Tag: Nisqually Natural Wildlife Refuge

Frosty Morning

Frosty Morning (1)

This is a road that runs through the Nisqually Natural Wildlife Refuge … or did before they breached the dikes to provide for salmon habitat. It was a wonderful spot for bird watching … with an occasional other critter … like a long tailed weasel that was carrying a sparrow in its mouth and ran right alongside me. Now visitors are channeled on an elevated boardwalk. You can see water birds from the boardwalk and lots of others in the woods near the visitor center, though. Still worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Here’s a close up of frost on the native blackberry:

Frosty Morning (2)
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More Backlit Maple Leafs

Backlit Maple Leafs (1)

These were taken a while ago, but we still have a few maple leafs left on a few of the maple trees. It’s interesting how there is so much difference between trees in a grove. It’s my favorite time of year for enjoying maples: when the leafs are bright yellow/orange and the sun shines through them.

Backlit Maple Leafs (2)

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Different Forest Types

Open Pine Woods / Grasslands

I have been posting a lot of views of the Olympic National Park and the big trees. I spend a lot of time there, mostly since it’s close to home. But occasionally I do travel to other areas and experience nature in other environments. The image above shows some open pine woods and grasslands down in California in Inyo National Forest. At least that’s my memory … my notes are sketchy on that trip.

On the other hand, the image below is back up in Washington, but down along the Nisqually River Delta area in a section of the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge that is no long accessible. What a difference in woods.

Marshlands and River Banks
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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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