Bottom Line:
Beautiful balmy day up in Skagit County looking for wintering birds of all sorts, but especially eagles; the Skagit River at Howard Miller Steelhead Park (in Rockport, WA) was somewhat flooded with inundated beaches, so most of the eagle activity seems to be pushed to the sandbars somewhat downstream; later, the Skagit Wildlife Area is on Puget Sound south of Hwy 20 out to Anacortes; dike walking here with lots of different birds, but be cautious of hunting activity through Jan 31st
Stats:
- Distance: ~5 miles (2 at Steelhead; 3 at Skagit Wildlife Area)
- Duration: 3-1/2 hours
- Vertical: 0 ft
- Weather: Sunshine with increasing cloud into the afternoon; no wind; ~55F; it really felt like spring
- Road/Parking: Hwy 20 area; road in good shape; no delays; parking in both areas requires a Discovery Pass; Howard Miller Steelhead Park (just before the bridge in Rockport, WA) was quite busy as the Eagle Interpretative Center was open, and there were land-based nature walks, and water eagle-viewing "float" trips both departing from the park; lots of available camp spots for those so inclined; later, Skagit Wildlife Center has multiple access points; we chose the "Headquarters" (as described in the WTA directions) which had a large parking lot
- Trail: Trails along the river in Howard Miller (walk through and to the end of the campground to the sign, and head west to the Skagit and Sauk River confluence), and then dike walking in Skagit Wildlife Area; definitely more birds (including eagles) in the latter, with heron, eagles, hawks (especially looking for critters at sunset), snow geese, shorebirds, trumpeter swans, etc.; the eagles kept their distance a little more than this hike; it is hunting season in the Skagit Wildlife Area, and we did see hunters (everyone was friendly and enjoying the day, although one guy was in camo from head-to-toe and I did not see him until I almost ran into him); there is a "safety zone" for those concerned about possible conflicts, but most will want to walk farther out than that goes; the nearby Padilla Bay area is a good substitute (just north of Hwy 20 out to Anacortes); there are a couple bird blinds with chairs (and shelter from the weather) if you prefer to let the wildlife come to you :); the Skagit Wildlife Area consists of 16,708 acres, most of it intertidal mud flats and marsh and there is active restoration work (the area having previously been logged and drained)
- Takeaway: Skagit Wildlife Area is especially beautiful at sunset with many different species of wintering birds; a lot of the activity today was on the more distance shoreline (the tide was out) where the water was visibly crowded with shorebirds even from a distance, and MANY eagles were circling hunting for dinner
I would watch the trumpeter swans for hours - a lot of social dynamics with head bobbing and vocalizations.
District Brewing in Mt Vernon was a nice end to the day with great deep-dish pizza and a good selection of beer on the recently rebuilt waterfront.
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