Locations
Canyon Wren © Liam Hutcheson
Birding Locations
We guide throughout the state and can meet you anywhere. Below are Washington’s main birding regions along with a selection of their characteristic birds. Explore these regions and birds for inspiration on where to go and what to expect!
Seattle - Vancouver - Olympia - Bellingham
West Cascades and Puget Sound
The West Cascades and the Puget Sound are both easily accessible from the Seattle area. In the waters of the sound, Rhinoceros Auklets and Ancient Murrelets feed alongside Orcas. To the east, the Cascades rise to 14,000 feet. The rocky peak of Mount Rainier is home to White-tailed Ptarmigan and Gray-crowned Rosy-finches. Lower, wet hemlock and fir forests are filled with the soft tapping of Red-breasted Sapsuckers and the buzzy songs of Townsend’s Warblers. Scenic waterfalls cascade down the slopes and hide nesting Black Swifts beneath their falling waters. Raucous California Scrub-Jays course through the towns.
In the area, you can find a diverse range of birds, including, Anna’s Hummingbird, Steller’s Jay, Chestnut-Backed Chickadee, Glaucous-Winged Gull, Brandt’s Cormorant, Pacific Wren, Rufous Hummingbird, Varied Thrush, Pigeon Guillemot, California Scrub-Jay, Western Flycatcher, Red-Breasted Sapsucker, Rhinoceros Auklet, Townsend’s Warbler, Vaux’s Swift, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Olive-Sided Flycatcher, Sooty Grouse, Eurasian Wigeon, Hammond’s Flycatcher, Canada Jay, American Dipper, Black Phoebe, Hermit Warbler, Mountain Quail, White-Tailed Ptarmigan, Hutton’s Vireo, Band-Tailed Pigeon, Western Grebe, Common Murre, Red-Throated Loon, Pacific Loon, Western Bluebird, Clark’s Nutcracker, MacGillivray’s Warbler, and Western Meadowlark.
All photos © Liam Hutcheson
Westport - Port Angeles - Neah Bay - Long Beach
Pacific Coast and Offshore
Coastal Washington supports diverse ecosystems from the Olympic Peninsula to the Oregon border. The Olympic Peninsula’s old-growth forests are filled with the whistles of Varied Thrushes and Marbled Murrelets. Neah Bay is famous for its vagrant traps; the area is often ground zero for lost Siberian birds. Wintering Rock Sandpipers dance between crevices on the rocky north coast as the tide batters the shore. The sandier south coast has huge concentrations of waterfowl and wintering shorebirds. The pelagic waters off Washington, some of the richest in the North Pacific, are home to rare species such as the Short-tailed Albatross.
In the coastal regions, you may encounter a variety of birds, including California Gull, Marbled Murrelet, Ancient Murrelet, Pelagic Cormorant, Band-Tailed Pigeon, Western Grebe, Harlequin Duck, Western Sandpiper, Hutton’s Vireo, Heermann’s Gull, Common Murre, Western Gull, Pacific Loon, Red-Throated Loon, Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone, Rock Sandpiper, Brown Pelican, Surfbird, Tufted Puffin, Wandering Tattler, Black-Legged Kittiwake, Cassin’s Auklet, Snowy Plover, Pacific Golden Plover, Yellow-Billed Loon, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Tropical Kingbird, Northern Fulmar, Sooty Shearwater, Short-Tailed Shearwater, Pink-Footed Shearwater, Black-Footed Albatross, and Fork-tailed Storm Petrel. During certain times of the year, you may observe Flesh-Footed Shearwater, Buller’s Shearwater, Leach’s Storm Petrel, and Parakeet Auklet. Additionally, while rare, the following species are found annually: Short-Tailed Albatross, Laysan Albatross, Manx Shearwater, and Scripps’s Murrelet.
All photos © Liam Hutcheson
Wenatchee - Ellensburg - Yakima - Winthrop
East Cascades
The high volcanic peaks of the Cascades shield the range’s eastern slopes from the Pacific Coast. Drier forests of Ponderosa and Lodgepole Pines replace the fir- and hemlock-dominated forests of the west slope. The rattles of White-headed Woodpeckers mix with the sharp squeaks of Pygmy Nuthatches. Creeks cut steep, shrubby gullies where Spotted Towhees kick in the undergrowth and Western Tanagers feed on berries. At night, the forests are haunted by the deep hoots of Flammulated and Long-eared Owls. Classic Western birds like MacGillivray’s Warblers lend their rolling songs to the underbrush while Cassin’s Finch warbles overhead.
