Date: 11/12/26 4:12 pm From: Marty Chaney and Jon. Anderson via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Nisqually NWR Wednesday Walk - 11 November 2026
The weekly Wednesday Walk at Nisqually Refuge began on anovercast, calm & relatively warm (55º F) overcast morning that warmed to abalmy 66ºby the afternoon. Several AmericanCoots, Mallards, a single hen Hooded Merganser, and a couple Pied-billed Grebesgreeted the birders at the Visitors’ Center pond at the 08:00 a.m. start of thewalk, while Song Sparrows and a Pacific Wren called from the pondsidevegetation. Nearly forty birders tookadvantage of the Remembrance Day Holiday - and the break from the rainy weather- to commune with the birds. Missing acouple of our usual walk leaders (Shep and Ken), other Refuge volunteersstepped up to carry on. Followingannouncements of events and introductions, we followed our standard course tothe Refuge’s heritage orchard.
Flights of American Crows flew overhead, with some stopping in thecottonwoods at the east parking lot, on their exodus from their roost at JointBase Lewis-McChord, and flocks of Pine Siskins swarmed into the red alder treesto take advantage of a bountiful alder cone crop. This fall, we have seen Red-breastedNuthatches in the Douglas firs along the entrance road, and today continued thesightings; unusual in previous years.
Near the Educational building, an Anna’s Hummingbird perched,showing off his magenta gorget, and a coy female Hairy Woodpecker teased uswith brief looks. The orchard itself wasrelatively quiet with a few Golden-crowned Sparrows, Spotted Towhee, andBlack-capped Chickadees. Oregon Juncosare common almost everywhere in the Puget Sound; for some reason, we see few onthe Refuge. Today we saw one near themaintenance yard, and a Red-breasted Sapsucker checked for insects in a peartree near the Land Trust office. Everyone wants to see an owl on the walk, and today a Barred Owl swoopedlow from the planted fir and spruce near the Land Trust building, directly overthe surprised group, and wended its way through the cottonwoods.
Mallards, American Wigeon, Pintail, Green-winged Teal, andB.h. minima Cackling Geese swam in the flooded fields west of the entrance roadand south of the bend in the service road. Sharp-eyed birders spotted a drake Eurasian Wigeon among them. A Red-tailed Hawk perched in a cottonwoodsnag above McAllister Creek. In the fieldwest of the west parking lot, eight Wilson's Snipe hunkered down in the grassbetween the service road and the pond, their heads with long bills were oftenall that was visible. Hundreds ofNorthern Pintails and other dabbling ducks flushed from the flooded field whenan adult Bald Eagle made a pass overhead.
A Cooper’s Hawk perched up near the Refuge office, givingfull-scope views from the parking lot. Then, a string of 28 swans was sighted flying south across theInterstate, and we’d assumed that the birds were the expected TrumpeterSwans. However, the photographers in thegroup verified that the birds were Tundra Swans instead.
Along the wooded section of the boardwalk, a vocal PacificWren announced itself, and Fox Sparrows, a Bewick's Wren, Chickadees, BrownCreepers and both Kinglet species were active. Near the ‘twin benches’ three Downy Woodpeckers and a pair ofRed-breasted Sapsuckers provided great views. Near the Twin Barns, our only warblers for theday were seen, four Yellow-rumped Warblers, and those seen well were theAudubon’s subspecies.
The day had warmed up by the time we got out on the dike,and the breeze picked up a bit. The tidewas ebbing, but the surge plain was still partially flooded, the water holding numbersof American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal and Northern Pintail and a fewMallards Several more Tundra Swans wereseen, and 14 landed for scope views. Tom saw the Ring-necked Pheasant we’d heardlast week, in the grasses and rushes in the upper surge plain. Surely, a released bird.
Many Red-winged Blackbirds perched up on cattails and in thecrabapples along the dike, a female type Northern Harrier harried the cattails,and a Sora was seen at an opening in the cattail marsh, while a Virginia Railcalled unseen. On the saltwater side, asmall flock of Dunlin mixed with Greater Yellowlegs. Gulls, mostly Ring-billed and Short-billed,were scattered on the water and exposed mud flats.
As we walked out on the estuary boardwalk we were remindedthat it is waterfowl hunting season, and a couple of Nimrods partook of thesport from the State Wildlife Area property on the west bank of McAllisterCreek. Hunting is allowed from theopposite bank and adjacent waters as well as the Deschampsia marsh north of theRefuge, from late October until early February. There were a few Surf Scoters and Double-crested Cormorants in thewater, along with a family of River Otters, and several Harbor Seals huntingfor their meals of starry flounder. A fewgroups of Least Sandpiper and Dunlin foraged along the muddy banks of the Creek. Kyle’ssharp eyes picked out 15 Greater White-fronted Geese resting on the mudflats -barely lighter in colour than the mud, and Matt got the group on a maleNorthern Harrier. A Spotted Sandpiperforaged on the west bank of the creek, a single Red-breasted Merganser flew upthe creek, and a Belted Kingfisher hunted for minnows.
