Hello Tweets,

Today my mother and I spent a few hours checking areas surrounding the Nisqually NWR in northern Thurston Co.between 11am-2pm,as we encountered a few scattered rain showers with partial clearing at times,as well. We began along the Nisqually Cut-off Rd. off of I-5 continuing to the McAllister Creek Hatchery with additional checking made along Hartman Rd.,which is accessed off of Nisqually Cut-off Rd. Next, we checked the Nisqually NWR by walking to the Twin Barns and back,then partially walking along the McAllister Creek trail from the main parking lot. Our final stop was made at the public boat launch at Luhr Beach,where we encountered a few additional species to our short day list. Good numbers of waterfowl were observed at all locations with the greatest numbers noted in the grassy and flooded areas at the Nisqually NWR,as well as the open fields along Nisqually Cut-off Rd. A list of our most noteworthy sightings from the listed areas follows below:

Red-throated Loon
8 off Luhr Beach

Eared Grebe
11 off Luhr Beach

Ross' Goose
2 lingering birds amongst good numbers of "Cackling"Canada Geese noted along the McAllister Creek trail at the Nisqually NWR,(as last noted by Jason Paulios in his Tweeters posting on the 22nd of December)

"Black"Brant
6 off Luhr Beach

Common Teal("Eurasian" Green-winged Teal)
1 observed north of the Twin Barns from the observation platform at the Nisqually NWR amongst a pure flock of Green-winged Teal in a partially flooded field

Eurasian Wigeon
3 males at the Nisqually NWR

Ring-necked Duck
12 at the Nisqually NWR

Northern Harrier
1 along the Nisqually Cut-off Rd.
2 at the Nisqually NWR
1 flying off of Luhr Beach(from Anderson Island to the Nisqually NWR)

Am.Kestrel
1 along the Nisqually Cut-off Rd.

Merlin
1 along the Nisqually Cut-off Rd.

Peregrine Falcon
1 adult along the Nisqually Cut-off Rd.
1 at the Nisqually NWR

Virginia Rail
1 heard along Hartman Rd.(accessed from the Nisqually Cut-off Rd.)

Least Sandpiper
4 at the Nisqually NWR

Dunlin
60+ along the Nisqually Cut-off Rd.

Wilson's Snipe
7 at the Nisqually NWR

Marbled Murrelet
1 off Luhr Beach

Red-breasted Sapsucker
1 at the Nisqually NWR
1 at Luhr Beach

Barn Swallow
2 observed flying over the flooded areas on both sides of the McAllister Creek trail west of the main parking lot

Western Scrub Jay
1 along the Nisqually Cut-off Rd.

Am.Pipit
58+ along the Nisqually Cut-off Rd.

Common Yellowthroat
1 first-year male observed and heard calling behind the Nisqually NWR headquarters building,being presumably the same individual bird noted by Jason Paulios as noted in his Tweeters posting on the 22nd of December

Western Meadowlark
35 along the Nisqually Cut-off Rd.


To and from destinations we observed Western Scrub Jays in the Lakewood-Tillicum area of Pierce Co.,including the following sightings:

1 along I-5 at Tillicum
2 along 100th Street(immediately west of South Tacoma Way)


Mammals:

3 California Sea Lions off the Nisqually Reach(observed from Luhr Beach)



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
godwit at worldnet.att.net