Nature is a great equalizer. I’d like to say that my keen eye spied these tiny hummingbird nests expertly camouflaged amid the boughs overhanging the meandering waters of a nearby wildlife refuge, but in fact, a refuge volunteer pointed out the first and a kindly fellow photographer the second. Instead, I passed the favor forward by sharing them with others. Birdlife burgeoned throughout the refuge: herons stalked the shallows, ducks busily plied the waters, songbirds flitted twig to twig, and eagles soared above, all apparently unflinched by the awe-struck humans confined to boardwalks bridging the murky contrasts of dry land and sea, fresh water and salt. As in other places of extraordinary natural beauty, human smiles abounded everywhere. No one could refrain. Many of those folk looked obviously different from me. No doubt equally as many believed differently, prayed differently, voted differently, identified differently, loved differently. Yet here we all were, grinning and giddy. Sharing moments of wonder. “There’s a goose nest up in that tree!” “There’s a muskrat right here!” “There’s another hummingbird nest over there!”
As in any ecosystem, threads of commonality link us all, inextricably. There is common ground, even in the most unlikely of places.
The Refuge: Where Worlds Meet
The Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is named for the dxʷsqʷaliʔ abš, or, Nisqually Tribe, who have resided in and tended the greater Nisqually River valley since time immemorial and whose present day community is just upstream from the refuge. It also honors tribal leader Billy Frank Jr., a lifelong advocate for Indigenous rights and participation in management of natural resources. For his achievements on both fronts, Mr. Frank Jr. received numerous awards from Native American, humanitarian, local, and federal organizations, including the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. The refuge protects the Nisqually River estuary that serves as keystone habitat for resident and migrating birds, salmon, and other wildlife. A large tract of the river delta has been rewilded by removal of a dike built by settlers to block the tides from a short-lived farm operated on native saltmarsh. The refuge is open to the public and offers prime wildlife viewing that varies with the rhythm of the seasons. Approximately 5.00 miles/8.00 km of trails and boardwalks, most of them barrier-free, carry human visitors throughout a diverse ecosystem spanning solid ground, freshwater swamp, and saltwater tide flats. It is truly a crossroads of humanity, nature, time, and space.
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Washington.
Ancestral lands of the dxʷsqʷaliʔ abš, or, Nisqually
© 2025 Anthony Colburn