For the protection of Refuge visitors, a gate stops birders’access to the final 200 meters of the boardwalk, as the north terminus of theboards is adjacent to the WDFW lands where hunting is allowed. Viewing from that gate we saw Brandt'sCormorants on a channel marker on Nisqually Reach. Returning south toward the dike, a PeregrineFalcon flushed the gulls and Green-winged Teal. A long discussion was held on the identification of an immatureAccipitrine hunting from a snag in the cattail marsh. Perched on a Sitka Spruce in the surge plain,an American Kestrel was re-sighted for a much better view than we had on theway out.
Our stop at the Nisqually River overlook revealed few birds,as the tide was high, with a Double-crested Cormorant sitting on a root wad,and a few Mallards as the only activity, until we saw four late Swallowsforaging above the river. The birds werehigh and back-lit, but were “white-bellied” with square tails; we could notdetermine whether they were Trees or Violet-greens. Wecontinued south along the east side of the loop trail, seeing few birds untilwe were surprised to find an American Bittern just below the boardwalk! Returning to the Visitors’ Center overlookfor our final tally, a Virginia Rail called from across the pond. See the complete list that follows.
Refuge volunteers lead a walk, welcoming birders of anylevel of experience, every Wednesday. Meet at 8 a.m. at the Visitors’ Center.
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, USNov 11, 2026 7:34 AM - 4:26 PMProtocol: Traveling 4.949 miles
Checklist Comments: The Wednesday Walk began overcast and calm at 55º F, with thetemperature rising to 66° F and a south wind at 8-12 knots. A High 14.2-foot Tide at 07:42 this morningebbed to a relatively high +8.1-foot Low water at 1:14 p.m. Others seen included Columbian Black TailedDeer, Harbor Seals and River Otters along McAllister Creek, a Muskrat, dozensof dragonflies, an Orange Sulphur butterfly, and many Pacific chorus frogs.74 species (+7 other taxa)
Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) 15 On mud flats in estuary restoration areaCackling Goose (minima) (Branta hutchinsii minima) 800Cackling Goose (Taverner's) (Branta hutchinsiitaverneri) 26Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 37Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) 48Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) 65Gadwall (Mareca strepera) 1Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope) 1American Wigeon (Mareca americana) 1650Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 120Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) 1350Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 750dabbling duck sp. (Anatidae sp. (dabbling duck sp.)) 500Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) 18Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 9Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) 1 in the Visitors' Center pondRed-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) 1Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 1Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (FeralPigeon)) 28Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 2Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) 6Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) 2Sora (Porzana carolina) 1American Coot (Fulica americana) 25Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) 12Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 1Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 30Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 80Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 50Short-billed Gull (Larus brachyrhynchus) 60Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 45Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) 1Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) (Larus occidentalisx glaucescens) 12Western/Glaucous-winged Gull (Larusoccidentalis/glaucescens) 10Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 2 Visitors center pondBrandt's Cormorant (Urile penicillatus) 5 on Nisqually Reach channel markerDouble-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 8American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) 1Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 15Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) 1Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) 2Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 3 Female type in cattail marsh; male over salt marshBald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 12 Red-tailed Hawk (Western) (Buteo jamaicensiscalurus/alascensis) 2Barred Owl (Strix varia) 1Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 3Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) 3 One at Land Trust pear tree; 2 west boardsDowny Woodpecker (Pacific) (Dryobates pubescensgairdnerii/turati) 5Hairy Woodpecker (Pacific) (Leuconotopicus villosus [harrisiGroup]) 2Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 2Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) (Colaptes auratus [caferGroup]) 1American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 1American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 215Common Raven (Corvus corax) 1Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 14Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens) 1 HOTree/Violet-green Swallow (Tachycinetabicolor/thalassina) 4 White bellied swallows flying above theriver, seen from the North dike. Tails not forked.Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula) 9Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) 14Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) 2Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) 5Pacific Wren (Nannus pacificus) 4Western Marsh Wren (Cistothorus paludicola) 2Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) 4European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 40American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 30Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 2Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) 6 Feeding on ash seeds near land trust bldgRed Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) 9Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) 185Fox Sparrow (Sooty) (Passerella iliaca [unalaschcensisGroup]) 7Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) (Junco hyemalis [oreganusGroup]) 1Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) 22Song Sparrow (Pacific Northwest) (Melospiza melodia [rufinaGroup]) 20Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) 1Spotted Towhee (Pacific) (Pipilo maculatus [oregonusGroup]) 7Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) 5Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 180Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) 2Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) (Setophaga coronataauduboni) 3
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S409881653
