Best Bets for Winter Birding

We asked several well-known local birders for their tips on winter birding in the places they know best. This exclusive Eastside Audubon winter birding guide is the product of their suggestions.

Trumpeter Swans by Mick Thompson Winter birding can be outstanding in the Puget Sound region. Our shorelines, wetlands, and frequently flooded fields are attractive to a variety of waterfowl; our relatively moderate climate is hospitable to a changeable list of overwintering visitors; and the occasional storm can shunt surprise species our way.

Explore these places and discover the favorite haunts of some of the best birding guides and instructors in our region.

Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park (Renton) — Tim Boyer

Juanita Bay Park (Kirkland) — MaryFrances Mathis

Lake Sammamish State Park (Issaquah) — Stan Wood

Marymoor Park (Redmond) — Michael Hobbs

Montlake Fill (Seattle) — Connie Sidles

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge — Shep Thorp

Samish Flats (Skagit County) — Brian H. Bell

Snoqualmie Valley — John Tubbs

Much useful information about winter birding can also be found in reports on past Eastside Audubon field trips, compiled by Hugh Jennings and listed by location and date in Field Trip Highlights.

Photo: Trumpeter Swans on Juanita Bay by Mick Thompson

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The mission of Eastside Audubon is to protect, preserve and enhance natural ecosystems and our communities for the benefit of birds, other wildlife and people.