September 6-19, 2006

• Whale watchers in the region have had plenty to observe as resident and transient orcas continue to cruise the waters off San Juan Island. Further east, a minke whale also was spotted foraging in Guemes Channel. The minke surfaced three times and kept changing directions, an observer reported to the Orca Network (http://www.orcanetwork.org/sightings/map.html).

• Olympic Mountains: “Flowers are still blooming in the alpine areas and a variety of butterflies can be found,” he said. Blue coppers, Mariposa coppers, sooty hairstreaks, great spangled fritillaries and Milbert's tortoiseshells are among the butterflies likely to be encountered at high elevations.

• Peak of the southward migration for many birds - coastal areas in Grays Harbor and Pacific counties or the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge in Thurston County - numerous sightings of godwits, sandpipers, yellowlegs, plovers, dowitchers, shovelers and red knots

• Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Birds recently sighted there in a single day include three great egrets, 15 northern pintail, four greater yellowlegs, 50 western sandpipers, a Wilson’s snipe and more than 125 Vaux’s swifts.

• Speaking of Vaux’s swifts, thousands of the small birds have once again taken up temporary residence in the chimney of a house in the old west side of Longview. Each night, just before sundown, neighbors gather to watch a funnel-cloud of swifts form, then disappear down the chimney at the house on the 1400 block of 24th Avenue. “Every time we go out and see them, we’re just absolutely moved by the majesty of the whole thing,” one neighbor told the Longview Daily News.

• More than 50 American white pelicans and 30 double-crested cormorants were recently spotted at Phileo Lake, east of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Spokane County. Other birds seen on or around Phileo include: long-billed dowitchers, Baird's or western/semi-palmated sandpipers, eared grebes, mallards, gadwalls, blue-winged and green-winged teals, redhead and ring-necked ducks, common mergansers, Canada geese, northern shovelers, northern pintails, white-crowned and chipping sparrows, house wrens, Cassin's vireos, and Wilson's warblers.

• Bull elk are bugling at this time to establish breeding territories. The Raven's Roost area in the Little Naches River drainage in the far northwestern corner of Yakima County (follow Hwy. 410 northwest of Naches) is traditionally one of the best places to listen.

  For the best opportunities, arrive just before daylight (or plan to camp in one of the many forest service campgrounds in the area) and walk the Cougar Valley trail. Elk may be visible on the open hillsides until about 7 a.m., when they move down into timber. But their bugling might be heard throughout the day, particularly early and late.

August 26 - September 8, 1999

• The most obvious seasonal movements at this time are bird migrations, especially of shorebirds, such as sandpipers, willets, and plovers. The fall shorebird migration lasts over a much longer period than the spring "incoming," so birds can be seen moving throughout August and September. Willapa Bay on the coast is one of the best areas to witness fall shorebird movements; Willapa National Wildlife Refuge and Leadbetter Point State Park provide excellent views and information. The Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge just to the north, and the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula in Clallam County, also are good destinations for fall shorebird viewing. 

• Throughout Washington other birds are beginning to group up as the declining hours of daylight signal them to move south before food sources become scarce. Birds of prey such as hawks, falcons and eagles might be seen moving in concentrations along mountain ridges where they save energy by soaring in thermals and updrafts. The Saddle Mountains, Yakima Ridge, and Rattlesnake Hills area, near the Columbia River in southcentral Washington are known raptor migration routes. So are Slate Peak and Hart's Pass in Okanogan County and Red Top Mountain between Wenatchee and Ellensburg.
  

August 27 - September 9, 1998

• Mount Ellinor Trail #812 off State Route 119 west of Hoodsport offers wildlife watchers who are willing to take a steep and strenuous hike some of the best odds in the state for seeing mountain goats. The area also offers excellent vistas and a likelihood of spotting deer and elk.

• The cooler weather and waning crowds of late summer offer increase opportunities for wildlife watching at Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island. River otters may be seen leaving the park's Cranberry Lake at this time of year, according Manager Bill Overby. Great blue herons in the lake as well as in Cornet Bay and Pass Lake are among more than 170 varieties of birds visible in the area. Eagles and other birds of prey such as osprey, also begin to show up now, he added.
  

September 1 - 14, 2004 

• Resident and transient killer whales have been seen feeding, resting and socializing throughout the San Juan Islands recently. A good starting point for a whale-watching adventure is Lime Kiln State Park, which is on the western shore of San Juan Island. The bluffs at Lime Kiln give land-based whale watchers a great view of Haro Strait, an area that is often visited by killer whales.

