February 27 - Nisqually NWR

It was another cool morning, and I went out to Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge for the weekly walk.  Neither of the regular FWS Volunteers, Phil Kelley and Shep Thorp, was available, but a group of over two dozen participants assembled at the Visitors’ Center at 8 a.m.  The bird walk was ably led by Ken Brown from the Black Hills Audubon Chapter.  I kept the eBird checklist for the day, as we birders followed the usual path through the Heritage orchard, around the graveled service road to the boardwalk along the Visitors’ Center pond to the Twin Barns.  Several birders continued out onto the north dike, separating the estuary restoration area from the upland fields and freshwater marsh, and further out on the estuary boardwalk.  We returned to the Nisqually River overlook and back on the eastern boardwalk to the Visitors’ Center.

As we approached the orchard, we were treated to a backlit view of a male Varied Thrush.

This species is common enough in the Douglas fir timber and a few hundred feet in elevation higher than this sea-level Refuge.  But, we rarely see one on the Wednesday walks.  The recent snows and cold weather have pushed this handsome bird down slope to where the birders could get a view of him.

The orchard area is also a good place to sort through the wintering sparrow flock.

"Just" a Song Sparrow . . .

As we arrived at the Twin Barns loop boardwalk trail, other birds piqued the interest of the photographers in the group.

The Golden-crowned Sparrows have been grazing on the trail-side grasses

The boardwalk itself follows along the west bank of the Visitors’ Center pond, affording studies of the waterfowl.

Big ol' Honker . . .

Drake Shoveler

This drake Ring-necked Duck shows the faint brownish “ring” at the base of the neck that 19^th-Century ornithologists used to describe the species as “Ring-necked”, rather than the more obvious “Ring-billed” duck.

Ring-necked Drake

Birds aren’t the only draw for folks on the walk.

Black-tailed doe- Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

After “Elevenses” at the Twin Barns, some of the group calls it a morning, and the remainder head out onto the north dike.  We look for Marsh Wrens, Bitterns, and Virginia Rails, and get to study the plumages of the ubiquitous Great Blue Herons.

Adult herons showing their fine plumes

Birds from last year's hatch aren't quite as showy

At the west end of the dike, the majority of the Wednesday Walkers have turned about, and the hard-core birders that remain will continue out to the end of the 1-mile-long Estuary boardwalk to the observation deck on the east bank of McAllister Creek, for views of the salt-water species.  It is along here that we can practice (or hone) our gull identification skills.  The large, pink-legged gulls in this part of the Left Coast are progeny of birds in a “Hybrid Zone” between two gull species.  This gull could easily be identified as a Glaucous-winged Gull by some, but shows somewhat darker primary feathering than might a “pure” GWGU.

Glaucous-wing, or a Hybrid?

This bird is more easily identified as a hybrid between the Western and Glaucous-winged species, with more dark in the wingtips than a Glaucous-wing,

and having fairly ‘dirty’ head, which an adult Western Gull wouldn’t have this time of year.

There is no mistaking an adult Ring-billed Gull.

. . . 'cause it has a ring around the end of its bill

At this tide level, we get to see the Harbor Seals at their haul-out on one of the remaining salt marsh islands in the McAllister Creek estuary.

All winter, there have been small flocks of Least Sandpipers.  We sort through the flocks of Leasts for the odd Western Sandpiper, but none were seen today.

Least Sandpipers have yellow legs . . .

Greater Yellowlegs have been regular along the boardwalk all winter, and are beginning to molt into their Spring finery.

. . . as do Yellowlegs

On our return, we were happily surprised to see the Bittern that eluded us on our way out.

The Nisqually Refuge Volunteers lead a Bird Walk every Wednesday morning.  Meet at the Visitors’ Center at 8 a.m. and join us for a fun morning of birding.

Nisqually NWR eBird Checklist is Here