Washington Wildlife Viewing Guide

Sunny Walter's Excerpts from
Washington Wildlife Viewing Guide

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Where to See Mating and Nesting Birds in Summer (and Spring) (Extracted from Washington Wildlife Viewing Guide by Joe LaTourrette)
Go To: Nesting Ospreys, Eagles, and Other Raptors Great Blue and Black-crowned Night Herons -- Courting, Nesting, and Young Nesting Waterfowl Nesting Seabirds Nesting Songbirds, Shorebirds, and Wading Birds Drumming Grouse

Where to See Nesting Ospreys, Eagles, and Other Raptors
Ch 12	Leadbetter Point	Long Beach	Snowy owls nest (ocean side)
Ch 28	Deception State Park	Oak Harbor	Osprey nest (Cornet Bay) Bald eagles when??? Loons, grebes and waterfowl (Cranberry Lake) when??? Marbled murrelets and other marine birds) when??? Black-tailed deer (babies???)
Ch 29	San Juan Ferry (from water)	Anacortes	Bald eagles (nest on Humphrey Head, on the north end of Lopez Island); can be seen on all the islands Golden eagles and turkey vultures Breeding populations of tufted puffins and rhinoceros auklets (smaller islands)
Ch 36	Padilla Bay	Burlington	Bald eagles nest Marine birds, waterfowl, shorebirds, birds of prey when??? Harbor seals, great blue herons, dunlins, black-bellied plovers when??? Observation deck (Nov-March)
Ch 38	Kayak Point Regional Park	Marysville	Bald eagles nest
Ch 44	Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge	Olympia	Bald eagles nest Other raptors are common also
Ch 49	Rimrock Lake and Clear Lake	Naches	Bald eagles nest (spring-summer), osprey and waterfowl nest (spring-fall)
Ch 56	Gold Creek Pond	North Bend	Osprey, Canada geese and other waterfowl nest Black-tailed deer and Rocky Mountain elk (best seen in spring) Beaver lodges, great blue herons
Ch 70	Riverside State Park, Little Spokane River Natural Area	Spokane	Osprey and waterfowl, including diving ducks nest (spring, early summer) Great blue herons roost, songbirds common (spring, summer) Some white-tailed deer, coyotes, beaver, porcupines
Ch 71	Riverside State Park, Deep Creek Canyon	Spokane	Canyon wrens, ospreys nest Warblers and other songbirds (spring) White-tailed deer, Cooper’s hawks (all year)
Ch 80	Crab Creek Coulee	Royal City	Red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, prairie falcons nest and roost in the cliffs (spring, summer) Canada geese and dabbling ducks nest along the creek (spring, summer) Goldeneyes and other diving ducks nest in the lakes (spring, summer) Chukar partridge, valley quail, ring-necked pheasant are common Coyotes, badgers, burrowing owls (spring, summer)
Ch 81	Badger Slope	Benton City	Red-tailed hawks, ferruginous hawks, turkey vultures, prairie falcons, golden eagles nest on cliffs Yellow-bellied marmots, burrowing owls (spring, summer) Wildflowers (spring)
Ch 85	Whitman Mission National Historic Site	Walla Walla	Magpies , red-tailed hawks, northern harriers nest and roost Mule deer, ring-necked pheasant, valley quail, songbirds, and small mammals common
Ch 87	Palouse Falls	Washtucna	Prairie falcons, golden eagles, Swainson’s hawks, and other raptors nest in the canyon (spring, summer) Yellow-bellied marmots, cottontail rabbits (spring, summer); magpies, ravens, songbirds
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Where to See Great Blue and Black-crowned Night Herons -- Courting, Nesting, and Young
Ch 33	Birch Bay State Park	Blaine	Great blue heron colony - east of park (Mar - June) Waterfowl and marsh birds (freshwater lake) when???
*	Hanford Reach: Columbia River Journeys boat trip	Kennewick	Black-crowned night heron colony - Sunny
*	Auburn/Hwy 18	Auburn	Great blue heron colony (abandoned) - Sunny
*	Black River Riparian Forest	Renton	Great blue heron colony - Sunny
*	Kiwanis Ravine	Seattle	Great blue heron colony - Sunny
*	Little Spokane River Natural Area	Spokane	Great blue heron colony - Sunny
*	Potholes Wildlife Area	Moses Lake	Great blue heron, black-crowned night heron, great egret, and cornorant colonies - Sunny
*	Shilapoo Wildlife Area	Vancouver	Great blue heron colony - Sunny
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Where to See Nesting Waterfowl and Young
Ch 34	Tennant Lake Interpretive Center	Ferndale	Canada geese, wood ducks, and other waterfowl nest Green-backed and great blue herons, other wading and shorebirds when????
