Hummingbirds of Washington

The Wildlife Botanical Gardens in Brush Prairie are a Pacific Northwest gardener's masterclass and a hummingbird sanctuary rolled into one. Spread across three acres in Clark County, these ten specialty theme gardens — including a garden designed entirely for hummingbirds called Hummingbird Place — demonstrate how thoughtful plant selection can transform any home landscape into a wildlife refuge. Hardy fuchsia, columbine, and hollyhock bloom in the dedicated hummingbird garden, attracting both Anna's Hummingbirds (year-round residents in western Washington) and Rufous Hummingbirds through spring and summer. Free and open every day from dawn to dusk, with no admission ever charged, the Wildlife Botanical Gardens are one of the most accessible and community-oriented hummingbird destinations on the Hummingbird Trail.

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Along the Columbia River floodplain, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge protects a mosaic of wetlands, oak savannas, and riparian forests that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has specifically identified as important habitat for the Rufous Hummingbird — a federally designated Bird of Conservation Concern. Spring brings an influx of these brilliant, combative migrants, their orange-russet plumage lighting up the refuge's native currant and salmonberry thickets. Anna's Hummingbirds are present year-round in the refuge's riparian woodland edges. The auto tour loop offers excellent family-friendly wildlife viewing alongside productive birding, and the refuge's proximity to Portland and Vancouver makes it a convenient day trip for Pacific Northwest visitors.

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In the Montlake neighborhood of Seattle, the 230-acre Washington Park Arboretum operated by the University of Washington has been a beloved green sanctuary for over a century. For hummingbird enthusiasts, the arboretum offers something rare: a reliable year-round destination, because Anna's Hummingbirds overwinter in Seattle and can be found in the arboretum's Winter Garden feeding on hellebore, witch hazel, and early-blooming perennials even on January mornings. Spring brings Rufous Hummingbirds to join them, and by April the azalea and rhododendron collections provide vivid nectar resources that keep hummingbird activity lively through summer. The arboretum's scale, accessibility, and free entry make it one of the Pacific Northwest's most democratic wildlife viewing destinations.

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