The shallow waters south of the spit are filled with gardens of eelgrass, where baby salmon and steelhead fishes grow up. A Western Seagull sits on top of a driftwood log on Dungeness Spit. Washed away from the logging industry along the rivers that feed into Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, these logs pile up on the spit. The logs help hold the sand in place and become homes and perches for many species of sea birds. A Cormorant dries its wings from its perch on a rock in the protected waters south of Dungeness Spit.
Cormorants are terrific fish catchers.
They dive under the water and catch small fish in their beaks. After diving, they have to dry their wings before they can fly very far. Cormorants find a safe perch in the sunshine where they can stand and spread their wings to dry them. A hiking trail takes visitors the entire length of Dungeness Spit. On a clear day, you can see the mountains of Canada 15 miles to the north across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.