PNW Birding where to go · what you'll see · how far you'll walk 23 spots

← All spots

18 · Olympia

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR

Estuary, boardwalk, freshwater ponds

The south Sound's great estuary, and the single most reliable stop on this list. The boardwalk carries you a mile out into the tideflats, which means you're standing in the middle of the birds rather than looking at them across a field.

Effort Easy · 4 mi boardwalk Level gravel and a mile of boardwalk over the estuary.
When to go Time the tide: arrive two hours before high water for the shorebirds.
Access $3 per vehicle (federal passes accepted). Visitor center and restrooms. Directions eBird hotspot

Birds by season

Curated highlights · the current season is marked

Spring

  • Western Sandpiper
  • Cinnamon Teal
  • Purple Martin
  • Bald Eagle

Western Sandpipers stream through on the tide.

Summer

  • Osprey
  • Caspian Tern
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Willow Flycatcher

Osprey and terns work the estuary all day.

Fall

  • Dunlin
  • Long-billed Dowitcher
  • Peregrine Falcon
  • Northern Pintail

Dowitchers and dunlin in the thousands.

Winter

  • Cackling Goose
  • Green-winged Teal
  • Northern Harrier
  • Trumpeter Swan

Geese, swans, and pintail fill the freshwater ponds.

Reported here in the last 30 days

● Live from eBird

Checking recent checklists…

Sources

Up next

Live sighting data from eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology · Location research: Washington Trails Association, Eastside Audubon, Birds Connect Seattle, Washington Ornithological Society, Birdful · Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors