Date: 12/4/25 11:31 am From: Shep Thorp via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 12/3/2025
Dear Tweets,
The Refuge delivers again another wonderful day of Autumn Birding as
approximately 25 of us enjoyed a dry but cold and cloudy day with
temperatures in the 40's degrees Fahrenheit. There was a high Low 7'7"
Tide at 9:48am and a High 14'10" Tide at 2:52pm. Highlights included BARN
OWL seen from the Twin Barns Overlook, RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER in a Pear
Tree between the Technician Building and Maintenance Road just east of the
Orchard; WILSON'S SNIPE roosting in the flooded field just west of the west
side parking lot; NORTHERN SHRIKE perched above the BALD EAGLE nest next to
the Twin Barns (currently being renovated by a bonded pair of Bald Eagle);
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER on the mudflats just north of the dike (Nisqually
Estuary Trail) and west of Leschi Slough; continuing YELLOW-SHAFTED
NORTHERN FLICKER where Leschi Slough runs parallel to the dike; two
EURASIAN WIGEON among the 2,000-3,000 AMERICAN WIGEON visible on a high
tide; PIGEON GUILLEMOT scoped from the closure gate at the end of the
Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail off Luhr Beach; two First of Year
CANVASBACK Ducks seen swimming in flooded mudflats just north of the dike
and west of Leschi Slough on the High Tide; and relocated WHITE-THROATED
SPARROW on the south side of the dike, just east of the Leschi Slough
Aqueduct under the dike, along the Bramble and young Riparian Stand between
the slough and the dike.
For the day, we observed 74 species. With FOY Canvasback, we now have seen
179 species this year.
Please see our eBird Report pasted below with additional details and photos.
Other fun sightings included Eastern Gray Squirrel, Columbian Black-tailed
Deer, Harbor Seal, California Sea Lion in McAllister Creek, numerous
Steller Sea Lions on the wreck off McNeil Street Trail/Dupont, and two
Muskrats from the Visitor Center Pond Overlook in the afternoon.
Note Leschi Slough is the largest slough on the Refuge and runs from the
Twin Barns, under the dike via an aqueduct, and straight out the middle of
the Refuge. The tidal area between Leschi Slough and the Nisqually River
just north of the dike or Nisqually Estuary Trail is known as the 'Surge
Plain', the tidal area between Leschi Slough and the McAllister Creek just
north of the dike and on the inside of the Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk
Trail is known as the Mudflats. There are three additional sloughs on the
Refuge, the second largest is Shannon Slough which starts along the
Entrance Road and empties into McAllister Creek at their confluence just
adjacent to the McAllister Creek/Medicine Creek Viewing Platform. Just
east of the Puget Sound Viewing Platform is a 'mud box' where the old 5
mile loop dike was originally breached, and east of that between the
Platform and Leschi Slough is a smaller 'Madrone Slough'. Between Leschi
Slough and the Mouth of the Nisqually River is another small slough known
as 'Animal or Six Gill Slough' which proceeds south to the area of the old
'ring dike' when the 5 mile dike still existed. Many have speculated that
the Nisqually River may breach the old ring dike area and run into the
Animal or Six Gill Slough in the future.
The Access Road or Maintenance Road runs from across the Orchard out to the
Twin Barns. There are three flooded fields along the Access Road: 1) one
between the Access Road and the Entrance Road, 2) another on the south side
of the old McAllister Creek Access Road, and 3) a third between the old
McAllister Creek Access Road and the Twin Barns. The old McAllister Creek
Access Road travels between the closure gate along the Access Road and
joins up with the new dike south of the Green Closure Gate at the end of
the Nisqually Estuary Trail.
Finally, I'll be away for the remainder of December. I'm headed to
Tanzania for some African Birding, and should return at the beginning of
January. Ken Brown, Pet Kilburn, Jim Pruske, Ed Beck, Rob Chrisler and an
excellent group of regular attenders will continue the Wednesday Walk while
I'm away. I hope everyone has a nice December and Happy Holidays.
Be well, and happy birding.
Shep
--
Shep Thorp
Browns Point
253-370-3742
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Dec 3, 2025 7:42 AM - 4:22 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.886 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Wednesday Walk. Cloudy with temperatures in the
40’s degrees Fahrenheit. A high Low 7’7” Tide at 9:48am and a High 14’10”
Tide at 2:52pm. Others seen Eastern Gray Squirrel, Columbian Black-tailed
Deer, Harbor Seal, California Sea Lion, Steller Sea Lion, and Muskrat.
