Forum Index > Trip Reports > Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, 03/21/09
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jeremybe
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jeremybe
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PostMon Mar 23, 2009 9:58 am 
Nicole and I rolled out of bed Saturday morning and drove down near Olympia to visit Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge (hereafter, NNWR). I hesitate to call this a hike, as we passed several baby strollers along the 5.5 miles that make up the large loop of the main trail, but at the very least it was a nice long walk. We arrived around 10:45, after about an hour in I-5, dropped $3 in the registration receptacle, and headed off counter-clockwise on the Brown Farm Dike Trail. The first quarter-mile is somewhat slick boardwalk that comprises a portion of a smaller 1-mile loop. Almost immediately, there’s bird sounds around you. Plenty of geese, cranes at the side of the trail, etc. The weather was cool, but comfortable, and the sky was lined with low clouds. Unfortunately, ever since the ill-fated Fourth of July Pass hike last summer, I’ve been without a telephoto lens of any sort, so for this whole hike, I walked around with an old 35mm manual focus lens on my D40. Not exactly the best lens for wildlife photography. To make matters worse, I saw several photographers hauling around 70-200mm and even 300 or 400mm lenses. Envy! I selected a hike that rubbed salt in an open wound, but early on, I decided we’d be coming back in the future, with a new lens in hand. Not ten minutes into the hike, there’s a fork in the boardwalk to the left that takes one over to the Twin Barns, and back to the Visitor Center, should one want to take a shorter walk. It was at this fork that we saw several photographers shooting up into the trees at lumps we eventually determined were owls. Two or three, in fact. This was exciting, but we couldn’t really make much out. If you don’t have a telephoto lens, I highly recommend bringing binoculars. In fact, I thought that they could be rented or borrowed from the Visitor Center, but I’m not certain of it. In any case, we craned our neck for a while and then walked down to the Twin Barns before deciding to head back to the main trail and continue on. We walked along at a slow pace, stopping for photos, looking into trees or out into the marshes and ponds. The trail comes alongside the Nisqually River briefly, and there’s a destroyed building with a view of I-5 in the distance. The refuge is right off the freeway, and very near a railroad, so from time to time the sounds intrude on your meditations. The birds don’t seem to mind. After ~two miles, the trail turns away from the Nisqually River and the larger trees of the NNWR. At this point, Puget Sound is to your right and many ponds and a lot of marshland is to your left. It has a different feel than the first portion of the trail. There were often big birds in the distance that we wished we could identify–hawks or eagles, perhaps. And a weasel bounded across the trail in front of us and down into the water where it swam into the brush and out of sight. Benches are placed along the trail every so often, and we stopped and sat down on one three or four miles in, along the western waterway of the refuge: McAllister Creek. At around 13:30 we were back in our car, eating a cheese sandwich, yogurt, and fruit. The Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is a great way to spend several hours walking, observing wildlife, and conversing with family or friends. An hour there, an hour back, and ~2:30 on the trail at a very leisurely pace. ~6 miles including small spurs and backtracking. 0’ elevation gain. Only the geese let me get close enough for a decent photograph, and geese are common and mean. It was a good day-trip.
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

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PostMon Mar 23, 2009 11:54 am 
I always sit up and take notice of this area from a distance as my train passes through on the way to Portland. It's beautiful and looks like a great place to explore - low tide exposes so many interesting rivulets. Thanks for sharing some up-close pics. I especially like DSC_6444, which really captures the feel of the area, at least from the vantage of the train. up.gif

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captain jack
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captain jack
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PostMon Mar 23, 2009 4:17 pm 
Remember though, no jogging. nono.gif I'm not sure at what exact speed you are subject to fine, fast walkers are probably let off with a warning. I'd like to see the guy out there with the radar. Nisqually Speed Patrol - " I'm sorry sir, I caught you going 3 just after the bridge " Hapless unsuspecting fast walker-"No way dude, I wasnt even going 2" rolleyes.gif

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Don
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PostMon Mar 23, 2009 4:49 pm 
Glad you enjoyed your visit Jeremyb. The Nisqually NWR is an excellent place for bird viewing and photography. Of course, the area is going to drastically change soon (April 15th) with the removal of the dike. By chance did you see the family of owls? There is a nest near the junction of the boardwalk from the barn and the Nisqually dike trail, and includes some baby owls only a couple of weeks old. Yesterday the family was spotted near the barns.

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jeremybe
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jeremybe
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PostMon Mar 23, 2009 5:33 pm 
Don– Yes, that must've been the family of owls, it looked like two were still fluffy, and a parent just off to the side, though I was disappointed I didn't have binoculars or a better lens to look at them with. Still, it was fun to stare up at them–we could make out their eyes. Your comment made me visit the NNWR site again, and I read the information regarding the upcoming restoration and changes. I imagine it'll be a while before the new boardwalk is completed, so I'm glad I made it out there when I did.

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Don
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PostMon Mar 23, 2009 6:23 pm 
Quote:
It was at this fork that we saw several photographers shooting up into the trees at lumps we eventually determined were owls.
Hah, next time I'll read a little closer. embarassedlaugh.gif

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Hikingqueen
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PostMon Mar 23, 2009 7:29 pm 
I love this place it's always different. Did you see any Blue Herons?

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Oarboar
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PostMon Mar 23, 2009 10:10 pm 
Holy carp. I've made the stop when I could on my travels, but I've never done the Brown Farm Dike Trail all the way. I guess I need to do that, like, soon, huh? Hopefully it'll all work out and make the place even more beautiful.

Sadly, right now I'm a poseur. Sigh.
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mossy mom
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PostMon Mar 23, 2009 10:48 pm 
That is a nice place, I thought about going there for my hike today but wanted to do a longer walk with less people. I'm so jealous that you got to see owls.

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