Subject: [Tweeters] Fwd: Nisqually on Wednesday
Date: Thu Nov 17 09:57:31 PST 2022
From: Kenneth Brown - kenbrownpls at comcast.net



> ---------- Original Message ----------

> From: Kenneth Brown <kenbrownpls at comcast.net>

> To: "tweeters-owner at mailman11.u.washington.edu" <tweeters-owner at mailman11.u.washington.edu>

> Date: 11/17/2022 9:48 AM

> Subject: Nisqually on Wednesday

>

>

> Two dozen of us Billy Frank-ophiles attended the walk on a chilly but clear beautiful day. The light this time of year seems to bring unusual visual clarity. This is a time of transition when we witness the return of the winter waterfowl species and the waning but still present shore birds. Nature reminds us that even as the daylight shrinks and problems weigh on us, the world is still a wonderous place. Among the highlights, a solo Black-bellied Plover hanging with the Short-billed gulls, a persistent Red-shouldered Hawk again put in an appearance, a Northern Shrike claimed it's territory from the top of a leafless alder, joined lower in the tree by 5 Western Meadowlarks. The complete ebird report follows:

>

> Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US

> Nov 16, 2022 8:00 AM - 4:01 PM

> Protocol: Traveling

> 6.35 mile(s)

> Checklist Comments: Wednesday Walk. The day was Overcast until early afternoon, with a south breeze at 3-8 knots and 34-50° F. There was a +1.4-foot low tide at 4:30 this morning, flooding toward a +13.3-foot high water at 12:15 p.m. Other species seen included eastern grey squirrel, Columbian black-tailed deer, harbor seals, lots of Isabella tiger moth larvae (woolly bears).

> 70 species (+8 other taxa)

>

> Cackling Goose (minima) 1400

> Cackling Goose (Taverner's) 85

> Trumpeter/Tundra Swan 5

> Wood Duck 2

> Northern Shoveler 45

> Gadwall 45

> Eurasian Wigeon 1 Drake

> American Wigeon 635

> Mallard 425

> Northern Pintail 735

> Green-winged Teal (American) 1555

> dabbling duck sp. 1100 Large flocks on mudflats during ebb tide; estimated by x100s

> Ring-necked Duck 1

> Lesser Scaup 4

> Surf Scoter 8

> scoter sp. 50

> Bufflehead 165

> Common Goldeneye 45

> Common Merganser 1

> Red-breasted Merganser 4

> Horned Grebe 4

> Western Grebe 1

> Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 8

> Eurasian Collared-Dove 1

> Anna's Hummingbird 2

> Virginia Rail 1 Vocalized from cattail marsh

> American Coot 13

> Black-bellied Plover 1

> Killdeer 5

> Dunlin 25

> Least Sandpiper 165

> Wilson's Snipe 1

> Spotted Sandpiper 1

> Greater Yellowlegs 28

> Bonaparte's Gull 9

> Short-billed Gull 110

> Ring-billed Gull 135

> Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 5

> Western/Glaucous-winged Gull 4

> gull sp. 300

> Common Loon 3

> Brandt's Cormorant 8

> Double-crested Cormorant 28

> Great Blue Heron 16

> Northern Harrier 3

> Sharp-shinned Hawk 1

> Bald Eagle 12

> Red-shouldered Hawk (elegans) 1 *Continuing; Red breast, barred tail.

> Red-tailed Hawk (calurus/alascensis) 3

> Belted Kingfisher 4

> Red-breasted Sapsucker 1

> Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) 2

> Pileated Woodpecker 1 Vocalized from Nisqually River trees

> Northern Flicker 5

> Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1

> Peregrine Falcon 2

> Northern Shrike 1

> American Crow 65

> Black-capped Chickadee 9

> Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2

> Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1

> Golden-crowned Kinglet 22

> Brown Creeper 4

> Pacific Wren 10

> Marsh Wren 4

> Bewick's Wren 5

> European Starling 75

> Varied Thrush 1

> American Robin 14

> Purple Finch (Western) 4 One male showed quite a bit of yellow in his plumage

> American Goldfinch 50

> Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 1

> Golden-crowned Sparrow 18

> Song Sparrow 30

> Spotted Towhee (oregonus Group) 8

> Western Meadowlark 5

> Red-winged Blackbird 48

> Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 4

>

> View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S122542906

>