Nature Watch For December -- A Monthly Guide To Our Natural Surroundings

Sasquatch enthusiasts should have an easier time of tracking the big guy after the mountains' first snowfall. But if you don't want to be disappointed, check out the raptors in Skagit County or take a drive to see elk at their winter feeding ranges.

What to watch for Where to look

Bald eagles - Skagit Flats (west of Mount Vernon), Samish Flats (east of Padilla Bay), Upper Skagit River (between Rockport and Marblemount)

Common merganser - Phantom Lake, Larsen Lake (Bellevue)

Northern harriers - Skagit Flats, Samish Flats

Red-tailed hawks - Skagit Flats, Samish Flats

Rocky Mountain elk - Mount St. Helens Wildlife Area (near Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument visitor's center), Heart K Ranch (west of Ellensburg), Oak Creek Wildlife Area (eastern foothills of the Cascades, about 20 miles west of Yakima)

Roosevelt elk - Hoh rain forest (Olympic National Park)

Waterfowl including scoters, Barrow's goldeneye, common goldeneye, and horned and Western grebes - Des Moines Marina, Saltwater State Park, Padilla Bay

Snow geese, tundra and trumpeter swans - Skagit Wildlife Area, Stillaguamish River

Information compiled by Keiko Morris, Seattle Times staff reporter, from "Seasonal Guide to the Natural Year," by James Luther Davis, "Washington Wildlife Viewing Guide," by Joe La Tourrette and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.