Ch 42	Mercer Slough	Bellevue	Mallards, Canada geese, pied-billed grebes nest Beaver, muskrats and river otters (marsh - best in summer)
Ch 54	Icicle Creek Canyon: Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery	Leavenworth	Harlequin ducks and other waterfowl nest Golden eagles and other raptors (spring, summer) Mule deer
Ch 57	Lake Chelan	Chelan, Stehekin	Harlequin ducks, Canada geese and other waterfowl nest Osprey, golden and bald eagles (nest?)
Ch 58	Mountain Loop Hwy: Gold Basin Pond	Granite Falls, South Fork Stillaguamish River	Waterfowl nest Osprey, great blue herons (spring, summer)
Ch 65	Sherman Creek-Growden Heritage Site	Kettle Falls	Waterfowl nest White-tailed deer (all year), moose (spring, summer) Beaver, blue and ruffed grouse, mountain chickadees, Steller’s and gray jays
Ch 67	Big Meadow Lake	Ione	Goldeneyes, buffleheads and other ducks nest Moose, white-tailed and mule deer, beaver Osprey (spring, summer)
Ch 69	Liberty Lake County Park	Spokane	Waterfowl nest (spring) Great blue herons and other wading birds (spring, summer), osprey and other birds of prey Mule deer, songbirds Yellow-bellied marmots (spring, summer - rocks)
Ch 73	Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge	Cheney	Swans, Canada geese, scaup, redheads, ruddy ducks, and green-winged, blue-winged and cinnamon teal nest (spring, summer) Badgers, coyotes and birds of prey (spring, summer); songbirds, birds of prey Rocky Mountain elk - when??? Waterfowl migration - spring or fall??????
Ch 77	Dry Falls - Sun Lakes State Park	Ephrata	Canada geese, Barrow’s goldeneye, redheads, yellow-headed and red-winged blackbirds nest Mule deer, chukar partridge, valley quail - when??? Raptors (all year)
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Where to See Nesting Seabirds and Young
Ch 23	Salt Creek Recreation Area	Port Angeles	Oystercatchers nest (spring and summer) Rhinoceros auklets and other marine birds and waterfowl Tidepools - starfish, sea anemones, crabs, and other marine life
Ch 25	Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge	Sequim	Tufted puffins (Protection Island) [by boat only] Harbor seals and pelagic marine birds (all year)
Ch 27	Joseph Whidbey State Park	Oak Harbor	Pigeon guillemots, black oystercatchers, tufted puffins and pelagic cormorants (Smith Island)
Ch 31	San Juan Island: Cattle Point	Friday Harbor - San Juan Island	Breeding colonies of gulls (offshore) Bald eagles, some golden eagles, black-tailed deer?
*	Tatoosh Island	Neah Bay	Tufted puffins, Brandt's cormorants, several types of gulls, pigeon guillemots, and common murres nest on offshore rocks [by boat only] Sunny
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Where to See Nesting Songbirds, Shorebirds, Wading Birds, and Young
Ch 39	Langus Riverfront Park and Nature Trail	Everett - Snohomish River	Songbirds, including red-winged blackbirds nest Also bald eagles and other raptors
Ch 78	Desert Wildlife Area	Moses Lake	Ducks, geese, migratory wading birds, incl. avocets, black-necked stilts and Wilson’s phalaropes nest Burrowing owls, songbirds (spring, summer) Cormorants, great blue herons, snowy egrets nest - Sunny White pelicans (fall) - Sunny
Ch 79	Columbia National Wildlife Refuge	Othello	Wading birds such as avocets and curlews nest Rough-legged hawks, burrowing owls Wildflowers (spring, early summer)
Ch 83	McNary National Wildlife Refuge	Pasco	Avocets and long-billed curlews nest Shorebirds, American white pelicans, yellow-headed blackbirds (spring, summer) Northern harriers, red-tailed hawks and furrowing owls (spring, summer) Pelicans (fall) - Sunny
Ch 84	Wallula Habitat Management Unit	Pasco	Shorebirds, including avocets, long-billed curlew and common snipe nest (spring, summer) Migrating American white pelicans (spring, summer) Northern harriers, red-tailed hawks (all year)
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Where to See Drumming Grouse (Spring)
Ch 62	Methow Wildlife Area	Winthrop	Blue grouse booming (April) Deer, chipmunks, warblers and other songbirds
Ch 76	Channeled Scablands Desert Loop: Lakeview Ranch	Odessa	Sage grouse drumming? Mule deer, chukar partridge, valley quail, waterfowl, desert songbirds, many raptors Wildflowers (spring)
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Links checked and updated on: July 20, 2003
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