Grays Harbor north jetty, Ocean Shores

Location: Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor County

Habitat: Pacific Ocean, municipal sand beach, half-mile rock jetty

Best seasons for birding: Year-round.

Birds commonly seen: See Caspian and common terns in spring-summer, Heermann's gulls and brown pelicans in late summer-fall. Black-legged kittiwakes, common murres, red-throated loons, Western and Clark's grebes come in fall-winter. Find wandering tattlers mid-April to May and again late July to mid-October; black turnstones and surfbirds, July-April; rock sandpipers, fall-spring.

Viewing: Walk short path to beach. Shorebirds frequent jetty while pelagic species favor surrounding seas. Caution: Jetty rocks can be dangerous.

Getting there: From Highway 109 at Milepost 16, turn south onto Highway 115. Drive 2.3 miles, turn left (south) into gates of Ocean Shores on Point Brown Avenue Northwest. Drive 0.6 miles. Turn right (west) onto Chance A La Mer Northwest. Drive 0.1 mile, turn left (south) onto Ocean Shores Boulevard Northwest. Drive 5.6 miles. Park.

More birding: From jetty, drive north on Ocean Shores Boulevard Northwest 1.2 miles. Turn left (west) onto Driftwood Avenue. Park at road end, walk path through dunes. See merlins, peregrine falcons, plus glaucous-winged, Bonaparte's, ring-billed, Western gulls in spring-summer, and sanderlings, dunlins in fall-spring.

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.