Hi Tweeters,
another great day at the Refuge, meeting up at the Visitor Center Pond
Overlook at 8:00am, we saw 70 species for the day and have 88 species for
the year thus far. Highlights included relocating the NORTHERN SAW-WHET
OWL in a different tree but immediately adjacent to the trail (may have
more than one on the Refuge). The GREAT HORNED OWL was roosting in the
riparian stand between the flagpole and the access road west of the
Orchard. We finally relocated, heard and saw, the SWAMP SPARROW on the
water's edge of the Visitor Center Pond between the west parking lot and
the west entrance to the Twin Barns Loop Trail. There were four EURASIAN
WIGEON, 3 male and 1 female, in a flock of American Wigeon seen from the
Twin Barns Overlook. The RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was still showing nicely
along the tree line that runs adjacent to the access road west of the Twin
Barns and south towards the old McAllister Creek access road. We observed
3 Intergrade NORTHERN FLICKERS on the surge plain. There were two
RED-THROATED LOONS in McAllister Creek. Unexpectedly, Jim came across a
flock of 4 LESSER GOLDFINCH feeding on catkins from small Red Alder Trees
along with 2 PINE SISKIN and 1 AMERICAN GOLDFINCH at the northeast corner
of the Twin Barns Loop Trail. Here is our list below.
Happy birding,
Shep Thorp
Browns Point
253-370-3742

Jan 26, 2022 7:20 AM - 4:06 PM
Protocol: Traveling
6.735 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Wednesday Walk. Cloudy with temperatures in the
40's degrees Fahrenheit. A High 14.24ft Tide at 11:11am. Mammals seen
Columbian Black-tailed Deer, Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit, Eastern Gray
Squirrel, Coyote, and Harbor Seal.
70 species (+4 other taxa)

Brant 75
Cackling Goose (minima) 650
Cackling Goose (Taverner's) 100
Canada Goose 15
Northern Shoveler 300
Gadwall 100
Eurasian Wigeon 4
American Wigeon 1000
Mallard 400
Northern Pintail 600
Green-winged Teal 800
Ring-necked Duck 14
Surf Scoter 25
Bufflehead 250
Common Goldeneye 30
Hooded Merganser 6
Common Merganser 2
Red-breasted Merganser 25
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Horned Grebe 10
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 2
American Coot 60
Killdeer 8
Dunlin 600
Least Sandpiper 30
Wilson's Snipe 2
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 16
Short-billed Gull 50
Ring-billed Gull 75
Glaucous-winged Gull 2
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 2
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 30
Red-throated Loon 4
Common Loon 3
Brandt's Cormorant 5
Pelagic Cormorant 1
Double-crested Cormorant 20
Great Blue Heron 30
Northern Harrier 2
Bald Eagle 20
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Previously reported rarity, see photo. An adult
California type RSHA seen along the row of trees that lines the access road
heading west of the twin barns and then heading south towards the old
McAllister Creek access road. Photo.
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Great Horned Owl 1
Northern Saw-whet Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-breasted Sapsucker 2
Northern Flicker 8
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted x Red-shafted) 3
American Kestrel 1
Peregrine Falcon 2
American Crow 100
Common Raven 8
Black-capped Chickadee 15
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 20
Brown Creeper 5
Pacific Wren 4
Marsh Wren 3
Bewick's Wren 4
European Starling 50
American Robin 14
Pine Siskin 2
Lesser Goldfinch 4
American Goldfinch 1
Fox Sparrow 4
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 20
Song Sparrow 17
Swamp Sparrow 1 Previously reported. Initially heard contact note at
west entrance of Twin Barns Loop Trail in the morning around 9:30am.
Several birders were able to relocate and observe at 4:00 pm along the
bramble along the waters edge of the Visitor Center Pond from the west
parking lot to the west entrance of the Twin Barns Loop Trail. A smaller
then Song Sparrow melospiza with white throat, two toned bill, contrasting
brown and gray stripes on head, central breast spot with plain gray breast.
Foraging in area with Spotted Towhee. Others report reddish coverts and
tail along with buffy malar. Observed several times over several minutes
with 10x binoculars at 10 feet to 30 feet.
Spotted Towhee 6
Western Meadowlark 2
Red-winged Blackbird 20
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 4

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S101513329