Volunteers were treated to a preview of the new boardwalk on Monday, Jan 31.? It
is open to the public on Feb. 1.? What a great new opportunity to bird the outer
refuge, opening up birding in areas that have been lost to us since the outer
dikes went down.? Now we have better vistas than ever, with ability to see vast
areas of the new mudflats and sloughs.? From the outer tower the elevation gives
one a much better viewpoint than we ever had from the trail, and with no trees
for obstruction.?


We could see what looked to be 500 or more BONAPARTE'S GULL swirling around the
mouth of the Nisqually River.? Four?SURF SCOTERS floated about 500 yards out
from the tower and a RED-THROATED LOON which actually was beginning to show?red
in the throat.? There were?2 COMMON LOONS?and at least 30 HORNED GREBES, 9
RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, and 36 BRANT.??We also had great numbers of AMERICAN
WIGEON,?1 EURASIAN WIGEON?, 1 BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, 8?COMMON GOLDENEYE,?at least
25 BUFFLEHEAD, CANADA GEESE, CACKLING GEESE, lots of MALLARDS, 26 NORTHERN
SHOVELERS, and about the same number of GREEN-WINGED TEAL.DOUBLE-CRESTED
CORMORANTS, 16 GREAT BLUE HERONS, our over-wintereing AMERICAN EGRET (sorry no
yellow-legged subspecies), 12 BALD EAGLES, 4 GREATER YELLOWLEGS (some with
banded legs), several RING-BILLED GULLS, OLYMPIC GULLS, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS,
and 2 BELTED?KINGFISHERS.

On the walk out to the boardwalk there are the usual plethora of pond ducks?in
the fresh water marsh and the forest birds.? The refuge has hundreds of NORTHERN
PINTAIL, 1?AMERICAN KESTREL, at least 1 NORTHERN HARRIER, numerous NORTHERN
SHOVELERS, 8 RING-NECKED DUCKS, HOODED MERGANSERS in the ponds and COMMON
MERGANSERS?on the Nisqually River.? There are COOTS,?CROWS, BLACK-CAPPED and
CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES,?both species of KINGLETS,?and several
BROWN?CREEPERS.??There is a lot going? on as the festivities of the boardwalk
opening takes place.???

Dave Richardson