Hard at work on Seward Park site visit, but someone has to do it!
Q: If you are a birder or someone who enjoys watching wildlife, how can you find the best places to visit in Washington State?
A: By purchasing maps of the Great Washington State Birding Trail!
Modeled after birding trails in Florida and Texas, the Great Washington Birding Trail has six loops. The seventh loop, currently underway, is in the State’s Population center: Puget Sound. Washington State has nearly 500 species of birds, and features a broad array of habitats ranging from temperate rain forests to sagebrush desert. It is also a scenically spectacular state. Birds are the icing on an already rich cake.
For the past decade, Christi Norman and Hilary Hilscher have been designing and establishing birding loops in Washington State with extensive input from local Audubon chapters and birders. I had the good fortune to work with Christi, Hilary and the steering committee on site nominations and visits for the final Puget Sound segment of the Great Washington Birding Trail. Like the other loops, this one will feature outstanding birding spots which also happen to be outstanding natural areas and wildlife viewing spots.
In September 2011 a new Puget Sound Birding Loop map will be published with detailed information about the location of the best birding spots in the area, including which species you will likely see at each. Wildlife artist and avid birder Ed Newbold has beautifully illustrated the maps with iconic species for each loop. These maps are terrific and I cannot recommend them highly enough to birders and wildlife watchers. My first one is worn out from repeated use in all kinds of weather.
The following Great Washington State Birding Trail maps are currently available at $4.95 each:
· Cascade Loop
· Olympic Loop
· Southwest Loop
· Coulee Corridor
· Sun and Sage Loop
· Palouse and Pines Loop
· (Puget Sound Loop soon to come)
These maps are for sale at various stores and museums, including The Burke Museum Gift Shop at University of Washington in Seattle; Seattle Audubon’s Store in NE Seattle; and at the Seward Park Audubon Center in SE Seattle. For further information go to Audubon Washington’s website page:
http://wa.audubon.org/birds_greatwabirdingtrail.html
Good Birding!
