Date: 6/10/26 9:20 pm From: Shep Thorp via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday Walk for Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR 6/10/2026
Dear Tweets,
Approximately 35 of us had a really nice Spring Day at the Refuge with
mostly cloudy skies, temperatures in the 50's to 60's degrees Fahrenheit,
and a High 9'8" Tide at 2:58pm. Highlights included many nesting birds
including CEDAR WAXWING, BUSHTIT, ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, MARSH WREN, YELLOW
WARBLER, SONG SPARROW, RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, AMERICAN
ROBIN, MALLARD, and BALD EAGLE. Some of the group had great looks of
HUTTON'S VIREO nesting along the entrance road across from the Orchard. We
are observing second clutches of RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD in the same nest as
previous clutches. Two immature GREEN HERON flying over the flooded field
adjacent to the Twin Barns and the freshwater marsh. An AMERICAN BITTERN
booming and flying over the freshwater marsh. Great upclose views of both
BLUE-WINGED TEAL and CINNAMON TEAL along the Nisqually Estuary Trail or
Dike. Fly over of three late BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. Two occupied BALD
EAGLE nests with chicks were observed along the west bank of McAllister
Creek. And an unexpected adult breeding plumage SHORT-BILLED GULL roosting
with other gulls along the Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail. Many of us
enjoyed watching a River Otter eating a Starry Flounder on a tributary off
Shannon Slough.
For the day we observed 75 species with nothing new for the year. Thus far
we have observed 148 species this year.
Please see our eBird Report pasted below with additional details, and
includes many awesome photographs from all the excellent photographers on
the walk.
Until next week when we meet again at 8am at the Visitor Center Pond
Overlook... be well and happy birding,
Shep
--
Shep Thorp
Browns Point
253-370-3742
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Jun 10, 2026 7:03 AM - 4:48 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.364 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Wednesday Walk. Partly cloudy with temperatures in
the 50’s to 60’s degrees Fahrenheit. A Low 1’6” Tide at 8:36am and a High
9’8” Tide at 2:58pm. Others seen Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Columbian
Black-tailed Deer with fawn, Muskrat, River Otter eating Starry Flounder,
Harbor Seal, Western Swallow-tailed Butterfly, Nevada Bumblebee, Pacific
Forktail Damselfly, American Bullfrog.
75 species (+2 other taxa)
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 100
Wood Duck 3
Blue-winged Teal 5 Freshwater marsh.
Cinnamon Teal 6 Freshwater marsh
Gadwall 3
Mallard 35
Common Merganser 3 Nisqually Reach
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 5
Band-tailed Pigeon (Northern) 12
Mourning Dove 3
Vaux's Swift 2
Anna's Hummingbird 4
Rufous Hummingbird 8 Occupied nests, second clutch, inside of west
side Twin Barns Loop Trail just north of twin bench overlook south of Twin
Barns cut-off, and inside of loop trail over borrow ditch on east side of
Twin Barns Loop Trail just north of Beaver Deceiver.
Virginia Rail 3 Access Road between west side parking lot and Twin
Barns.
Sora 1 Heard only in freshwater marsh.
Black-bellied Plover 3 Fly over Nisqually Estuary Trail or Dike and
freshwater marsh, flying south. Three large plovers with black axillaries.
Distinctive plaintiff call.
Rhinoceros Auklet 5
Short-billed Gull 1 Photos. Observed roosting on mudflats from
Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail. Spotted by Matt, seen by many, breeding
plumage adult with small yellow bill. Smaller then area RBGU.
Ring-billed Gull 60
California Gull 100
Glaucous-winged Gull 4
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 1
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 15
Caspian Tern 30
Pied-billed Grebe 3 Freshwater Marsh.
Brandt's Cormorant 6
Double-crested Cormorant 100
American Bittern 1 Flushed and flew across freshwater marsh. Heard
booming.
Green Heron 2 Flying over flooded field adjacent to Twin Barns and
around Freshwater Marsh. Two immature birds.
Great Blue Heron (Great Blue) 50
Osprey (American) 2
Bald Eagle 20 Two nests with young being fed. One on the west side of
McAllister Creek south of the McAllister Creek Viewing Platform 50-75 feet
above a white refuge sign adjacent to a large berm with a bush. The second
is also on the west side of McAllister Creek north of the McAllister Creek
Viewing Platform and 50 feet above a row of pilings adjacent to a slough.
The nest in the Cottonwood on the West Bank of Nisqually River has fledged.
Red-tailed Hawk (calurus/alascensis) 1
Belted Kingfisher 6 West Bank of McAllister Creek south of Puget Sound
Observation Platform.
Red-breasted Sapsucker 2 Nest snag on outside of west side Twin Barns
Loop Trail just north of the twin bench overlook south of the Twin Barns
cut-off.
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) 1
Pileated Woodpecker 2 Heard and seen around Orchard and Visitor Center
Pond.
Northern Flicker 6
Western Wood-Pewee 8
Willow Flycatcher 3
Western Flycatcher (Pacific-slope) 2
Hutton's Vireo (Pacific) 2 Entrance road adjacent to Orchard.
Western Warbling Vireo 5
Steller's Jay 1
American Crow 6
Black-capped Chickadee 16 Nest cavity in dog leg snag off large Maple
Tree between the Twin Barns Porta Potties and the boards to the Twin Barns
Observation Deck, on the left hand side of the trail.
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 5
Bank Swallow 1
Tree Swallow 40
Violet-green Swallow 4
Purple Martin 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 9
Barn Swallow (American) 30 Visitor Center.
Cliff Swallow (pyrrhonota Group) 30 McAllister Creek Viewing Platform.
Bushtit (Pacific) 4 Doug Fir along entrance road across from Maintence
Building entrance road and just right of green gate.
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
Brown Creeper 4
Marsh Wren 20 Multiple nests in Visitor Center Pond and freshwater
marsh.
Bewick's Wren (spilurus Group) 4
European Starling 30
Swainson's Thrush 31
American Robin (migratorius Group) 25
Cedar Waxwing 20
Purple Finch (Western) 4
American Goldfinch 24
Savannah Sparrow (Savannah) 6
Song Sparrow (rufina Group) 30
Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group) 3
Bullock's Oriole 2
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged) 50
Brown-headed Cowbird 15
Orange-crowned Warbler (lutescens) 1
Common Yellowthroat 15
Northern Yellow Warbler 40
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 2
Black-headed Grosbeak 6
