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<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">Light snow fall overnight left a little frosting on the landscape, but it was not as cold as it has been. Attendance was lower, (16 or so) perhaps in anticipation of worse weather than actually materialized. The sun was out, shining on scattered ducks and a pair of early Barn Swallows swooping over the unfrozen pond. One landed briefly in a mud cup nest left over from last year, the bird's belly bright white, possibly a Eurasian subspecies? A Red-tailed Hawk perched in an adjacent Alder. Steve reported a Barn Owl and a solitary Snow Goose seen near the Twin Barns on his pre-dawn foray. </span>
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<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">Crows in large numbers flew west overhead as we started south in the parking lot. A pair of Hairy Woodpeckers flew out the Alders that separates the lot from the entrance road. In the play area and orchard, American Robins, Spotted Towhees, Golden-crowned and Song Sparrows, a Red-breasted Sapsucker, Northern Flicker and a few Mourning Doves drew our attention. The peek-a-boo pond west of the entrance road sported a single Green-winged Teal. A pair of Common Ravens perched in the fruit trees. A flock of hundreds of Cackling Geese flew south, apparently headed for the Farm fields south of the refuge.</span>
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<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">Departing from our usual route, we headed north along the east side of the loop trail seeing Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Bewick's Wren, a Pacific Wren, Song Sparrows, and Black-capped Chickadees. We searched in vain for the Great-horned Owl in it's known afternoon perch. At the River overlook we saw Common Mergansers, Common Goldeneye, Mallards and a Great Blue Heron. Common Ravens croaked unseen overhead.</span>
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<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">At the Twin Barns platform were the expected duck species, along with three Wilson's Snipe and half a dozen Long-billed dowitchers stitching the muddy ground. In the Willows sheltering the eastern part of the dike were a pair of Lincoln's Sparrows and more Golden-crowned Sparrows and both Kinglets. The tide was in, covering the mud. A Northern Harrier patrolled the surge plain, several Bald Eagles and a Red-tailed Hawk perched in trees and snags. A Peregrine Falcon crossed overhead. A pair of Western Meadowlarks sat up in a small bush on the north side. A few Killdeer flew north over the dike. On the freshwater side we found a pair of Eurasian Wigeon, drake and hen, mingling with their American cousins. They shared the marsh with Cackling Geese, a few Canada Geese, American Coots, Pintail, Shovelers, Mallards and a few Gadwall. Red-winged Blackbirds and European Starlings perched in the skeletal bushes and foraged on the top of the off-limit interior dike road. Marsh Wrens occupied the Cattails. A small flock of Least Sandpipers hunted for shoreline north of the dike. The small resident flock of Greater White-fronted Geese cropped the grass near the entrance to the McAllister Creek estuary boardwalk. </span>
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<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">The sky clouded up and a light snow/rain mix began to fall, the "feels like" temperature dropped and a breeze picked up as we walked the boardwalk north. In the creek we saw Wigeon, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Surf Scoters and Red-breasted Mergansers. Several Greater Yellowlegs and a Spotted Sandpiper worked the shoreline. The Puget Sound viewing platform, closed off during duck hunting season, was again accessible to us. Out on the reach fog had settled in, but we found one Horned Grebe, more Bufflehead, Wigeon, Scoters, and Mergansers. Brandt's Cormorants sat on the channel marker, but like last week, we saw no Double-crested Cormorants, and no Loons. Returning south a huge flock of Dunlin moved erratically around but as we approached the dike again, a portion settled near the start of the boardwalk and gave us some time to pick through them. We found a few more Least Sandpipers among them. </span>
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<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">Back on the dike, the decomposing Sealion carcass looked like a wet gray leather-covered ribcage, no Eagles were on it but a few were on the ground nearby. The reliable little flock of Semipalmated Plovers were out on the mud flat, as was a cluster of Green-winged Teal. We turned south along the west side of loop trail and saw Brown Creepers, more Kinglets, Black-capped Chickadees, a Red-breasted Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker and Northern Flicker. A short side trip to the north end of the flooded field south of the Barns, showed more of the same ducks and 30 or so Coots. The Visitors Center pond held 5 Ring-necked Ducks , a few Bufflehead and Mallards. A Yellow-rumped Warbler was flycatching from the Willows on the shore. The junction of the loop trail and the parking lot was still blocked off by a crew, with a dump truck and backhoe, they're prepping the ground </span>
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<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">for planting some native plants, so we completed our reverse loop by walking the service road south back to the entrance road. A quick sally to re-check the owl viewpoint was again unsuccessful. The Checklist follows.</span>
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Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
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Feb 5, 2025 7:48 AM - 3:05 PM
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Protocol: Traveling
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5.7 mile(s)
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67 species (+3 other taxa)
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Snow Goose 1
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Greater White-fronted Goose 26
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Cackling Goose 500
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Canada Goose 7
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Northern Shoveler 150
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Gadwall 12
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Eurasian Wigeon 2
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American Wigeon 800
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Mallard 150
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Northern Pintail 400
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Green-winged Teal 45
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Ring-necked Duck 5
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Surf Scoter 120
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Bufflehead 125
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Common Goldeneye 30
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Hooded Merganser 2
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Common Merganser 2
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Red-breasted Merganser 15
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Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 40
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Mourning Dove 4
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American Coot 45
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Killdeer 8
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Semipalmated Plover 5 Continuing.
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Long-billed Dowitcher 6
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Wilson's Snipe 3
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Spotted Sandpiper 1
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Greater Yellowlegs 25
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Dunlin 2500
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Least Sandpiper 35
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Short-billed Gull 25
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Ring-billed Gull 75
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Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 15
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Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 20
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Larus sp. 50
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Horned Grebe 1
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Brandt's Cormorant 4
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Great Blue Heron 10
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Northern Harrier 2
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Bald Eagle 25
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Red-tailed Hawk 3
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American Barn Owl 1
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Belted Kingfisher 1
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Red-breasted Sapsucker 2
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Downy Woodpecker 3
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Hairy Woodpecker 4
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Northern Flicker 3
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American Kestrel 1 reported by Laurie.
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Peregrine Falcon 1
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American Crow 150
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Common Raven 4
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Black-capped Chickadee 12
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Barn Swallow 2 Swooping over visitor center pond, landed briefly in last year's mud cup nest remaining in sheltered location.
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Bushtit 24
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Ruby-crowned Kinglet 12
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Golden-crowned Kinglet 8
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Brown Creeper 6
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Pacific Wren 2
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Marsh Wren 4
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Bewick's Wren 8
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European Starling 25
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Varied Thrush 1
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American Robin 30
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Fox Sparrow 1
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Golden-crowned Sparrow 12
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Song Sparrow 15
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Lincoln's Sparrow 2
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Spotted Towhee 6
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Western Meadowlark 2
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Red-winged Blackbird 20
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Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 1
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<br>View this checklist online at <a href="https://ebird.org/checklist/S212134410">https://ebird.org/checklist/S212134410</a>
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