Date: 11/6/25 11:48 am From: Shep Thorp via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for Wednesday 11/5/2026
Hi Tweets,
Approximately 25 of us endured a wet and windy Wednesday at the Refuge with
temperatures in the 40's to 50's degrees Fahrenheit, cloudy skies and
intermittent showers. There was a high Low 5'11" Tide at 10:57am.
Highlights included the autumnal return of RING-NECKED DUCK to the Visitor
Center Pond, good numbers of CACKLING GEESE mostly minima with some
taverners mixed in, nice looks of a SORA in the freshwater marsh,
continuing BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER on the mudflats for the surge plain and
west of Leschi Slough, and good numbers of returning BUFFLEHEAD with a few
COMMON LOON and HORNED GREBE in McAllister Creek. There were good numbers
of sparrows around the Orchard, including FOX SPARROW. A HUTTON'S VIREO
was picked up in the afternoon on the inside of the Twin Barns Loop Trail
at the cut-off for the Twin Barns.
Despite needing to dry off after the walk, we need the rain. Our fields
are finally starting to flood which is essential for our wintering
waterfowl and shorebirds.
For the day we observed 69 species, we have seen 176 species so far this
year. Please see our eBird Report posted below with further details.
Until next week when we meet again at 8am at the Visitor Center Pond
Overlook, happy birding.
Shep
--
Shep Thorp
Browns Point
253-370-3742
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Nov 5, 2025 7:41 AM - 3:09 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.812 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Wednesday Walk. Cloudy with intermittent showers.
Breezy. Lightning and thunder at end of the walk. Temperature in the 40’s
to 50’s degrees Fahrenheit. A Low 5’11” Tides at 10:57am and a High 14’7”
Tide at 4:11pm. Others seen included Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Eastern
Gray Squirrel, Douglas Squirrel, Townsend’s Chipmunk, Harbor Seal, Sea
Lions on the wreck off McNeil Trail/Dupont and Muskrat off the Twin Barns
cut-off Bridge.
69 species (+6 other taxa)
Cackling Goose (minima) 1200
Cackling Goose (Taverner's) 75
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 18
Northern Shoveler 101
Gadwall 6 Surge plain.
American Wigeon 1000
Mallard 300
Northern Pintail 1000
Green-winged Teal 1600
Ring-necked Duck 2 Visitor Center Pond
Greater Scaup 75 Nisqually Reach off Luhr Beach.
Surf Scoter 2 McAllister Creek
Bufflehead 125 Visitor Center Pond, flooded fields, McAllister Creek.
Hooded Merganser 1
Common Merganser 7
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 4
Mourning Dove 6
Anna's Hummingbird 2
Sora 1 Spotted by Steve in Freshwater marsh.
Black-bellied Plover 12
Killdeer 3
Wilson's Snipe 7 Flooded fields south of Twin Barns on either side of
the old McAllister Creek Access Road.
Greater Yellowlegs 30
Dunlin 250
Least Sandpiper 30
Bonaparte's Gull 20 Nisqually Reach.
Short-billed Gull 18
Ring-billed Gull 75
California Gull 1
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 10
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 15
Larus sp. 200
Pied-billed Grebe 2 Visitor Center Pond.
Horned Grebe 3 McAllister Creek.
Common Loon 3 McAllister Creek
Brandt's Cormorant 14 Nisqually Channel Marker.
Double-crested Cormorant 30
Great Blue Heron 25
Cooper's Hawk 1 Spotted by Jon over the surge plain.
Northern Harrier 3
Bald Eagle 13
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Belted Kingfisher 3
Red-breasted Sapsucker 1 Orchard.
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 2
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 2
American Kestrel 2
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
Hutton's Vireo 1 Seen in the afternoon in a mixed flock on the Twin
Barns Loop Trail at the cut off to the Twin Barns.
Steller's Jay 1
American Crow 50
Black-capped Chickadee 15
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 3
Bushtit (Pacific) 19
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet 5
Brown Creeper 4
Pacific Wren 2
Marsh Wren 5
Bewick's Wren 2
European Starling 800
American Robin 2
American Robin (migratorius Group) 20
House Finch 4
Fox Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 6
Golden-crowned Sparrow 16
Savannah Sparrow 1 Spotted by Jim along the Dike.
Song Sparrow (rufina Group) 9
Lincoln's Sparrow 1 Spotted by Janel along the Dike.
Spotted Towhee 3
Red-winged Blackbird 40
