Having plans to head to the desert lands east of Vantage dashed by a wise choice to not cross the Cascades under the current weather conditions, I opted to head out locally and enjoy the pleasures the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge could offer me. Wow, what a great place this is that I've driven past dozens of times but never stopping. To make matters better, for some reason the clouds broke up from torrential rains of the past two days just as I pulled into the refuge gates! Temperatures were already falling after the cold front passage so I bundled up and tried to figure out a way to (a) dress warm and dry, (b) haul my binoculars for wildlife viewing, and (c) haul my camera gear to keep it dry but still use it. Nature made it easy on me as I headed out on the dike road/trail as it stayed relatively dry for the first three miles of the 5 1/2 mile loop. Immediately I began enjoying the rich bird diversity this site offers, and by the time the hike was completed I saw 38 species of birds. The highlighted sightings were great-blue herons(11), bald eagles(3), red-tailed hawk, northern harriers(2), cooper's hawk, northern flicker, pileated woodpecker, belted kingfishers(4), golden-crowned kinglets(50+), common mergansers(100+ in Nisqually River), buffleheads(10+), horned grebes(2), hooded mergansers(25+), double-crested cormorants(5), surf scoters(3), American wigeons(50+), green-winged teals(4), northern shovelers(8), common goldeneyes(25+), and to cap off the day two spectacular trumpeter swans near the entry gates! I also was rather thrilled to see a single myrtle warbler not five minutes from the visitor center as my hike began who was very cooperative for the camera! Other wildlife sightings included dozens of coyote scat piles, a seal fishing in the Nisqually River, and two very fresh 1/2 chewed alder trees, both more than a foot in diameter, from the craftsmanship of the busy beavers. The last two miles were hiked in a stiff wind and very bitter cold driving rainstorm, which turned to sleet and snow just as I got back to the visitor center. The heater in the rig never has felt so nice! In all, a spectacular, bone chilling, and soaking wet day with the birds, and one which I'll need to perform many more times.

Just south of Tacoma before you reach Olympia is a great spot for birding at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. $3.00 per family entry fee. The refuge shares space with the hunters this time of year, so not all trails are accessible but are well-marked. Headed down the trail from the Visitors Center about 1pm. Encountered about a dozen people total while walking the north boardwalk out to the loop trail, and then back to the turnoff for the twin barns. Saw some beautiful birds and didn't need a scope. Mature and immature bald eagle, northern harrier, coopers hawk, ruby kinglets, chickadees, spotted towhee, tons of song sparrows, winter wrens, golden-crowned sparrows, bushtits, and the marsh at the two barns gave us glimpses of common and Eurasian widgeons, pintails, herons, shovelers, green wing teals, and more. Even with the trail around the west side of the refuge being closed, our meanderings lasted over 3 hours, and we arrived back at the visitors center at post-closing time (they close at 4pm). Gates are open till dusk so not a problem, tho. And off we went to the Prairie Hawk Inn (just south of the NWF) to warm up and enjoy some country hospitality. Penguin 12/30/2000

Spring has sprung. The birds were chirping and nesting, the otters swimming in the river. This is a great place to take leisurely hikers and children. No dogs allowed, sorry. Also, no bikes and no joggers. Rules. We had a great day enjoying some of the first warm weather of the year. Some eagles were playing tag above the mudflats and the herons were hanging out in their aerie above McAllister Creek. The crowds tend to get here later in the day, so go early. No problems with wet feet, most of the trail is on dikes or expensive boardwalk (fully accessible). There is also a great new visitor's center. There is a $3 fee per ""family"" which is a carload for singles. All the monies go to the reserve. The bird population is constantly changing since a lot of the population is migratory, so you'll probably see something different every time you go.