• Olympia-area residents need only venture as far as the Fifth Street bridge to enjoy the spectacle of returning chinook salmon and the hungry seals and sea lions that trail them. Hundreds of chinook were milling below the Capitol Lake dam in the last week of August and hundreds more fish were massed below the fish ladder where Tumwater Falls empties into Capitol Lake. About 10,500 salmon expected to return to the Deschutes River this fall.

• Swift action at the corner of Hodgden and Sussex roads in Tenino, where some 125-150 Vaux's swifts have been descending en masse into a chimney about 8 p.m. on recent evenings. The birds enter the chimney in a head up, tail down orientation to roost for the night.

• Brown pelicans are being seen in increasing numbers on the Long Beach peninsula. The mouth of the Chinook River in Ilwaco is one gathering spot for the birds to spread their wings after a long day of fishing. The pelicans seen in large numbers over the last few weeks are actually visitors from California that may stay through October.

• Two snowy egrets recently seen at the River S Unit of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. The birds were seen at Rest Lake amongst a flock of great egrets, and at a favored egret roost near the entrance kiosk of the driving loop. A family of short-tailed weasels also was seen foraging in the foliage and popping out onto the roadway along the refuge's River S loop road. 

• Several species of raptors (birds of prey) can be seen now at Chelan Ridge, above Lake Chelan north of Manson. Because warm air lifts and creates easy soaring thermals there, the ridge is a natural migration corridor for eagles, hawks and falcons migrating to winter habitat during September and October. The most commonly sighted raptors are the northern harrier, Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, red-tailed hawk, prairie falcon, American kestrel, and golden eagle. 

September 3 - 16, 2003

• Late summer is a great time for a birding excursion, with some species already on the move through the region toward winter ranges. Beaches and mudflats are top choices to watch shorebird migrations, as well as shorebird predators. Peregrine falcons can often be seen picking off a few shorebirds along saltwater areas, including Padilla Bay near the town of Burlington and the Samish Flats near Edison.

• Shorebird migration continues along the Olympic Peninsula as huge flocks of seasonal visitors head from their summer breeding areas to wintertime haunts.  While traditional birdwatching areas along the southern coast are fine spots - including Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, Long Beach, Westport, Grayland and Ocean Shores - birders can also check out the smaller, more secluded beaches along the north coast and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Birds crossing the Strait will be eager to stop on the beaches and in estuaries there to refuel on insects and other food before continuing south. 

• Thousands of turkey vultures cross the Strait in September and October, and one of the best places to watch the big birds with the red heads is at Salt Creek, about 16 miles west of Port Angeles in Clallam County.
  

  At Bonneville Dam almost 18,000 adult chinook salmon passed by the dam's fish-viewing windows Sept. 2, along with 4,600 coho and 7,600 steelhead.  See spring chinook salmon being spawned and watch fall chinook making their way up fish ladders as they return to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery. 

  Cowlitz Wildlife Area -- likely to see black-tail deer.  Bald eagles have been spotted frequently in the Kosmos unit of the wildlife area. 

  Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, River S Unit -- late August sightings of two osprey, several red-tailed hawks, harriers, American bitterns, greater yellowlegs and great egrets.

  Blue Mountains or Selkirks -- now is the time to hike into elk country to hear roaring bulls.
  Bull elk should be into pre-rut activities, which include their unique bulging, creating wallows and gathering harems of cows. The peak of the rut is about the third week of September, but a lot of bulging and displaying occurs before then.

  Chelan Ridge (above Lake Chelan north of Manson) -- up to 16 different species of raptors or birds of prey can be seen now. Because warm air lifts and creates easy soaring thermals there, the ridge is a natural migration corridor for eagles, hawks, and falcons migrating to winter habitat during September and October. The most commonly sighted raptors are the Northern harrier, Cooper's hawk, Sharp-shinned hawk, Red-tailed hawk, Prairie falcon, American kestrel, and Golden eagle. For more information on Chelan Ridge, check out http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/oka/birds/migration.html.

A good area to view spawning salmon during the month of September is in the vicinity of Lake Easton State Park, below Lake Easton.

