72 Microseasons of the Pacific Northwest

The Skagit delta farmlands between La Conner, Conway, and Bow-Edison host some of the most spectacular waterfowl gatherings anywhere in North America during mid-winter. Greater snow geese (Chen caerulescens) from Wrangel Island in Siberia winter here by the tens of thousands, sometimes forming flocks exceeding 50,000 birds that rise simultaneously in swirling, roaring white masses called "blizzards." The sound — a continuous high-pitched barking — can be heard for miles. Fir Island Farm Reserve, a managed habitat unit of the Skagit Wildlife Area, is the premier viewing location. Two parking areas with interpretive kiosks are open year-round. Wylie Slough, just south of Conway off Mann Road, offers another excellent vantage point with a short trail to viewing platforms. The fields around Bayview Road and Fir Island Road are also productive, where geese feed on leftover grain and graze tender shoots of winter wheat. Mixed in with the snow geese are thousands of trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) and tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) — the Skagit Valley supports the highest density of wintering swans in North America, with counts regularly exceeding 7,500 birds. Dunlin, black-bellied plover, and northern harriers hunting over the fields round out the spectacle. The contrast of white birds against dark plowed soil and the green-gray backdrop of the Cascades makes this one of the Pacific Northwest's most visually dramatic natural events.