Date: 6/25/25 9:36 pm From: Shep Thorp via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for June 25th.
Dear Tweets,
Approximately 43 of us enjoyed our first walk of Summer with mostly cloudy
skies and temperatures in the 50's-60's degrees Fahrenheit. There was a
Low -4' Tide at 12:08pm, so we decided to do the Twin Barns Loop Trail in
reverse or counterclockwise. Highlights included PURPLE FINCH in the
Orchard, both juvenile DOWNY WOODPECKER and HAIRY WOODPECKER on the
Riparian Forest Trail, juvenile COMMON MERGANSER in the Nisqually River,
SORA in the freshwater marsh, and WOOD DUCK ducklings in the Visitor Center
Pond. Other fun sightings included differentiating juvenile CLIFF SWALLOW
and BARN SWALLOW, and a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE on the nest along the Riparian
Forest Trail.
For the day, we observed 62 species, and had no new species for the year
(158 seen so far). See our eBird Report below.
We had a good mammal day with reported sightings of American Beaver,
Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Townsend's
Chipmunk, Long-tailed Weasel, Muskrat, Eastern Gray Squirrel, River Otter,
Harbor Seal and Coyote.
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
Jun 25, 2025 5:56 AM - 10:52 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.19 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Wednesday Walk. Mostly cloudy with temperatures in
the 50’s to 60’s degrees Fahrenheit. There was a Low -4’ Tide at 12:08pm.
Mammals seen include American Beaver, River Otter, Eastern Cotton-tailed
Rabbit, Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Townsend’s Chipmunk, Muskrat, Eastern
Gray Squirrel, and Harbor Seal. Others seen Pacific Tree Frog and Puget
Sound Garter Snake.
62 species (+2 other taxa)
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 75
Wood Duck 12
Mallard 30
Hooded Merganser 1
Common Merganser (North American) 3
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 28
Band-tailed Pigeon 8
Mourning Dove 2
Vaux's Swift 1
Anna's Hummingbird 3
Rufous Hummingbird 4
Virginia Rail 3
Sora 1
Killdeer 6
Wilson's Snipe 2
Short-billed Gull 1 Observed from the Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk
Trail with spotting scopes at 1/4 mile. Adjacent to RBGU and CAGU, small,
dark mantled gull with small thin green bill with black tip. Yellow-green
legs.
Ring-billed Gull 50
California Gull 75
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 5
Larus sp. 300
Caspian Tern 8
Double-crested Cormorant 10
Great Blue Heron (Great Blue) 12
Osprey (American) 1
Bald Eagle 54 Counted individually over the Reach and Refuge.
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-breasted Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) 6
Hairy Woodpecker (Pacific) 2
Northern Flicker 1
Western Wood-Pewee 4 Occupied nest. On Riparian Forest Overlook
Trail, from dike, 6 railing planks, 50 feet above right side of trail in
smaller Maple Tree.
Willow Flycatcher 4
Western Flycatcher (Pacific-slope) 1
American Crow 16
Black-capped Chickadee 6
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 4
Bank Swallow 3
Tree Swallow 35
Purple Martin 2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Barn Swallow (American) 40
Cliff Swallow (pyrrhonota Group) 60
Brown Creeper 4
Marsh Wren 14
Bewick's Wren 4
European Starling 100
Swainson's Thrush 27
American Robin (migratorius Group) 25
Cedar Waxwing 15
House Finch 1
Purple Finch 6
Pine Siskin (Northern) 3
American Goldfinch 20
Savannah Sparrow (Savannah) 6
Song Sparrow (rufina Group) 33
Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group) 2
Bullock's Oriole 2
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged) 50
Brown-headed Cowbird 30
Orange-crowned Warbler (lutescens) 2
Common Yellowthroat 8
Yellow Warbler 30
Black-headed Grosbeak 4
