at the South Jetty of the Columbia River. Watch the waves crashing on the rocks, view gulls and sandpipers, and enjoy the antics of brown pelicans as they dive for food or play follow-the-leader. In Astoria, the waterfront Riverwalk boasts a bird list approaching 170 species along with up-close and personal viewing of Califor- nia sea lions, harbor seals and the occasional river otter. Coxcomb Hill, home of the Astoria Column, pro- vides a spectacular panoramic viewscape of the entire lower Columbia River and is the best spot for watching the spring migra- tion of forest species return- ing from the Neotropics to breed here in the Oregon Coast Range. East of Astoria, the Twi- light Eagle Sanctuary offers
At Haystack Rock you can view tufted puffins, black oystercatchers and a variety of gull species.
chances to view thousands of ducks, geese and swans in the fall and winter. Bald eagles, northern harriers and peregrine falcons are at- tracted to the waterfowl bounty and are easily observed as they hunt and loaf.
Equally astounding are the opportunities
for birding on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington. Drive to the tip of the Peninsula in Leadbetter Point State Park for a tremen- dously diverse viewing opportunity. You can easily stroll the four distinct trails in the park to see different ecosystems and the effect the twice-a-day tides have on wildlife and water- fowl. Willapa Bay at Lead- better Point is best known for spring and fall concen- trations of shorebirds includ- ing long- and short-billed dowitchers, marbled god- wits and black-bellied plover, which come to ply the rich mud for inverte- brates.
One of the best spots to feel the sand beneath your toes or take in the smells of the saltwater marshes is on the Peninsula’s Discovery Trail, an 8.5-mile trail through picturesque forests,
a coastline with lighthouses, sand dunes, lakes, rivers and marshes, all with board- walks, bridges and good nearby hiking trails. The trail meanders from Long Beach through the Sitka spruce wetlands of Beard’s Hollow to end in Ilwaco and Baker Bay.
Photo at left is Townsend’s warbler at the Mill Ponds in Seaside. Photos above, clockwise from top left are Blue Heron on the Skipanon River; Black Oystercatchers at Haystack Rock; Caspian terns in the Necanicum Estuary; osprey at Broadway Park in Seaside; pelicans over the Columbia River; waterfowl at Black Lake on the Long Beach Peninsula.
OUR COAST 17
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