Birders' Top Spots: Elwha River Estuary

Location: Off Highway 112, west of Port Angeles.

Habitat: Private beach, river mouth, freshwater wetlands, riparian shrubs.

Best season for birding: Fall and winter.

Birds commonly seen: Right now, this is the place for Thayer's gulls. And more gulls by the hundreds: herring, Western, California, ring-billed, glaucous-winged and glaucous. Offshore, look for loons (common, Pacific and red-throated), grebes (red-necked, eared and Western) and goldeneyes (common and Barrow's). Year-round, watch for harlequin ducks; common and red-breasted mergansers; black, surf and white-winged scoters; greater scaups. Check pond for pied-billed grebes, lesser scaups, gadwalls and hooded mergansers.

Viewing: Two posts mark start of 0.2-mile beach trail. At first Y in trail, bear left to dike, ponds and beach.

Getting there: From Highway 101 west of Port Angeles, go west on Highway 112 to Mile 58.9 and turn north onto Place Road. Drive 1.8 miles. Turn right at Dike Access sign. Drive 0.1 mile, park on right.

Source: Audubon Washington, Great Washington State Birding Trail maps. To order maps (Cascade Loop, Coulee Corridor, Olympic Loop or Southwest Loop), go online to www.wa.audubon.org. Call toll-free, 866-922-4737, for more information.