On our way home after camping 2 nights at Cape Disappointment SP, we stopped at Nisqually NWR hoping to see the bittern and 3 juveniles, but unfortunately they were not to be seen. The tide was extremely low with very little water seen. The temperature was 85 when we started our walk and this was oppressive after having spent 2 days with 65 being the high temp! A few blackbirds and hawks were seen in the distance. A coyote was seen on our return to the parking area, but the highlight was watching a tree frog hopping from leaf to leaf in a shrub while we were resting on a bench along the Western side of the Twin Barns loop.

Nice bird filled hike for a cloudy day!

Road & Trail fine.

Crowds: maybe a dozen others on this Thursday between 7am-10am. School groups arrived as I left.

Birds: Bitterns (including babies!), gulls, Yellowlegs, sandpipers, swallows, cormorants, eagles, herons, kildere and mallards.

A perfect Friday afternoon leg stretcher of just under 5 miles. Lots of active wildlife: river otters, heron, bald eagles, gulls. Breeze off the sound kept the bugs down. Restroom facilities at the Refuge Center clean and well-stocked. Blackberries ripening but leave 'em for the critters.

I’m taking a low key weekend after hiking the last 5, but I still made a point to get outside on a local trail! I had heard that there were white pelicans at the wildlife refuge this morning, but I must have missed them. Actually I didn’t see many birds aside from gulls and little brown birds (I’d be thrilled if someone could identify the little guy below!). It was still a beautiful day to be out on the Nisqually Delta at high tide. The mountain was out, the seals were on their islands, and the berries are getting ripe! Perfect for a 4mi walk!