What to look for in nature in Washington this March

When do the sandhill cranes come through eastern Washington in March?

• Sandhill cranes at Othello

  Arriving in early March; sources put the peak between mid-March and early April · Farm fields and wetlands around Othello and Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Adams County

  Refuge staff report that the largest concentrations of ducks, geese and lesser sandhill cranes arrive in March and April, at times over 75,000 birds in all, and about 35,000 lesser cranes pass through eastern Washington on the Pacific Flyway. Biologist Allison Anholt told the Spokesman-Review the cranes gather because spent grain and corn feed them for the next leg. Listen as well as look: the same story quotes Cornell Lab describing a loud, rattling bugle that carries up to two and a half miles. One small part of the refuge is closed from February 1 to April to protect the roost; call (509) 488-2668 for current closures.

• The Othello Sandhill Crane Festival

  March 18 to 21, 2027, per the festival's own site · Othello, with tours into crane country

  The festival has posted its 2027 dates. Pre-festival tours run Thursday and Friday, the festival opens Friday evening, March 19, the full schedule is on Saturday, March 20, and select tours and hikes continue Sunday. The organizers say the full program arrives in January 2027 and tickets go on sale February 6, 2027.

• Mountain bluebirds and long-billed curlews

  Bluebirds return in March; curlews in mid-March · Open meadows and logged ridges (bluebirds, such as Umtanum Ridge in Yakima County); the central Columbia Basin and Okanogan Valley (curlews)

  BirdWeb says mountain bluebirds winter in the southwestern states and Mexico and come back to their nesting grounds in March. Long-billed curlews, early nesters that return from California and Mexico in mid-March before their nesting grounds dry out, are a Washington species of concern. A sky-blue flash on a fence post or a long, curved bill over a pasture is worth stopping for.

• Turnbull's swans and waterfowl

  Spring migration from mid-March through mid-May · Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge near Cheney

  Trumpeter swans and redheads are among the refuge's common spring birds, with 25 species of nesting and migrating waterfowl in all. Visitors must stay on designated trails and roads from March 1 through August 15. No Discover Pass is needed, and the refuge is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from November through April.

• Grouse dances to read about, not visit

  Spring, on leks at first light · Moses Coulee and the Yakima Training Center (sage-grouse); Douglas, Lincoln and Okanogan counties (sharp-tailed grouse)

  Both species are state-endangered. WDFW lists greater sage-grouse as falling from an estimated 744 birds in 2016 to 699 in 2021, in a few remnant areas covering about 8 percent of the historic range, and Columbian sharp-tailed grouse as fewer than 1,000 birds in seven unstable subpopulations. Males gather on leks in spring. Do not seek out a lek; if you chance on grouse, report it with a photo and coordinates on WDFW's wildlife reporting form.

When do the snow geese, swans and brant leave Washington's salt water?

• Snow geese and swans on the Skagit

  Snow geese through the end of March, some into early May; trumpeter swans November through April · Fir Island Farm Reserve and the Skagit delta; Padilla Bay, Samish Bay and the Samish Flats

  WDFW says its Fir Island Farm Reserve, where hunting and trapping are prohibited, holds snow geese through March 31. BirdWeb adds that Washington's snow geese nest on Wrangel Island in Russia, up to 55,000 winter in western Washington, and most gather in the Skagit delta from mid-October to early May. Trumpeter swans winter in Skagit and Whatcom fields and estuaries and leave early, often before northern waters finish thawing. The reserve is closed in the dark, access is limited to the entrance road, parking area and a short dike-top trail, and a Discover Pass is required unless you hold a Vehicle Access Pass from a hunting or fishing license.

• Brant on the Strait

  Peak counts in March and April; present from November well into May · Dungeness Spit and West Sequim Bay; Three Crabs beach, Jamestown and Ediz Hook

  Olympic Peninsula Audubon writes that March and April are the peak time to see brant in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and that surveys at Three Crabs found the highest counts from February to April, timed to the northward flight. These small dark geese live on eelgrass and sea lettuce, so look over tide flats and eelgrass beds. BirdWeb notes that the gray-bellied form that winters mainly in Skagit County totals only about 8,000 birds.

Are gray whales in Puget Sound in March, and what is on the coast?

• The Sounders

  Mostly March to May; a few now arrive earlier · Whidbey and Camano islands, Saratoga Passage, Port Susan, Possession Sound and the Snohomish delta

  Cascadia Research Collective says a stable core of just under a dozen whales returns each spring, primarily March to May, to feed before heading north; WDFW calls them the Sounders. They dig for ghost shrimp in very shallow water at high tide, so shore-watchers on Whidbey Island scan the water around a high tide. The Encyclopedia of Puget Sound notes that in recent years some have arrived as early as December and January.

