Pack Forest & Nisqually Estruary WA. 2012/4/01
2012/04/01
Pack Forest, WA. 6:15. I arose early with four other brave souls to a damp, lightly rainy, and crisp morning. We were fortunate enough to get warm mugs into our hands as we set out on an adventure of early morning birding. We had high hopes of more people showing up, but a late night after a long day can make waking up a bit more difficult than would otherwise be anticipated.
We began by warming our ears up to the songs of some American Robins (Turdus migratorius), whose songs seemed to surround us upon entering the outdoors. Then, we heard the complex calls of the Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis). This species of bird has a distinct niche of nesting near the ground in dome nests. They build many of them and then if they sense predators they will lure them away to the false nests. We got to see one of them do this, and it was fascinating to watch how quickly it could move from one tree to another. We also heard the shrill tones of the Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius), Dark-Eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis), and Spotted Towhees (Pipilo maculatus). We were lucky enough to see several Golden (Regulus satrapa) and Ruby (Regulus calendula) Crowned Kinglets, some Brown Creepers (Certhia americana), and a Northern Flicker Woodpecker (Colaptes auratus). In addition to these birds, we saw several Douglas Squirrels (Tamiasciurus douglasii), which were scampering about and chittering to one another...or perhaps at us. At 7:00 we went back to the compound to eat breakfast with the others and pack up to head to the Nisqually Estruary.
Nisqually Estruary, WA. 10:45. Along the way we saw more Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius), and at a distance some White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and an Elk (Cervus canadensis) (we think).
Upon arriving at the estruary, we left our vans and went into what was a large barn on an old farm (that is now the area's beloved estruary). It is difficult for me to think that the city of Olympia could have ever wanted to convert one of the last bastions of safety for local animal and plant life into a port, but that was at one time thought to be the fate of the farmland. Fortunately, the area is now protected, and its bounty can be shared with people, animals, and plants alike.
Nisqually Estruary is essentially a wetlands that flows into the Puget Sound, but human access is allowed along a wharf-like pathway that makes for quite a long walk (if you are paying attention to what is around you). We saw a large number of species in this area. These included: White Daffodils (Narcissus), Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), Himalayan Blackberries (Rubus armeniacus), Stinging Nettles (Urtica diocia), Flowering Red Currants (Ribes rubrum), Snowberries (Symphoricarpos), young Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Songsparrows (Melospiza melodia), Elderberries (Sambucus), Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis), three Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus), Bigleaf Maples (Acer macrophyllum), a juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), a Harrier Hawk (Circus cyaneus), a Garter Snake (Thamnophis) and a Pacific Tree-Frog (Pseudacris regilla), Western Gulls (Larus occidentalis), and Brown Creepers (Certhia americana) hunting on Cottonwood Trees (Populus sect. Aigeiros). On our way back to the vans we saw a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) as well.
American Robins (Turdus migratorius)
Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)
Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius)
Dark-Eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis)
Spotted Towhees (Pipilo maculatus)
Golden Crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)
Ruby Crowned Kinglets (Regulus calendula)
Brown Creepers (Certhia americana)
Northern Flicker Woodpecker (Colaptes auratus)
Western Gulls (Larus occidentalis)
Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis)
Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus)
Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Songsparrows (Melospiza melodia)
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Harrier Hawk (Circus cyaneus)
Elk (Cervus canadensis)
Douglas Squirrels (Tamiasciurus douglasii)
White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Garter Snake (Thamnophis)
Pacific Tree-Frog (Pseudacris regilla)
White Daffodils (Narcissus)
Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis)
Himalayan Blackberries (Rubus armeniacus)
Stinging Nettles (Urtica diocia)
Flowering Red Currants (Ribes rubrum)
Snowberries (Symphoricarpos)
Elderberries (Sambucus)
Bigleaf Maples (Acer macrophyllum)
Cottonwood Trees (Populus sect. Aigeiros)
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