After setting up camp at Yakima Sportsman SP, we hiked the wetland trail to the viewing platform of the wetland area and then hiked around the juvenile fishing pond. We could hear red-winged blackbirds from the viewing platform, but they were in the distance and hanging out low in the cattails so we didn't get any pictures.  Yakima Sportsman SP is a 247 acre park which is on the flood plain of the Yakima River. This is not a destination hike from Seattle, but it is a nice place to visit if you are camped in the park or if you are in the area and need to stretch your legs after a long drive! The fall colors are beautiful now. The water level of the pond and the wetland areas is very low. We saw 30-40 wood ducks, but in areas in the distance or flying so we didn't get any close up photos which was disappointing as they are such beautiful ducks. There was a very large fungus on a dead cottonwood tree along the trail to the viewing platform. The campground in the park closes at the end of the month, but the day use area remains open.

On our return to camp after hiking at Brooks Memorial SP, we went to Yakima Sportsman SP to hopefully see baby wood ducks . We did see one female wood duck with 5 babies and a female mallard with 3 babies. The Juvenile Fishing Pond had very little water, algae and many lily pads which had very few yellow and pink blossoms. Many yellow iris were along the South edge of the pond and in the wetland area east of the pond. A few red-winged blackbirds were seen in the wetland area. The temperature in the high 80's and the low water level  may have been reasons there were very few birds seen! 

We returned to Yakima Sportsman SP to camp for 2 nights so we could visit with a niece from Ohio who is visiting her father in Yakima who recently fell and broke his leg. We walked the wetland area viewing platform, the North side of the Juvenile Fishing Pond and the River Loop Trail in the wooded area west of the dike.  We returned to the parking lot on the South side of the pond. The pond and wetlands area had even less water than when we were here 2 weeks ago. We saw 3 mallards in the pond and several wood ducks in the shallow water near the beginning of the River Loop Trail. There was abundant flowering golden current along the trail to the wetland viewing platform and in the woods near the Yakima River. We briefly saw a muskrat in the shallow water where the wood ducks were. The River Loop Trail had a 2 ft round tree across the trail near the start that required care to get over and there were a few smaller ones along the trail that were easily stepped over. The website says that the park has 2 miles of trail. 

After our meander of the arboretum, we retuned to Yakima Sportsman State Park where we are camped to walk the trail around the juvenile fishing pond and the wetland area near the pond. The water in the pond is about 1/4 or less of the normal volume, but we did see 6 wood ducks, mallards and 3 common mergansers. I will attach a link describing the park.

Yakima Sportsman SP is a 247 acre park which is on the flood plain of the Yakima River. This is not a destination hike, but it is a nice place to visit if you are in the area and need to stretch your legs! Today we walked around the juvenile fishing pond and visited the viewing deck in the wetland area. This was the first time we had been to the park and not seen wood ducks! The only ducks seen were a pair of mallards and a white duck which hung around with the mallards. A great blue heron flew into a tree near the fishing pond and was still there when we left. The water in the wetland area and pond was very low. A few red-winged blackbirds were seen at the wetlands and a red-breasted nuthatch was in a beautiful red maple tree. The park is open from 6:30 AM until dusk and closes for the winter in 11-1. It reopens on 3-1. The CG is closed until further notice due to Covid 19.