<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr">Sent from my iPhone</div><div dir="ltr"><br><blockquote type="cite">On Feb 15, 2024, at 11:22, Shep Thorp <shepthorp@gmail.com> wrote:<br><br></blockquote></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">Hi Tweets,<div><br></div><div>Approximately 35 of us endured a cold foggy morning with partly cloudy skies for 1-2 hours around noon, then cloudy skies with light rain in the afternoon and temperatures in the 30's to 40's degrees Fahrenheit. There was a High 15'4" Tide at 8:39am and a Low 1'6" Tide at 3:22pm. Highlights included FOY MOURNING DOVE in the Orchard, and FOY TOWNSEND'S WARBLER along the east side of the Twin Barns Loop Trail with a mixed flock including 20+ YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER. Nice looks of DUNLIN, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, and WILSON'S SNIPE around the Twin Barns. Good looks of 6+ WESTERN SANDPIPER mixed in with a large flock of DUNLIN on the mudflats north of the Nisqually Estuary Trail. And continuing immature male WHITE-WINGED SCOTER in McAllister Creek with a large group of SURF SCOTER.</div><div><br></div><div>For the day, we observed 72 species, and with FOY Mourning Dove, Townsend's Warbler, and a heard only HUTTON'S VIREO near the Visitor Center, we have observed 98 species this year. Mammals seen included a Mink seen in the slough adjacent to the Twin Barns (there have been reports of observed Mink from the west entrance to the Twin Barns Loop Trail to the Twin Barns Observation Platform), Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Eastern Gray Squirrel, and Harbor Seal. See eBird list pasted below with notes on locations.</div><div><br></div><div>Until next week when we meet again, happy birding.</div><div><br></div><div>Shep<br clear="all"><div><br></div><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">Shep Thorp<div>Browns Point</div><div>253-370-3742</div><div><br></div><div>Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US<br>Feb 14, 2024 7:37 AM - 3:30 PM<br>Protocol: Traveling<br>6.87 mile(s)<br>Checklist Comments: Wednesday Walk. Foggy and mostly cloudy with a steady breeze in the afternoon. Temperatures in the 30’s to 40’s degree’s Fahrenheit. A High 15’4” Tide at 8:39am and a Low 1’6” Tide at 3:22pm. Mammals seen Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Mink (seen in slough adjacent to the Twin Barns), Eastern Gray Squirrel and Harbor Seal.<br>72 species (+6 other taxa)<br><br>Brant 40 Puget Sound Observation Platform.<br>Cackling Goose (minima) 100<br>Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 40<br>Northern Shoveler 250<br>Gadwall 50<br>Eurasian Wigeon 3 One in the surge plain, two seen from McAllister Creek Observation Platform.<br>American Wigeon 600<br>Mallard 300<br>Northern Pintail 200<br>Green-winged Teal (American) 800<br>Ring-necked Duck 3<br>Surf Scoter 50<br>White-winged Scoter 1 Immature male with Surf Scoters in McAllister Creek.<br>Bufflehead 250<br>Common Goldeneye 125<br>Hooded Merganser 8<br>Red-breasted Merganser 30<br>Pied-billed Grebe 1 Visitor Center Pond<br>Horned Grebe 6<br>Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 4<br>Mourning Dove 1 Orchard.<br>American Coot 125<br>Semipalmated Plover 3 Continuing winter resident. Seen in the surge plain north of the Nisqually Estuary Trail.<br>Long-billed Dowitcher 8 Flooded field south of Twin Barns.<br>Wilson's Snipe 6 Twin Barns Observation Platform.<br>Spotted Sandpiper 2 West side of McAllister Creek.<br>Greater Yellowlegs 25<br>Dunlin 1500<br>Least Sandpiper 150 Likely more. Several large sized flocks of 50 plus birds. Seen from Nisqually Estuary Trail and Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail.<br>Western Sandpiper 6 Probably more. Several Western Sandpipers mixed in large flock of Dunlin. Smaller and white throated in comparison to Dunlin. Shorter bill and lighter gray back than area Dunlin.<br>Short-billed Gull 200<br>Ring-billed Gull 75<br>Glaucous-winged Gull 1<br>Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 15<br>Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 20<br>Larus sp. 150<br>Common Loon 1 Nisqually Reach.<br>Brandt's Cormorant 4 Nisqually River Channel Marker.<br>Pelagic Cormorant 1<br>Double-crested Cormorant 10<br>Great Blue Heron 20<br>Northern Harrier 3<br>Bald Eagle 8<br>Red-tailed Hawk 3<br>Belted Kingfisher 3<br>Red-breasted Sapsucker 1<br>Downy Woodpecker 2<br>Northern Flicker 2<br>Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 3<br>Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted x Red-shafted) 1<br>Hutton's Vireo 1 Heard only<br>American Crow 100<br>Common Raven 1<br>Black-capped Chickadee 10<br>Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2<br>Tree Swallow 4<br>Barn Swallow 2 Black throated in comparison to Tree Swallows. Dark purple back versus green iridescence of Tree Swallows.<br>Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2<br>Golden-crowned Kinglet 12<br>Brown Creeper 2<br>Pacific Wren 4<br>Marsh Wren 3<br>Bewick's Wren 5<br>European Starling 40<br>Varied Thrush 3<br>American Robin 80<br>Pine Siskin 3 Twin Barns Overlook.<br>Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 3<br>White-crowned Sparrow (pugetensis) 1<br>Golden-crowned Sparrow 50<br>Song Sparrow 24<br>Lincoln's Sparrow 2 Nisqually Estuary Trail.<br>Spotted Towhee 6<br>Western Meadowlark 1<br>Red-winged Blackbird 30<br>Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2<br>Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 20<br>Townsend's Warbler 1 East side of the Twin Barns Loop Trail.<br><br>View this checklist online at <a href="https://ebird.org/checklist/S161533070" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://ebird.org/checklist/S161533070</a><br></div></div></div></div></div>
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