Black Oystercatcher — Photo: Barry Zimmer

A memorable introduction to the birdlife, mountain wildflowers, forests, and inshore marine waters of one of the most scenic regions in North America.

Mid-July on the Olympic Peninsula—there is no more fitting season to introduce birders to this special region within the Pacific Northwest. There is so much variety within a short distance: great and diverse birding, stunning mountain scenery and wildflowers, marine waters dotted with emerald islands and teeming with bird life, and miles and miles of accessible shoreline. We will spend three of the four nights of our tour in Sequim, a congenial small town admirably placed between the sawtooth, glacier-capped Olympic Mountains on one side and the open stretches of deep marine bays and the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the other—with both great birds and great food close at hand.

Our Pacific Northwest Introductory tour makes the most of the varied natural history that the northeast portion of the Olympic Peninsula has to offer. In addition, we will take the arrival afternoon and following morning to explore the South Puget Sound region, where we have an especially good opportunity to see such birds as Red-breasted Sapsucker, Winter Wren, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Purple Finch, and a whole range of species that are often more easily seen there. The rest of our tour will be devoted to touring the Olympic Mountains and a range of lowland habitats on the Olympic Peninsula, particularly the edges of the marine bays. Such western mountain specialties as Sooty Grouse, Varied Thrush, American Dipper, and Townsend's Warblers are among a much longer list of species we may encounter in the mountain habitats. We will also take in an incredible show of wildflowers at their peak.

The marine scenery and birding opportunities of the Olympic Peninsula make a great complement to its mountain birds and flowers. We will bird along the water's edge and during ferry crossings, and have an excellent opportunity to view such seabirds as Tufted Puffin, Rhinoceros Auklet, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, and Pelagic Cormorant, as well as eye-catching specialties like Harlequin Duck and Black Oystercatcher. Shorebirds are headed south too, allowing us an introduction to the shorebird group, with birds like Black Turnstone, Western Sandpiper, dowitchers, yellowlegs, and others starting to return south after nesting far to the north. Lowland habitats are also home to many nesting species, from stately pairs of Bald Eagles to miniature Rufous Hummingbirds, and from western specialties like Black-headed Grosbeak to Vaux's Swifts and Western Tanagers. Red Crossbills may turn up at any elevation in this land of many conifers.

Very good accommodations and cuisine; easy, non-strenuous walking; ferry crossings on inland marine waters; comfortably moderate weather conditions.