Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

09/15/2026

Seen any Pacific chorus frogs lately? A couple of visitors recently counted over 50 of them in the shrubs around the visitor center! Join a volunteer-led nature walk this week to look for seasonal wildlife like these little frogs. Our schedule includes: Weds. Sept. 16 at 8 a.m.; Thurs. Sept. 17 at 10 a.m.; and Sat. Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. All walks meet outside of the visitor center.

Photo credit: Carole Holmson/USFWS

09/14/2026

This fabulous event is coming up soon! This year, we have even more food vendors, lots more shuttle services, and some new exhibitors in addition to popular and fun activities for the whole family. Come join us!

✨ You’re invited! Celebrate nature, culture, and community this month at the Nisqually Watershed Festival! ✨

📅 Saturday, September 26th at 10am - 4pm
📍 Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
🌿 Experience Up Close Animal Encounters, Live Music, a Salmon BBQ, Hands On Arts & Crafts, Shark Dissections, an Insect Extravaganza, Interactive Education Activities, and so much more. Bring the whole family for a fun-filled day celebrating the outdoors!

👉 Mark Your Calendars & Learn More: https://nisquallyriver.org/festival/

09/11/2026

Belted kingfishers aren't particularly social, usually spotted on their own near a river or stream where they can dive for fish and dig into the bank to make burrows for nesting. But solitary doesn't mean shy! Their loud, rattling call is headturning. This beauty is a female, easily identified by the rusty brown on her chest and sides.

Photo credit: Calvin Smith

09/10/2026

Have you seen this secretive bird? Wilson's snipe are here at the refuge, along with other birds migrating south. They're not easy to spot... But this photographer found one lurking right where snipe like to be: in the seasonal wetland.

Photo credit: Gena Uuereb

09/09/2026

Coyotes appreciate the opportunity to capture mice and voles when we mow in the seasonal wetland! But this one pictured here could be the fellow we took to a rehab center 2 years ago as a pup. He was scrawny, no longer with his mother, and begging at the side of the refuge road-- not a good scenario. The rehab center took care of him until he was in better condition, then returned him to us. He's looking good now! Predators like this are a vital part of a healthy ecosystem.

Photo 1 credit: Jon Bustos
Photo 2 credit: Ryan Munes/USFWS

09/09/2026

Walk with a refuge volunteer to learn about wildlife and habitats. Our schedule this week includes: Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 8 a.m. birdwatching; Thursday, Sept. 10 at 10 a.m. plant walk; Saturday, Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. nature walk; and Sunday, Sept. 13 at 10 a.m. nature walk. Meet your guide outside of the visitor center and join for however long you'd like.

Photo credit: Matt Lovato

09/08/2026

Refuge staff have been watching this yearling deer since spring. It has been on its own all this time. When first spotted, it was terribly emaciated, and was seen to have diarrhea at one point. Without its mother, we figured it didn't have much chance. Yet it appears to have made it all the way to the fall despite hardships, at least in part by sticking close to the buildings and parking lots. Staying close to where people are most active is a strategy for avoiding predators like coyotes.

Photo credit: Pete Kilburn

09/08/2026

Birders flocked to the refuge over the holiday weekend to catch a glimpse of a rare visitor: a ruff! Ruffs are shorebirds, known for the crazy plumage of the males. But in winter, they look like other shorebirds. But they aren't a North American species. They breed across northern Eurasia, and gather in enormous numbers at this time of year just south of Africa's Sahara Desert. But a few stray to our continent each year. One showed up here!

Photo credit: Calvin Smith

09/08/2026

It is the job of deer to eat, and eat and eat. On this Labor Day, we expect them to be hard at work on that important task. But they do it without any front teeth on their top jaw! Deer use their lower front teeth to tear loose leaves and twigs, pressing them against a tough upper palate. Only their back teeth are used for chewing-- and they have jagged top and bottom molars for that.

Photo credit: Pete Kilburn

09/07/2026

It's a season of plenty for seed and berry eaters like this cedar waxwing. Elderberries offer plenty of carbs-- so much so that bears will choose these berries over fresh salmon!

Photo credit: Pete Kilburn