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

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11 · Seattle

Union Bay Natural Area (Montlake Fill)

Wetland, marsh, meadow, lakeshore

Seattle's most-birded patch: a restored landfill on Lake Washington beside the UW campus with more than 260 species recorded. Ponds, marsh, and meadow packed into a flat, easy loop, and something is always happening — rails muttering in the cattails, eagles working the bay, a steady parade of local birders happy to share what's around.

Effort Easy · 1.5 mi loop Gravel paths, level the whole way (about 10 ft gain).
When to go Early morning, any season. Shorebirding is best in late summer as water levels drop.
Access Free. Street parking or UW lots (fee on weekdays). Reachable by light rail. Directions eBird hotspot

Birds by season

Curated highlights · the current season is marked

Spring

  • Yellow-headed Blackbird
  • Cinnamon Teal
  • Tree Swallow
  • Common Yellowthroat

Marsh fills with song; teal and swallows arrive.

Summer

  • Green Heron
  • Wood Duck
  • Willow Flycatcher
  • Virginia Rail

Rails call from the cattails at dawn.

Fall

  • Least Sandpiper
  • Long-billed Dowitcher
  • Lincoln's Sparrow
  • American Pipit

Mudflats emerge — the best shorebirding of the year.

Winter

  • Northern Shoveler
  • Ring-necked Duck
  • Trumpeter Swan
  • Merlin

Ponds crowd with wintering ducks and swans.

Reported here in the last 30 days

● Live from eBird

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Sources

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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