Backyard birds in Cottage Lake, Washington
Which birds visit Cottage Lake yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Cottage Lake's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 47.744°, -122.077°
- Population
- 22,494
- June 21 daylight
- 16 h 1 min
- December 21 daylight
- 8 h 24 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:21 AM / 5:09 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- about the same time as the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 4a–9a
Nesting timing in Cottage Lake
The state guides give nesting windows for Washington as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 47.3°N). Cottage Lake is at 47.7°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts about the same time as the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Cottage Lake goes from 8 h 24 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 16 h 1 min in June, a 7 h 36 min swing.
- Black-capped Chickadee — state window April–July; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Martin — state window May–July; box hole 1 3/4–2 1/8 in round, or starling-resistant crescent (3 × 1 3/16 in)
- Downy Woodpecker — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window July–September
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- House Wren — state window May–August; box hole 1 to 1 1/8 in round
- House Finch — state window April–August
- Purple Finch — state window May–July
- Mourning Dove — state window March–September
Birds you can expect in Cottage Lake
Year-round residents (58)
Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinchs, White-breasted Nuthatchs, House Finchs, Purple Finchs, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrows, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Yellow-rumped Warblers, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Steller's Jays, Black-billed Magpies, Canada Jays, Mountain Chickadees, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Bushtits, Pygmy Nuthatchs, Anna's Hummingbirds, Cassin's Finchs, Spotted Towhees, California Quail, Bewick's Wrens, White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Varied Thrushs, Eurasian Collared-Doves, American Crows, Common Ravens, Cooper's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, Wild Turkeys, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Winter Wrens, Red Crossbills, Clark's Nutcrackers, Western Screech-Owls, Hooded Mergansers, Band-tailed Pigeons
Summer breeders (23)
Purple Martins, House Wrens, Chipping Sparrows, Gray Catbirds, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Eastern Kingbirds, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Rufous Hummingbirds, Lesser Goldfinchs, Western Bluebirds, Mountain Bluebirds, Say's Phoebes, Violet-green Swallows, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Lazuli Buntings, Bullock's Orioles, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Gray Catbirds, Western Tanagers, Lark Sparrows, Green-tailed Towhees
Winter visitors (4)
Common Redpolls, American Tree Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Pine Grosbeaks
Mild, wet winters on the Puget Sound; cold winters in the east.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Cottage Lake
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Cottage Lake, sunrise is around 6:21 AM in mid-April, 5:09 AM at the June solstice and 7:53 AM in late December (local time, America/Los Angeles). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Cottage Lake yards
Tubular flowers for hummingbirds and seed heads for finches.
Prolific seed heads for finches and sparrows.
Annual native sunflower — the original feeder seed.
Native bunchgrass; winter seed and ground cover for sparrows and juncos.
Insect-rich in fall and seed in winter.
Catkin seed feeds redpolls and siskins all winter.
Dark summer fruit and heavy caterpillar load.
Berry-like cones feed bluebirds, solitaires and waxwings in winter.
Nearby cities in Washington
- Bothell — 6 mi away, nesting about the same time as Cottage Lake
- Monroe — 9 mi away, nesting about the same time as Cottage Lake
- Bellevue — 11 mi away, nesting about the same time as Cottage Lake
- Shoreline — 12 mi away, nesting about the same time as Cottage Lake
- Issaquah — 15 mi away, nesting about the same time as Cottage Lake
- Seattle — 15 mi away, nesting about the same time as Cottage Lake
Frequently asked
What birds live in Cottage Lake all year?
Year-round residents across Washington include Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, American Goldfinch, White-breasted Nuthatch. All of them visit backyard feeders in Cottage Lake.
When do birds start nesting in Cottage Lake?
Cottage Lake sits at a different latitude from Washington's population centre, so nesting runs about the same time as the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Cottage Lake?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Cottage Lake, sunrise is around 6:21 AM in mid-April and 5:09 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Washington
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.