Hi Tweeters:
Yesterday Nisqually NWR, south of Tacoma, was great for migrants.
Charlie Wright already wrote a report. We didn't even start until
quite late for us, about 8:50am at the visitor's center, but the birds
were active throughout the day. Migrants are hungry. I was thinking
that birding on a SHORTER WALKING ROUTE would work well right now.
You would only have to walk about 3 miles on boardwalks and gravel
trails, instead of 5 1/2 or 6.
The best birding was near the visitor's center, the trail/road to the
left of the visitor's ctr going out to McAllister Creek river banks,
trail along McAllister Creek going North (right) from that road about
1/2 mile toward the photo blind, and the boardwalk going to the Twin
Barns and trail beyond toward Ring Dike trail. I noticed that the
boardwalks over on the right side of the visitor's center going to the
river and riparian forest areas were very quiet. No thrushes were
singing yet, and I didn't see any there.
So it probably isn't necessary to do the whole loop. We started by
quickly checking the woods near the visitor's ctr near the entry road.
Then we walked out on the trail/road toward McAllister Creek between
the north (on the right) and south ponds. There we heard Soras, and a
Virginia Rail,
and saw many ducks including Cinnamon and Blue-winged Teals, and
some shore birds. About a block beyond that
was where we heard two American Bitterns.
Then take the Twin Barns Loop, take the left side of the loop as you
go out. You might go past the Nisqually River Overlook a short way.
Charlie had quite a few Wilson's Warblers on the boardwalk going to
the barns. There were also numerous Yellow Warblers and
Orange-crowned Warblers in various areas. Then head back to the road
to McAllister Creek. Walk the 3/4 mile out to the creek, turn right
(North) and go almost to the Photo Blind trail. You will be impressed
with the shorebirds (as long as the fields stay wet). It looks like
they have plowed some of the areas to expose the mud and get rid of a
lot of the vegetation. The viewing was great yesterday in the
afternoon, but of course
it had just rained the day before and yesterday it was sunny. We saw
the Solitary Sandpiper very near the trail, about 60 feet from us
across the nearest ditch on the right of the trail. We were about 1
1/2 blocks before reaching the photo blind trail. There was a lone
fir tree just beyond us on the left next to McAllister Creek. We were
looking down and to the right to see the Solitary, the snipe, and more
shorebirds.
Yours, Carol Schulz
DesMoines, WA
mailto:linusq at att.net