Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge — Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021

We had a beautiful day for our trip to the Nisqually Refuge.  The refuge being the site of a river delta is perfectly flat and easy walking.  There is a mile long boardwalk over the mudflats.  We saw 30 species of birds, many I have not seen in a long time and a few new to me.  There were hundreds of American widgeons, but also northern shovelers, ring-necked ducks, buffleheads, surf scoters, a common merganser, green-winged teals, northern pintails, goldeneyes, least sandpipers, lesser yellowlegs, coots, double-crested cormorants, a bald eagle and great blue herons.  One heron found a large snake and we watched it swallow its prey.  We also watched a coyote that found a mouse for lunch.  We had our own lunch at the picnic area near two large barns with some very tame Eastern gray squirrels.  We were amazed to find that most of the cattails were still handsome and intact, usually they have been dispersing their seeds by this time and look pretty bedraggled.  This is a great place to watch wildlife, which is often well-hidden in the deep forest.  Binoculars, if you have some, are strongly recommended.