A Birder’s Paradise

Humboldt Bay is an international destination for bird watchers. Birds that heavily depend upon the Bay for food include willets, marbled godwits, dunlin, least and western sandpipers, cormorants, black brant, wigeon, greater scaup, bufflehead, surf and white-winged scoters, green-winged teal, pintail, great and snowy egrets, and great blue heron. The main reasons for these waterbird concentrations are the eelgrass beds and extensive mudflats; the Bay contains the largest remaining eelgrass beds south of the Willapa Bay in Washington. Local endangered or threatened bird species include the peregrine falcon, bald eagle, brown pelican, and western snowy plover. Over 230 bird species have been spotted during the annual festival “Godwit Days,” a three-day event held during the spring migration.

Next >