Date: 10/23/24 9:14 pm From: Kenneth Brown via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Nisqually.
Our day began with a report by early arrivers, Steve and Ellen, of a Barn Owl at and around the southern most barn, similar to previous reports. Craig reported a Barred Owl on a sign post along the entrance road on his drive in. Fortunately we were able to relocate that Owl in the orchard/play area and most of the 40 (+/-) birder got a good look at it. We counted 11 Wilson's Snipe, along with 2 dozen Greater White-fronted Geese, around the flooded field south of the access road. Other highlights included good visuals of both Virginia Rail and Sora in the freshwater marsh, and a first of the season Trumpeter Swan and female Bufflehead out on the surge plain. It was probably the high tide that pushed in the unusually large number of Greater Yellow legs we saw, most in the grass on the far side of McCallister Creek. We did not find the Whimbrel seen the last several weeks but found Black-bellied Plovers and a flock of Dunlin to console ourselves. The complete list follows:
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Olympia US-WA 47.07225, -122.71205, Thurston, Washington, US Oct 23, 2024 8:13 AM - 3:41 PM Protocol: Traveling 4.41 mile(s) Checklist Comments: Mammals seen include Harbor Seals, River Otter, American Beaver, Black-tailed Deer, Townsend's Chipmunk, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Eastern cotton-tailed rabbit. 67 species (+4 other taxa)
Greater White-fronted Goose 24 Cackling Goose 1500 Canada Goose 2 Trumpeter Swan 1 Northern Shoveler 125 Gadwall 2 American Wigeon 2500 Mallard 125 Northern Pintail 1200 Green-winged Teal 2000 Surf Scoter 45 Bufflehead 1 female. Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 40 Anna's Hummingbird 3 Virginia Rail 1 In the open on the freshwater side of the dike. Sora 1 Seen in the freshwater marsh south side of dike. Black-bellied Plover 4 seen from the end of the boardwalk. Killdeer 4 Wilson's Snipe 11 Greater Yellowlegs 75 Dunlin 60 Least Sandpiper 16 peep sp. 30 Short-billed Gull 15 Ring-billed Gull 120 California Gull 1 Glaucous-winged Gull 1 Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 8 Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 12 Larus sp. 300 Horned Grebe 5 Common Loon 5 Brandt's Cormorant 1 Double-crested Cormorant 25 Great Blue Heron 20 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Seen by Laurie. Northern Harrier 5 Bald Eagle 15 Red-tailed Hawk 1 American Barn Owl 1 Seen by Steve and Ellen around 7am at the southerly barn. Barred Owl 1 Seen by many in the orchard/ play area. Belted Kingfisher 4 Downy Woodpecker 3 Northern Flicker 3 Peregrine Falcon 2 American Crow 150 Common Raven 1 Black-capped Chickadee 15 Chestnut-backed Chickadee 6 Bushtit 20 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 12 Golden-crowned Kinglet 24 Brown Creeper 2 Pacific Wren 1 Marsh Wren 5 Bewick's Wren 4 European Starling 25 American Robin 60 American Pipit 2 Pine Siskin 36 Fox Sparrow 2 Dark-eyed Junco 3 Golden-crowned Sparrow 25 White-throated Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 19 Lincoln's Sparrow 2 Spotted Towhee 8 Western Meadowlark 1 Red-winged Blackbird 6 Orange-crowned Warbler 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
