Trip Report
Private Naturalist - Center for Urban Horticulture
38 species and not a single coot on this private winter solstice birding trip with my dog. Rowers were out in force so most rafts of waterfowl were elsewhere on Lake Washington.
Courtenay Schurman
- Sun, Dec 21, 2025
- Center for Urban Horticulture
- Naturalist
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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The gravel trails are in fair shape, any water routes are extremely wet and muddy (I made sure to keep my big camera lens close to me so the bushes wouldn't shed on it). It didn't rain on us except at the very start for a minute or two, and at the end, otherwise a pleasant, overcast day to bird for a while.
I took my dog for one last birding outing before his surgery Tuesday. Balm for both our souls. We started at the Kiosk at 8:05 and spent 90 minutes traveling clockwise (2.5 miles total including Yesler Swamp and a few meanders) to the waterfront and then across the bridge to do most of the trail to the boat launch.
Unfortunately for us, at both Union Bay and Magnuson parks, rowers were out in full force (as were joggers and dog walkers - I forget about Sunday crowds since Tuesdays are my weekend) so I'm guessing the large rafts of coots, gadwalls, wigeons, swans, and other waterfowl had to be enjoying Sunday morning foraging elsewhere on Lake Washington. Not a single coot to be found.
We still heard/saw 38 species of birds including 6 green-winged teals, 10 wood ducks (Yesler Swamp was a treasure trove), a pair of bald eagles, a great blue heron on a post, several types of sparrows and a pair of yellow-rumped warblers. My dog was done, but I wanted to go longer, so I tacked on another mile circling Promontory Ponds at Magnuson on my way home.