In the region, you can find a variety of birds, including Western-Wood Pewee, Western Tanager, Red-Naped Sapsucker, Mountain Chickadee, Western Bluebird, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Pygmy Nuthatch, Cassin’s Finch, Dusky Flycatcher, Gray Flycatcher, Townsend’s Solitaire, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Veery, White-headed Woodpecker, Black Swift, Western Screech Owl, Ash-Throated Flycatcher, Common Poorwill, Black-backed Woodpecker, Flammulated Owl, Steller’s Jay, Western Flycatcher, Townsend’s Warbler, Olive-Sided Flycatcher, American Dipper, Canada Jay, California Quail, Bullock’s Oriole, Western Meadowlark, Western Kingbird, Rock Wren, Canyon Wren, Long-Eared Owl, Sooty Grouse, and Lazuli Bunting.
All photos © Liam Hutcheson
Yakima - Walla Walla - Moses Lake
Columbia Basin and Blue Mountains
The Columbia Basin and the Blue Mountains of eastern Washington support a very different suite of species than the rest of the state. This remote region is covered in sagebrush steppe and dry palouse prairie. Remnant populations of Greater Sage Grouse dance at ancient leks alongside the varied songs of Sage Thrashers and the jumbled notes of Sagebrush Sparrows. The high Blue Mountains rise up from southeastern Washington. Burned conifers play host to Black-backed and American Three-toed Woodpeckers. These mountains are the only place in the state where one can hear the distinctive “mew” of Green-tailed Towhee.
In the area, you can find a variety of birds, including Green-tailed Towhee, California Quail, White-throated Swift, Western Meadowlark, Clark’s Grebe, Bullock’s Oriole, Lesser Goldfinch, Western Kingbird, Eastern Kingbird, Say’s Phoebe, Rock Wren, Canyon Wren, Swainson’s Hawk, Brewer’s Sparrow, Prairie Falcon, Sage Thrasher, Long-billed Curlew, Greater Sage Grouse, Grasshopper Sparrow, Sagebrush Sparrow, Gray Partridge, Snowy Owl, Long-eared Owl, Burrowing Owl, Ferruginous Hawk, Tricolored Blackbird, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Boreal Owl, Dusky Grouse, Western Screech Owl, Western Tanager, Clark’s Nutcracker, Gray-crowned Rosy Finch, Mountain Quail, Cassin’s Finch, and Veery.
All photos © Liam Hutcheson
Omak - Colville - Spokane
Okanogan Highlands and Interior Ranges
Northeast Washington is home to the Okanogan Highlands and interior mountain ranges. These areas are influenced by the Rocky Mountains, with touches of Boreal Forest. Sharp-tailed Grouse still dance in the valleys. Great Gray Owls haunt expansive conifer forests. High-elevation wetlands ring with the sweet calls of American Redstarts and the ethereal, fluted song of Veeries. Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal dabble in scenic wetlands while Bullock’s Orioles flit through the cottonwoods overhead. In the winter, this is the best place in Washington to sight the toasted-marshmallow palette of Snow Buntings.
In the region, you can find a variety of birds, including Williamson’s Sapsucker, Lazuli Bunting, Northern Hawk Owl, Boreal Owl, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Cassin’s Vireo, Calliope Hummingbird, Mountain Bluebird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Clark’s Nutcracker, Ruffed Grouse, Bobolink, Great Gray Owl, Clay-colored Sparrow, White-winged Crossbill, Chukar, Northern Pygmy Owl, Bohemian Waxwing, Gray-crowned Rosy Finch, Snow Bunting, American Goshawk, Dusky Grouse, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, Spruce Grouse, Veery, Gray Partridge, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Long-eared Owl, Grasshopper Sparrow, Long-billed Curlew, Canyon Wren, Prairie Falcon, Flammulated Owl, Black-backed Woodpecker, and White-headed Woodpecker.
All photos © Liam Hutcheson