 ELLEN M. BANNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
A great blue heron at Lake Union. |
March 26, 2004 Best bird-watching
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Cassimer Bar Wildlife Area (Okanagan and Columbia Rivers) Located at the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia rivers, this birding area features fresh-water wetlands and a large variety of birds. Spring and summer are best for viewing. Coulee Corridor (Grand Coulee) Part of the Great Washington State Birding Trail, the Coulee Corridor offers incredible birding year-round, including excellent opportunities to spot several species not often seen. Steamboat Rock (Grand Coulee) This state park land and wildlife area has a prominent 600-acre butte overlooking a lake and wetlands. Good year-round, birders prefer the late fall and winter to view bald and golden eagles, northern harriers, hawks and falcons PUGET SOUND Bay View State Park (Padilla Bay) Part of the 10,000-acre Padilla Bay National Estuarine Reserve, this is a good site for viewing migrant waterfowl in the fall, winter and spring. The best spots are along Padilla Bay Trail and the Padilla Bay-Breazeale Interpretive Center. Edmonds Marsh (Edmonds) The best vantage points at this city-owned marine/estuarine freshwater wetlands and saltwater marsh are the marsh boardwalk, waterfront fishing pier and the beach north to the ferry terminal. More than 200 species can be sighted year-round. Ferguson Park (Snohomish) This family-friendly park in Snohomish has riparian wetlands and a small dock to view water birds. The best viewing seasons are spring and winter. Fir Island Farm / Hayton Reserve (Skagit Valley) A former farm located in the 11,000-acre Skagit Wildlife Area refuge, this birder's spot has agricultural and riparian landscapes diked off from driftwood-covered mudflats. Bald eagles, northern harriers, northern pintails and green-winged teals are viewable in spring, winter and fall. Heirman Wildlife Preserve (Snohomish) Bob Heirman (for whom the site is named) called this park "the Serengeti of birds." Nearly 80 species are seen year-round on the park's riparian, wetland and agricultural habitats. Larrabee State Park (Bellingham) This 2,683-acre park (located off Chuckanut Drive) offers mountain lookouts, lakes, coniferous and deciduous forests, saltwater coves and rocky tidepools for year-round birding. Lowell Riverfront Trail (Everett) View birds year-round at this city park located on the banks of the Snohomish River. You might even see occasional Steller's sea lions and river otters. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Twin Barns Loop (Olympia) As one of Washington's largest remaining relatively undisturbed estuaries, this area is an important place for animals, especially birds. Spring and fall are prime times to view migrating species, while other types of birds make this their winter home. Seattle area Within five minutes of the Space Needle, a dedicated birder might see 100 species in a day. The city and its surrounding areas have several birding hot-spots, including the Montlake Fill, Union Bay, Seward Park, Juanita Bay Park and more. Washington Park (Anacortes) A 200-acre, family-friendly park with cedar, fir and madrona forest, grassy bluffs and a boulder-strewn coastline, Washington Park is great for birding year-round. Home to more than 100 species, the park offers especially good winter birding. CASCADES Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery (Leavenworth) More than 100 species have been recorded on these riparian and wetland sloughs, meadows and soaring hillsides. The mile-long interpretive loop trail is excellent for birding, especially in the morning. Best season is spring through fall. Waterfront Park (Leavenworth) A municipal park with walkways over and around Wenatchee River, canopies on the riverbanks and deciduous trees on Blackbird Island. Best bird-watching happens spring through fall. OLYMPIC PENINSULA AND PACIFIC COAST Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge (Hoquiam) Established in 1988, the park has 1,487 acres of tidal flats, salt marsh and adjacent upland forests. Shorebird numbers peak from mid-April through early May during spring migration to their nesting grounds in the Arctic. |
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