Join the Eastside Audubon at Juanita Bay for a Lively Nature Tour
Beavers have made the park their home for years, and can often be seen in the mornings and evenings feeding on lily pads. “They roll up the lily pads like a burrito,” Mathis says. Coyotes also live there, primarily in the woodlands on the east side of the park. "I love coyotes. I've had experiences with them at the park," she said.Deer are occasionally seen. On sunny days, dozens of turtles climb up into logs along shore to catch some rays. Otters are seen, but not often, along with muskrats. Birding is good year-round, and changes with each season. In recent years, up to almost 30 trumpeter swans have been wintering on the bay after being absent for decades, along with a myriad of ducks and other aquatic fowl.
So rich is the edge between the wetlands and the forested uplands that red-tailed hawks are regularly seen year-round perched and watching for prey in a decaying tree snag on the east side of 98th Avenue, which dissects the park. Bald eagles
asked Jason Mauro as he focused in on a bird chirping in a nearby tree. “That's a red-eyed vireo.” “That's an indigo bunting. They have a beautiful color,” he said. A few minutes later, he pointed to a tree top. “Look there, a ruby-throated humming