Bluebirds in Ellensburg were one of my top subjects on my June central Washington bird photography trip. I live in northwest Washington where we don’t have many bluebirds so I hadn’t photographed them before.

Although scarce in most of western Washington, Mountain and Western Bluebirds can be found in other parts of the state. One such location, Ellensburg, is only 2 hours from the Seattle area. On a stretch of Umptanum Road that runs from Ellensburg to Selah, WA, is the “bluebird trail” where friends of birds have provided several hundred bluebird nesting boxes. Bluebirds return to the area every spring to lay their eggs and begin raising their young.

The photo above is of a Mountain Bluebird preparing to enter a nesting box identified as box 96 by the painted label on the side. Umptanum Road starts out as a paved road but quickly transitions to a gravel road. When I traveled on the gravel road in June it was very well maintained and the drive wasn’t bad. It would probably be a good idea to be careful at other times of the year or during bad weather.

I highly recommend the Bluebirds in Ellensburg on Umptanum Road for a quick day trip from Seattle or as part of a larger Central Washington birdwatching trip!