• North Seattle Community College Wetlands  (park at visitor lot off College Way between N. 95th and N. 97th, register, then go to last parking lot at north end of campus)
  Mid-summer – dry paths; winter -- wet  (also see spring/summer)
• Surge Pond – wintering waterfowl, chickadees, bushtits, flickers, herons, etc.

• Sand Point Magnuson Park  (on Lake Washington north of Univ District)
  Promontory Point – wintering ducks
  (also see spring/summer)

• Union Bay Natural Area  - walking  (start near UW Urban Horticulture Bldg)
  150 species of birds visit here – waterfowl come from late fall to early spring
  Best time to go -- fall, spring  (also see summer/fall)
  

• Discovery Park Beach Walk  (Magnolia)
  Free nature walks on weekends and some weekdays; go to Events for schedule;
  Best time to go to beaches -- low tide
  
• North Beach – fertile tide pools, cormorants, wigeons, Western grebes, gulls (18 species)
  Sea lions, harbor seals, orcas in winter
• Gravel path above beach – pond ringed with cattails and red osier dogwood – native species, muskrat
• Just outside gates to Discovery Park – eagle nest – scopes starting in early April – adults feeding young eaglets
• South Beach – geology, cliffs with pigeon guillemots and kingfishers, red-tailed hawks high on wind

• Green Lake – lots more birds species in winter  (also see spring/summer)
  Great blue heron (early morning only)
  Red-winged blackbirds (most vocal in late winter and early spring), wigeons
  Stand of pine on north end – red-breasted sapsuckers; mulched area to east of pine –
       snags attract woodpeckers in winter and spring
  Bathhouse Theater – platform of gulls

• Nora’s Woods  (29th Ave and E Columbia St)
  Native-species park, remnant orchard, fern gully, meadow, forest
  Sharp-shinned hawk, rock doves, warblers, bushtits, kinglets, flickers, downy woodpeckers
  Best time to go -- winter, spring

• Interlaken Park (trail -- 19th and Galer)
  Giant redwood and other mature trees, salmonberry, ferns
  Stopping point for migratory birds; male birds flock to park in search of nest sites in Feb.
  Nesting band-tailed pigeon, downy woodpecker, northern flicker, pileated woodpecker, several warblers, and wrens
  Western pocket gopher mounds
  Best time to go -- winter, spring

• Kubota Garden  (Renton Ave S & 5th Ave S)
  Beautiful Japanese gardens
  15 bird species (pileated woodpeckers, barred owls, cedar waxwings, Anna’s hummingbirds,
       Cooper’s hawks, downy woodpeckers)
  Might see raccoons, bats, foxes, deer, frogs, salamanders
  Best time to go -- winter, spring

• West Seattle Beach  (south of Alki) – go at low tide  (also see summer)
  Cormorant Cove Park – cormorants, seabirds – winter and spring
  Me-Kwa-Mooks Park – tide pools

• Vashon:  Quartermaster Harbor – winter home to 35 species of waterfowl, including thousands of Western grebes.
  Best time is from Nov to April when thousands of waterfowl gather here
  (may seeing grebe courting behavior in April)
• Jensen Point  (8900 Harbor Dr; take Vashon Hwy SW 9 miles to SW Burton Dr, turn left and drive 0.6 mi. Turn left at 97th Ave SW (T) and continue around the peninsula to Burton Acres Boat House and Jensen Point)
  Can rent kayaks to paddle out near grebes.
• Shawnee Beach – also good viewing
• Burton Acres Park (across road) – 1-mile loop trail thru second growth native trees.

• Spencer Island  (Snohomish River Estuary -- take Smith Island access / Frontage Rd to Langus Riverfront Park and then Spencer Island parking lot)
  300 species of birds, variety of mammals, salmon
  Kayak is best way to see estuary – launch at Langus Riverfront Park
  Spencer Island trail – late winter and spring are best time to see waterfowl
  (also see fall)
  

• [Seattle Times:  Lowell Riverfront Trail]

• Ravenna Park and Creek  (NE 55th St and NE Ravenna Blvd)
  Skunk cabbage (early spring); 30+ bird species

• Frink Park  (S Jackson and 31st Ave S)
  9 wetlands -- songbirds, raptors, towhee, downy woodpecker
  Best time to go -- spring, summer; April -- rhododendrons
  

• Schmitz Park  (5551 S Admiral W)
  Old growth forest, 25 species of birds
  Spring – trillium and skunk cabbage flowers

• Duwamish Restoration Bike Tour  (also see summer/fall)
  
• Herring’s House Park wetland project – red-winged blackbirds, eagles
  (spring brings eagle/osprey aerial fights)

• Mercer Slough  (Bellevue Way SE, just north of Park ‘n Ride – park at Winter’s House)
  Forest birds, snakes, herons, waterfowl, osprey – buffleheads and goldeneye in winter
  Watch for red foxes and coyotes at dawn and dusk
  Free guided nature walks year around; call 425-452-2752 for schedule
• [East Lake Washington Audubon Society:  Particularly in April, watch for songbirds, and tune your ear for their unique songs.  See flotillas of mallards and new colors on all the grasses and trees.]
  

