Date: 1/15/26 9:35 am From: Shep Thorp via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Wednesday Walk for Billy Frank Jr Nisqually NWR on 7/14/2026
Hi Tweets,
Approximately 25 of us had a really nice winter day of birding with warm
temperatures in the 40's to 50's degrees Fahrenheit, mostly cloudy skies,
and a high Low 9'1" Tide at 9:36am and a High 12'3" Tide at 1:22pm.
Highlights included a BARN OWL flying into the Twin Barns with a vole at
7:25 am as seen from the Twin Barns Observation Platform; HUTTON'S VIREO
observed along the Access Road just west of the entrance to the Education
Center Parking Lot and the boardwalk adjacent to the Twin Barns Picnic
Area; ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER observed in the same areas; 6 TRUMPETER SWANS
flying south over the Refuge; continuing WHITE-THROATED SPARROW with a
large flock of GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW and one WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW at the
Twin Barns Observation Platform and along the Nisqually Estuary Dike Trail
adjacent to the aqueduct for Leschi Slough; LINCOLN SPARROW along the
Nisqually Estuary Dike Trail; EURASIAN WIGEON in McAllister Creek along the
Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail; both RED-THROATED LOON and COMMON LOON
observed from the closure gate at the end of the Nisqually Estuary
Boardwalk Trail, a few WESTERN SANDPIPERS mixed in with a flock of 2000
DUNLIN foraging and murmuring over the mudflats on either side of Leschi
Slough, AMERICAN BITTERN seen in the freshwater marsh across from the
Observation Tower at the start of the Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail;
and a male AMERICAN KESTREL eating a Little Brown Bat in the afternoon at
the Visitor Center Pond Overlook.
For the day we observed 74 species, see our eBird Report listed below with
further details and uploaded photos.
Other observations included Eastern Gray Squirrel, Columbian Black-tailed
Deer, Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Harbor Seal, Muskrat and upwards of
four Little Brown Bats around the Visitor Center Ponds in the afternoon.
Hunting continues along the west bank of McAllister Creek and on Nisqually
Reach. The end of the Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail is scheduled to
reopen on Monday February 2nd.
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
Jan 14, 2026 6:48 AM - 4:50 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.076 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Cloudy, temperatures in the 40’s to 50’s degrees
Fahrenheit. A Low 9’1” Tide at 9:36am and a High 12’3” Tide at 1:22pm.
Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Eastern Cotton-tailed
Rabbit, five Harbor Seal, four Little Brown Bats, and two Muskrats.
74 species (+6 other taxa)
Cackling Goose 600
Cackling Goose (minima) 600
Cackling Goose (Taverner's) 20
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 40
Trumpeter Swan 6 Fly over.
Northern Shoveler 100
Gadwall 20
Eurasian Wigeon 1 McAllister Creek.
American Wigeon 1000
Eurasian x American Wigeon (hybrid) 1
Mallard 200
Northern Pintail 300
Green-winged Teal (American) 550
Ring-necked Duck 4
Surf Scoter 40
Bufflehead 75
Common Goldeneye 38
Hooded Merganser 1
Common Merganser 7
Red-breasted Merganser 8
Anna's Hummingbird 1
Virginia Rail 1
American Coot (Red-shielded) 50
Killdeer 2
Wilson's Snipe 2
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 30
Dunlin 1750 Probably more.
Least Sandpiper 20
Western Sandpiper 3 Upwards of three mixed in nearly 2000 Dunlin. Peep
sized sandpiper with white throat.
Short-billed Gull 50
Ring-billed Gull 30
Glaucous-winged Gull 2
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 4
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 20
Pied-billed Grebe 2
Horned Grebe 4
Red-throated Loon 1
Common Loon 3
Brandt's Cormorant 5
Double-crested Cormorant 15
American Bittern 1 Freshwater marsh near start of Nisqually Estuary
Boardwalk Trail.
Great Blue Heron (Great Blue) 20
Northern Harrier 3
Bald Eagle 18
Red-tailed Hawk 3
American Barn Owl (American) 1 Carrying prey into Twin Barns at 7.25
pm.
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-breasted Sapsucker 2
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) 6
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 5
American Kestrel (Northern) 1 Eating a little Brown Bat.
Merlin 1
Hutton's Vireo (Pacific) 2
American Crow 200
Common Raven 3
Black-capped Chickadee 15
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 20
Bushtit (Pacific) 30
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 12
Golden-crowned Kinglet 20
Brown Creeper 12
Pacific Wren (Pacific) 5
Marsh Wren 8
Bewick's Wren (spilurus Group) 4
European Starling 400
Varied Thrush 3
American Robin (migratorius Group) 15
Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 4
White-crowned Sparrow (pugetensis) 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 45
White-throated Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow (rufina Group) 15
Lincoln's Sparrow 2
Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group) 8
Western Meadowlark 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged) 20
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Orange-crowned Warbler (Gray-headed) 1
