Originally published Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Birders' Top Spots
Shorebirds star at Fort Flagler State Park
Audubon Washington's tips on bird-watching at Fort Flagler State Park near Port Townsend.
Get ski and boarding conditions all winter long with webcams, snow alerts and more at seattletimes.com/snowsports
Location: Marrowstone Island, southeast of Port Townsend.
Habitat: State's 784 acres of meadows and forest, and 4 miles of saltwater beach.
Best seasons for birding: Year-round.
Birds commonly seen: Shorebirds grab headlines: Western sandpipers, black-bellied plovers, black turnstones, surfbirds. Summer-fall, see Heermann's, Bonaparte's and California gulls; plus Caspian and common terns. In winter on sand spit, Thayer's gulls mix with glaucous-winged and mew gulls. Fall-spring, saltwater is home to Pacific loons, brants, red-breasted mergansers, pigeon guillemots, horned and red-necked grebes, long-tailed ducks, double-crested and pelagic cormorants.
Viewing: Walk west on sand spit for Western meadowlarks in driftwood. At low tide, walk beach east one mile to Marrowstone Point. Take trail up to bluff and back on park road for American pipits. Check snags year-round for pileated, hairy and downy woodpeckers, and red-breasted sapsuckers. Scope tallest trees for bald eagles, merlins, Peregrine falcons.
Getting there: From Highway 19 at Milepost 10.7, turn east onto Highway 116/ Ness's Corner Road/ Flagler Road. Drive 9.8 miles (stay left at Y at 1.9 miles) to end of Highway 116 at park. Continue a half-mile to four-way intersection. For spit/campground, turn left (west), drive 1.2 miles to end, park at kiosk. For Marrowstone Point, drive north to learning center/museum/housing. Drive 0.1 mile. Turn right at sign to Marrowstone Point. Drive 0.4 miles; road curves along bluff, drops to parking at beach.
More birding: From Fort Flagler entrance, return west 5.4 miles on Highway 116. Turn left (south) at Jefferson County Park sign, drive 0.2 mile to beach parking lot. Halfway to beach is access to 2-mile trail to small county park by highway bridge over Oak Bay Lagoon.
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.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Grab the kids and hop on Amtrak for a stress-free getaway to Portland
Seafair officially kicks off with Pirates Landing, Milk Carton Derby
Lavender tour on Vashon Island leads round of festivals
Seal Sitters offer training to help protect pups

Gen. David Petraeus: Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
Watch highlights of General David Petraeus discussing the Iraq and Afghanistan War at the Global Leadership Series sponsored by the World Affairs Council.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
shopping

events for Friday, Jul. 10th
- Pink Ginger First Anniversary Sale
- Market Street Shoes and Market Street...
- Jaxx Boutik Summer Sale
- Click! Design That Fits West Seattle...
editors' picks
More shopping guides- Worker dies in chocolate vat; plant didn't have license
- Seattle-area homebuilder losing projects to foreclosure
- Health-plan costs soar for individuals
- Chase won't pay for Seattle's Lake Union fireworks next year
- The end of the light-line line, for now: Tukwila's "Taj Mahal" station
- Trees vs. houses: Narrow, leafy street is last chance for two Madrona homes waiting to be moved
- World's largest solar plant may be built in Cle Elum
- Mariners Blog | Deals involving Mariners shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, Pirates second baseman Freddy Sanchez not automatically related
- Lawmaker says CIA director ended secret program
- Mariners Blog | Yuniesky Betancourt traded to Royals for two minor league pitchers
- Health-plan costs soar for individuals
590 - Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners: 07/09 game thread
243 - Chase won't pay for next year's Lake Union fireworks
232 - Yuniesky Betancourt traded to Royals for two minor league pitchers
220 - Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik again declines to quell Yuniesky Betancourt trade rumors
183 - World's largest solar plant may be built in Cle Elum
130 - The end of the line, for now: Tukwila is the jewel in the crown of Link
116 - Deals involving Mariners shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, Pirates second baseman Freddy Sanchez not automatically related
105 - Franklin Gutierrez bails Mariners out in a 3-1 win
77 - Group hopes to build 75-megawatt solar park near Cle Elum
67
- Seattle-area homebuilder losing projects to foreclosure
- World's largest solar plant may be built in Cle Elum
- Health-plan costs soar for individuals
- Group hopes to build 75-megawatt solar park near Cle Elum
- Worker dies in chocolate vat; plant didn't have license
- Grab the kids and hop on Amtrak for a stress-free getaway to Portland
- Trees vs. houses: Narrow, leafy street is last chance for two Madrona homes waiting to be moved
- Local Smith & Hawken garden stores to close
- During financial crisis, the business of college sports is complicated by Title IX
- Lavender tour on Vashon Island leads round of festivals




