Camping Trip–Deception Pass State Park

Gates for state parks are frequently closed early morning. We are morning people. Obviously, today was a good day to walk the local trails. More specifically, today started with the beaches. It was foggy, so we probably didn't see everything, and what we did see (including the bridge) was hard to take pictures of. Sightings include Robins, Song Sparrows, Gulls, a White-crowned Sparrow, Red-breasted Mergansers, Surf Scooters, Cormorants (Double-crested and Pelagic), an Eagle, Common Goldeneyes, a Whimbrel, Starlings, Killdeer, Semipalmated Plovers, a Crow, Guillemots, a Seal, a Goose, a Rabbit, a Junco, and Ravens.



After returning to camp, we left for our next stop, Bowman Bay. Among our early sightings was a pair of Quails, a species that has usually done a good job of hiding from me. We walked the trail to Rosario Beach. While we had been to Bowman Bay before, this was our first trip to Rosario Beach. We were greeted to this unfamiliar beach by some Native American mermaid artwork. I had to wait on taking pictures because she was going to stay put. We weren't as confident with the Harlequin Ducks down by the water. Before heading back up, we walked a trail on some rocks with tide pools. It was kind of an unusual trails since it was a fairly open area, but you were supposed to follow a rope. After finishing the yellow-roped trail, we headed back up for the mermaid pictures and made our return trip to the car. Additional sighting included Robins, Juncos, Goldfinches, Siskins, Starlings, Barn Swallows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Geese, Violet-green Swallows, Gulls, a Chipmunk, Towhees, a Kingfisher, a Rabbit, a Rufous Hummingbird, White-crowned Sparrows, a Crow, and a House Finch.


We decided to make one last stop at Padilla Bay. We didn't have much time. On their door, they let us know that the Upland Trail was closed. We decided to rush their interpretive center then walk the beach. Apparently, we should have looked at the beach trail first. The arrow for the trail pointed right at a tail closure sign. Padilla Bay is probably a nice place to stop under most circumstances, but we really didn't have the option to explore today.