Date: 11/14/25 5:37 pm From: Shep Thorp via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 11/12/2025
Hi Tweets,
Approximately 25 of us had a mostly dry day at the Refuge with cloudy skies
and occasional light rain, temperatures in the 40's to 50's degrees
Fahrenheit. There was a High 13'10" Tide at 12/17pm, so we did our usual
walk. Highlights included PILEATED WOODPECKER in the Orchard, upwards of
three HUTTON'S VIREO in the Orchard, Twin Barns Loop Trail and dike, BARN
OWL flushed form the closest barn to the Twin Barns Observation Platform
with numerous GREATER YELLOWLEGS and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER in the flooded
field below, first of season COMMON GOLDENEYE and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER in
McAllister Creek, as well nice looks of WHITE-WINGED SCOTER in McAllister
Creek.
For the day, we observed 72 species. See our eBird Report with additional
details pasted below.
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 12, 2025 7:24 AM - 4:26 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.979 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Wednesday Walk. Mostly cloudy with occasional light
rain and Temperatures in the 40’s to 50’s degrees Fahrenheit. A High 13’10”
Tide at 12:17pm. Others seen Muskrat, Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Eastern
Gray Squirrel, Douglas Squirrel, Pacific Chorus Frog, Townsend’s Chipmunk,
Paddle-tailed Darner, Harbor Seal.
72 species (+8 other taxa)
Cackling Goose 700
Cackling Goose (minima) 500
Cackling Goose (Taverner's) 30
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 35
Northern Shoveler 50
Gadwall 15
Eurasian Wigeon 3 Flooded field, surge plain, and mudflats west of
Leschi Slough.
American Wigeon 5500 Counted in 10’s and in 100’s depending on
location and distribution of birds. Largest density of birds was on surge
plain and flooded mudflats during high tide.
Mallard 200
Northern Pintail 500
Green-winged Teal (American) 1000
Surf Scoter 40
White-winged Scoter 4 2-3 in McAllister Creek.
Bufflehead 150
Common Goldeneye 6 Spotted by Pete in Shannon Slough and by Jon on
Nisqually Reach.
Hooded Merganser 4
Common Merganser 2
Red-breasted Merganser 3
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 9
Anna's Hummingbird 4
Virginia Rail 2 Heard only
American Coot 2
Black-bellied Plover 4 Surge Plain
Killdeer 1
Long-billed Dowitcher 25 Flooded field seen from Twin Barns
Observation Platform.
Wilson's Snipe 3 Spotted by Kathleen in flooded field on either side
of the old McAllister Creek Access Road.
Spotted Sandpiper 1 Spotted by Tom on West Bank of McAllister Creek
from McAllister Creek Viewing Platform.
Greater Yellowlegs 40
Dunlin 400
Least Sandpiper 40
peep sp. 1
Short-billed Gull 50
Ring-billed Gull 125
California Gull 2
Glaucous-winged Gull 2
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 25
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 20
Larus sp. 150
Pied-billed Grebe 3 Visitor Center Pond.
Horned Grebe 10
Common Loon 8
Brandt's Cormorant 11 Nisqually River Channel Marker.
Double-crested Cormorant 30
Great Blue Heron 30
Cooper's Hawk 1
Accipitrine hawk sp. (former Accipiter sp.) 1
Northern Harrier 3
Bald Eagle 12
Red-tailed Hawk 3
American Barn Owl 1 Flushed from Twin Barns closest to Twin Barns
Observation Platform.
Belted Kingfisher 4
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) 3
Hairy Woodpecker (Pacific) 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1 Orchard.
Northern Flicker 7
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 3
American Kestrel 1 Peregrine Tree in Visitor Center Pond.
Merlin 1 Surge plain and Nisqually Reach.
Hutton's Vireo (Pacific) 3 Observed at Flagpole, and west side of Twin
Barns Loop Trail south of Twin Barns cut-off, and along Nisqually Estuary
Trail just north of Twin Barns.
American Crow 30
Common Raven 1
Black-capped Chickadee 30
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 11
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 10
Golden-crowned Kinglet 20
Brown Creeper 6
Pacific Wren (Pacific) 4
Marsh Wren 10
Bewick's Wren (spilurus Group) 4
European Starling 250
American Robin 40
Purple Finch 10
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 1 Orchard.
Golden-crowned Sparrow 15
Savannah Sparrow 1 Nisqually Estuary Trail in surge plain.
Song Sparrow (rufina Group) 23
Lincoln's Sparrow 2 Surge plain from Nisqually Estuary Trail.
Spotted Towhee 6
Western Meadowlark 4 Along Leschi Slough were it runs parallel to the
dike.
Red-winged Blackbird 70
