PHOTO: Picture Lake by Terry Carr….
Five Delta Nats made the annual trek to Mount Baker, Washington, on a gorgeous day without a cloud in the sky – Joe, Margaret, Dottie, Bob, Terry.
This is not a particularly birdy destination, but the scenery is spectacular. There was no wait at the border in either direction. After buying day passes for the vehicles at the Glacier Public Service Center, our first stop was Picture Lake. This is a great spot for reflections of Mount Shuksan and its glaciers. A short half mile trail circles the lake. The walk around the lake only yielded a Chipmunk, Juncos, a single Scaup and a Belted Kingfisher.
The next stop was Austin Pass where we walked down to the Bagley Lakes. On the way down we were entertained by a pair of busy Red-breasted Sapsuckers. There were Robins and Yellow-rumped Warblers as well. This is a reliable spot for American Dippers. Sure enough two were dipping in the creek along with a flock of American Pipits. We heard a Kingfisher and saw crows. There were still some flowers in bloom with butterflies, bees and other insects. We then walked along the short Fire and Ice trail for more great views before having our picnic lunch.
Our next stop was at the end of the road at the Artist Point parking area at 5100 feet (1550 metres). We were surprised that this large parking lot was completely full on a Monday afternoon. We managed to find parking as some other cars left. Here we had our first views of Mount Baker (10,781 feet / 3,286 metres). Although it is a volcano, the most recent eruption of new lava from Mount Baker occurred 6,700 years ago. We walked partway along the Ptarmigan Ridge/ Chain Lakes trail with views in every direction – Mount Baker ahead and Mount Shuksan behind. The flowers were covered with butterflies and other insects and a flock of Pipits flitted about.
Heading down the mountain we stopped at Picture Lake again. The reflections were even more spectacular, and some dragonflies and damselflies were active on the shore.
It is well worth a day trip to Mount Baker in September for views and fall colours. It takes an hour to drive from the Peace Arch border crossing to the Glacier Public Service Center near the town of Glacier. After buying your five dollar vehicle day pass here, it is a half hour drive to Picture Lake. After admiring the reflections here, you should drive to the end of the road at Artist Point for views of Mount Baker. The views are spectacular even from the parking lots.
Report by Terry Carr
Photos are on flickr
Wed Sept 18: Serpentine Fen. Meet at 8 am in the parking lot on King George Blvd by the bridge over the Serpentine River. We will not use the gated parking lot behind Art Knapps.
Tuesday and Wednesday, September 24 & 25, the outings are to Centennial Beach in Tsawwassen. Meet at 8am at the concession parking lot.
To sign up for an outing, click on the DNS bird outing schedule sheet.
Delta Naturalists Society 