Hi Tweets,

12 of us enjoyed a cloudy breezy day at the Refuge with temperatures in the
40's degree Fahrenheit and intermittent rain showers and sunshine. There
was a Low 4' Tide at 12:16pm.

Starting out at the Visitor Center Pond Overlook at 8am, we had nice
observations of Belted Kingfisher, Bald Eagle, Pied-billed Grebe,
Ring-necked Duck, Steller's Jay and many pairs of Canada Goose.

In the flooded fields south of the Access Road and north of the Entrance
Road, we had close looks at Northern Shoveler, Bufflehead, Northern Pintail
and Great Blue Heron. A couple of the Northern Shoveler were immature
males with dark bills, blotchy mottled heads and sides, partially colored
and partially cryptic in plumage. In the flooded fields west of the Access
Road just south of the Twin Barns and on either side of the old McAllister
Creek Access Road we had good opportunities to observe and scope Mallard,
Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, American Green-winged Teal and
Bufflehead. A Yellow-rumped Warbler was seen in a tree in the field and
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon variety) was seen along the road.

On the Twin Barns Boardwalk Loop Trail, we added Song Sparrow, Spotted
Towhee, American Coot, Black-capped Chickadee and Marsh Wren to our list.
Two Great Horned Owlets were seen in the nest tree cavity and an adult was
seen in the vicinity but well camouflaged. The nest tree is visible on
the west section of the Twin Barns Boardwalk Loop Trail 50-100 feet south
of the Twin Barns cut-off. Look for a large Cotton Wood snag approximately
30-40 feet tall with a large 10 foot long, 1-2 feet wide, vertical cavity
that faces west, just inside and south of the northern section of the
Boardwalk Loop Trail, and the two owlets can be seen easily with binoculars
at the base of the cavity. Good views of the nest tree and cavity can also
be seen from the New Estuarine Dike Trail where the gravel access road
cut-off from the Twin Barns intersects the dike. The nest tree back side
can also be readily observed from the Old Nisqually River Dike intersection
with the New Estuarine Dike Trail and along the northeast section of the
Twin Barns Boardwalk Loop Trail. The northern section of the Twin Barns
Boardwalk Loop Trail is temporarily closed to provide more sanctuary for
the Great Horned Owls while raising their young.

At the Twin Barns Overlook, we observed Golden-crowned Sparrow,
White-crowned Sparrow and more waterfowl. On the Estuarine Dike Trail we
observed our first of the year Northern Shrike, and had great looks at
Red-tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, American Wigeon, two of four
Eurasian Wigeon for the day, and 10 Dunlin fly by. American Bittern was
seen by some of our birders on return hunting between the Estuarine Dike
Trail and Leschi Slough.

Out on the Estuarine Boardwalk Trail, we observed Horned Grebe,
Red-breasted Merganser and Least Sandpiper from the Observation Tower.
From the McAllister Creek Viewing Platform we had great looks at the Great
Egret, the Eagle Nest Tree along McAllister Creek southwest, Ring-billed
Gull and Mew Gull. On our way out to the end of the boardwalk, an adult
Bald Eagle flew in and pursued a male American Wigeon across most of the
refuge over a period of 30 seconds before flying out of view. Several
times the Eagle nearly captured the Wigeon and the amount of energy used by
both birds must have been significant.

At the Puget Sound Viewing platform we saw Black Brant Geese,
Double-crested/Brandt's and Pelagic Cormorant, Common Goldeneye,
Western/Glaucous-winged x western Hybrid (Olympic)/and Glaucous-winged
Gull, many more American Wigeon including 2 additional Eurasian Wigeon and
a flock of approximately 1,000 Dunlin.

On our return, the wind really picked up so we rushed through the remainder
of our walk to avoid any falling limbs. Additional species seen included
Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Hooded Merganser,
Rock Pigeon, Northern Flicker, American x Northwestern Crow, European
Starling, Red-winged Blackbird and approximately 1,000 Cacklers flying out
first thing in the morning.

55 Species for the day, Northern Shrike was a first for the year, with a
total of 102 species so far. Mammals seen included Raccoon, Eastern Gray
Squirrel, and Columbian Black Tailed Deer.

Until next time, good birding!

Shep Thorp
Browns Point
sthorp at theaec.com
253-370-3742
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