Nancy and I started the day by taking the ferry over to Edmonds. The weather was cloudy with about a 10kt wind out of the SSE. Even so, the sky looked like it might be getting lighter so we had high hopes that the weather would improve. Our optimism was very misplaced!
Our friends picked us up in Edmonds and we drove down through Olympia and to the Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve. The drive down took about 1 3/4 hours with a quick stop for gas. The preserve is not far from I-5 and is pretty easy to find with one exception. The turn into Mima Mounds is a bit hidden and the signage is low, hard to see and right across from the entrance so it is easy to drive right past. The drive is a narrow well-paved road that leads to a small parking lot with one or two vault-style toilets. A very short path leads you through the trees and out onto the prairie. There was a structure with a raised viewing platform right at the start of the trails but it was closed when we were there. I couldn't tell if it was under construction/repair or if it was a failed project that lost funding. It had an "abandoned" look about it.
The weather had not improved and had actually deteriorated a bit. The wind was still pretty brisk and we had a few small rain showers pass through. We were a bit pessimistic about the birding opportunities and started out on the 1/2 mile paved (ADA Accessible) trail to see how bad it might be. The wind was keeping the birds down and sightings were pretty slim. However, the Mima Prairie is beautiful so we decided to turn onto a longer loop trail and hope for the best. We could hear birds calling and caught a few fleeting glimpses but had trouble actually getting a chance to view anything long enough for an identification. Eventually persistence paid off and we had our first bird. A couple of us had seen some sort of sparrow pop-up on top of a mound just to quickly dive back into the grass. We watched for quite a while and finally did manage to catch it out in the open long enough to ID it as a Savannah Sparrow. We continued on the hike and could hear a number of birds but were only able to get the binoculars on a few. It was a great way to spend a couple hours even with the bad weather and low bird count. All of us commented about how we would love to come back later in the year when the weather might be better and the butterflies are visiting the prairie.
We had lunch in Olympia at a restaurant that I think was named Plenty. The food and prices were nothing special but it did have a pretty nice menu with many items for those who are vegetarians or vegans. During lunch we decided to drive north to the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge ($3/family fee). It was on the way home and just minutes off of I-5. The weather had really taken a turn for the worse by the time we pulled into the parking lot. The wind was still blowing and the showers had become a hard and steady rain. The visitor center has a very nice covered viewing area that looks over a pond. We decided to start there in the hopes that the rain would lighten up enough for us to head out on one of the trails. The rain never did cooperate so we spent 45 minutes or so under cover and watching the activity at the pond. It ended up being a nice way to spend a little time when the weather is bad. The refuge appears to be an amazing place and definitely deserves another visit.
It was not a very good day for birding but we still managed to identify a few. Here are our lists from Mima Mounds and the Nisqually Refuge...
Mima Mounds Western Kingbird Savannah Sparrow Northern Harrier Turkey Vulture White-crowned Sparrow Ring-necked Pheasant (by ear) Several RC Model Planes
Nisqually Refuge Violet-green Swallow Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Wood Duck Red-winged Blackbird American Goldfinch Yellow Warbler
