Date: 9/10/26 11:46 am From: Shep Thorp via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday Walk at Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR for 9/9/2027
Dear Tweets,
Approximately 40 of us had a really nice day at the Refuge; temperatures
ranged from the 50s to 70s Fahrenheit with mostly sunny skies. There was a
Low -1'0" Tide at 10:53am and a High 13'8" Tide at 5:56pm. Highlights
included really nice flocks of migrating birds including WARBLING VIREO,
YELLOW WARBLER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and WILSON'S WARBLER. Also seen
were migrating PECTORAL SANDPIPER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, LEAST SANDPIPER,
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER and a SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. We observed many
first-of-season returning sparrows, including FOX SPARROW, GOLDEN-CROWNED
SPARROW, and LINCOLN'S SPARROW. Some of our group had brief looks at the
VIRGINIA RAIL, SORA and AMERICAN BITTERN. Everyone had great looks of
WILSON'S SNIPE. Waterfowl are returning, including AMERICAN COOT, NORTHERN
PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL and AMERICAN WIGEON. Unfortunately, we couldn't
relocate the Ruff, Golden Plover, or Hudsonian Godwit seen over the weekend.
For the day we observed 84 species. With First-Of-Year Pectoral Sandpiper
and LESSER GOLDFINCH, we have now observed 162 species for the year.
See our eBird Report below for additional details and photos.
Until next time when we meet again at the Visitor Center Pond Overlook at
8am, happy birding.
Shep
--
Shep Thorp
Browns Point
253-370-3742
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
Sep 9, 2026 6:45 AM - 5:45 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Wednesday walk. Partly cloudy transitioning to
sunny skies with temperatures in the 40’s to 70’s degrees Fahrenheit. A Low
-1’0” Tide 10:53am and High 13’8” Tide at 5:56pm. Others seen River Otter,
Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Harbor Seal, Townsend’s Chipmunk, Pacific
Chorus Frog, and American Bullfrog.
84 species (+6 other taxa)
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 20
Wood Duck 6 Visitor Center Pond.
Cinnamon Teal (Northern) 1 Freshwater marsh inside of Nisqually
Estuary Trail.
American Wigeon 12
Mallard 34
Northern Pintail 100
Green-winged Teal (American) 20
dabbling duck sp. 1000 Distant dabbling ducks in tidal marsh. Likely
Mallards, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, and American Wigeon.
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 25
Band-tailed Pigeon (Northern) 6
Anna's Hummingbird 2
hummingbird sp. 2
Virginia Rail 1 Freshwater marsh inside of Nisqually Estuary Trail.
Sora 1 Freshwater marsh inside of Nisqually Estuary Trail.
American Coot (Red-shielded) 2
Killdeer 4
Semipalmated Plover 6 Mudflats between Leschi Slough and Nisqually
Estuary Boardwalk Trail.
Wilson's Snipe 3 Freshwater marsh inside Nisqually Estuary Trail.
Spotted Sandpiper 2 West side of McAllister Creek.
Greater Yellowlegs 60
Least Sandpiper 300
Pectoral Sandpiper 5 Freshwater marsh inside of Nisqually Estuary
Trail.
Western Sandpiper 600 Counted in groups of 50-100. Some foraging on
mudflats mixed with LESA, others predominantly WESA. Two groups of 100
birds flying over the dike, and one group approximately of 300 birds seen
flying over Nisqually Reach.
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1 Observed at 7am adjacent to entrance to
Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail along Shannon Slough.
Rhinoceros Auklet 7 Scoped from Puget Sound Observation Platform.
Ring-billed Gull 200
California Gull 6
Glaucous-winged Gull 3
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 10
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 10
Larus sp. 300
Caspian Tern 1
Brandt's Cormorant 5 Nisqually River channel marker.
Double-crested Cormorant 28
American Bittern 1 Seen flying in the freshwater marsh by Ellen at 7am.
Great Blue Heron (Great Blue) 45
Turkey Vulture (Northern) 3
Osprey (American) 1
Northern Harrier 1
Bald Eagle 6
Belted Kingfisher 4
Red-breasted Sapsucker (ruber) 3
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) 4
Hairy Woodpecker (Pacific) 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1 Heard only from McAllister Creek West Bank.
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 6
Merlin 1
Willow Flycatcher 1
Western Flycatcher (Pacific-slope) 1
Hutton's Vireo (Pacific) 2
Western Warbling Vireo 8
Steller's Jay (Coastal) 7
California Scrub-Jay 2
American Crow 13
Common Raven 4
Black-capped Chickadee 20
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2
Bank Swallow 1
Tree/Violet-green Swallow 1
Barn Swallow (American) 150
Cliff Swallow (pyrrhonota Group) 2
Bushtit 10
Golden-crowned Kinglet 11
Red-breasted Nuthatch 3
Brown Creeper 6
Marsh Wren 2
Bewick's Wren (spilurus Group) 6
European Starling 50
Swainson's Thrush (Russet-backed) 5
American Robin (migratorius Group) 20
Cedar Waxwing 3 Heard only
Purple Finch (Western) 3
Red Crossbill 20
Lesser Goldfinch 1 Seen by Marc in the morning adjacent to the parking
lot.
American Goldfinch 16
Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 5
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 15
White-crowned Sparrow 20
Golden-crowned Sparrow 6
Savannah Sparrow (Savannah) 12
Song Sparrow (rufina Group) 30
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group) 5
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged) 15
Brown-headed Cowbird 6
Orange-crowned Warbler (lutescens) 2
Common Yellowthroat 11
Northern Yellow Warbler 9
Wilson's Warbler 2
Western Tanager 2
