Lifelong Recreation Program Nature Walks

100_4103We are delighted that our first two years of collaboration with the Seattle Parks’ Lifelong Recreation Program were a big hit, and we look forward to many more nature walks again this year!

Each 2-hour walk begins in a different park location, and focuses on a different Magnuson Park habitat and its wildlife.  Most walks are on fairly level, paved or gravel trails, but we do occasionally visit areas with wood chip trails and an elevation gain, and all the walk descriptions have details on the “mileage” and trail grade.  To find the start locations for all the walks, check the Magnuson Park map at http://www.seattle.gov/parks/magnuson/maps.htm

Walk Leaders: Magnuson Nature Educators Emily Bishton and/or Nicole Caudana, and Magnuson Nature Docents

Fee:  $15 per person

All walks are for adults age 50 and older

Limit of 20 attendees per walk

Registration: Online at SPARC  or call the NE Lifelong Recreation office at 206-386-9106

 

2017 Schedule:

  • Groundhog Day Wetlands Walk: Beaver Day!

Thursday February 2nd from 9am – 11am

Celebrate Groundhog Day in the Magnuson wetlands by getting a great look at the “handiwork” of one of their relatives, our resident Beavers! Late winter is a great time to get a clear view of the Beaver lodge and dams that have been built over the past 4 years, and that have made the Promontory Ponds deeper and wider for diving ducks and other waterfowl to enjoy. If we’re lucky, we’ll see these nocturnal creatures puttering around the ponds, and they’ll see their shadow as a sign that spring will arrive early! If you want to borrow binoculars, please let us know when you register for the walk.

Meet at the sidewalk right next to the boat launch, adjacent to the E-1 and E-2 parking lots, just off Lakeshore Drive. This walk is approx. 3/4 mile on level, crushed rock paths.

SPARC registration code: #155141

 

Frogs are fabulous!

Frogs are fabulous!

  • St. Patrick’s Day Wetland Walk: Tree Frog Time!

Thursday March 16th from 9am-11am

Enjoy a “wee bit o’ the green” on St. Paddy’s Day by taking a wetlands walk to look for our native Tree Frogs! Late winter is the time when they are at their most active, hopping up out of the ponds to “sing” up a storm and attract their mates. This is also a great time to see the first leaves popping out on the wetland plants, the first flowers blooming, and get a good look at the winter resident waterfowl before their spring migration! If you want to borrow binoculars, please let us know when you register for the walk.

SPARC registration code: #155142

Meet at the Wetlands Central trailhead, in the northeast corner of the E-5 parking lot, just off NE 65th St.  This walk is approx. 3/4 mile on level, crushed rock paths.

 

 

  • The Wetlands at Night

    ChorusFrogTadpole.pregillatadpolewa606.californiaherps.com

    Pacific Chorus Frog tadpole photo by californiaherps.com

Wednesday April 26th from 7:00 – 9:00pm

Spring is a great time to enjoy the Magnuson Wetlands Complex in the early evening, with Swallows and other newly-arriving migratory birds swooping over our heads before heading to their nighttime roosts, and then thousands of Pacific Chorus Frogs “serenading” us with their calls as darkness falls.  Magnuson’s resident Beavers will likely also be buisly working on their lodge and dam.  This walk is geared for beginner and intermediate birders.  If you want to borrow binoculars, please let us know when you register for the walk.

 

Meet at the Wetlands Central trailhead, in the northeast corner of the E-5 parking lot, just off NE 65th St.  This walk is approx. 3/4 mile on level, crushed rock paths.

SPARC registration code: TBA

 

 

Photo by Barb Diehl

Owlets on top of Building 18, photo by Barb Diehl

  • Magnuson’s Barn Owls and Owlets

Wednesday May 24th from 8:00- 10:00pm
Barns Owls are fascinating birds, and we are fortunate to have had several nesting pairs raise their young owlets in the nest boxes in the Magnuson Historic District each year. We’ll be checking the nest boxes, as well as the branches of nearby trees, to see any juvenile owlets out testing their wings and calling their parents in for a food drop. Come see what this spring will bring!  If you want to borrow binoculars, please let us know when you register for the walk.

Meet at Magnuson Community Center, 7110 62nd Ave NE.  This walk is approx. 1/4 mile and primarily on level concrete sidewalks with one set of stairs or a parking lot ramp.

SPARC registration code: TBA

 

  • “Grandchild and Me” Nature Walk

Tuesday June 27th from 10am-12noon

Celebrate summer by bringing your grandchild to Magnuson Park for a nature walk!  We’ll keep a child-friendly pace as we walk the Flyway trails at the base of Promontory Point, and follow the lakeshore to the East Wetlands ponds.  We’ll play “Beaver Sign Bingo”, and provide child-size binoculars to help kids spot all the ducks, songbirds, tree frogs, and much more!

Meet at the Promontory Point Environmental Learning Center (red-roofed pavilion), at the west end of the E-1 parking lot, near the corner of NE 65th St. and Lakeshore Drive.  This walk is approx. 1 mile and primarily on wood chip trails uphill and down, with one set of stairs.

SPARC registration code: TBA

 

 

Summer 2017 walks will be posted soon!

 

iStock.beaver

  • Bats and Beavers Night Walk

Date and time TBA

On warm summer evenings, Magnuson’s bats swoop back and forth over the wetland ponds while resident Beavers tend their lodge and dams below.  Barn Owls hunt for prey to feed the juvenile owlets that were born in the spring, and Chorus Frogs sing from the trees!   Walking the Wetland Complex trails this month will be a special nighttime treat. If you want to borrow binoculars, please let us know when you register for the walk.  Please bring a small flashlight.

Park in lot #E-1 or #E-2 (off 65th and Lakeshore Drive), and meet at the entry sidewalk right next to the Boat Launch. This walk is approx. 3/4 mile on level, crushed rock paths.

SPARC class code: TBA

 

  • NEW! Total Eclipse Walk

Monday August 21st from 10am -12noon

Details TBA

 

  • Fall Migration Bird Walk

Date and time TBA

Magnuson Park is home to over 200 species of birds that either live in the park year-round, migrate there in spring to nest, or arrive in fall to spend the winter.  October is a great time to spot year-round residents as well as fall migrants and winter arrivals!  We’ll also Audubon's_Warbler_Setophaga_audubonibe on the lookout for signs of new Beaver activity and Pacific Chorus Frogs who are making their way from forested areas back to the wetlands.    If you want to borrow binoculars, please let us know when you register for the walk.


Meet at the Central Wetlands Complex entry in parking lot E-5. This walk is approx. 1-2 miles on level ground, on the trails of the Wetlands Complex and Flyway.

SPARC class code: TBA

 

Important Note:  We practice the American Birding Association’s code of ethics on all our nature walks.  We also request that you do not bring dogs on any of our nature walks unless they are certified service dogs, because they result in a much-reduced amount of birds and other wildlife seen throughout the walk.  Thanks for your understanding!