandpiper  5     Found within Dunlin flock.
Short-billed Gull  25
Ring-billed Gull  50
American Herring Gull  1
Glaucous-winged Gull  2
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  15
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull  25
Larus sp.  50
Pied-billed Grebe  1     Seen from Nisqually River overlook.
Common Loon  2
Brandt's Cormorant  2
Double-crested Cormorant  10
Great Blue Heron  10
Northern Harrier  2
Bald Eagle  10
Red-tailed Hawk  2
Great Horned Owl  1
Belted Kingfisher  2
Red-breasted Sapsucker  2
Downy Woodpecker  2
Hairy Woodpecker  3
Northern Flicker  2
American Kestrel  2
American Crow  120
Common Raven  2
Black-capped Chickadee  6
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  4
Golden-crowned Kinglet  25
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
Brown Creeper  3
Pacific Wren  2
Marsh Wren  10
Bewick's Wren  4
European Starling  50
American Robin  7
Purple Finch  3
Fox Sparrow  3
White-crowned Sparrow  1
Golden-crowned Sparrow  46
Song Sparrow  24
Lincoln's Sparrow  2
Spotted Towhee  3
Western Meadowlark  1
Red-winged Blackbird  25

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S210326439
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