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It was cold in the morning, (18° F) almost Okanogan-in-the-winter cold. The Refuge gate opens at 6:45 am. A couple of us came early to try for the Barn Owl but though we were on the platform before 7:00, we were unsuccessful. It was a clear night with a full moon and daylight keeps coming earlier. Seems likely that the owls had enough light to finish their hunt early and were already in their roost for the day. Might be difficult to see them in the coming months. We checked the Great Horned Owl viewpoint on our way back to the Visitor Center and came up empty again.
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Back on the deck we found two early Barn Swallows huddled together in an intact mud cup nest. What are they finding to eat in this frigid weather? There was enough open water in the pond to congregate American Wigeon, Mallards, Ring-necked Ducks, Northern Shovelers and Bufflehead close in for easy viewing. A couple Ruby-crowned Kinglets flitted in the bushes near by, a Northern Flicker perched on a snag and a Bald Eagle watched from atop the Fir we call the Eagle tree.
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A "murder" of 75+ American Crows were gathered in the Cottonwood trees on the west side of the entrance road, and many more flew over as we made our way south through the parking lot. A flock of Golden-crowned Sparrows flushed from the ground to the bushes and trees between the parking lot and the entrance road, a Flicker moved with them. In the play area and orchard we saw American Robins, Spotted Towhee, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a Northern Flicker, and Mourning Doves.
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The frozen ponds, west of the entrance road and south of the service road were icy and bird-less. A flock of hundreds of Cackling Geese flew noisily in the direction of the agricultural fields south of the freeway. West of the service road, on the off-limits access road that divides that field in two, a "herd" of American Coots sat, clustered together, (for warmth?) as if they had been rounded up. A Northern Harrier cruised the distant tree line, Red-winged Blackbirds perched singly in trees and on cattail stalks.
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From the boardwalk on the west side of the loop trail we saw and heard Black-capped Chickadees, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creepers, Spotted Towhee, Song, Fox, and Golden crowned Sparrows, Marsh and Bewick's Wrens, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, a Flicker, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. A short foray back to the the north end of the flooded field yielded more of the same ducks as before and a Eurasian Wigeon. From the Twin Barns overlook, the frozen field held only a couple Mallards and a small cluster of Cackling Geese.
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Out on the dike we saw more Golden-crowned Sparrows, a Lincoln's Sparrow, and more Kinglets. Bald Eagles perched in pairs and singly in the trees along the river, and a couple of Northern Harriers hunted low over the surge plain. A flock of seven Lesser Scaup flew southwest overhead. A scattering of Semipalmated Plovers, Killdeer and Greater Yellowlegs were out on the mudflats as were some Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, and a few Gadwall. A Common Raven perched on a rib as it picked at the skeletal remains of the Sealion carcass. The Greater White-fronted Geese were once again in attendance on the dike while a Custer of Canada Geese, some Cackling Geese, and the usual ducks shared the freshwater side with Red-winged Blackbirds, European Starlings and a few Marsh Wrens.
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In McAllister Creek were Mallards, American Wigeon, a Eurasian Wigeon, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Surf Scoters, a couple female Hooded Mergansers, Common and Red-breasted Mergansers, and two Horned Grebes. A few Great Blue Herons were stationed along the shore patrolled by several Greater Yellowlegs and a Spotted Sandpiper. Least Sandpipers foraged along the water's edge in smallish groups that couldn't seem to settle on a location, frequently picking up and resettling. Near the Puget Sound viewing platform two Dunlin foraged with a larger flock of Least Sandpipers. In the choppy water of the reach, we saw more of the same ducks as were in the creek and a Red-necked Grebe. Several more Bald Eagles perched on pilings. A solitary Double-crested Cormorant sat on the creek shore as we turned south.
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Back on the dike, we located the large flock of Dunlin we had expected earlier, very distant out on the tide flat. At the Nisqually river overlook a Double-crested Cormorant sat on a snag in the water, a Great Blue Heron perched in the brush on the bank. A Common Goldeneye swam out of sight in the bend of the river. As we walked the east side of the loop trail, we stopped again to check the Great Horned Owl's only known perch, once again unfulfilled. An owl-less but none the less beautiful day of birding. See the following checklist:
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Bi<span style="font-size: 12pt;">lly Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US</span>
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Feb 12, 2025 7:47 AM - 3:20 PM
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Protocol: Traveling
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5.04 mile(s)
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Checklist Comments: Mammals: Brown Bats, Harbor Seals, Black-tailed Deer, Cotton-tail Rabbit, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Townsend Chipmunk. Temp. 18-36°F, Wind light and variable.
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64 species (+2 other taxa)
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Greater White-fronted Goose 26
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Cackling Goose 600
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Canada Goose 50
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Northern Shoveler 30
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Gadwall 12
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Eurasian Wigeon 2
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American Wigeon 750
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Mallard 120
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Northern Pintail 150
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Green-winged Teal 50
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Ring-necked Duck 8
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Lesser Scaup 7
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Surf Scoter 75
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Bufflehead 80
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Common Goldeneye 50
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Hooded Merganser 2
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Common Merganser 3
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Red-breasted Merganser 18
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Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 5
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Mourning Dove 4
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American Coot 75
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Killdeer 2
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Semipalmated Plover 5 Continuing small flock.
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Spotted Sandpiper 1
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Greater Yellowlegs 30
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Dunlin 1500
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Least Sandpiper 100
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Short-billed Gull 5
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Ring-billed Gull 50
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Glaucous-winged Gull 1
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Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 10
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Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 20
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Horned Grebe 2
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Red-necked Grebe 1
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Double-crested Cormorant 2
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Great Blue Heron 12
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Northern Harrier 3
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Bald Eagle 20
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Red-tailed Hawk 1
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Belted Kingfisher 1
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Red-breasted Sapsucker 1
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Downy Woodpecker 5
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Hairy Woodpecker 3
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Northern Flicker 3
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American Crow 120
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Common Raven 3
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Black-capped Chickadee 20
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Chestnut-backed Chickadee 1
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Barn Swallow 2 Two adults together in nest on east side of bldg.
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Ruby-crowned Kinglet 30
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Golden-crowned Kinglet 10
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Brown Creeper 5
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Pacific Wren 2
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Marsh Wren 5
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Bewick's Wren 3
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European Starling 25
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American Robin 35
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Pine Siskin 10
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Fox Sparrow 4
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Golden-crowned Sparrow 36
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Song Sparrow 27
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Lincoln's Sparrow 1
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Spotted Towhee 4
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Western Meadowlark 1
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Red-winged Blackbird 40
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Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
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<br>View this checklist online at <a href="https://ebird.org/checklist/S213048123">https://ebird.org/checklist/S213048123</a>
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