The Blind Slough Picnic Area includes a parking lot, two large picnic shelters, a smaller, accessible shelter, and two vault toilets that are available for group and individual day use. The area accesses Blind Slough for fishing, swimming, kayaking, and small boating, as well as ice skating in the winter. This site is a good location for waterfowl and water birds including Trumpeter Swan, Mallard, Common Merganser, Canada Goose, Belted Kingfisher, Bald Eagle, and Great Blue Heron. The surrounding forest and sedge meadows provide habitat for a wide variety of warblers, swallows, woodpeckers, thrushes, and other passerines. Less common species for this area include Wood duck, Gadwall fall through spring, Vaux’s swift (mid-May to mid-June), Hooded Merganser, Warbling Vireo (rare), and American Pipits in late April.

The Swan Observatory is a wildlife viewing site that was rebuilt in 2006 and is available for watching wildlife and waterfowl including Trumpeter Swans in Blind Slough. A short, accessible boardwalk trail leads from the roadside parking area to an enclosed wheelchair-accessible viewing shelter. Trumpeter swans show up in mid-October and into the winter. Other waterfowl are available for viewing throughout the year. Hundreds of Trumpeter Swans stop at this area during their fall migration, and up to 75 swans overwinter at this location, although the Christmas Bird Count trend indicates a decreasing population for here. The viewing shelter allows wildlife watchers to observe the swans without disrupting them, which is critical during migration and the difficult winter months.

Directions:

Swan Observatory is located 16 miles south of Petersburg off the Mitkof Highway. Continue another 1 mile past the observatory to the Blind Slough Picnic Area, a second location for birding along the Blind Slough. The water and meadow upstream of the picnic area can be easily accessed with a canoe or kayak.

Trail Information:

•  At the Swan Observatory, a short, 200-foot accessible boardwalk trail leads from the parking area to the viewing shelter.

Birding Resources:

•  eBird Hotspot: Blind Slough (Mitkof Hwy S of Petersburg)

Bird Species Checklist:

• Petersburg checklist

Other Resources:

• US Forest Service: Swan Observatory
• US Forest Service: Blind Slough Picnic Area
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game: Trumpeter Swan Observatory