• Whales passing offshore

  Northbound migration February to June · The outer coast

  WDFW describes the northbound migration as more spread out and farther from shore than the southbound run. The Coastal Interpretive Center in Ocean Shores lists gray whales among its signs of spring, easy to spot from shore in late March. Anyone who followed them in our February guide is seeing the second half of the same story.

• How close is too close?

  Whenever you see a whale · Boats, kayaks and the shoreline

  Be Whale Wise advises 100 yards from marine mammals in general and 200 yards from baleen whales that are resting or have calves. It discourages drones without permits and asks kayakers to stay inshore. WDFW wants gray whale sightings reported on its wildlife reporting form, with photos and coordinates.

• Razor clam digs

  Spring digs follow good morning low tides after mid-March · Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks and Kalaloch

  WDFW bases its schedule on summer population surveys and tries to offer openers each month from October to May. No 2027 spring dates were posted when this page was written. You need a razor clam license, and digging on a closed beach can bring a fine. The agency's page noted a postponement in fall 2026 because of marine toxins, so confirm the current status before you travel.

What flowers bloom in Washington in March?

• Western skunk cabbage in full hood

  Flowering March through July, per the Washington Native Plant Society · Wet woods, creek channels and swamps; Washington Park Arboretum and Yesler Swamp in Seattle; Nisqually refuge

  The University of Washington Botanic Gardens calls it among the earliest native species to flower, its yellow bract appearing before the leaves fully emerge. It needs year-round water and early-season sun before the trees leaf out. The Native Plant Society lists honey bees and other pollinators among its visitors. Look, sniff and leave it alone.

• Western trillium

  Late February through April, per the U.S. Forest Service · Conifer and mixed forests and alder thickets; Icicle Canyon and Lake Wenatchee east of the crest

  The Forest Service notes that the white flowers often turn pink, purple or even red with age, so one patch can hold several colors. The Ocean Shores center adds the nickname wake robin, since it blooms when robins return. Photograph it and leave it growing.

• Red-flowering currant

  February through April · Open woods, rocky slopes and gardens, mostly on the west side

  Native Plants PNW calls the pink-and-red flower clusters beacons to migrating rufous hummingbirds, with insects and hummingbirds pollinating them. A currant in bloom is a fine place to wait for the year's first hummingbird.

• Cherry blossoms in the University of Washington Quad

  Peak bloom typically between March 12 and April 3, averaging March 23 · The Quad, University of Washington, Seattle

  KUOW, citing the university, reports 29 Yoshino cherry trees making the Quad's pink canopy, and that peak bloom, meaning 70 percent of blossoms open, has historically fallen between March 12 and April 3, averaging March 23. A UW doctoral student said in the university's news release that warm temperatures and sunlight usually drive bloom timing, and cool, dry, calm weather helps blossoms last. The university runs live webcams and a bloom-status website. Expect weekend crowds.

• Glacier lilies on the east slope

  Late March and early April, above the foothill towns · Above Leavenworth, Twisp and Mazama; sagebrush slopes near Wenatchee

  Wenatchee Outdoors lists the sagebrush buttercup as the first flower to open, the yellow bell a day or two behind, then the bluebell, and says glacier lilies begin their show above Leavenworth, Twisp and Mazama in late March and early April. Timing follows each year's snowmelt.

Where are Washington's newts and salamanders in March?

• Rough-skinned newts, orange-bellied and poisonous

  Migrating to ponds from January at low elevations; courtship most obvious in March and April · Streams, ponds and wetlands across western Washington

  WDFW writes that adults migrate along streams and creeks to ponds starting in January, and that courtship displays and mating pairs are most obvious in March and April at low-elevation sites. Their skin carries tetrodotoxin, potent enough that few predators survive eating one, and a threatened newt arches its head and tail to flash its orange belly. Look without handling, and wash your hands if you do. Where newts cross a busy road in large groups, WDFW warns, deaths can be high.

• Northwestern salamander egg masses

  Late January through March below 1,000 feet, later at higher elevations · Ponds, wetlands, lakes, road ditches and slow creeks

  WDFW describes globular egg masses, firm to the touch and three to six inches across, fastened to sturdy plant stalks and twigs, tinted white when fresh and greenish later from symbiotic algae. The adults live underground and come out at night, so the egg masses are the thing to look for.