• Chinook salmon are returning to the Deschutes River just as they do every September.  On most days, dozens of spectators gather (the new 4th Ave Bridge is scheduled for completion in Dec, 2003 - use 5th Ave Bridge until then) to watch chinook salmon pass by below on their way to the Deschutes Hatchery. Seals can sometimes be seen preying on adult salmon while the occasional great blue heron stops by for a light lunch.  (Note: the new bridge will feature four pedestrian lookout stations and sidewalks up to 12 feet wide. )

• Members of the Westport Seabirds group made some thrilling observations on a pelagic trip to Quinault and Grays canyon, according to a recent posting on the Tweeters website. Highlights include seeing a humpbacked whale and 450 Pacific white-sided dolphins with more than 2,000 shearwater trailing behind. In addition, the group spotted one greater shearwater - the second ever identified off the Washington coast. Brownish back feathers with fringes gave the bird a scaled appearance, a classic feature of greater shearwater. 
  

• Western toad toadlets were observed en masse at Goat Creek Flats, Cowlitz Wildlife Area. 

• Now is the time to hike into elk country (Blue Mountains or Selkirks) to hear the roaring of the bulls. Bull elk should be into pre-rut activities, which includes their unique bugling, creating wallows and gathering harems of cows. The peak of the rut is about the third week of September, but a lot of bugling and displaying occurs before then. 

• Up to 16 species of raptors or birds of prey can be seen now at Chelan Ridge, above Lake Chelan north of Manson. Because warm air lifts and creates easy soaring thermals there, the ridge is a natural migration corridor for eagles, hawks, and falcons migrating to winter habitat during September and October. The most commonly sighted raptors are the Northern harrier, Cooper's hawk, Sharp-shinned hawk, Red-tailed hawk, Prairie falcon, American kestrel, and Golden eagle. For more information on Chelan Ridge, check out http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/oka/birds/migration.html. 

September 6-19, 2001

• The returning pink salmon are putting on a remarkable show in the Skagit River. The fish, which only return to western Washington streams in odd-numbered years, are "mass spawners:" If you see one pair of pink salmon spawning, you're likely to see dozens of pairs in the same stretch of river. 

• During a rainstorm at Bowerman Basin earlier this month, a Chimacum woman reported seeing more than 500 brown pelicans in the air – no doubt seeking refuge from the storm off the coast. Another pair of birders recorded sighting 167 marbled godwits, 12 willets, 15 whimbrels and a variety of other shorebirds during a weekend outing to Tokeland.

• For inland observations, regional WDFW wildlife manager Jack Smith recommends the Scatter Creek Wildlife Area, with approximately 2,000 acres of open land about 20 miles south of Olympia. (Take the Rochester exit from I-5, then turn right onto Case Road). The area offers a developed trail through the prairie and stands of oak. There are also horse trails, and some people use the area for dog training. Look for turkey vultures, roosting before their migration south, red tail hawks, butterflies and occasional deer. 

• Look for bugling, harem collecting, and other pre-rut activity by elk in the Selkirk Mountains in the extreme northeastern corner of the state, as well as in the Blue Mountains, in the southeastern corner, near Walla Walla. 

September 7-20, 2000

• Try Johns River, which offers an ADA-accessible blind for observation and hunting, for waterfowl and fall migrant shorebirds. Another great area for fall migrants is the Oyehut Wildlife area and adjacent Damon Point areas of Ocean Shores. Waterfowl and shorebirds use these unique shoreline habitats extensively.

• Shorebirds are migrating into the area from the north. Reardan Ponds in eastern Washington are always a good bet for seeing rare and common species, everything from killdeer to knots.

September 9-22, 1999

• Wildlife watchers should think about going to sea this month for excellent opportunities to view pelagic birds, those that spend their entire lives on the open ocean. September is a good time to see these birds because many, like sooty shearwaters and storm petrels, are migrating in large numbers up the Pacific Coast. Pack a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope for an outing to the coast and scan the area where the farthest waves form to catch a glimpse of these birds. Westport's south jetty observation towers, Olympic National Park's Ozette-Cape Alava area, Makah Bay and Cape Flattery are among the best viewing spots from land. For even better viewing take a pelagic birding trip by charter boat – check with local coastal chambers of commerce in Ilwaco, Westport and other coastal towns for lists of private operators offering tours. Audubon Society chapters and the Seattle Aquarium also arrange such trips.
  

September 10-23, 1998

• Hawk watching in the Northwest can be very pleasant during remaining warm days of September and October. The best watching takes place the middle of the day as large numbers of various hawk species sail on rising heat currents along mountain fronts. The best hawk-watching sites are situated on high ridge tops, providing fabulous scenic vistas as an additional bonus. Binoculars with wide field of view are a real advantage when trying to find birds in the air. The best conditions for viewing are in clear weather with moderate winds from the west or southwest, immediately before an approaching weather front. Species most common along the eastern fronts of the Cascade Mountains include; American kestrels, red-tailed hawks, northern harriers, golden eagles, Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks, osprey, merlin and prairie falcons.

