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Samammish River Trail
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King County
Text by Erin and Bill
Woods
Being ardent touring bicyclists and serious
birders, we regularly combine our two favorite pasttimes, and living
near Redmond gives us quick access to the Sammamish River Trail, one of
many paved recreational trails in the Seattle area. Beginning at
Marymoor Park in King County, the trail provides bicycle birders
immediate visual and auditory challenges. American Robins are there in
all seasons: singing, eating, and nesting. Even a partial albino robin
has been spotted on occasion. The trail initially follows the west bank
of the river, but crosses to the east side as it makes its way through
Redmond. At the “mitigated wetlands” along the power-line trail just
north of Redmond is a small marsh and pond. This is a favorite place for
Green-winged Teal when the winter rains form a nice pond, and wintering
Cackling Geese overnight here, rising to the sky soon after daylight.
Even shorebirds visit during their migration, as well as special winter
visitors such as the Northern Shrike, who put in a nice show for us in
December 2009. Osprey can be spotted on their nest atop a platform on a
power line tower to the south during their nesting season.
The list of waterfowl is long and especially exciting in winter when
many of the diving ducks — Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded
Merganser, Common Merganser, and Scaup show off their diving skills as
bicyclists pedal by. Great Blue Herons are frequently visible along the
trail, either flying along the river or standing along the banks
watching for prey. Double-crested Cormorants are quite common, and have
staked out a tall cottonwood tree on the west side of the river near
Redmond City Hall on which to perch and dry their wings. Even an
occasional Bald Eagle soars on the midday thermals. Song Sparrows say
hello with their cheery songs all year round, and Bewick’s and Marsh
Wrens add their tunes in springtime. Wintertime along the Sammamish
River Trail is a perfect place for observing flocks of Golden-crowned
Sparrows in the crabapple trees and dense blackberry brambles. Spotted
Towhees utter their tell-tale sounds, but stay hidden in the bushes most
of the time.
American Wigeon flocks, their distinctive voices heard from a distance
along the trail, enjoy grazing the groomed lawns of the golf course and
sod farm west of the river during their winter visits, but a spotting
scope may be necessary to pick out a Eurasian Wigeon among them. (We
have found that the scope will fit in a pannier, and the tripod may be
strapped down to a rear bicycle rack. The set-up takes only a minute or
two.) Gadwalls, on the other hand, do not seem to be inclined to gather
in big flocks and are content to float silently on the Sammamish River
in mated pairs, allowing very close observation from the trail.
Pied-billed Grebes dive at the least provocation, staying up only long
enough to get a gulp of air, making it difficult to study their very
subtle plumage and interesting bill during the breeding season. American
Coots pay bicyclists no attention as they work the edges of the river.
The Sammamish River Trail divides the groomed lawns of Wilmot Park in
Woodinville, where we have seen large gatherings of Ring-billed Gulls,
completely oblivious of the people and activities going on around them.
Canada Geese quite frequently graze the lawns, as do the flocks of
American Wigeon. It is an easy place to look for a Eurasian Wigeon, as
we observed in December 2009. Belted Kingfishers are seen or heard
regularly along the trail, while killdeers enjoy flying over, calling
loudly and landing on the sod farms across the river. Barn Swallows and
Violet-green Swallows enjoy the trail area in summertime.
Burke-Gilman Trail
As the Sammamish River Trail joins the Burke-Gilman Trail west of
Bothell, it is worthwhile to continue to Log Boom Park in Kenmore, where
the public pier provides views of Lake Washington. Here again, a
spotting scope is useful to identify the many flocks of ducks, Western
and Horned Grebes, Coots, and geese that are visible near the mouth of
the Sammamish River. Double-crested Cormorants occupy all the old
pilings at the end of the pier.
Retracing the trail back to Marymoor gives bicyclists a good 26-mile
workout, albeit for bicycle-birders, frequently interrupted by bird
sightings. A short side trip on the trail along North Creek to the
University of Washington Bothell Campus brings rewards of Cliff
Swallows, which have found one of the university buildings to be a
perfect location for their colonial nesting. A viewing platform
overlooking North Creek has been overgrown with willows and alders,
affording glimpses of the creek only in winter when the leaves have
fallen.
We have bicycled the Sammamish River Trail for many years, and have
observed a few changes in the birding populations, a result of habitat
changes. Tall grasses and pastures have given way to sod farms,
playfields, golf courses and nurseries—great additions to the landscape,
but not for the Meadowlarks and Short-eared Owls that are there no more.
Although other sparrows are plentiful, White-crowned Sparrows are now
seldom seen. On the other hand, exciting, interesting, new sightings are
always possible. In December 2009, we observed a Peregrine Falcon at Log
Boom Park as it flew in from the west and settled in a tall alder tree
near the Log Boom Park pier.
Not to give mammals short shrift, there are
a few interesting sightings to be experienced along the Sammamish River
Trail. Otters swim along the river, playing and frolicking, then
disappearing into a hole along the bank. Muskrats swim and dive as
bicyclists pedal past them. Very occasionally, bicyclists might
encounter gray squirrels along the trail, and very rarely a weasel might
cross the trail. In late September to early October, salmon may be seen
swimming and splashing upriver to spawning grounds in tributaries to the
river, such as North Creek, Bear Creek, and Issaquah Creek.
In our exuberance to view the birds along the trail, we must remember to
get off to the side when stopping, and not impede the pedestrians,
runners, roller-bladers and other bicyclists; this trail is very popular
and often very busy on a sunny day. The Sammamish River Trail is
accessed easily at many points along its route. Trailheads and parking
areas are located at King County Marymoor Park in Redmond (parking fee
$1.00), Sixty Acre Park at NE 116th Street and 154th
Place NE, Wilmot Park in Woodinville, Bothell Landing Park, and
continuing on the Burke Gilman Trail, Tracy Owens Station at Log Boom
Park in Kenmore.
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