Subject: [Tweeters] Kayaking for birds in Seattle?
Date: Aug 29 17:01:57 2007
From: B & P Bell - bellasoc at isomedia.com


Hi Mark

You are talking about the weir downstream from the rowing club. It is there to keep the lake level high during the summer. Flows are reasonably low right now and the main flow is thru the notch. That would be difficult part of continuing north and west on the Sammamish. (There is still flow over the weir itself, but it is getting shallow - you might have to figure out how to negotiate getting past the weir.)

Brian H. Bell
Birding & Natural History Guide
Woodinville Wa
mail to bellasoc at isomedia dot com
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Wensnahan
To: Marc Hoffman ; tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 8:37 AM
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Kayaking for birds in Seattle?


Hi Marc,

Thanks for the information.

Forgot to mention that when I was at Marymoor last weekend (walking not kayaking). They had fencing up to prevent dogs from getting in the river, so no way to get a boat in there. Sounds like the Rowing Assoc is the way to go. The north shore of the lake sounds good. I was also trying to figure out if there was a good way to head north on the river. It looks like there is some form of barrier across the river just a bit down from the rowing club that would have to be negotiated.

Regarding the Arboretum, I have put in at the Museum of History and Industry before. The put-in spot is at the east end of the parking area and is very nice. It is a short paddle over to the Montlake Fill from there or you can head to the Arboretum. I do this early on Sundays when the traffic noise is less.

Take care, Mark

At 8/28/2007, Marc Hoffman wrote:

Mark,

I've taken my Poke Boat (an 8' kayak weighing 17 pounds!) to photograph birds many times in the Sammamish and Mercer Sloughs.

For the Sammamish, you'll have to carry or roll it a ways, either from the main lot in the off-leash dog area, or (easier put-in) from the Sammamish Rowing Association parking lot off W. Lake Sammamish Pkwy (directions are at http://www.srarowing.com/sra/contact.aspx). Parking in either lot will cost you $1.00

There's an excellent and very accessible boat ramp and dock access to the Mercer Slough, most easily reached from I-90. Take the Bellevue Way exit (from Seattle, it's the first exit after leaving Mercer Island; from Issaquah, it's the first exit after passing under I-405. As soon as you're heading north on Bellevue Way, take the first right. I believe there's a boat access sign there. If you reach the blueberry farm you've gone too far. It's difficult (and maybe illegal) to turn into the boat access drive heading south on Bellevue Way, so you really should try to approach it from I-90. Once at the boat ramp, you can pull your car right up to the water.

On the Sammamish, there's lots to see if you'll head into the lake and explore the north shore. On the Mercer Slough, you can either do the slough loop (good for a couple of hours at a leisurely pace) or head under I-90 and into the marshy area of Lake Washington, which has lots of bird viewing as well. This time of year, Mercer Slough can be quite weed-congested and sometimes has large salmon kills from oxygen depletion, so it's more pleasant in the spring.

I'd also recommend the Arboretum. You can get within 150 feet of the water if you'll bypass the main gate (that goes into the Graham Visitors Center), past the entrance to Broadmoor, and part at the cul-de-sac. Once you put in, you can either head directly out toward the lake, or you can go northeast, under the wooden pedestrian bridge, which leads to another very interesting part of the lake.

Happy paddling!

Marc Hoffman
Kirkland, WA
http://www.dartfrogmedia.com
mailto:tweeters at dartfrogmedia.com

At 03:03 PM 8/28/2007, you wrote:


Hi All,

I was thinking of my sea kayak to kayak the Sammamish River over by Marymoor Park to look at birds. Does anyone know about the feasibility of this? Are there any good places to put the boat in the water?

I was also thinking of kayaking Mercer Slough Park. Feasibility? Put in spots? Is it worth the effort?

Any other spots folks would recommend?

Thanks, Mark





------------------------------------------------------------------------------


_______________________________________________
Tweeters mailing list
Tweeters at u.washington.edu
http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters