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  MEMBER PHOTO & WHERE TO BIRD PAGE

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  If you have a photo (digital format .jpeg or .gif) please send it to webmaster@kitsapaudubon.org

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From Neil Johannsen (May 2008):  Band-Tailed Pigeon sharing breakfast with a male Evening Grosbeak. Taken through the glass of our dining room on May 3, 2008 as I sipped my "morning joe". We live on a dead street 300 meters from the Winslow Ferry Terminal. The Grosbeak was wondering why the feeder was rocking about so much!

From Tim Keifer (November 2003):  We have property along the Hood Canal near Union. This albino spotted towhee has been with us all summer. Not sure if it is a rare find, but it has provided us with a lot of pleasure viewing it as it rummages in the underbrush.

From Charlotte and Ed Roe (September 1, 2004):  The picture was taken out our living room window. The Egret is about 50 feet away!  We were afraid of scaring it if we went outside. The picture was taken near the estuary of Little Anderson Creek.

From Dylan and Mackenzie Szerlog (November 6, 2004):  The picture was taken outside of our grandparent's dining room window. The albino Junco is waiting to fly to the bird feeder.  We were afraid of scaring it if we went outside. The picture was taken in Kingston at our grandparent's (Andy and Carol Szerlog) home.

From Scott Pomtier and Family (February 23, 2007):  The picture was taken using a motion-activated digital camera. The Varied Thrush is waiting to drink at one of their birdbaths.  The picture was taken in Gamblewood at their home.

 

 

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WHERE TO BIRD PAGE

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Where to Find Birds in Kitsap County
Kitsap County is bordered on the west by a natural fjord, the Hood Canal. On the north and east, it is bounded by Puget Sound. Its 236 miles of salt-water shoreline offer more marine habitat than any other county in the lower 48 states. Surrounded almost entirely by saltwater, the Kitsap Peninsula is visited regularly by more than 200 species of birds. Some 115 species nest here. Marine birds are abundant from November through March, with over-wintering loons, grebes and cormorants readily seen along the shores. Waterfowl are also plentiful in the winter months, including wigeons, scoters, mergansers and goldeneyes. Although spring and fall migrations often bring surprises, the species noted for each location are those you are most likely to see.
* In county parks, restrooms may only be open from April through September.

Kingston Area
1 - Kingston Marina/Park, Appletree Cove
• Marine and mudflat habitats on quiet bay
• American and Eurasian Wigeon, gulls
• Public fishing pier, visitors dock, walkway viewing sites
2 - Arness County Park
• Marine and slough habitats
• Opposite side of Appletree Cove with added view into Carpenter Creek slough
• Portable toilet, small parking area

Point No Point, Hansville Area3 - Pt.-No-Pt. County Park, a designated IBA (Important Bird Area)
• Extensive views of Admiralty Inlet
• Marine, sandy beach, marsh, and wooded habitats
• Best known for alcids, loons and cormorants, as well as large numbers of Bonaparte’s and Heermann’s gulls in the fall
• Viewing platform, trails and beach access
• Portable toilet, limited handicap access
4 - Buck Lake County Park
• Aquatic and wooded habitats, open fields
• Hooded Merganser and Pied-billed Grebe, warblers in migration
• Extensive trails

Port Gamble Area
5 - Port Gamble
Marine habitat of the Hood Canal, wooded slopes, open lawns, bluff viewing platform, small park, no facilities
6 - Salisbury Point County Park
Marine habitat of the Hood Canal, wooded habitats, boat launch, beach access, trails

Poulsbo Area
7 - Poulsbo Marina and Waterfront Parks
• Marine, mudflat, and wooded habitats
• A great diversity of marine birds in the winter
• Public docks, boardwalk, trails
8 - Oyster Plant Park
• Marine habitat, pocket park
• Public dock and kayak launch
• No facilities

Bainbridge Island
9 - Faye Bainbridge State Park
• Sandy beach, open marine and wooded habitats
• Marine birds, Bald Eagle, Osprey
• Trails, beach access, views across Puget Sound
10 –Battle Point Park
• Ponds, fields, woods
• Winter ducks, summer passerines
11 - Ft. Ward State Park
• Rocky shore, marine and wooded habitats
• Marine birds include Surf and White-winged Scoter, Western, Red-necked and Horned Grebe and Long-tailed Duck
• Trails, beach access
• Views across Rich Passage

