Columbia River Gorge— Photo: Brian Gibbons

The towering basalt cliffs of the lower Columbia River Gorge rank among the most scenic places in the United States. On this tour we follow the oak-clad slopes of the Columbia Gorge east from Portland through varied habitats that offer a wide variety of birds, other wildlife, and wildflowers. We will spend two nights at Mt. Adams Lodge, which sits at the foot of 12,281 ft. Mt. Adams in the South Cascades. This comfortable lodge offers fine food, has a large area of forested grounds to explore, and its feeders are busy with grosbeaks, crossbills, and other finches, plus Calliope Hummingbirds. Nearby Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge hosts nesting Sandhill Cranes, White-headed Woodpeckers, and Gray Flycatchers. The mountains and foothill habitats nearby hold Hermit Warblers and many other species, from Western Tanagers and Northern Pygmy-Owls to American Dippers and Lazuli Buntings. The oaks along the Columbia are a summer home to lovely Lewis's Woodpeckers, Ash-throated Flycatchers, and lots of bluebirds.

After two nights at the lodge, we drive farther east along the Columbia Gorge to Oregon's Blue Mountains, where Great Gray Owls and Williamson's Sapsuckers are a good bet, and Flammulated Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, and Townsend's Solitaire are possible. Extensive freshwater marshes nearby are home to nesting Cinnamon Teal and other ducks, as well as Black-necked Stilts, Virginia Rails, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and families of Sandhill Cranes. The scenic beauty and wildlife diversity of this tour will make for a very memorable week, at an ideal season to travel in the Pacific Northwest.

Very good accommodations and cuisine; moderate walking; moderate weather from lowlands to mountains.