| Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
 | |
  | |
| Location | Grays Harbor County, Washington,United States |
| Nearest city | Hoquiam, Washington |
| Coordinates | 46°58′26″N123°55′50″W / 46.97389°N 123.93056°W /46.97389; -123.93056 |
| Area | 1,471.38 acres (595.45 ha)[1] |
| Established | 1990 (1990)[2] |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge |
Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge is located withinGrays Harbor, at the mouth of theChehalis River, which makes up the second largest watershed inWashington. It is one of four major staging areas for migratingshorebirds in thePacific Flyway. Up to one million shorebirds gather here in spring and fall to feed and rest.[3]
Grays Harbor is designated as aWestern Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Site, recognizing this internationally significant shorebirdhabitat. Although the refuge occupies only two percent of the intertidal habitat of Grays Harbor, it hosts up to 50 percent of the shorebirds that stage in theestuary. As many as 24 species of shorebirds use Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, with the most abundant species beingwestern sandpiper anddunlin.Semipalmated plover,least sandpiper,red knot, andblack-bellied plover are also common during migration. The refuge is also used byperegrine falcon,bald eagle,northern harrier,Caspian tern,great blue heron,songbirds, and a variety ofwaterfowl.[3]
The accessibleboardwalk offers a means to develop and implement interpretation and education programs for the more than half a million shorebirds who pass by each year on their way through the gateway to theOlympic Peninsula.[3]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
