Fantastic fall birding near Olympic National Park
There’s something magical about the migrating birds who return to the Olympic Peninsula in the fall. Just as the leaves start to fall and the air gets crisper, I head to favorite birding sites along the Salish Sea (Strait of Juan de Fuca) near Port Angeles to see who’s flying in. By November there’s a riot of colorful and funny-looking birds as buffleheads, mergansers, goldeneyes and surf scoters join Harlequin ducks. Below are three easy spots to find birds near Port Angeles, a gateway to Olympic National Park.
Ediz Hook, Port Angeles
A birding and cultural hotspot
Ediz Hook is the long spit at the edge of town, where the Coast Guard has a station. It’s also a site of deep cultural significance and ongoing habitat restoration. The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe notes that at the base of Ediz Hook, “the village of Tse-whit-zen flourished for over 2,700 years. The ancient village was one of many in the Klallam territory.“ The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and Washington Sea Grant partners are doing fantastic work to restore Ediz Hook beaches and bay.
Winter birds love the area! Audubon notes that the Port Angeles harbor supports the largest wintering concentrations of Barrow’s and Common Goldeneyes and Harlequin Ducks on the northern Olympic Peninsula.
Port Angeles harbor and the Discovery Trail in town are also great places to see our migrating friends.
Dungeness Bay
Conservation success brings back wildlife
So many places to see birds along Dungeness Bay, a large estuary that supports an average of 7,500 waterfowl during migration!
Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge is fantastic place to birdwatch but do visit the lesser known site called 3 Crabs. The 3 Crabs wetlands have been restored and are an astsounding conservation success, thanks to decades of advocacy and work by many community partners, including the North Olympic Salmon Coalition, the North Olympic Land Trust and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. There’s a new public access point on 3 Crabs Road where Meadowbrook Creek flows to the bay. Check out the 3 crabs Nearshore Restoration story map!
Location: 20 miles from Port Angeles near 41 Sequim-Dungeness Way, Sequim, WA.
Salt Creek Recreation Area
Great views and birds at this county park near Port Angeles
Fantastic views of the Salish Sea, incredible tidepools, forested bluffs and a stunning beach make Salt Creek an incredible birding site. And the birds: You’ll see and hear oystercatchers, gulls and herons and foraging Harlequin ducks and surf scoters. Bald eagles nest here, too. In September and October, migrating vultures, who head from Canada to the Olympic Peninsula, are counted here.
Location: 16 miles from Port Angeles.
Cost: Day use at the park is free. Park in the campground, or drive through the campground to Tongue Point. Picnic tables and stairs to the tidepools await. Tongue Point overlook is also part of Washington’s whale trail.