• Long-toed salamanders

  From January in western lowlands; egg laying in the Columbia Basin mostly March and April · Ponds, ditches, spring boxes and large puddles, usually without fish

  The state's page says eggs are laid singly or in masses on vegetation, logs or bare sediment, and that the species persists in many urban and disturbed areas but is typically sparse or absent where fish live.

Which birds return to Washington in March?

• Rufous hummingbirds

  Late February to early March, timed with currant and salmonberry bloom · Western Washington edges, gardens and feeders

  BirdWeb says they feed on red-flowering currant, salmonberry, honeysuckle and sugar water, and that the Breeding Bird Survey showed a significant decline from 1982 to 1991; the species is on both Audubon Washington's and Partners in Flight's lists of at-risk birds. Keep feeders clean, and take them down when bears are active, as WDFW advises.

• Violet-green swallows

  From mid-March; as early as late February in Yakima County · Tree cavities, cliffs, buildings and nest boxes, especially on the east side

  BirdWeb calls them one of the first returning migrants, nesting in pairs or small colonies of up to 25 nests, and says their numbers have increased significantly since 1966.

• Ospreys and turkey vultures

  Vultures begin returning in February; ospreys generally in late March or early April · Vultures over many habitats, especially the Puget Trough; ospreys near water, with the most nests on the Pend Oreille River and the Everett waterfront

  Per BirdWeb, osprey nests can exceed seven feet across, and the species has recovered since DDT was banned. Watch known nest poles from a distance toward the end of the month.

• Great blue herons at their colonies

  Nest building from February; chicks usually in April · Tall trees near water

  BirdWeb warns that disturbance in the breeding season can cause nest failure or colony abandonment and recommends a 1,000-foot buffer, so view colonies through a scope.

When is the last spring freeze in Washington?

What is March weather like in Washington, and what hazards come with it?

How much daylight does Washington gain in March?

What can you see in Washington's night sky in March 2027?

• Mercury in the morning

  Best from about March 8 to 25; greatest western elongation the night of March 16 to 17 · Low in the east-southeast, about an hour before sunrise

  Look for Mercury low in the dawn glow. Its widest gap from the sun, about 28 degrees, comes at 04:20 Universal Time on March 17, which is 9:20 p.m. PDT on the evening of March 16 in Washington. Through mid-March it rises about an hour ahead of the sun, brightening from magnitude +1.0 to +0.3. A spring dawn puts Mercury at a shallow angle, so find a flat eastern horizon, and use far higher Venus as a marker.

• Venus, brilliant and sinking

  All month; the thin Moon close by on the mornings of March 4 and 5 · Low in the eastern sky before dawn

  Venus blazes at about magnitude -4.1 and clears the horizon nearly two hours before sunrise at the month's start and sits a little lower each week. By our own computation a slim crescent Moon, 12 percent illuminated, pairs with it on those two mornings.

• Jupiter and Mars after dark

  All month; the Moon near Jupiter on March 18 and 19; Mars 4.3 degrees from Jupiter on the evening of March 30 · Well up in the evening sky, near Cancer and Leo

  Jupiter, near magnitude -2.5, stands out as the brightest steady light. By our own computation the Moon, about 88 percent lit, sits within a degree or so of it on the 18th and 19th. Reddish Mars is far fainter, and by the same computation the pair is 4.3 degrees apart on the 30th, both high by about 8 p.m. daylight time.

• Saturn's last evenings

  The first half of March · Low in the west after sunset, in Pisces

  Saturn, near magnitude +0.8, is fading out of the evening sky. By these calculations it sets roughly 155 minutes after sunset on March 1, about 93 minutes after on March 15, and only about 20 minutes after on April 1. It meets the sun on April 7.

• The Worm Moon

  Full at 3:44 a.m. PDT on Monday, March 22; best evening is Sunday, March 21 · Rising in the east about 7:01 p.m. in Seattle on the 21st

  The full Moon arrives before dawn Monday, so the evening to watch is Sunday. Folk names include Worm Moon, the one most common in almanacs, along with Crow Moon and Sap Moon; they are traditions, not astronomy. By our computation the Moon sits near the Pleiades on March 13.

• The equinox and the clock change

  Clocks spring ahead at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 14; equinox at 1:25 p.m. PDT on Saturday, March 20 · All of Washington

  On March 13, Seattle's sunset is 6:12 p.m. standard time; the next evening, after the clocks move, it is 7:13 p.m. daylight time. Spring begins astronomically at 20:25 Universal Time, per the Naval Observatory.

What can Washington families do outside in March?

Safety notes for March in Washington