September 20 - October 3, 2006

• group who trekked to Bottle Beach, Tokeland and Midway Beach reported seeing black-bellied plovers, semipalmated plovers, marbled godwits, willets, whimbrels, long-billed curlews, Caspian terns, snowy plovers, horned larks, American pippets, and sanderlings.

September 15-28, 2004

• This is the time of year to watch for turkey vultures kettling across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, near the Salt Creek recreation area west of Port Angeles-the narrowest point between Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula.

• A birder reports on a recent trip to River "S" Unit of the Ridgefield Refuge in Clark County, where he spotted two juvenile snowy egrets in Rest Lake, and 14 sandhill cranes in the field south of Rest Lake. 

• Yakima River spring chinook salmon will be spawning the last two weeks of September in the Easton Reach, and Lake Easton State Park is a good area to view them.

• Cummins also notes that August and September rains have resulted in "the highest numbers of mushrooms in the Yakima County Cascade Mountain foothills that I have ever seen."
  

September 17 - 30, 2003

• Green River Natural Resources Center's Kent Ponds -- 68 different bird species - from a great egret to rufous hummingbirds.

• Turkey vultures have been spotted throughout the state, but the largest group of southbound travelers is still assembling on Vancouver Island for the flight across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Avid watchers are already gathering at Salt River near Neah Bay for the annual spectacle of thousands of turkey vulture passing overhead.

• The next few weeks will also offer a spectacular opportunity to watch Roosevelt elk as they spar with rivals during the annual rut. If you've never heard a bull elk bugle or the clack of antlers, the Quinault River valley upstream from Lake Quinault is a great place to observe this rite of fall. Several groups of elk are visible along the loop road along the South Shore and North Shore roads. 
• The Graves Creek Campground is an even better spot, although it is not accessible by vehicle and requires a hike (road has been reopened). The elk are most active during the early morning and evening hours.

• Bonneville Dam -- a record-breaking run of returning fall chinook salmon, along with season-high numbers of coho and steelhead have been passing the fish windows.Thousands of crimson-red kokanee can be seen in the creek near Speelyai Hatchery on the North Fork Lewis River (Merwin Reservoir). Thousands more will begin spawning shortly on Cougar Creek in Yale Reservoir, also on the North Fork Lewis.

• Marcus Island, on the east shore north of Kettle Falls in Stevens County -- recent reports of American white pelicans and great egrets near here have birdwatchers flocking.  These birds and others are in migrating groups now and can be viewed at many waterways throughout the region.

• Masses of shorebirds are being seen now on mudflats and open shoreline areas of waters like the Reardan Slough in Lincoln County; also lots of neotropical migrants, like warblers and kinglets, and other passerines like blackbirds moving through now.

• 13th annual Wenatchee River Salmon Festival runs September 18-21 at the National Fish Hatchery grounds in Leavenworth.

September 18 - October 1, 2002

• The next two weeks will offer a spectacular opportunity to watch Roosevelt elk on the Olympic Peninsula. The Big Boys are in town for the rut and, if you've never heard a bull elk bugle or spar with rival bulls, this is your chance. Hunting seasons are timed to avoid the peak of the elk rut during the last two weeks of September because that's when the herd is most vulnerable. The Quinault River valley, upstream from Lake Quinault, is a great place to observe this rite of fall. Several groups of elk are visible along the loop road along the South Shore and North Shore roads. The Graves Creek Campground is an even better spot, although it is not accessible by vehicle and requires a hike (road has been reopened). The elk are most active during the early morning and evening hours. Observers should give the elk plenty of room, since they are easily disturbed and potentially dangerous. 

• The 12th annual Wenatchee River Salmon Festival runs September 19-22 at the National Fish Hatchery grounds in Leavenworth and offers families a chance to watch, learn about, taste, and otherwise have fun with salmon and other wildlife and natural resources of northcentral Washington. For more information about the festival, call (509) 548-6662, Ext. 250, or check their website. 

• A brand-new salmon festival starts Sept. 21-22 at Pateros in Okanogan County.  "Follow the Salmon Home" (only held in 2002) will run through Oct. 20, moving with the chinook salmon returning to the Upper Columbia River each weekend to a different community (Brewster Sept. 28-29, Omak Oct. 5-6, Tonasket Oct. 12-13, and Oroville Oct. 19-20). Sponsored by the Upper Columbia Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group and the Colville Confederated Tribes, the festival will open each weekend with a Native American canoe fleet coming up the river and a traditional salmon bake, courtesy of the tribes. There will also be native dancers, stagecoach and covered wagon rides, storytellers, kids' fishing pond, live music, carnival and vendor booths. For more information, call 509-486-2400 or see their website. 