• Paramount Park Open Space wetland  (NE 148th and 11th Ave NE – Shoreline)
  Pacific tree frogs – chorus at dusk (best on east side of far pond;
       best after a rain on a warm evening – spring and summer)
  Salamanders, 34 species of birds, reflective pools and native plants

• North Seattle Community College Wetlands  (park at visitor lot off College Way between. N. 95th and N. 97th, register, then go to last parking lot at north end of campus)
  Mid-summer – dry paths; winter -- wet  (also see winter)
• Settling pond – Pacific tree frogs, native plants
• Pondo Neuvo – tree frogs and salamanders (spring?)

• Magnolia’s Madrones  (Magnolia Boulevard Viewpoints)  
  (also see fall)
  Madrones (flowers in spring)
  Summer - hummingbirds; nesting – northern flickers, crows. 
  

• Green Lake  (also see winter/spring)
  Great blue heron (early morning only), pied-billed grebes (summer nesting on west side of lake)
  Wigeons, nesting bald eagles
  Stand of pine on north end – red-breasted sapsuckers;
       summer - nesting black-capped chickadees and downy woodpeckers.
  Bathhouse Theater – platform of gulls

• Sand Point Magnuson Park  (on Lake Washington north of Univ District)
  (also see winter)
  Lakeshore Promenade stretches north all along the lake:
• Huge patch of blackberries just past boat launch – raptors
• Mowed lawn next – nesting for killdeers in spring and summer
• After the bathrooms – fin art and lots of birds (watch for coveys of quail)
• NOAA’s buildings – haven for owls – come out to hunt
• Turn south on paved path just before dog fence and walk uphill – 2nd dirt trail on left takes you to native plantings, then further south to tree frog pond.

• Montlake Fill  (Union Bay Natural Area) – canoe trail (start at UW Waterfront Activities Center)
  Red-winged blackbirds, various duck species, great blue heron, green heron, bittern
  Marsh and Foster islands on south side of cut – several turtle species, white water lilies (summer),
       grebes, crows (winter evenings)
  Best time to go -- spring, summer
  

• Seward Park  (South end of Lake Washington)
  Several old growth tree species, hundreds of native plants
  Bats, beaver, muskrat, salmon, abundant woodland and water-loving birds
  Flock of scarlet-fronted parakeets (moves to NE Seattle in the winter)
  2 pairs nesting bald eagles (young learning to fly in July)
  Best time to go -- spring

• Roxhill Bog  (29th Ave SW and SW Barton)
  35000 native plants appropriate for bogs
  American wigeons, belted kingfishers, red-winged blackbirds, Cooper’s hawks
  Early spring and summer – best time to see blooms and broods; fall good also

• Black River Riparian Forest
• [Sunny Walter: Black River Heron Colony – best views of heron courting and nest building in March/April before leaves are on trees.  June/July are good for young heron fledging
  Waterfowl on river; geese nesting on islands.  Rabbits in brush]

• More than 1000 male sea lions gather in Everett – peak in April -- where?

• Carkeek Park  (950 NW Carkeek Park Rd)
  Wetland area – summer – tree frogs, salamanders, dragonflies
  (also see fall)
  

• Bradner Gardens Park  (29th Ave S and S Grand)
  Flowers and butterflies
  Best time to go --  summer, fall

• West Seattle Beach  (south of Alki) – go at low tide  (also see winter/spring)
  Constellation Park and Marine Reserve – osprey – summer
  Me-Kwa-Mooks Park – tide pools

• [Sunny Walter: Juanita Bay Park  (2201 Market St -- south of NE 116th St)
  Herons, eagles, songbirds, nesting grebes, cormorants, waterfowl, coots, turtles, beaver
  Boardwalks to viewing platforms
  Free interpretive tours at 1:00 pm the 1st Sunday of every month
  Best time to go for grebe babies -- mid-June; best time for turtles -- sunny days in spring/summer]

• Jetty Island  (take ferry from 10th St Boat Launch – July 5 to Labor Day)
  Grassy dunes and saltwater lagoon – terns, sandpipers, plovers, and other shorebirds
  Winter (use own boat) – wide variety of waterfowl
  [Sunny Walter note – osprey young fledge in July]
  [Pilchuck Audubon list of Bird Species seen on Jetty Island:   8/18/01,   8/7/01,   7/10/01]
  

• Golden Gardens Park  (Shilshole Bay)
  California sea lions migrate thru Puget Sound in late summer;
  fall – gather on buoys or platforms outside rock jetty in front of marina
       (>1000 male sea lions gather in Everett – peak in April)
  North Beach – walk north along beach and east to wetlands trail – ducks

• Hiram M. Chittenden Locks  (3015 NW 54th St)
  Carl S English Botanical Garden
  Sockeye, salmon, chinook, coho, steel head
  Best time to go -- late summer, fall

• Union Bay Natural Area  - walking  (start near UW Urban Horticulture Bldg)
  150 species of birds visit here – migrating shorebirds come in late summer to early fall
  SE corner – turtles
  Best time to go -- fall, spring  (also see winter)

