[Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 2/11/2026

[Shep Thorp via Tweeters]

Dear Tweets,

Approximately 30 of us had a beautiful day at the Refuge with mostly sunny
skies and temperatures in the 40's to 50's degrees Fahrenheit.  There was a
High 11'6" Tide at 11:43am and we followed our regular route.  Highlights
included WILSON SNIPE in both the flooded field just north of the old
McAllister Creek Access Road and from the Twin Barns Overlook, AMERICAN
KESTREL in the surge plain, HORNED GREBE in McAllister Creek, EURASIAN
WIGEON from the Puget Sound Observation Platform, WESTERN MEADOWLARK in the
grass fields adjacent to the freshwater marsh along the Nisqually Estuary
Trail, and COOPERS HAWK catching a Little Brown Bat on the Twin Barns Loop
Trail near the Twin Barns cut-off.

For the day, we observed 70 species.  With FOY DARK-EYED JUNCO and WESTERN
GULL, we have now observed 87 species this year.  See our eBird report
below for more details.

Until next week when we meet again at 8am at the Visitor Center.  Happy
birding,
Shep

-- 
Shep Thorp
Browns Point
253-370-3742

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Feb 11, 2026 7:48 AM - 5:06 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.074 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Wednesday Walk. Mostly Sunny with temperatures in
the 40’s to 50’s degrees Fahrenheit. There was a high Low 9’11” Tide at
8:11am and a High 11’6” Tide at 11:43am.  Others seen Muskrat, Columbian
Black-tailed Deer, Red-legged Frog, River Otter, Harbor Seal, Little Brown
Bat, and Red-eared Slider.
70 species (+5 other taxa)

Brant (Black)  15     Puget Sound Viewing Platform.
Cackling Goose  300
Cackling Goose (minima)  300
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima)  3
Northern Shoveler  75
Gadwall  10
Eurasian Wigeon  1     Puget Sound Viewing Platform.
American Wigeon  1000
Eurasian x American Wigeon (hybrid)  1     Flooded field south of Twin
Barns.
Mallard  150
Northern Pintail  200
Green-winged Teal (American)  225
Ring-necked Duck  4     Visitor Center Pond.
Surf Scoter  50
White-winged Scoter  15     Off Luhr Beach seen from Puget Sound Viewing
Platform.
Bufflehead  125
Common Goldeneye  75
Hooded Merganser  2     Visitor Center.
Common Merganser  2     Nisqually River Overlook.
Red-breasted Merganser  10     McAllister Creek.
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  30
Anna's Hummingbird  2     Orchard and Dike.
Virginia Rail  2     Freshwater marsh.
American Coot (Red-shielded)  100
Wilson's Snipe  9     Two spotted by Danielle in flooded field just north
of McAllister Creek Access Road.  Seven spotted by Pete from Twin Barns
Overlook.
Spotted Sandpiper  1     West side of McAllister Creek.
Greater Yellowlegs  20
Dunlin  700
Least Sandpiper  40
Short-billed Gull  100
Ring-billed Gull  50
Western Gull  1     Spotted by Antony from the Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk
Trail.
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  1
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull  15
Larus sp.  250
Pied-billed Grebe  1     Freshwater Marsh
Horned Grebe  10
Common Loon  4
Brandt's Cormorant  8
Double-crested Cormorant  30
Great Blue Heron (Great Blue)  40
Cooper's Hawk  1     Seen in the afternoon on the north section of the Twin
Barns Loop Trail capturing a Little Brown Bat.
Northern Harrier  2
Bald Eagle  8
Red-tailed Hawk  2
Belted Kingfisher  2
Red-breasted Sapsucker  1     Ed center.
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific)  2
Hairy Woodpecker  1     Spotted by Tom along the Twin Barns Loop Trail.
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)  3
American Kestrel  2
Peregrine Falcon  1
Hutton's Vireo  1     Spotted by Janel along the Access Road south of the
west side parking lot.
American Crow  75
Common Raven  3
Black-capped Chickadee  10
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  3
Golden-crowned Kinglet  20
Brown Creeper  4
Pacific Wren (Pacific)  4
Marsh Wren  6
Bewick's Wren  2
European Starling  75
American Robin (migratorius Group)  39
Fox Sparrow (Sooty)  1     Orchard.
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)  1     Education Center.
White-crowned Sparrow (pugetensis)  2
Golden-crowned Sparrow  50
Song Sparrow (rufina Group)  20
Lincoln's Sparrow  2     Nisqually Estuary Trail or new dike.
Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group)  6
Western Meadowlark  1     Grassy areas adjacent to freshwater marsh from
Nisqually Estuary Trail.
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged)  40
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)  6

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S299666210
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