Spencer Island Birding

On a days when I do not want to venture far but also can not shake the cravings to go birding Spencer Island is the cure. Its one of my favorite places to visit in the Snohomish River Estuary for bird watching and one of my go to bird watching locations. Spencer Island is also great place to walk the  trails while enjoying the views of the Cascade mountain range and the opportunity to see other wildlife while only being a short distance from Everett WA. Spencer Island is an inter-tidal wetland popular with wildlife watchers. Since a 1989 it has been ran under a co-management agreement, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife owns 175 acres and Snohomish County Parks and Recreation Department owns 240 acres of the island. Its mainly made up of flat, grassy marsh/scrub-shrub wetland surrounded by forest which provides a great habitat for waterfowl.

The area can feature up to 200 different species throughout the year. Some of the year-round residents include bald eagles, great-horned owls, northern harriers, belted kingfishers and woodpeckers. Spring and summer bring ospreys, blue-winged teals, western tanagers, black-headed grosbeaks, band-tailed pigeons,vireos, warblers and many types of swallows. During fall migration watch for dowitchers and in winter you could see pine siskins, merlins, or peregrine falcons. To see what I photographed this past weekend check out my Spencer Island Gallery

Driving Directions:
Southbound I-5 from Marysville:
Take exit 198 in Marysville and head south on Highway 529. Follow signs for Dagmar’s Marina and turn onto Smith Island Road. Continue past Dagmar’s Marina and turn right towards Langus Riverfront Park. Continue past the park and under Interstate 5 and past the sewage treatment center to the end of the road. Cross the bridge on foot to access Spencer Island.
Northbound I-5 from Everett:
Take exit 199 in Marysville. Get back on I-5 going south. Follow the above southbound directions.