• Duwamish Restoration Bike Tour
  Best time to go -- summer, fall  (also see spring)
  
• Cecil Moses Memorial Park  (Tukwila International Blvd & S 112th St) - salmon
• Hamm Creek  (W Marginal Way s & S 96th St) – heron, kingfisher, waterfowl --
       fall – salmon; also river otters, seals, sea lions, birds
• Kellogg Island - osprey, rufous hummingbirds, purple martin houses
• Herring’s House Park wetland project – red-winged blackbirds, eagles
  

• Orion O. Denny Park  (take NE 116 St west until it changes into NE Juanita Dr; turn left at light onto 76th Pl NE, also known as Holmes Point Drive NE; wind down to lakeshore)
  Forest trail along Denny Creek – salmon
  Up to ridge – eagle nest, owls, hawks, woodpeckers, thrushes in spring, other woodland birds here all year
  Native plants
  Best time to go -- summer, fall
  

• Carkeek Park  (950 NW Carkeek Park Rd)
  Piper’s Creek: coho salmon - 1st week in Nov, chum salmon – 2nd or 3rd week in Nov
  (also see summer)
  

• Magnolia’s Madrones  (Magnolia Boulevard Viewpoints)  
  (also see spring/summer)
  Fall - band-tailed pigeons, varied thrushes, cedar waxwings, Bewick’s wrens;
  Fall -- warm, glowing bark at sunset, fruits instead of flowers on madrones

• Queen Anne Boulevard Tour
• 10th West – Scarlet oaks from Halladay to Newell streets; Eastern gray squirrels gather acorns 
• 8th Ave west between W Fulton and Ray– yellow birches – brilliant yellow in fall

• Dead Horse Canyon  (0.5 mile west of Rainier on 68th Ave. S)
  Taylor Creek, urban forest, ferns, native plants
  Osprey, pileated woodpeckers, red-tailed hawks, cutthroat trout, raccoons, opossum, coyote
  Best time to go -- fall
  

• Camp Long  (5200 35th Ave SW, West Seattle)
  Mushrooms, birds, salamanders, frogs, snakes, bats, family of red foxes on adjacent golf course
  Best time to go -- Oct-Nov for mushrooms
  

• Black River Riparian Forest
• Waterworks Garden  (1200 Monster Rd SW – East Division Reclamation Plant; across the street from Black River Riparian Forest)
  Spring – hawks overhead, frogs, native plantings
  Best time to go -- fall

• Spencer Island  (Snohomish River Estuary -- take Smith Island access / Frontage Rd to Langus Riverfront Park and then Spencer Island parking lot)
  (also see winter/spring)
  [ELWAS:  Explore this wetland located near the Everett Sewage Treatment ponds -- ducks, shorebirds, hawks, eagles, gulls.  Smaller birds in brushy and grassy areas.  Late Sept trip]
  [SAS:  returning waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds.  There are usually woodpeckers (Downy, Hairy, and Pileated?) and raptors (maybe a falcon or two). Early Oct trip]

• Bainbridge Island:
  [Kitsap AS:  Boat trip will circumnavigate Bainbridge Island; trip will last 4+ hours.  
  Fall and winter sea ducks, loons, grebes, and more.  Mid-October.

• Meadowbrook  (35th NE and 105th St (Lake City)
• Meadowbrook Community Center Wetlands – up the sloped sidewalk and follow a woodchip path across the bridge – songbirds
• Thornton Creek – salmonoids (north of baseball field)
• Meadowbrook Pond and Thornton Creek (east of 35th – Seattle Public Utilities  Detention Pond) – waterfowl, amphibians, beaver in creek

• [Sunny Walter -- Twin Ponds  (Shoreline, NE 150th St. and 1st Ave NE)
  Wetlands.  Local birds, herons, turtles, frogs, tadpoles, ducks, and squirrels]
  [Seattle AS (Oct 19 trip) -- see raptors, belted kingfishers, and assorted passerines
  Click HERE for detail information on Twin Ponds species]
  

Beavers, Otters, and Salmon in Thornton Creek  (Seattle Press)]

[N. Seattle CC Ponds -- Photo Gallery  
(Campus ponds, Meadowbrook Pond, Thornton Creek Walk, Twin Ponds Park)]

• Mount Pleasant Cemetery  (Queen Anne -- 700 W. Raye St)
  Birds – nuthatches, varied thrushes, downy woodpeckers, red-breasted sapsuckers –
       also eagle overhead
  Linden trees, lots of lichen species

• [Rainier Audubon Society:
• Salt Water Birdwatching
• Valley Birdwatching]

• [East Lake Washington Audubon Society:  Favorite Birding Spots]

• [Michael Hobbs:  Birding at Marymoor Park]

• [Rainier Audubon Society:  Uplands Birdwatching]

• [Auburn:  Bingamon Pond Park]
  

• [Tahoma Audubon Society:  Adrianna Hess Wetland Park]

• [Black Hills Audubon Society:  Best Places for Bird Watching in South Puget Sound]