Re: Birding in the Seattle Area
Gerstens (gerstens@erols.com)
Mon, 23 Mar 1998 14:14:00 -0500
Christine,
I've made two trips to Seattle in the last five years. One was at about the same
time of year as your trip and it was terrific. Among the spots I would recommend
are:
Seward Park - A peninsula in southeast Seattle that juts into Lake Washington.
Western Screech Owls are plentiful there. Townsend's Warblers and Golden-Crowned
Sparrows can be found there.
Discovery Park/West Point - From the north side of Elliott Bay you can survey Puget
Sound for pelagics with a scope. Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet
and Rhinoceros Auklet can be seen here earlier in the season.
Talapus Lake & Bandera Mountain - Exit 45 on I-90 Corridor east of Seattle. You can
hike up the trail if the snow has melted enough. I found my life Blue Grouse and
Rosy Finches after a 1.5 hour hike to the Lake.
I would recommend "Birding in Seattle and King County" by Eugene Hunn. I have a
copy If you want to borrow it. It was published in 1982 but I found it to be
accurate with one exception. The West Seattle vantage points for Puget Sound were
too crowded for productive birding.
Let me know if you would like the book. Good luck.
_______________
David Gersten
gerstens@erols.com
Herndon, VA
ctaylor@seamail.nos.noaa.gov wrote:
> I will be going to Seattle for a Conference from 4/25-5/3 and will have a few
> days in there to do what I like. Does anyone have any suggestions for birding
> in the area. Any good cruises in the strait or the sound. I have never birded
> anywhere in the west except the Portland area for a few days when I had to go
> for a wedding last year, around the same time. I am not looking for anything in
> particular, but anything you would suggest would be helpful. I'm not finding
> very good web sites for locations and maps, or best locations, etc...
>
> Thanks to all, and merry birding!
>
> Christine Taylor
> Reston, VA
> ctaylor@seamail.nos.noaa.gov or chrisndave@erols.com