Subject: [Tweeters] Good day at Nisqually NWR 5-18-06
Date: May 18 16:25:03 2006
From: Ruth and/or Patrick Sullivan - godwit513 at msn.com


Hello Tweets,

Today we enjoyed a rewarding visit to the Nisqually NWR between 9am-2pm with a total of 88 species! Our list included many highlights,of which were observed primarily between the wooded trail near the Twin Barns north to the outer loop trail overlooking the Nisqually Delta. We began our day by walking the riparian area along the Nisqually River north to the Nisqually Delta,where our first highlight of the day was encountered. A single singing DUSKY FLYCATCHER offered us great views along the wooded trail southeast of the Twin Barns until the bird eventually flew northwest towards the Twin Barns. It was a great sighting considering this species has been encountered around 5 times in Thurston Co. and our 4th personal record for that county! The Dusky Flycatcher was our best passerine migrant of the day and as we continued walking just north of the Nisqually River Overlook Platform a WESTERN KINGBIRD was observed in flight from a clearing along the trail visible north from the Twin Barns. The bird continued northward and was never relocated,so we presume it was in active migration. As we continued north along the Nisqually River we encountered very good numbers of calling Swainson's Thrushes from dense riparian areas with most of the birds seen too. A walk of the Ring Dike Trail produced a group of 6 Swainson's Thrushes that all moved together through dense shrubbery along the trail and were presumed migrants.

As conditions remained sunny and temperatures warmed up considerably we finally arrived onto the outer loop trail at the Nisqually Delta. The tide conditions were almost near perfect with a small area of available mudflats for shorebirds,etc. and as the tide moved slowly out we walked along the trail to the northwest corner of the refuge and added many species to our day list. Most significant highlights along the outer trail included 11 WHIMBREL and a single BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER in non-breeding plumage,as well as various waterfowl and gulls species. When we arrived to a nice wetland area that has good shorebird habitat south of the trail just west of a maintenance trail we immediately located 6 Dunlin in full breeding plumage followed by 6(3 pairs)of WILSON'S PHALAROPES and a single Greater Yellowlegs that all added to our shorebird list for the day.

At this point we noticed far fewer waterfowl species than in past visits,as well as passerines too but we enjoyed the species we were seeing nonetheless! Continuing west along the outer loop trail birding conditions began to slow down,but we checked every available opening along the trail that allowed good scoping for any shorebirds,etc. Many areas along the McAllister Creek Trail or west side of the refuge north of the photo blind show declining water levels while areas south of the photo blind remain full of water and are probably maintained. Our best species encountered as we walked south along the McAllister Creek Trail was a single BANK SWALLOW noted just north of the photo blind flying northward.
When we arrived to he McAllister Creek Overlook we decided to take a short walk out along the creek towards the forested hillside via a small trail,where we located a small colony of Purple Martins nesting in a old pole in the creek,but otherwise conditions were quite slow except for a few dragonfly species that were observed. Our only Bullock's Oriole of the day was noted in the row of bushes immediately north of the overlook along the main trail,which was probably a migrant at this specific location. On our way back to the main parking lot from McAllister Creek a single Am.Bittern and Green Heron were noted in the wetland areas south of the trail. All in all a very good day at the Nisqually NWR with birds,mammals and dragonflies!

A list of our most noteworthy bird sightings for the Nisqually NWR included the following:

1 Am.Bittern
1 Green Heron
12 Wood Ducks
1 Green-winged Teal
3 Blue-winged Teal
5 Cinnamon Teal
1 pair of Northern Shovelers
52 Am.Wigeon(observed with small numbers of Gadwall at the Nisqually Delta)
45+ Greater Scaup(Nisqually Delta)
8 White-winged Scoters(observe with 6 Scoters off the Nisqually Delta)
6 Common Goldeneyes(Nisqually River)
5 Buffleheads
7 Hooded Mergansers
8 Common Mergansers(Nisqualy River and McAllister Creek)
7 Red-breasted Mergansers(observed off the Nisqually Delta)
2 Osprey
15 Bald Eagles
1 Northern Harrier
1 Cooper's Hawk(observed being harassed by a small group of Purple Martins at the McAllister Creek Overlook)
7 Virginia Rails(heard only)
11 Sora(heard only)
2 Am.Coots
1 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER
4 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Spotted Sandpiper
11 WHIMBREL
6 Dunlin
2 Long-billed Dowitchers
6 WILSON'S PHALAROPES
4 California Gulls(wit good numbers of Ring-billed Gulls at the Nisqually Delta)
1 adult WESTERN GULL(Nisqually Delta)
15+ Caspian Terns(Nisqually Delta)
4+ Pigeon Guillemots(Nisqually Reach)
1 Mourning Dove
1 Pileated Woodpecker
1 Western Wood Pewee
1 Willow Flycatcher
1 DUSKY FLYCATCHER
3 Pacific-slope Flycatchers
1 WESTERN KINGBIRD
25+ Purple Martins
7 Northern Rough-winged Swallows
1 BANK SWALLOW
3 Steller's Jays(including 2 migrants on the actual refuge with an additional bird along the forested hillside along McAllister Creek)
32 Swainson's Thrushes(observed and/or heard calling between the main parking lot to just west of the Nisqually Delta Overlook Platform)
58 Cedar Waxwings
3 Warbling Vireos
32+ Yellow Warblers
1 Black-throated Gray Warbler
1 MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER(heard singing only from a dense riparian area southeast of the Twin Barns)
7 Black-headed Grosbeaks
3 Western Tanagers
2 Spotted Towhees
1 lingering GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW
1 female YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD(observed from wetland areas south of the outer dike trail and west of the Nisqually Delta Overlook Platform)
1 Bullock's Oriole
3 Purple Finches
2 Evening Grosbeaks


Our mammal highlight of the day were 2 COYOTES both observed separately along the outer dike trail between just west of the Nisqually Delta Overlook Platform to McAllister Creek)

Dragonfly species of note included the following species:

Pacific Forktail
California Darner
Common Green Darner
Eight-spotted Skimmer
Variegated Meadowhawk
Cardinal Meadowhawk


On a sad note our day began with a RED FOX that we observed fully intact,but dead along Hwy.16 just above Snake Lake in Pierce Co. This was a species we had note seen dead or alive in many years in Washington!



Good birding,

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