Birding around the Park
Where to Look
State Route 20 Corridor
SR 20 runs through some of the most rugged mountains in the United States, made all the more spectacular by the lush green forest and meadows that flood valley bottoms and cling to steep slopes at great heights. The thick vegetation owes its existence to Washington's celebrated rainy weather, which dumps nearly 110 inches of precipitation a year on the west side of the Cascades. The mountains, valleys, streams, rivers, forests and meadows all provide an abundance of habitat for birds of many kinds. The following sites are of some of the best birding spots in key westside habitats between Marblemount and Washington Pass, listed by milepost (mp) number on SR 20.
Powerline Road (mp 109)
Access Powerline Road by taking Diobsud Creek Road on the north side of SR 20 a few hundred yards to the junction. Park at the junction, and walk east along the powerline corridor, looking in the shrubs and rocks for willow flycatchers, Bewick's wrens, song sparrows, and lazuli buntings. In the taller trees that border the road, look for Pacific-slope flycatchers, western tanagers, Cassin's, and warbling vireos, black-throated gray warblers, and other passerines.
County Line Ponds (mp 116.5)
The area between the highway and the Skagit River was used by Seattle City Light for gravel pits, which have become ponds. Access is via a gated road on the south side of the highway near the Whatcom-Skagit county line sign. Many species can be seen in the riparian forests skirting the ponds and roads, including Hammond's flycatchers, common yellowthroats, marsh wrens and red-eyed vireos. American redstarts nested here in 1996 and 1997. Be advised, this land is owned by the utility. Please park off the highway, and do not block the gate.
Goodell Creek Campground (mp 118)
For another pond area, park clear of the gate at the end of the gravel road one mile west of Goodell Creek Campground, and walk back about one-quarter mile past more gravel piles to the aggregate ("ag") ponds. Waterfowl (Barrow's and common golden eyes, ring-necked ducks, mallards, hooded mergansers, bufflehead in winter) and belted kingfishers abound, while barn, violet-green, tree and rough-winged swallows skim the surface of the water. Keep an eye out for river otters and beavers in the ponds!
Newhalem (mp 120)
At the North Cascades Visitor Center, look for pileated woodpeckers, Steller's jays, chestnut-backed chickadees as well as black and Vaux's swifts. The swifts nest north across the Skagit River in the cliffs above Goodell Creek and are present in the summer, especially in late afternoon. Swainson's and varied thrushes, Pacific-slope and Hammond's flycatchers and Townsend's and black-throated gray warblers are often along the River-Loop Trail behind the visitor center. American dippers sing up a storm in the side drainages of the Skagit. Along the power lines near SR 20, keep your eyes open for lazuli buntings and Nashville warblers.
This information obtained from the North Cascades National Park home page.
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