WHIDBEY ISLAND WATERBIRD ADVENTURE- *Sundays with Sunny and Friends!
FULL DAY TOUR

Tour Length: 11 ½ Hours
Tour Code: ES02
Pick-Up: Northgate Park ‘n Ride
Departing: 8:00 a.m.
Returns: 7:30 p.m.
Activities: Birding, Walking, & Educational Sightseeing
Difficulty: Easy
Carbon Footprint:
Min No of Passengers:

Inclusions: North Seattle pick up and drop off; highly qualified and knowledgeable naturalist guide; travel in luxury vehicle; excellent casual lunch; selected fruit, energy bars, soda, juice, and tea; all entry and parking fees; slide show; and comprehensive commentary.

Description: Enjoy this Sunday with tour guide Sunny Walter, professional wildlife photographer, photo tour leader, and co-author of “Washington Nature Weekends, 52 Adventures in Nature.” Our accompanying birding expert is Brian Bell, Master Birder, birding tour leader, and author of “Birds of Washington State.”

The marine waters of the greater Puget Sound region are one of the most fertile saltwater habitats in the world, and every winter, waterfowl migrate from afar to feast on its bounty. Many marine birds arrive in the fall, stay for the winter, and leave again in the spring for nesting sites high in the mountain forests or as far north as the Arctic Circle. We travel to Whidbey Island to see these marine birds before they leave for their breeding grounds.

We cross Possession Sound on the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry, then head north on Hwy 525 for our waterbird adventure. Our first stop is at the Earth Sanctuary Nature Reserve where we will explore the beautiful wetland system that is home to many wintering ducks as well as songbirds, frogs, salamander, muskrats, river otters, deer and other animals. The nature trail takes us past three small freshwater ponds, surrounded by forest. We will see alder snags full of pileated woodpecker holes, red-winged blackbirds in the Fen Pond, and its large island of peat bog with many unique plants. We will also stop at the Labyrinth and the cottonwood Stone Circle to absorb the feeling of calm and renewal. These sites bring together ancient art forms, a profound connection with nature, and diverse global spiritual traditions.

Our second stop is on the west side of Whidbey Island at Double Bluff - a high bluff overlooking Useless Bay and the sandy beach below. We expect to see loons, grebes, alcids, and ducks – perhaps seals also. We will have binoculars for everyone and will set up a scope to scan the bay below. Bring your cameras to capture this awesome sight.

We continue north toward Fort Casey State Park and Crockett Lake, which is a mixture of fresh and salt water separated by a narrow gravel bar from Admiralty Inlet. When water levels are low, extensive mud flats are exposed; they are rich with small invertebrates that are a food source to a variety of birdlife. In spring, some 90 different species — both terrestrial and aquatic — rest and feed in the marshy grasslands at Crockett Lake. We will make a slow cruise along the wide shoulder of the marsh and shallow lake, stopping to get good looks at wintering ducks, terns, eagles and harriers. Crockett Lake is also a major stopover for an extraordinary number of shorebirds during northbound (April/May) migration; we hope to see a few early species.

We will stop at the parking lot by the ferry terminal and scan the passage before driving up the hill to Fort Casey State Park. Here we will take a brief walk out to the lighthouse high on the bluffs above a rocky beach. We will watch for Common Murres, grebes, auklets, murrelets, gulls, oystercatcher, and other waterfowl.

Fort Casey was originally built as one corner of an artillery "triangle of fire" along with forts Flagler and Worden across Admiralty Inlet. It features extensive old gun emplacements, a big gun and a historic lighthouse.

When we leave Fort Casey we will drive down to Ebey’s Landing, cruise slowly along the shore, and make a quick stop if we see good numbers of birds. We are looking for Harlequin Ducks and other waterbirds close to shore; also flocks of Surf Scoters, the males sporting big orange-yellow bills; and Red-breasted Mergansers.

Lunch is at Toby’s Tavern in Coupeville, a renovated beer parlor with lots of memorabilia on the walls and the best fish 'n' chips, mussels, clams, sandwiches, and burgers on the island.

After lunch, we will visit Coupeville Wharf, which overlooks Penn Cove. Loons, grebes, scoters, and other waterbirds winter here. The lowland lagoons around Penn Cove provide food and shelter for waterfowl and migratory birds. We will visit Kennedys Lagoon at the west end of Penn Cove to see Black Turnstone, as well as Surfbird, scoters and grebes. We will also visit San de Fuca – about 1 mile east of the lagoon area - the best spot for possible rocky shorebirds.

We cross back over to the western shore of Whidbey Island - stopping at Libby Beach County Park, which has great views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We will spend a short time here scoping the waters for Harlequin Duck, scoters, grebes, and Long-tailed Duck.

We will then drive north along the shoreline to Swantown, where we will visit the rocky, sandy beach, tiny Bos Lake, and the cattail marsh. We expect to see seabirds, large numbers of loons, grebes, Long-tailed and other ducks. We will look for sanderlings and other shorebirds on shore and Caspian terns offshore. We will also use the spotting scope to get good views of a breeding colony of harbor seals.

Our final stop is at Deception Pass State Park, which has a great diversity of old growth forest, wetland, rocky/sandy shore, tide pools, and rare beach plants. Since we are near the end of our birding day, we will limit ourselves to a short walk to North Beach to see the large flocks of Red-throated Loons that winter here. From here we have splendid views of the magnificent Deception Pass Bridge and the swirling waters below.

We will finish our day at Rosario Head, taking a short walk to the picturesque bluff which overlooks Deception Pass from the north. We expect to see alcids, cormorants, oystercatchers, and perhaps large numbers of Red-throated Loons in the waters below, as well as herons standing on the rocks. This is a lovely place for a winter sunset. It is also a time for reflection that many of the birds we have seen today are in sharp decline – grebes, loons, and scoters have all lost more than 50% of their numbers in the last 30 years (for more information on wintering marine birds, check out the BLAINE TO BIRCH BAY – MIGRATING BRANT AND LOON ADVENTURE).

Our quest for waterbirds ends with a 1 hour, 45 minute drive back to Seattle, arriving back at the Northgate P&R around 7:30pm

This tour can be customized as a private tour, call or email for a quote.