Evening Grosbeak— Photo: Brennan Mulrooney

Leavenworth, Washington is an ideal venue for a late spring nature tour. The picturesque town sits at the foot of Icicle Canyon in the Cascade Mountains, on the north side of the Alp-like visage of Mt. Stuart. Our lodgings, tucked alongside the Wenatchee River, have a fine reputation for hosting groups in a relaxed setting. Every room at the inn has a balcony overlooking the rushing river, and one can sit on the balcony and watch songbirds and Ospreys during tour breaks. White-headed Woodpeckers and Pygmy Nuthatches, as well as Evening Grosbeaks and Western Tanagers, visit the grounds of the inn. The inn is just a few minutes from Icicle Creek, where American Dippers bob on the rocks in the fast-flowing stream and Harlequin Ducks nest. In late May, wildflowers carpet the forest floor and canyon roadsides.

The tour begins in Seattle, and most of the birding will take place east of the crest of the Cascades Mountains. With four nights in Leavenworth, we'll explore a variety of sites within reasonable driving distance, including beautiful Icicle Canyon. On one day, we'll explore the full length of a canyon in the nearby Entiat Mountains. Beginning at the rocky cut of the Columbia River, our drive passes through towering rimrock cliffs, sagebrush, and hayfields, then higher into Ponderosa pine stands, mixed conifers, and right up into aspen-rimmed beaver bogs. Bird possibilities are as diverse as the habitats. Brilliant Lazuli Buntings, noisy Yellow-breasted Chats, and tiny Calliope Hummingbirds are regular sights along the canyon road. We'll watch for such birds as Northern Pygmy-Owl, Say’s Phoebe, Black-headed Grosbeak, Bullock's Oriole, and Cassin's Finch, among many others. We will explore the back roads of the Wenatchee Mountains too, where Williamson's Sapsuckers nest at higher elevations, and Hermit Thrushes sing all day.

Another day takes us into the nearby sage and potholes country, home to nesting Sage Thrashers and Brewer's and Sage sparrows, as well as lovely Cinnamon Teal, blue-billed Ruddy Ducks, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds.

Although one cannot hope to see all the birds of Washington in such a short tour, this tour incorporates some of the richest spring birding possibilities in the Northwest, with the convenience of staying most nights at one lodging while exploring diverse areas within a reasonable driving distance.

Nice accommodations and very good cuisine; easy, non-strenuous walking; comfortable, moderate weather.