Bird Walk at Fort Worden State Park

The Walk is full! You can still sign up for the waitlist!

Come join PTMSC for a morning of birding in Fort Worden State Park! This bird walk will take you around to some of the different bodies of water in the state park to see how many different birds rely on Fort Worden for food and shelter. We’ll see a mix of seabirds, shore birds, and waterfowl, as well as some forest birds along the way.

Ideal for beginners, but all skill levels welcome!

The walk is led by Rainshadow Bird Alliance Conservation Chair Steve Hampton; PTMSC volunteer, citizen scientist and photographer Wendy Feltham; and PTMSC AmeriCorps member and bird enthusiast Kelly Kingdon.

We’re excited to have Dr. Steve Hampton as a leader for this bird walk. Steve Hampton is a lifelong birder, the current conservation chair of Rainshadow Bird Alliance (previously Admiralty Audobon Society), and enrolled citizen of Cherokee Nation (ᏣᎳᎩ). Steve Hampton worked for California Fish and Wildlife for 25 years, focusing on seabird restoration as well as working as a tribal liaison, conducting natural resource damage assessments, and overseeing environmental restoration projects after oil spills. Currently Steve serves as the count compiler for the Christmas Bird Count in Port Townsend, one of the largest and longest running citizen science projects in the US, as well as serving as a bird walk leader for Rainshadow Bird Alliance. Steve is also a prolific writer, focusing on birds, indigenous issues, climate change, and the environment. You can find his writings, presentations, interviews, and links to where else you can find Steve Hampton online on his website.

We’ll meet starting at 8:30 a.m. at the West Gate entrance to the Peace Mile trail at 68 Eisenhower Avenue. We’ll make our way to the Chinese Garden lagoon to get a look at some of the waterfowl that are stopping by on their migration. We’ll then make our way down to the pier across from the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, using the pier as a birding spot to look for seabirds. Then we’ll walk towards Point Wilson/the Knapp Circle trail, looking for shorebirds and other seabirds along the way. Make sure to bring good walking shoes and comfortable layers. This walk is about 2.5 miles and will be completed by 11 a.m. (2.5 hours total).

We’ll have extra binoculars and guides to hand out but feel free to bring your own binoculars/scopes/guides.

This walk is full. You can still sign up for the waitlist.
To allow for a great experience for everyone on the bird walk we have a max capacity of 30 people. Sign up for the waitlist here.
We will have another bird walk in April if you’re unable to attend this one.