October 30, 2019 - Another Wednesday at Nisqually Refuge

I went out to Nisqually for the weekly Wednesday Walk, and arrived at the Visitors' Center just at 8 a.m.  Volunteer Shep Thorp is birding in Panama, so I was ‘appointed’ to be the eBird checklist-keeper.  Refuge Volunteer Phil Kelley led the group, and decided to take the group directly to the north dike, where a Short-eared Owl has been reported.

The fog was just burning off as we got out toward the dike

The morning’s high tide is more likely to keep the birds close to the dike, and if we followed the ‘usual’ course - through the orchard and slowly along the west boardwalk - we would arrive at the estuary during an ebb tide and only have distant views of birds.

Ken Brown searches diligently for the Short-ear . . .

As it was, only a few folks saw the owl in the reed canary grass at the east end of the dike (I was not one of them), but we did get good views of some of the shorebirds and waterfowl.  The estuary boardwalk is still closed until “mid-November” for repairs, so the walk is a bit shorter than normal.

This drake Mallard was iridescent in the morning sun . . .

 . . . while the hen Mallard enjoyed a nap.

Greater Yellowlegs

The group returned to the boardwalk loop, where a Great Horned Owl was seen near a previous year’s nest snag.  It appeared that the pair of owls was unsuccessful in their nesting attempt last Spring, and we hope for their better success this coming year.

Too nice a day to bother looking at the birders . . .

The Washington Conservation Corps workers were using leaf blowers on the boardwalk and the river road, so we missed many of the birds along there, owing to the infernal noise.  We’re not quite certain why these young people were tasked with blowing leaves off of a gravel road, but . . .

There were a lot of leaves down.  Here, Jay Stene solves the mystery of why these are called "Big Leaf" maples.

I see that the maintenance people finally decided to assist the beavers with a project.  The rodents had girdled a Black Cottonwood of medium girth, and cut part-way through, then abandoned the endeavor.  The Refuge folks, fearing that the dead tree would most likely fall onto the boardwalk, felled the tree away from the path.

Goldenrod has been blooming all summer, and now the last of the seed heads are all that remain.

Solidago canadensis

We did check the heritage orchard and the service road before we stopped our day’s birding.  The Golden-crowned Sparrows have settled into the orchard for the winter.

Zonotrichia atricapilla

A group of kids was being shown some birds by one of the Refuge Volunteers, and we were all treated to a view of a Great Blue Heron finishing its luncheon of fresh garter snake.

The kid in red is paying attention . . .

. . . to a drama more exciting than the Sy-Fy channel.

All in all, it was a good morning well spent.

Nisqually NWR eBird checklist is Here