Rare birds at Nisqually

As I opined in a recent Thurston’s Birds column, the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is the premier birding site in Thurston County. Recent unusual and rare bird sightings at the refuge have reinforced this view. 

Every Wednesday, volunteers at the refuge organize an all-day bird watching event — Birding Wednesday — with the results posted on eBird. On Wednesday, Oct. 21,  39-plus species were seen, including enough rare or unusual species that it might justify you planning a birding trip to Nisqually before our run of good weather ends. 

The “best” unusual birds were shorebirds, and to see them you have to walk out to the McAllister Creek boardwalk via the gravel dike path. A number of shorebirds are frequenting the mudflats, including 10 or so black-bellied plovers and one American golden-plover.  

Worldwide, there are 69 species of plovers and associated birds, including our local favorite the killdeer. Most are medium-sized shorebirds with stubby necks, short bills and relatively short legs. The two we are focusing on today are about 11 inches in length, smaller than a crow but larger than a robin and all the small sandpipers.

Many shorebirds probe the sand or mud, feeling for food with their sensitive bills. For plovers, in contrast, vision is primary and they often follow a run-and-pause hunting technique, stirring up small insects to eat.  

A black-bellied plover.

Liam Hutcheson | For The JOLT

The plovers we find now at the refuge are in their winter plumage, which contrasts sharply with the breeding plumage seen in bird book illustrations. For black-bellied plovers this means no black bellies. Rather, they will have a dull light brownish belly and a white and black speckly back and neck. The only black is in the underwings (or, as some bird books say, black armpits), a good marker for distinguishing this species from other plovers. 

An American golden plover.

Liam Hutcheson | For The JOLT

With the black-bellies at Nisqually is one plover that is a bit smaller and has a speckled golden back and a faint golden wash across its belly. Although it’s smaller overall, its wings appear longer, projecting well beyond its tail. This is the American golden-plover. 

Both these plover species breed in the arctic. The black-bellies prefer coastal habitats for both breeding and wintering, and a few winter along Puget Sound. The goldies have a different life pattern. They prefer grassland habitat, nesting in the open arctic tundra and typically migrate through the grasslands of central North America; a few, like our Nisqually bird, choose the western coastal route. 

American golden-plovers are among the world’s greatest of long-distance migrants This Nisqually bird, assuming nothing intervenes, will soon fly south through Central America and South America to its wintering territory in the pampas (grasslands of eastern Argentina and vicinity) Then, come spring, it will return to the arctic, logging in a total of up to 20,000 flight miles each year of its life.  

Also out on the Nisqually mudflats is another shorebird, the Hudsonian Whimbrel. This is a large wading birds, with long legs, a large curved bill and a striped head. They’re quite a sight. We often have a few winter somewhere in Thurston County. In 2025, ornithologists split Whimbrel into two species: Hudsonian Whimbrel, occurring across the Americas, and the Eurasian Whimbrel. 

A Hudsonian Whimbrel.

George Walter | The JOLT

The occasional name changes sometimes mystify we bird watchers — for years ‘whimbrel’ was sufficient, but no longer. The American Ornithological Union has been revising common names toward the goal of eliminating names that commemorate individuals (see “What’s in a Name,” The JOLT, Dec, 28, 2023). The irony for the whimbrel name change, of course, is that ‘Hudsonian’ refers to Hudson’s Bay and environs, named after the English explorer Henry Hudson. 

Red-shouldered hawk

Another unusual bird recently seen at Nisqually presents a reason to always be alert with you visit our Nisqually refuge. A red-shouldered hawk may initially look like a small red-tailed hawk, but look again. It has distinctive coloration, rufous barring on its breast, red at its shoulders (now isn’t that a surprise), and rusty head and white banding on its tail. It also has a distinctive, non-red-tail call that your Merlin app will help you identify.  

Both shorebirds and hawks are often seen at great distance and enjoying the sight of them without a telescope can be a challenge. If you don’t have a spotting scope, I encourage you to go out anyway. Birders will usually be more than happy to let you take a look at the hawk or plover they are admiring in their scope. Or you might want to join an organized bird walk, for example every Wednesday at Nisqually. It leaves from the refuge headquarters at about 8 a.m. and several of the participants are sure to have scopes.  

George Walter is environmental program manager at the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s natural resources department; he also has a 45+ year interest in bird watching. He may be reached at george@theJOLTnews.com 

Photos for this column are provided by Liam Hutcheson, a talented 19-year-old Olympia area birder and avid photographer.