Silverdale Area, Dyes Inlet
12 - Island Lake County Park
• Aquatic, riparian and wooded habitats
• Walks and trails
• Ring-necked Ducks and Hooded Mergansers in winter
13 - Silverdale Waterfront County Park
• Pebble beach and open bay marine habitats
• Panoramic view of Dyes Inlet
• Best as a marine birding site in winter
14 - Old Mill County Park and Clear Creek Trail
• Pebble beach and open bay; marine, estuarine and riparian habitats
• Contiguous with the Clear Creek Trail system
• Limited parking at park, none along trails
• Purple martin nest box site

Bremerton, Port Washington Narrows Area
15 - Lion’s Field Park
• Rocky marine habitat along the “narrows”
• Both Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorants, as well as Long-tailed Ducks in the winter
16 - Lower Rota Vista Park, north end of Elizabeth Ave.
• Rocky marine habitat
• Large Pelagic Cormorant roost and Peregrine Falcon nest under Warren Ave. Bridge.
• Walkway down bluff to viewing area
• Limited parking, no facilities, no handicapped access

Port Orchard, Sinclair Inlet
17 Pt. Orchard Marina and Park
• Open bay marine habitat
• Thousands of White-winged Scoters and American Wigeons in winter, as well as Western Grebes
• Best viewing from park at east end of Marina

Numbers correspond to map locations

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OTHER "HOT SPOTS" THAT LOCAL BIRDERS HAVE FOUND

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BAINBRIDGE ISLAND

Heron Rookery, off Day Road, across from cemetery. Visually seen in March, before leaves on trees obscure nest sites:

BELFAIR

Mary Theiler Wetlands - great walks

BELLINGHAM

262 Hovander/Tennant Lake ..Boardwalk and viewing tower. If very wet, boardwalk gets under water.

CHIMACUM Across Hood Canal Bridge, SR-19, Beaver Valley Rd to Chimacum.. Intersection … closest to Chimacum Café, Left/North (on ?W Valley Rd ) about 1 mile, in winter small flock of swans. Flock is reportedly slowly growing each year

HANSVILLE N on Bond Rd, W on Hansville Rd (7.5 mi)

Point No Point Lighthouse area (Hansville Rd 7.4 mi, R on E Pt No Pt Rd) shore birds & marsh birds

Bucks Lake (with trails). (Hansville Rd 7.4 mi, L on NE Buck Lake Road and follow signs.

Nature Conservancy land and trail. Follow Hansville Rd to end, follow L on Twin Spits Road along the shore, approximately 2.7 miles. On Left, minimally marked trail entrance (between 2 No Parking Dusk to Dawn signs and across from red mail box address signs for 3476-3480). Trail goes out to Hood Canal. Probably nicer as a walk than specific birding location.

HOOD CANAL

Shine Tidelands State Park, North across Hood Canal Bridge (on Jefferson County end) and immediate right, follow signs.

LACEY

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Exit # 114 off I-5.

MANCHESTER

PORT TOWNSEND

Marina, walk along the trail … ? direction. Kingfisher nest holes in cliff.

Kah Tai Lagoon, behind McDonald restaurant, usually see Ruddy Ducks and Mergansers.

Fort Worden Various sites, from shore, from cliff above, from outside…

POULSBO

Liberty Bay. Park in downtown parking lot. Walk from the Poulsbo Marina, and right (North) along the boardwalk.

SEABECK

Big Beef Creek, frequently an eagle, occasional year large numbers in May - June, feeding on salmon.

Seabeck Marina

Wildcat Lake

SKAGIT VALLEY - Eagles, Snow Geese, Swans (December thru March)

Fir Island fish wildlife Refuge - Snow Geese area

Debay Slough, Swan preserve. Off I-5 , East on College ; North on…

Padilla Bay Reserve

SILVERDALE

Clear Creek Trail and Old Mill Park

Old Mill Park (between Silverdale Hotel & Christa Shores)

WASHINGTON COAST (see Bob Morse's "A Birder's Guide to Coastal Washington")

Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival, approximately last weekend in April (high tide) (See http://www.ghas.org )

Bowerman Basin Area (Grays Harbor)

Ocean Shores

WHIDBEY ISLAND