Hi Tweets,

Approximately 32 of us enjoyed terrific weather and fun birding at the
Refuge. There was a High 9'4" Tide at 12:30pm which provided us the
opportunity to see all the Great Blue Herons out on the Reach and wonderful
looks at Caspian Terns roosting on the mudflats. Highlights for the day
included FOY Red Crossbills in the tall Cottonwood Trees south of the
Parking Lot, many Bullock's Oriole sightings around the Parking Lot and
east entrance to the Twin Barns Loop Trail, nesting Western Wood-Pewee,
Swainson's Thrush and Rufous Hummingbird, American Bittern hunting in the
cattails, and juvenile Bald Eagle and Wood Ducks. Unfortunately, we could
not relocate the Red-eyed Vireo we heard and saw last week near the
Riparian Forest Overlook. Please see the details in my ebird report below.

56 species for the day with 156 species for the year. Mammals seen
included Eastern Gray Squirrel and Harbor Seal.

Until next week when we will meet on TUESDAY July 3rd at 8am at the Visitor
Center Pond Overlook, good birding!

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



Nisqually NWR, Thurston, US-WA
Jun 27, 2012 7:50 AM - 2:50 PM
Protocol: Traveling
4.0 mile(s)
Comments: Sunny, temperature in the 60-70's Fahrenheit, High 9'4" Tide
at 12:30pm. 32 Participants. FOY Red Crossbills and Olive-sided
Flycatcher.
56 species (+2 other taxa)

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 9
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 12
Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera) 1
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 2 Need to consider nonbreeding
plumage male Common Mergansers.
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 1
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) 10
American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) 1 Just inside the Nisqually
Estuary Trail on the fresh water side near the junction with the Nisqually
Estuary Boardwalk Trail.
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 50 Over 30 GBHE dispersed over the
marsh plain of Nisqually Reach.
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 5 Juvenile bird in nest tree on
the west bank of McAllister Creek south of the McAllister Creek Viewing
Platform.
Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 30
Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) 30
gull sp. (Larinae sp.) 30
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 17
Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) 2
Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) 3
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 2
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 2
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) (Colaptes auratus [cafer Group]) 1
Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) 1 On the inside of the north
section of the Twin Barns Loop Trail.
Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus) 4
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) 4
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis) 2
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) 4
Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) 1
American/Northwestern Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos/caurinus) 2
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 1 Reported along the hillside west of
McAllister Creek.
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) 2 Shannon
Slough.
Purple Martin (Progne subis) 4 Luhr Beach.
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 20
Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) 4
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 20
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) 30
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 2
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) 3
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) 2
Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) 3
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 3
Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) 14
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 20
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 350
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 15
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 6
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 8
Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) 2
Spotted Towhee (Pacific) (Pipilo maculatus [oregonus Group]) 3 Unusual
vocalization, mechanical whiny - "robin like"
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 10
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 20
Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) 2
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 30
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 15
Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bullockii) 6 Around the Parking Lot, east
entrance to the Twin Barns Loop Trail, and Twin Barns.
Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus) 1
Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) 4 In the tall Cottonwood Trees
around the Parking Lot.
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 30
Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) 1 Fly over.

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
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