Register for bird walks at the farm
Join us for a guided bird walk on the farm on second Saturdays of the month this summer. They will be held on June 8th, July13th, and August 10th from 8am-11am. We have a wide variety of ecosystems on the farm that attract many species of birds: what you will see depends on the season. There are over 130 species of birds seen on the farm over the course of a year.
We will walk on a 2-mile trail along our river and ponds. Bring binoculars and dress accordingly for the weather.
Directions to the farm from Olympia:
Take Hwy 101 past Shelton, cross the Skokomish River bridge, turn left on Skokomish River Road, and then left again onto Sunnyside Road.
Follow Sunnyside Road for three miles until you reach the farm gate with our sign.
Enter the gate and bear right onto Sweetgrass Lane. Follow Sweetgrass Lane for one mile until you reach the signs for Bird Walk Parking.
Your guide will meet you there!
In the winter months you can expect to see 30-40 species, then during spring migration 50 species is not uncommon. In summer and fall we average 40 species in a day. We will keep an ebird checklist for those who are interested. If you have not signed up for ebird, I highly recommend it if you are regularly observing birds. Here is a link to the e-bird website. A checklist of the birds seen on the farm can be found here.
The small fee for the bird walk helps us continue our conservation work and pays a stipend to the guide who also builds and improves the birding trail, puts up nesting boxes, and plants native trees for habitat. Thanks for supporting our work!
A young female American Kestrel stretching its wings while waiting for mom to feed her.
Male Lazuli Bunting singing his heart out!
Along the river is a 2-mile trial that allows for great views of bald eagles, belted kingfishers, common mergansers and American dippers. The ponds have a variety of ducks, including hooded mergansers, common golden-eyes, and pied billed grebes. Hunting over the fields are American kestrels, red tailed hawks, northern harriers, and, if you are lucky, a short eared owl.
Many songbirds frequent the farm, during winter: fox sparrows, golden crowned sparrows, Lincoln’s sparrows, and chickadees are common. In spring and summer lazuli buntings, white crowned sparrows, western tanagers, and black headed grosbeaks are always singing away! During the fall migration be on the lookout for rare birds that show up, like sandhill cranes, lark sparrows, and golden eagles.
