Point No Point
Encyclopedia
Point No Point is an outcropping of land on the northeast point of the Kitsap Peninsula
in Washington, the United States
. It was the location of the signing of the Point No Point Treaty
. It was named by Charles Wilkes
during the United States Exploring Expedition
of Puget Sound
in 1841. Named after Point No Point on the Hudson River
(which is also called Dietrick's Hook), the point is home to the Point No Point Light.
Wilkes gave the point its name because it appears much less of a promontory at close range than it does from a distance.
The marine climate ensures plenty of precipitation
in winter and mild temperatures in summer. There are many productive habitats. The spit itself has sandy beach
es with log jams, as well as some man-made structures for boating
. Behind the beaches is a large mixed freshwater/saltwater marsh
with a substantial shrub component. The waters surrounding the point react to swiftly running tide
s, attracting many marine bird
species. And there is a somewhat sheltered bay
as well.
Point No Point is best known for its water-related species: gull
s, cormorants, loons, terns, jaegers
, ducks, grebes, mergansers, scoters, Brant
, and alcids. When the tide
is running, there are flocks of Bonaparte's gull
s and seabirds, often a veritable feeding frenzy. Jaegers are often seen flying through the gull and (in fall) tern flocks. Ancient Murrelets can be seen offshore in November - one of the best sites in Washington for this species. Along the sandy beaches, shorebirds can be seen. The marsh attracts a variety of passerines, particularly in migration. Point No Point has produced many notable rarities, both in the offshore waters and in the marsh.
Kitsap Peninsula
The Kitsap Peninsula is an arm of land that is part of the larger Olympic Peninsula in Washington state that lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound. Hood Canal separates Kitsap Peninsula from the rest of the Olympic Peninsula...
in Washington, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was the location of the signing of the Point No Point Treaty
Point No Point Treaty
The Point No Point Treaty was signed on January 26, 1855 at Point No Point, on the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula. Governor of Washington Territory, Isaac Stevens, convened the treaty council on January 25, with the S'Klallam, the Chimakum, and the Skokomish tribes...
. It was named by Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...
during the United States Exploring Expedition
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...
of Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
in 1841. Named after Point No Point on the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
(which is also called Dietrick's Hook), the point is home to the Point No Point Light.
Wilkes gave the point its name because it appears much less of a promontory at close range than it does from a distance.
The marine climate ensures plenty of precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
in winter and mild temperatures in summer. There are many productive habitats. The spit itself has sandy beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es with log jams, as well as some man-made structures for boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
. Behind the beaches is a large mixed freshwater/saltwater marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
with a substantial shrub component. The waters surrounding the point react to swiftly running tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
s, attracting many marine bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species. And there is a somewhat sheltered bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
as well.
Birdwatching
Point No Point has one of the largest birdlists of any site in Washington. The point is owned jointly by the U.S. Coast Guard (leased to Kitsap County) and a private landowner who is knowledgeable and sympathetic to birdwatchers.Point No Point is best known for its water-related species: gull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s, cormorants, loons, terns, jaegers
Skua
The skuas are a group of seabirds with about seven species forming the family Stercorariidae and the genus Stercorarius. The three smaller skuas are called jaegers in North America....
, ducks, grebes, mergansers, scoters, Brant
Brent Goose
The Brant or Brent Goose, Branta bernicla, is a species of goose of the genus Branta. The Black Brant is an American subspecies. The specific descriptor bernicla is from the same source as "barnacle" in Barnacle Goose, which looks similar but is not a close relation.-Appearance:The Brant Goose is...
, and alcids. When the tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
is running, there are flocks of Bonaparte's gull
Bonaparte's Gull
The Bonaparte's Gull is a small gull.The Bonaparte's Gull is a small species, larger only than the Little Gull and the Saunders's Gull among all gull species. Adults are long with a wingspan and a body mass of . They have a black hood and a short thin dark bill. The body is mainly white with...
s and seabirds, often a veritable feeding frenzy. Jaegers are often seen flying through the gull and (in fall) tern flocks. Ancient Murrelets can be seen offshore in November - one of the best sites in Washington for this species. Along the sandy beaches, shorebirds can be seen. The marsh attracts a variety of passerines, particularly in migration. Point No Point has produced many notable rarities, both in the offshore waters and in the marsh.