NWBirding Leadbetter State Park

Leadbetter State Park/Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, Long Beach Peninsula, WA

Synopsis

    Wildlife and birds abound at Leadbetter Point. Snowy plovers nest on the outer coast (this area is closed in the spring and summer) and an inner bay offers great chances to see some shorebirds. We once saw a black bear in the park. It was lumbering across the trail and was greatly surprised (as were we) that it wasn’t alone. The bear took off in a flash and went crashing through the brush – a proper reaction for a black bear.
    We’ve hiked a large portion of Leadbetter Point. We’ve gone mainly in the off-season, early in the year, when the trails are largely still flooded. With rubber boots, we’re able to hike across the peninsula out to the coast. Pretty much the entire park is hikable, with the exception of the protected area for the snowy plovers, and one could walk around the entire point (probably over a 10 mile hike). However, the inside of the point seems a little marshy and wet, making rubber boots very handy. During early spring, the mosquitoes are numerous and aggressive – bug spray is a must.
    There are several units of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. I’m most familiar with Leadbetter Point, but I have visited other units (Lewis and Riekkola) located on the southern most parts of Willapa Bay. They weren’t too exciting for me; there are waterfowl (and hunting), but not much hiking. We haven’t been to the Long Island in Willapa Bay, but it looks like a great place to stay and hike around. It’s only reachable by boat/kayak/canoe.

Top

Pictures

Flooding on the trail can get quite deep in some places.

	Peeps on the mudflat
	Red-legged Frog
	Strong winds and rain drive waves of sand along the surface of the beach.

Top

Bird List

Common Loon
Western Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose
Black Brant
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Bufflehead
American Wigeon
Red-breasted Merganser
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Harrier
Merlin
Ring-necked Pheasant
Ruffed Grouse
Sanderling
Dunlin
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Long-billed Dowitcher
Semipalmated Plover
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Mew Gull
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Western Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Heerman's Gull
Caspian Tern
Vaux Swift
Rufous Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Downy Woodpecker
Pacific-sloped Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Hutton's Vireo
Steller's Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Barn Swallow
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Song Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
American Goldfinch

Other Critter List

Douglas Squirrel
Black Bear
Yellow-pine Chipmunk
Red-legged Frog

Top

Information

Located: Long Beach Peninsula, WA; in the southwest corner of Washington
Willapa National Wildlife Refuge

Top