74 species (+8 other taxa)
Cackling Goose (minima) 500
Cackling Goose (Taverner's) 10
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 23
Trumpeter/Tundra Swan 2 Spotted by Anders flying over the Refuge and
headed south.
Northern Shoveler 60
Gadwall 25
Eurasian Wigeon 2 One spotted by Nathanael from the Observation Tower
in the southwest corner of the flooded mudflats along Shannon Slough. The
other spotted by Jon north of the dike just west of Leschi Slough.
American Wigeon 2500
Mallard 150
Northern Pintail 500
Green-winged Teal (American) 2000
Canvasback 2 Great find by Tom, male and female, mingling with
dabbling ducks north of dike and west of Leschi Slough.
Ring-necked Duck 2 Visitor Center Pond.
Surf Scoter 15
White-winged Scoter 10
Bufflehead 100
Common Goldeneye 30
Common Merganser 2 One spotted by Laurie in McAllister Creek, the
other spotted by Jim in Nisqually River.
Red-breasted Merganser 12 Mouth of McAllister Creek.
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 45
Anna's Hummingbird 1 Orchard.
Virginia Rail 1 Heard only in afternoon south of dike in freshwater
marsh.
American Coot 10
Black-bellied Plover 1 Mudflats just north of dike west of Leschi
Slough.
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher 4 Fly over with no vocalization.
Most likely LBDO.
Wilson's Snipe 1 Spotted by Kathleen in flooded field west of west
side parking lot.
Greater Yellowlegs 60 Counted in groups of 10 to 40. Large number
flushed from freshwater marsh on high tide.
Dunlin 300
Least Sandpiper 25
Pigeon Guillemot 1 Scoped from closure gate at end of Nisqually
Boardwalk Trail. On Nisqually Reach beyond mouth of McAllister Creek
foraging near RBME.
Bonaparte's Gull 4 Foraging along the south side of Anderson Island.
Short-billed Gull 50
Ring-billed Gull 25
Glaucous-winged Gull 6
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 12
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 20
Pied-billed Grebe 2 Visitor Center Pond.
Horned Grebe 12
Common Loon 3 One seen from the McAllister Creek Viewing Platform.
Brandt's Cormorant 13 Channel Marker at mouth of Nisqually River.
Double-crested Cormorant 10
Great Blue Heron 35
Northern Harrier 3
Bald Eagle 11 Nest building in Cottonwoods above Twin Barns.
Red-tailed Hawk (calurus/alascensis) 3
American Barn Owl 1 Spotted by Steve at 7:06am from the Twin Barns
Observation Platform.
Belted Kingfisher 4
Red-breasted Sapsucker 1 Orchard.
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) 1
Northern Flicker 2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1 Continuing female bird. Red-nape,
brown face, and yellow shafts. First reported by Laurie but seen by many
along Leschi Slough were it runs parallel to the dike.
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted x Red-shafted) 1 Red nape and red
malar. Male.
Peregrine Falcon 1
Northern Shrike 1 Reported earlier in the week on the inner dike in
the sanctuary by the bird survey crew. Seen flying along the access road
south from the Twin Barns to the Cottonwoods west of the west side parking
lot.
American Crow 200
Common Raven 1 Heard along McAllister Creek Hill
Black-capped Chickadee 15
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 3
Bushtit (Pacific) 10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet 10
Brown Creeper 6
Pacific Wren (Pacific) 2
Marsh Wren 10
Bewick's Wren (spilurus Group) 4
European Starling 30
Varied Thrush 1 Orchard in an Apple Tree.
American Robin 16
Purple Finch 1
Pine Siskin 2
American Goldfinch 4
Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 8
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 2
Golden-crowned Sparrow 30
White-throated Sparrow 1 Spotted by Jim along the Nisqually Estuary
Trail or dike just east and south of Aqueduct.
Savannah Sparrow 1 Seen along the dike.
Song Sparrow 22
Lincoln's Sparrow 1 Seen along the dike.
Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group) 6
Red-winged Blackbird 60
Orange-crowned Warbler (lutescens) 1
