The Puget trough region includes the sound itself, a great inland arm of the sea, and the forested foothills that flank the sound. Most of the population of Washington State lives in this region. Cities on the eastern and southern shores begin with Bellingham in the north, Everett, Seattle, Tacoma and the state capital, Olympia. The western shore is dominated by Olympic National Park and the few towns are much smaller, with Port Townsend in the north being the largest. While this population threatens the sound's ecosystem the region is still rich with birdlife. The sound itself is important for migrating and overwintering waterbirds and shorebirds. Large numbers of raptors overwinter in the Skagit and Samish river deltas. More from Birdweb. |