Hello Tweets,

Today between 10:30am-3:30pm we again birded the Nisqually NWR to survey the shorebird habitat along the west McAllister Creek Trail under partly cloudy skies. Shorebird conditions were much slower today compared to yesterday's visit with fewer "peeps" and overall shorebird numbers. We did encounter a few nice shorebird highlights while careful scoping of the inner dike beginning with a cooperative SOLITARY SANDPIPER observed along the canal immediately next to the trail just north of the McAllister Creek Overlook. Next, we were able to locate 3 BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS that were observed on several occasions throughout our 5 hour visit,as well as by several other birders. While scoping the muddy areas amongst good numbers of "peeps" a single juvenile SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER was observed early during our visit. Shorebird viewing conditions really declined after 11:30am with increased heat waves and poor lightings,as well as having most of the shorebirds foraging further away from the trail. Ideal shorebird viewing conditions have persisted during an evening high tide when typically shorebirds are driven into the wetland areas from the Nisqually Delta,primarily "peeps" and when lighting it normally at it's best.

We were able to walk the outer dike trail to just west of the Nisqually Delta Overlook,but tide conditions were less favorable for shorebirds and better for offshore viewing of the Nisqually Reach. It was nice to run into several birders equipped with their spotting scopes coming to look for shorebirds,as well as taking a nice hike. A few other highlights during our visit to the Nisqually NWR included the following:

14 Pied-billed grebes(including one adult bird off the Nisqually Delta)
5 Horned Grebes(Nisqually Reach)
1 Am.Bittern
5 Wood Ducks
50+ Green-winged Teal
1 Northern Pintail
1 Cinnamon Teal
5 Gadwall
1 Greater Scaup(Nisqually Reach)
3 Hooded Mergansers
250+ Common Mergansers(Nisqually Delta)
1 Osprey
2 Bald Eagles
15 Semipalmated Plovers
20 Greater Yellowlegs
4 Lesser Yellowlegs
2 Spotted Sandpipers
140+ Western Sandpipers
220+ Least Sandpipers
3 Short-billed Dowitchers
3 Long-billed Dowitchers
3 Wilson's Snipe
45+ Caspian Terns
2 COMMON TERNS(observed flying westward midspan of the Nisqually Reach towards Boston Harbor)
1 Common Murre(Nisqually Reach)
7 Pigeon Guillemots(Nisqually Reach)
8 Band-tailed Pigeons
2 Mourning Doves
1 Pleated Woodpecker(heard calling along the forested hillside above McAllister Creek)
7 Purple Martins
4 Yellow Warblers
2 juvenile CHIPPING SPARROWS(observed together at the intersection to the entrance of the McAllister Creek/Twin Barns Trail)
5 Purple Finches


Our mammal highlight of the day was a single COYOTE present along the main road into the refuge and noted as we drove to the main parking lot.



Good birding,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Fircrest,WA
godwit513 at msn.com