Steve Nord and I did a trek around the Nisqually refuge in Olympia and found
a few lingerers and a few new spring birds:

1 Eurasian Wigeon (on the reach)
2 Cinnamon Teal (near twin barns)
1 HARLEQUIN DUCK (male still persisting at the Luhr Beach boat launch, we
viewed it from the Farm dike trail)
4 Virginia Rail (heard)
2 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (seen on the flats)
22+ Greater Yellowlegs (waiting for Steve's final tally, quite common along
McAllister Creek in the grass at high tide. At least three had brownish
backs and lacked the breast markings of the others in alternate plumage)
30+ Dunlin
6 CASPIAN TERN (on the flats, our first of spring)
1 Red-breasted Sapsucker (along Nisqually River trail)
5 NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS (our first of sping)
10+ CLIFF SWALLOWS (our first of spring, 1 bird working in mud nest on one
of the twin barns)
Bustits (paired up now)
1 Orange-crowned Warbler (very bright, nice bird)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (common, now about a 50/50 split between the
subspecies present, Myrtles now in alt. plumage and singing, Audubon females
now trickling in, males still singing)
Common Yellowthroats (now all over refuge)
Savannah Sparrow (now all over)
1 Fox Sparrow
2 White-crowned Sparrow (1 pugetensis seen, 1 gambelii heard)

Overall 73 species seen on the refuge, a nice day (finally!) to walk the
entire loop.


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