Category: Nisqually Natural Wildlife Refuge

Nisqually – Billy Frank Jr. National Wildlife Refuge

Twin Barns

The Nisqually – Billy Frank Jr. National Wildlife Refuge is located 10 miles or so east of Olympia, right off of I-5. It was a working dairy farm for years and still has the pair of large barns from those days. The interior area of the refuge had been diked off and used for pasture, but in the recent past the dike was breached in several places to restore acres of salt marsh for young salmon habitat. It is also a great place for bird watching and photography. The area is the estuary of the Nisqually River.

Interior of Nisqually – Billy Frank Jr. National Wildlife Refuge
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Baby Otters

Baby Otters

I was walking the loop trail at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge when I spotted these baby otters on a small island in the middle of a pond … and I had left my camera at home, just carrying binoculars. I wanted a photo … so hurried my pace, drove home, grabbed my camera and telephoto lens and returned to the Wildlife Refuge. I hiked the mile or so back to the pond, expecting the otter pups to have relocated, but they were still there! And they were curious at my presence.

(The loop trail has since been broken to return the interior of the refuge to a salt water marsh and the refuge has been renamed the Billy Frank Jr. – Nisqually Wildlife Refuge.)

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Little Birds

Golden Crowned Sparrow

I like to take photos of the little birds. I think the big birds (hawks, eagles, etc) get too much press. It’s easier to get close to a lot of small birds (but not all) and they don’t ask for royalties like some of their more famous kin. These were at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge outside Olympia, WA.

Golden Crowned Kinglet
Black Capped Chickadee
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Nisqually Delta — Mountains in the Sky

Nisqually Delta — Mountains in the Sky

The Nisqually Delta is outside of Olympia, WA and is home of the Nisqually – Billy Frank, Jr. National Wildlife Reserve. It had been diked, drained and converted to farmland back 100 years ago or so, but the dike was intentionally breached and the interior is now salt marsh and provides home to young salmon. They built a wonderful walkway that runs most of a mile out for viewing birds and other critters. I took this image across to Luhr Beach (the buildings on the water) and the boat ramp. I didn’t notice the mountains visible in the cloud gaps until recently. They are the southeast corner of the Olympic Mountains from about Mount Ellinor to The Brothers.

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