Trip
Report -- Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve & Nisqually National Wildlife
Refuge (May 20, 2007)
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 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
www.ebird.org
Have you visited the
ebird.org website yet?It is a great reference tool that is based on
bird sightings posted by the general public.You can use it to research the distribution of birds here or anywhere
else in North America.Another great feature is that by posting
sightings you also create a life list and sightings/trip records for your own
use.You first have to go through a
simple registration process and then you can start posting your own
sightings.On the My eBird page you can
review the data you’ve collected by species, state, county, over your life and
for the current year.I am sure that
there are many other tools that eBird offers but I am still learning how to use
it myself.
One thing I did notice
is that KitsapCounty data is almost nonexistent for
the months of June, July and August.I
assume that means that most of the data here is collected by school groups and
no one continues on into the summer.So,
I am making a call out to all you Kitsap birders.Lets make an effort to log onto eBird this
summer and start posting our sightings.I would be greatly interested to find out what birds you are seeing.
Books
Birds of Washington
By Stan Tekiela
$13.95
This is a great field guide for those who are still
learning to identify birds.This guide
is divided by the bird’s predominate color.So, you go to the brown section if you see a bird that is mostly
brown.Birds of Washington contains 130 species and uses color full-page photos,
range maps and useful information to help you with identification.
Bird Songs
By Les Beletsky
$45.00
Drawing
from the collection of the world-renowned Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab
of Ornithology, Bird Songs presents
the most notable birds in a stunning format.
Renowned bird
biologist Les Beletsky provides a succinct description of each of the 250 birds
profiled, with an emphasis on their distinctive songs.Lavish full-color illustrations accompany
each account, while a sleek, built-in digital audio player holds 250
corresponding songs and calls.
Specials
10% all Premier Designs Spinners.
15% off all bird baths
20% off all Cohasset Imports bamboo chimes.
Droll Yankee Garden Pole was $24.95 now $17.95 (limited to stock on hand)
