Fir Island Farm Reserve Wildlife Area Unit
The Fir Island Farm Reserve is a Game Reserve with over 200 acres of restored intertidal estuary and managed agricultural land in southwest Skagit County. The reserve attracts thousands of snow geese, swans, ducks and shorebirds in the fall through early spring. The unit is managed to provide an undisturbed feeding and resting area for wintering waterfowl adjacent to Skagit Bay. Hunting and trapping is NOT allowed on this unit, but a short trail along the dike offers views of Skagit Bay and opportunities for shorebird and waterfowl viewing. A recent restoration project completed in 2016 restored approximately 130 acres of farmland to intertidal estuary providing critical juvenile rearing habitat for Endangered Species Act-listed chinook and other salmon.
The Fir Island Farm Unit is located in southwest Skagit County on Fir Island. The unit is located on Fir Island Road, about 2.7 miles west of the South Fork Skagit River bridge in Conway.
The Fir Island Farm Unit is part of the Skagit River delta. It is flanked by Dry Slough to the east and Brown's Slough to the west and Skagit Bay to the south. Agricultural lands in this area were diked and drained beginning in the late 1800's. This unit is part of the Skagit Wildlife Area. Game Management Unit: 407
Wildlife viewing
This unit includes intertidal estuary and managed agricultural fields, offering visitors the opportunity to view a variety of waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors.
This unit attracts thousands of snow geese in the fall through early spring. Managed agricultural fields provide a winter feeding and resting area for snow geese and other waterfowl adjacent to the Skagit Bay estuary. A bald eagle nest (active during nesting season) is located in a tree on the west side of the unit's entrance road. Google the Tweeters Info Page to find the Tweeters - Northwest Birding email list managed by the University of Washington; this list provides information about current sightings throughout Western Washington.
Search for potential birding opportunities on or near a wildlife area unit by using eBird Northwest, a citizen science database portal that provides freely-shared bird lists at 'hotspots' and interactive maps plus other birding information updated daily.
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