Birds of Willapa Bay

 

Dunlin Flock Over the Surf

Today, I will drive from Vancouver to Longview, and then up two lane country backroads 411 and Westside Highway which follow the course of the Cowlitz River up to Toledo.  Then, up Jackson Highway through Chelais and Centralia.  Finally, Highway 6 to Raymond, and 105 to Grayland.  

I will be camping in a Yurt at Grayland Beach State Park.  Expecting some showers and cool weather.  I will return to Vancouver on Thursday morning.  Observing birds will be a highlight of this Spring trip to the sea.  

"Spring provides shorebird migration spectacles, and summer offers a tremendous diversity of breeding species from the rain forest inhabitants of the Olympics, alpine tundra breeders in the Cascades and desert shrub steppe specialties in the Columbia Basin.  Spring is the season of migration spectacles, the shorebird passage through Grays Harbor, seabird migration offshore, Sandhill Cranes through the Columbia Basin. Landbird migration can be good too, particularly in the riparian areas and desert oases of eastern Washington. Several bird festivals at this time provide the out-of-town birder with a great introduction to local birding and birders; look for the Othello crane festival and the Grays Harbor shorebird festival on the web."

A Birder's Guide to Coastal Waqshington.  By Bob Morse, 2001.  Featuring Ocean Shores, Long Beach Peninsula, Forks, Westport, Tokeland, and 160 Birding Hot Spots.  Detailed coverage of birding locations near Westport and how to get there.  Excellent resource!  RWMorse, 2001, 270 pages, photographs, ring-bound.  VSCL.  FVRL

Coastal Washington Shorebirds and Waterbirds.  By Ruth McCausland.  116 pages. 

Birds of Washington Field Guide.  By Stan Tekiela.  Adventure Pubs., 2001, 332 pages. 

American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of Washington.  By Dennis Paulson and Brian Small.  Scott and Nix, 2020, 368 pages. 

Birds of the Pacific Northwest.  By John Shewey and Tim Blount.  Timber, 2017, 560 pages. 

Birds of Washington State. By Brian Bell and Gregory Kennedy.  Partners, 2017, 284 pages. 

Pelagic Zone (Epipelagic) Boat Trips for watching oceanic seabirds out of Westport Marina in the summer months. 

Bird Watching

All About Birds Website

Shore Birds

Sea Gulls    Western Gull 

Birds from the Northwest Perspective

Seabirds of the Pacific Northwest

Birding in Willapa Bay Wildlife Refuge

Notable Shorebirds in Washington

Birding in Washington State

Bottle Beach State Park  Near Westport  SS   Bird Watching Area, Mudflats, Swamps, low shrubs.    

Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge

Johns River Wildlife Area   Images   Near Westport  SS   History  Game Farm Road off 105  Walking trails, boat launch, bird watching.  

Jetties, marina, and pier in Westport. 

Jetty and small marina and wetlands around Tokeland.  Tokeland   Population 200   Willapa Bay   Images  

Martha Jordan Birding Trail, Ledbetter Point, Long Beach Peninsula

In the Spring, many birds flock to the shallow waters and river estuaries of both Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay. 

Four Days in Grayland
By Michael P. Garofalo