The wetland and sound boardwalks were in great condition, as was the wide trail connecting them.

What a day for birding! It was a chilly day (around the 40s) with pouring rain until about 2pm. We arrived just after it had cleared up.

Here are some highlights:

-Near the barn at the end of the wetland boardwalk, there is a tree with an eagles’ nest. Fellow birders let us know they’ve been nesting there year after year. In the tree, we saw two adults and three juveniles who appear to be sticking around with their parents until they’re ready for life on their own.
-Waterfowl!!! We heard migrating cackling geese as soon as we arrived and noted their higher-pitched call than Canada geese. A helpful sign on the boardwalk educated us on the difference. I was overjoyed to see and learn to distinguish 8 different species of duck: Widgeon, shoveler, pintail, ring-necked, bufflehead, goldeneye, and good ole mallards
-saw three different species of woodpecker on the same cluster of trees: downy, hairy, and red-breasted sapsucker
-multiple species of gull + greater yellow legs out on the mud flats
-the frogs were calling everywhere, and I was able to spot just one of the elusive little guys
-a fellow hiker let us know there were some hauled-out seals visible from the end of the boardwalk. By the time we got there, just one mottled gray seal was visible, just chilling on the grass.

The sun came out in full force on the Tacoma narrows bridge before setting and leaving the trail in darkness. We saw numerous rabbits and even a bat, which was a surprise for February.

What a joyful hike. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys birding or loves seeing wildlife.

All photos by Christopher Atherly.

A great first hike of 2024! I woke up and wanted to get outside, but avoid driving far from home, so the wildlife refuge was a nice compromise. Overall, I walked 3 miles. 

Trail The end of the boardwalk is still closed until the year in the month for the annual hunting season closure. I did hear a couple of gunshots while I was out. As always the trail and boardwalk are in good shape, but it was slippery from fog/condensation. 

Wildlife: Lots of duck and a few songbirds! I came across a heron just sitting next to the gravel path going down to the twin barns. A photographer told me it had been just standing there for a while. I also saw a little creature that looked like a dark brown weasel run across the path just entering the boardwalk from the parking lot. No clue what it was, but it was cute!

After our walk at the Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls, we went to the Billy Frank Junior NWR where many others were enjoying the foggy day. There was an outgoing tide so we did not see a lot of birds "up close and personal"! Widgeons were the most seen ducks. A heron, 2 shovelers, coots, a green-winged teal, mallards, geese, yellowlegs, shorebirds, buffleheads and golden-crowned sparrows were seen. A king fisher and saw whet owl were the highlights of our time there. As we were leaving we talked to some of the birders who had done the Wednesday walk and they told us about the saw whet owl they had seen. One of them took us to the area which is very close to the parking area at the start of the Twin Barns Loop at the Western end. He didn't see it, but called Shep Thorp who is a leader of the group. He came with his scope and found it. Thank you to him for his time in showing it to us! It was too dark for photos.

Bottom Line:

BEAUTIFUL sunset hike across elevated boardwalks above the mud flats where the Nisqually river empties into Puget Sound; lots of shore birds and waterfowl; boardwalks are in great condition and provide just a superb vantage of both wildlife and the sunset; amazing light and mountain/sound views!!

Stats:

• Distance: ~4 miles
• Duration: ~1-1/2 hours
• Weather: Sunny with high cloud, no wind, still waters, 50Fs
• Parking: The Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Reserve has ample parking and a $3 per car usage fee - cash only; the park closes at "sunset" but practically speaking with all the folks enjoying the sunset way out on the boardwalk, the park closes ~1 hour after sunset - right now about 5:15pm; cars can be locked in, so we hustled back to the lot once the color faded; only a handful of folks seemed to start for sunset given the uncertainty on the actual closing time
• Trail: From the parking lot, there is a gravel dike or (smaller, and slippery) boardwalk trail out to the edge of the bay; from there, head south towards to the boardwalk - it will be visible in the distance and goes several miles out across the mud flats; a short section of the trail is closed at the very end to protect a nesting area; the boardwalk has a number of shelters along its length should the weather turn bad; many species of waterfowl and shorebirds, although the rapidly dimming light made it difficult to identify species; the largest colony of Canadian geese I think I have ever seen - they kind of took over the trail once night fell
• Takeaway: Is there a more optimal spot for a December sunset on Puget Sound? Not that I know of - a simply amazing colorful stroll over the water!

PS. The Nisqually Bar & Grill is directly across the freeway and is a funky, fun spot for dinner - lots of memorabilia!

We took a stroll around Nisqually on this brisk Sunday afternoon. The boardwalks were a bit slippery so we proceeded with caution.

The usual waterfowl were out in droves. We were lucky enough to spot a seal at the Nisqually River overlook. From the Twin Barns Loop boardwalk we also spotted what we believe was a brown mink going for a swim in the wetland area not far from the visitor center.

There were many people out enjoying the trails but it never felt crowded.

We always enjoy a trip around Nisqually!