Date: 6/18/26 10:36 am From: Shep Thorp via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 6/17/2026.
Dear Tweets,
Approximately 28 of us enjoyed a nice spring day at the Refuge; skies were
mostly cloudy in the morning and cleared to sunny in the afternoon.
Temperatures ranged from the 50's to 70's degrees Fahrenheit. There was a
Low -3'10" Tide at 2pm, so we did our routine walk. Highlights included
three First Of Year sightings. Miles and Susan spotted a LAZULI BUNTING in
the large field west of the west end parking lot. Many of us saw the bird
fly towards the parking lot but were unable to relocate it. Jon and Lisa
got us on a singing RED-EYED VIREO: one on the access road south of the
west end parking lot closer to the green gate across from the Education
Center parking lot and the other adjacent to the Twin Barns. Peter spotted
a RED CROSSBILL type IV in the top of Douglas Fir along the same access
road. Other fun sightings included a YELLOW WARBLER feeding a fledgling, a
SONG SPARROW on a nest, and Nate located a DOWNY WOODPECKER nest cavity
with young... all along the west side of the Twin Barns Loop Trail between
the access road cut-through and the turn off to the Twin Barns. The colony
of CLIFF SWALLOWS at McAllister Creek/Medicine Creek Viewing Platform on
the Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk trail is a real spectacle with over 60 mud
huts.
For the day we observed 72 species. With the FOY Lazuli Bunting, Red-eyed
Vireo and Red Crossbill, we now have seen 151 species this year. See our
eBird Report below.
Janel and I birded Luhr Beach at 6:30am during the high tide. This
location is the north west border of the Nisqually Reach. We observed 2
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN at the mouth of the Nisqually River that we did not
see on our regular walk. Bruce LaBar reported these same birds on the
Pierce County Rare Bird WhatsApp Group as the crossed the County Line.
From Luhr Beach we observed MARBLED MURRELET, COMMON MURRE, RHINOCEROUS
AUKLET and PIGEON GUILLEMOT. The Beach itself is great for PURPLE MARTIN
in the morning.
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
Jun 17, 2026 7:37 AM - 4:14 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.032 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Wednesday Walk. A Low -3’10” Tide at 2:00pm.
Partly cloudy morning with clearing skies in afternoon. Temperatures in the
50’s to 70’s degrees Fahrenheit. Others seen included Townsend’s Chipmunk,
Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Muskrat, Eastern
Ground Squirrel, Harbor Seal, American Bullfrog, Red-legged Frog, Pacific
Chorus Frog, Western Swallow-tailed Butterfly, Paddle-tailed Darner,
Pacific Forktail, Red-veined Meadowhawk and numerous Boxelder Bugs.
72 species (+5 other taxa)
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 25
Wood Duck 2
Blue-winged Teal 1 Freshwater Marsh
Blue-winged/Cinnamon Teal 2
Gadwall 1
Mallard 14
Hooded Merganser 4
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 7
Band-tailed Pigeon (Northern) 26
Mourning Dove 9
Anna's Hummingbird 1 Land Trust Building area.
Rufous Hummingbird 10
Virginia Rail 2
Sora 2
Killdeer 6
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Ring-billed Gull 45
California Gull 90
Glaucous-winged Gull 4
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 2
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 5
gull sp. 100
Caspian Tern 22
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Double-crested Cormorant 50
Great Blue Heron (Great Blue) 30
Osprey (American) 1
Bald Eagle 51 Counted individually. Two occupied nests along West
Bank of McAllister Creek.
hawk sp. 1
Belted Kingfisher 3
Red-breasted Sapsucker 2
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) 3 Nest tree outside of west side Twin Barns
Loop Trail north of Access Road cut-through.
Northern Flicker 2
Western Wood-Pewee 4
Willow Flycatcher 6
Western Flycatcher (Pacific-slope) 2
Hutton's Vireo (Pacific) 1
Western Warbling Vireo 4
Red-eyed Vireo 2 Heard only. Access Road south of west side parking
lot. And picnic area Twin Barns.
Steller's Jay 1
American Crow 3
Black-capped Chickadee 20
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 5
Bank Swallow 6 Counted individually. Some in groups of 2-3 birds.
Tree Swallow 52
Violet-green Swallow 1
Purple Martin 6 Luhr Beach
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Northern) 7
Barn Swallow (American) 40
Cliff Swallow (pyrrhonota Group) 160
Bushtit (Pacific) 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2 Heard only, West Bank of McAllistet Creek.
Brown Creeper 20 Numerous small families feeding young.
Marsh Wren 16
Bewick's Wren (spilurus Group) 10
European Starling 60
Swainson's Thrush (Russet-backed) 42
American Robin (migratorius Group) 30
Cedar Waxwing 18
Purple Finch (Western) 5
Red Crossbill (Douglas-fir or type 4) 1
American Goldfinch 21
Chipping Sparrow 1 Nisqually Estuary Trail or dike.
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 1
Savannah Sparrow (Savannah) 4
Song Sparrow (rufina Group) 32
Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group) 6
Bullock's Oriole 2 Twin Barns área.
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged) 51
Brown-headed Cowbird 16
Common Yellowthroat 8
Northern Yellow Warbler 40
Wilson's Warbler 2
Western Tanager 1 Heard only, West Bank of McAllister Creek.
Black-headed Grosbeak 5
Lazuli Bunting 1 Spotted flying out of field west of west side parking
lot into trees along access road.
