Wildlife Riot: Paddling Through Seattle’s Duck Bay

Seattle Magazine, May 2007
By Roddy Scheer

Sure, we’ve all seen ducks. Mallards are about as common in our city as Microsoft mid-level managers. I’ve even had a pair march up the sidewalk on my busy North Seattle street and enter the gate into my front yard, a good mile from the nearest Lake Washington shoreline.

But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about real wildlife, not just domesticated ducks reliant on breadcrumb handouts for sustenance. I decide I better go to the belly of the beast, Seattle’s biodiversity breeding ground itself, the waters of Duck Bay, otherwise known as the Union Bay wetlands off of Washington Park’s Foster Island. While SR 520 commuters may know the area as a scenic green blip in their peripheral vision before another driver changes lanes in front of them on the daily commute, the perspective from the waterline via a canoe or kayak is another experience entirely.

As one of the few truly natural places within Seattle’s city limits, a wide range of wildlife literally flock to the area, no doubt in part to escape from the turmoils of urban living. Perfectly still Painted Turtles adorn logs to soak up the sun when it deigns to come out. A curious raccoon peers out from behind the reeds, looking me in the eye as I slide by. Just when the paddle was calming down, an irate beaver flops his tail dramatically on the surface of the water, no doubt to let me know not to come too close to the den he has worked so hard to construct and maintain. A few paddle strokes further on, I stop in some lily pads to take in a wildlife spectacle worthy of the Discovery Channel: a gawky yet elegant Great Blue Heron – the official bird of Seattle per a 2003 decree of the City Council -- feeds on an innocent crayfish just trying to make its way through the shallows. Swallowing its 3-inch-long victim whole – I can see the bird’s throat engorged -- the heron dips down for its trademark signature on the kill, a long cool drink of water.

But that’s not to say that one can’t relax on a paddle through Duck Bay. When the 520 bridge is out of sight, it’s hard to believe you are in a major northern city at all. The Everglades or Louisiana’s Bayou come to mind more than the Space Needle or Pike Place Market. And even though the setting might be anomalous for Seattle, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Getting There

To get to Duck Bay by car, drivers should get off Interstate 5 from either direction via Exit 168B, following signs toward SR-520 to Bellevue and Kirkland, then turn right onto Montlake Boulevard, which soon becomes 24th Ave E. Then a left turn on E Miller St, followed by a right onto 26th Ave E, leads straight into Lake Washington Boulevard. After a few windy curves, a final left onto Foster Island Road leads to a dead-end parking lot right at Duck Bay. Meanwhile, city buses 11, 43, and 48 can drop mass transit lovers off within walking distance of Duck Bay.

Paddle Power

While the tranquil setting and wildlife watching might be the perfect tonic for the city-weary soul, getting there via paddle power is at least half the fun. Battling the sun, wind and water while the calories melt away is much more empowering than any trip on the treadmill could ever be. Those with their own self-powered watercraft can launch from any number of spots along Lake Washington, Portage Bay or Lake Union, including right from the recently restored shoreline of Duck Bay itself, where ample (car) parking is available.

Luckily, for those who don’t possess their own vessel, putting a paddle to water is as easy as meandering down to the University of Washington's Waterfront Activities Center (located directly behind Husky Stadium on Union Bay and the Montlake Cut), where canoes and rowboats are for rent for $7.50 an hour (with discounts for UW faculty, students and alums). From there it’s just a few strokes out across the mouth of Union Bay and into the reeds.

Kayakers have a few more options, but will have to exert a little more energy getting to the Union Bay wetlands through the sometimes treacherous Montlake Cut. The Agua Verde Paddle Club (1303 NE Boat St., 206.545.8570, www.aguaverde.com), in the U-District overlooking Portage Bay, is the closest, not to mention hippest place to rent a kayak (singles for $15/hour and doubles for $18), perhaps fortified by a burrito and a margarita from the laid-back yet tasty upstairs café. Other kayak rental options include the Northwest Outdoor Center (2100 Westlake Ave. N., 206.281.9694, www.nwoc.com) and Moss Bay Rowing & Kayak Center (1001 Fairview Ave. N., 206.682.2031, www.mossbay.net) on Lake Union, both of which rent single kayaks for $12/hour and doubles for $17.

The added bonus of renting or launching from Lake Union is the return trip, which can encompass not only a tour of Lake Union, which features the workshops of boat builders, berths for large fishing trawlers, and hundreds of sometimes rickety but always charming houseboats, but also a dockside dinner at Ivar’s Salmon House (401 NE Northlake Way, 206.632.0767, www.ivars.net/Salmon_House_Home/salmon.html), where king, coho and sockeye salmon are prepared over an open-pit barbeque and are always on the menu. Followed up by another (wind-down) margarita at Agua Verde, of course. Just be careful getting back in that kayak. The damn things can be pretty tippy after a few drinks.

Beyond Paddling

As a green oasis within the city, Duck Bay attracts a wide range of both resident and migratory wildlife, not to mention human wildlife watchers. Serious birders looking for company on a Foster Island outing should hook up with the East Lake Washington Audubon Society chapter (425.576.8805, http://www.elwas.org), which organizes sporadic group visits to the area to scope out the avian scene.

Those more into flora than fauna can tag along with volunteer naturalists to tour the plant collections and indulge in the beauty of Washington Park Arboretum (206.543.8800, http://depts.washington.edu/wpa/), adjacent to Duck Bay. Guided 60- to 90-minute walks are on the first and third Sundays of every month (except December) at 1 p.m., and start out from the Graham Visitors Center, 2300 Arboretum Drive East, in Seattle.