Birding

The Coulee Corridor National Scenic Byway route features more than half of Washington’s 365 bird species!

Thousands of Sandhill Cranes migrate through the Pacific Flyway in spring and fall and may be seen throughout the Columbia Basin along with  Black-Crowned Night Herons and Great Egrets who nest here in summer.  Our large populations of Bald Eagles and waterfowl offer great winter birding. Northrup Canyon is the winter roosting ground for the Bald Eagle with upwards of 100 birds who settle in among the trees in January-February.

The shrub-steppe ecosystem encompasses plains of sagebrush, grasses and lichens and includes talus slopes and basalt cliffs.  Much of this semi-arid desert is irrigated by water diverted from the Columbia River and includes wetlands and pothole lakes which are magnets for all kinds of birds.  There are all kinds of birding opportunities in the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge,  Desert Potholes, Banks Lake Wildlife Area, Steamboat Rock State Wildlife Area, Northrup Canyon Natural Area, Lake Roosevelt Recreation Area and state and local parks.

Please take advantage of local services and enjoy places to stay and eat along the way.  Let vendors  know that you are a visiting birder.

Recommended Birding Resources: The Great Washington State Birding Trail - Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway, 2002; National Geographic Field Guide to Birds - Washington and Oregon, 2006.

Othello Sandhill Crane Festival will have numerous birding resources - March 21-23, 2025. https://www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org/.