Naturalist Trip - Bottle Beach State Park

Leave Seattle on April 20th at 6:20 AM – location to be determined.

Meet at Bottle Beach State Park at 9:00 AM

April 20th: The high tide at Bottle Beach is about 11:30 AM. We will bird there to catch the incoming tide, then head south. The plan is to stop at a few places between Bottle Beach and Tokeland and then explore Willapa Bay and its birding locations. We will finish in the late afternoon at Long Beach.

Accommodations: The leader is staying at Oceanview In at the Arch in Long Beach on Saturday night. There are other options, and we can have a designated meeting place for Sunday morning. https://live.ipms247.com/booking/book-rooms-374901

 April 21st: Leave the motel at 5:30 AM – be checked out and ready. We will drive east, probably stopping at Julia Hansen NWR, then heading to Longview. Our goal for this day will be to check birding sites headed north from Longview to Toutle. This description is from WOS.

Expect to walk 2-3 miles on good trails and roads with mostly flat terrain. Habitats will include wetlands, riparian, mixed forest, agricultural fields and river overlooks. Possible species include Virginia Rail, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Hutton’s Vireo, Marsh Wren, Black-throated Gray Warbler as well as a mix of waterfowl and migrant passerines.

We will explore hotspots and likely good birding areas to see what we find. We plan to finish late afternoon and head for Seattle.

Our goal will be birds primarily, but who knows what else we might find. Expect to walk along sandy beaches, into the woods, near wetlands, and any other wild place we might want to explore.

Bring binoculars, lunch and breakfast items, and snacks. We will find a place in Long Beach for dinner. Also, bring water, rain gear, and appropriate footwear.

If you have a scope, bring that too.