People come to Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge for the birds. It is like a paradise on earth for birds and birdwatchers, alike. It is also an area that is green as green can be. Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge lies beside the Columbia River’s northerly route and is biologically very rich. Birds, animals and rich green vegetation; this place has them all.
Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge lies a few miles north of Vancouver, Washington. And the reason it is teeming with life is because it is a wetland created by the waters of the Columbia River on its way to the Pacific Ocean.
The kiosk, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
Info. for the auto tour.
To see the fauna and flora that this wildlife refuge is famous for, one can do hikes or the auto-tour through the wetland. We chose to do the latter. As such, we drove to the entrance picked up a map from the kiosk and set out to set eyes on this verdant corner of Washington’s Clarke County.
It is one of the easiest of scenic drives I have seen in the US. There weren’t a whole lot of cars on the route but the ones that were out that day were taking their own sweet time making stops every few feet so that bird enthusiasts in them could quietly observe avian life from the confines of their automobiles. Nobody seemed to be in a hurry; there was no honking. It was like everything was set to a slow motion. It was a unique experience to be on a drive like that.
For the most part of the drive, we are not allowed to get out of our cars so as to avoid disturbing the animal and birds going about their day. And I had absolutely no complaints about that because we could move at our own pace, even stop wherever we wanted to, provided we were mindful of the few cars that might want to move ahead of us.
One of the many lakes in the Refuge.
Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge – The Auto Tour
The scenic route.
Now is when I take you on a vicarious drive into the wild wetlands in Ridgefield in Washington State. Here are some of the photographs of the several little lakes, marshes, grasslands and the animal life we came across as we auto-toured Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge.
A sample of the very rich avifauna of Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge.
Any idea about what bird this is?
The bird blind or an observation blind — from where you can watch birds without disturbing them.
A view from the bird blind.
I’m guessing that was a Nutria. (I happened to see it’s tail and its whiskers and it sure looked like one.)
Have you been to a National Wildlife Refuge that could go into our travel wishlist? Please let us know in the comments.
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Great shots! Looks like a nice area.
Thank you.
It was such a refreshing place. 🙂
Thank you for visiting, Lady Fi. 🙂
Nice to see you again 🙂
Seem to be a great place for birding 🙂 I would like it!
🙂
I’m sure you’ll love the place, Monika. 🙂
Beautifully captured in pictures and words!
Thank you so much, Magiceye. 🙂
Beautiful pictures ?
Thank you and welcome here, Sachin.:)
So green and beautiful 🙂
Absolutely. 🙂
Thank you for stopping by, Joshi. 🙂
Great Clicks! Looks like a beautiful place .
Thank you, Yogi.
It sure is. 🙂
Beauty of nature….very eye soothing captures.
True.
Thank you, Jyotirmoy. 🙂
Awesome pics.
Thank you, Rupam. 🙂
On behalf of the staff and the Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, we’re glad you visited and made some great memories. Thank you, sincerely, for spreading the word and images of this place we love so dearly. We hope you come back often!
It is such a beautiful area. And you guys are doing such a great job, there.
Thank you so much, Patrick for stopping by and leaving a comment.
I haven’t been to such a park, but one in Massachusetts which is on the route of annual migration of birds. I can imagine the excitement of seeing a variety there!
Oh yeah? That sounds interesting.
I’m suddenly reminded of a post I read on somebody following the migration of Monarch butterflies somewhere in South America. Just reading that was a great experience. 🙂
This place in Washington, was so, so refreshingly green. And the birds and animals we spotted were such lovely surprises. 🙂
Thank you, Alok. 🙂
So serene and blissful!
That’s exactly what it was. 🙂
Wow – what a great adventure. Fabulous shots too.
🙂
Thank you, Lady Fi.
Nice Pictures!
Thank you, Rachna.
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