Hello Tweets,

Yesterday afternoon(May 13th)we birded the Nisqually NWR by again walking the entire loop trail with a total of about 6 1/2 miles of walking altogether and then some. The weather was good although windy at times and good crowds of people hiked the trails,as usual on a sunny day. Overall conditions were far slower than past visits,but we expected that due to nesting season and migration seeming to slow down. We encountered fewer waterfowl and shorebird species,but passerine numbers seemed in good numbers along the north and east side of the refuge including good numbers of warblers in hedgerows along the outer dike trail. Soon after our arrival to the refuge we observed a large flock of Double-crested Cormorants flying to the northwest over the forested hillside just south of Luhr Beach. This flock contained 153 birds and we watched as they flew south along the hillside,then circled several times,then flew back north towards the Nisqually Reach in relative formation. Later in the afternoon we located presumably the same gathering of Double-crested Cormorants while walking the outer trail at the Nisqually Delta and these birds are mostly likely gathering up for migration. Also of note we were able to relocate the pair of CALIFORNIA QUAIL at the same location as on the 12th of April,as they foraged along the grassy trail just east of McAllister Creek. It was nice to see these birds and it may possible if they may breed here. In addition we know of populations of California Quail from a location near Lacey,so perhaps this pair came from that area.

A list of our most noteworthy sightings from yesterday's visit to the Nisqually NWR included the following:

3 Pied-billed Grebes
3 Am.Bitterns(heard only)
7 Wood Ducks
4 Green-winged Teal
3 Northern Pintail
6 Blue-winged Teal
4 Cinnamon Teal
1 pair of Northern Shovelers
3 Ring-necked Ducks
6 Common Goldeneyes(Nisqually River)
1 Bufflehead
5 Hooded Mergansers
9 Common Mergansers(Nisqually River and McAllister Creek)
2 Turkey Vultures
1 Osprey
6 Bald Eagles
3 Northern Harriers
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 Cooper's Hawk
1 adult Peregrine Falcon(perched atop a snag above McAllister Creek)
3 Virginia Rails(heard only)
7 Sora(heard only from wetland areas at the northwest corner of the refuge)
6 Greater Yellowlegs
5 WHIMBREL(Nisqually Delta)
45+ Western Sandpipers(Nisqually Delta)
22 Least Sandpipers
2 Wilson's Snipe
2 Western Wood Pewees
6 Purple Martins
6 Swainson's Thrushes
3 Cedar Waxwings
12+ Orange-crowned Warblers
40+ Yellow Warblers
20 Yellow-rumped Warblers
15 Wilson's Warblers
5 Western Tanagers
1 Black-headed Grosbeak
1 Spotted Towhee
7 Golden-crowned Sparrows
3 Bullock's Oriole
4 Purple Finches


Our only mammal highlight of note during our afternoon walk was a single RACCOON foraging along the muddy edges of the Nisqually River.


Good birding,

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