Iverson Spit

I caught a nice weather break a couple of weeks ago doing a slope assessment on Camano Island. I took advantage of the sunny weather to check out Iverson Spit.

 

 Iverson Spit is a Island County park and is located across from the Stilliguamish River delta. Camano Island is only separated from the mainland by one of the delta forks of the river.

 

The park is a popular birding destination, but on a weekday even with the sun I had the place to myself along with the birds. A good test of my duck and shore bird identification skills. Alas No good pictures to embarrass myself by misidentifying birds.

The upper part of the beach of the spit is entirely covered with wood. I am not sure why this is so, but the shoreline spits on the east side of Camano are heavy on driftwood deposits.

The southern portion of the spit is lined with homes. The land behind the spit ahs been farm land for over 100 years and has been drained by the excavation of drainage channels that pass through a levy via a tide gate.

Dredged channel across tidal flats with spit in the distance

Drainage channel just upstream of tide gate

Grass- covered farm fields with great blue heron

Old pilings on upper tideland converted to bird houses and perches

The dike is lined with madrone trees

Dense thickets on the north end of the former farm land

Invasive Scotch broom on another section of the dike