• Bull elk are still bugling to let other bulls– and cows– know of their superiority. This "region of the elk" has many places for wildlife viewers and listeners to enjoy this fall spectacle. One of the best in the Yakima area is around Raven's Roost in the Little Naches River drainage in the far northwestern corner of Yakima County (follow Hwy. 410 northwest of Naches).  For the best viewing opportunities, arrive just before daylight (or plan to camp in one of the many forest service campgrounds in the area), and walk the Cougar Valley trail.  Elk are normally visible on the open hillsides until about 7 a.m., when they move down into timber.
  

• Birds of prey such as hawks, falcons and eagles have been seen moving in concentrations along mountain ridges where they save energy by soaring in thermals and updrafts. The Saddle Mountains, Yakima Ridge, and Rattlesnake Hills area, near the Columbia River in southcentral Washington are known raptor migration routes.

September 20 - October 3, 2001

• On the coast near Ocean Shores, the sky turns black as 30,000 or more sooty shearwaters take flight. Brown pelicans, horned grebes, western sandpipers, marbled godwits – all are moving to the rhythms of nature at Ocean Shores and elsewhere on the coast.

• In the Cowlitz Wildlife Area Douglas squirrels are more visible now than most times of the year, as they venture from their Douglas-fir homes to take advantage of this year's abundant hazelnut crop. Look for them in areas with larger (cone-producing) Douglas-firs adjacent to forest edges where hazelnuts also are present. Good locations include the Swofford, Mossyrock and Peterman Hill units.

• At this time of year, a visit to the Julia Butler Hansen Wildlife Refuge near Cathlamet may yield views of elk and Columbia white tail deer. A birder's visit to the refuge earlier this month offered sightings of white-tailed kite, American kestrels and sandhill cranes.

September 21 - October 4, 2000

• Moose are hard for wildlife watchers to miss, and now is the time to be looking. Bull moose have recently been wreaking havoc with trees and backyard swingsets to remove velvet from antlers, ready to battle other bulls for breeding dominance. The orchard and farm country of northeastern Spokane County is a haven for moose and moose-watchers, but check out clearcuts and edges of cropfields throughout Pend Oreille and Stevens counties, too.
  

September 23 - October 6, 1999

• Wildlife watchers of any age should keep their eyes on the skies for seasonal bird migrations as ducks and geese group up to head south. For good viewing opportunities try the Columbia Basin. Desert, Goose, Potholes and Seep lakes and Winchester Wildlife Area in Grant County host blue, greenwing and cinnamon teal, which are among the first ducks to migrate out of the area. Mallards, redheads, canvasbacks, ringnecks, ruddy ducks, gadwalls, shovelers, pintails, goldeneyes and wood ducks also can be seen there. The Columbia National Wildlife Refuge south of Moses Lake, Dry Falls-Sun Lakes State Park, southwest of Coulee City and the Bureau of Land Management's Wilson Creek Canyon southwest of Wilbur in Lincoln County also are good spots to see some of the same species.

September 24 - October 7, 1998

• Vaux’s swifts are the smallest of the swifts and are among the world’s fastest birds. Before migrating for the winter, these little birds are not uncommon. The best way to find current swift roosts is to contact a local birding group.  One viewing site is an old two-story building on the Mineral S[rings Unit of the Klickitat Area near Goldendale.  The Mineral Springs Unit is on SR 143, near mile post 14. At this time of year it is also possible to see turkeys among the oaks in the area.  For more information call Dan Morrison, Klickitat WA Manager at (509) 773-4459.

• View migrating steelhead and chinook salmon coming up the fish ladder at Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River in SE Washington.  The visitor center at Ice Harbor Dam includes a public fish-viewing window, and both species are starting to show up in good number as river water temperatures drop with the advance of fall.. The US Army Corps of Engineers operates this and three other dams on the lower Snake River in WA.  Ice Harbor Dam is located east of the Tri-Cities;  from Pasco, take Hwy. 12/395 across the Snake River, then left on Hwy. 124 about six miles, then left at the Ice Harbor Dam sign for three miles to the dam.  Picnic shelters and table, restrooms and drinking water are available for you fish-watching outing.