State of Washington

• Michael Hobbs

  | birdmarymoor@verizon.net

  http://www.wos.org

• Number of bird species: 518

  (As at August 2018)

• A Birder's Guide to Washington

  | Edited by Jane Hadley | Washington Ornithological Society | 2015 | Paperback | 613 pages, 220+ b/w maps | ISBN: 9781878788405 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Backyard Birdwatching in Seattle

  | (An Introduction to Birding and Common Backyard Birds of Western Washington) | by Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Waterford Press | 2019 | Unbound | 12 pages, colour illustrations | ISBN: 9781620053591 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Birding Washington

  | By Rob McNair-Huff & Natalie McNair-Huff | Falcon Press | 2004 | Paperback | 388 pages, 65 b/w photos, 50 maps | ISBN: 9780762725779 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Birds of Washington State

  | By Brian Bell, Gregory Kennedy, Chris Fisher & Andy Bezener | Lone Pine Publishing | 2017 | 384 pages, colour illustrations, colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9781772130232 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Birds of the Inland Northwest and Northern Rockies:

  | (Includes Idaho, Eastern Washington and Oregon, and Western Montana) | By Harry Nehls, Mike Denny & Dave Trochlell | R W Morse Company | 2008 | 422 pages, colour photos, maps | ISBN: 9780964081062 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Birds of the Pacific Northwest

  | (A Photographic Guide) | by Tom Aversa, Richard Cannings & Hal Opperman | University of Washington Press | 2016 |Paperback| 458 pages, 900 colour photos, 400 colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9780295999920 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• National Geographic Field Guide to Birds: Washington and Oregon

  | By Jonathan Alderfer | National Geographic Society | 2006 | Paperback | 272 pages, maps, photos, drawings | ISBN: 9780792253136 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• Washington State Birds : A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species

  | By James Kavanagh & Raymond Leung | Waterford Press | 2001 | Unbound | 12 pages, colour illustrations, 1 colour map | ISBN: 9781583551196 Buy this book from NHBS.com

• State Bird

  Willow Goldfinch Fringilla tristis

• Othello Sandhill Crane Festival

  Facebook Page
  The Othello Sandhill Crane Festival is a three-day event generally held that end of March. Pricing ranges from $5/$7 general admission fee to tour fees ranging...

• Wings Over Water NW Birding Festival

  Website
  The 17th Annual Wings Over Water Birding Festival March 15 – 17, 2019 in Blaine, Washington celebrates the incredible variety of migratory birds that flock to the coastal waters of Drayton Harbor, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo Bay at the northwest corner of Washington State. This major stopover on the Pacific Flyway between Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, BC is designated as an Important Birding Area (IBA) and is the anchor for the North Cascades Loop of the Great Washington State Birding Trail.

• Burke Museum

  Museum
  The Ornithology Collection at the Burke serves as a unique resource for formal scientific research. Specimens in the collection are the only mechanism for learning new things about historical populations and environments. The collection is like a library, allowing researchers to examine specimens collected well before research questions are asked.

• Slater Museum Ornithology Collection

  Museum
  The Slater Museum of Natural History was founded as the Puget Sound Museum of Natural History in 1930. James R. Slater started the museum as a collection of reptiles and amphibians and was the director from 1930-1951. The Bird Division was established in 1934 by Gordon D. Alcorn.

• Admiralty Audubon

  Website
  Birding around Port Townsend

• Audubon Washington

  Website
  Audubon Washington conserves and restores natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity

• Birds Connect Seattle

  Website
  Birds Connect Seattle advocates and organizes for cities where people and birds thrive.

• Black Hills Audubon.com

  Website
  Black Hills Audubon Society represents Lewis, Mason, and Thurston counties in Washington. We are affiliated with National Audubon. Our goals are to maintain and protect our ecosystems for future generations, and promote environmental education and recreation

• Blue Mountain Audubon Society

  Website
  Blue Mountain Audubon Society general membership meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month, 7:30 p.m. at the Fellowship Hall, First Congregational Church, corner of Palouse and Alder, Walla Walla…

• Central Basin Audubon Society

  Webpage
  We are a chapter of the National Audubon Society with national memberships of over 500,000. There are over 30,000 memberships in the state of Washington. Our chapter now has about 150 members and is growing. We received our charter in 1989. The purposes of the CBAS are education, conservation, and recreation, to encourage public appreciation of the values of wildlife and natural habitats and to stimulate action for their protection.

• Discovery Coast Audubon Society

  Facebook Page
  This Chapter welcomes all new members. Learn abut birds, conservation regarding our local habitat. We accept land donations. We always need volunteers, from Board members to taking injured birds to the hostpital. come join us!

• Eastside Audubon

  Website
  Eastside Audubon serves east King County through birding activities, conservation, and nature education. Our communities include Bellevue, Bothell, Carnation, Clyde Hill, Duvall, Fall City, Hunts Point, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kirkland, Medina, North Bend, Preston, Redmond, Sammamish, Snoqualmie, Woodinville, Yarrow Point, and unincorporated areas.

• Grays Harbor Audubon Society

  Website
  The mission of the Grays Harbor Audubon Society is to seek a sustainable balance between human activity and the needs of the environment, and to promote enjoyment of birds and the natural world.

• Kitsap Audubon Society

  Website

• Kittitas Audubon Society

  Facebook Page
  The mission of the Kittitas Audubon Society is to develop an appreciation of nature through education and conservation with a focus on birds.

• Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society

  Website
  The Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society is the chapter of the National Audubon Society located in the Tri-Cities area (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco) of south-eastern Washington State. Our area is primarily a dry, sagebrush/chaparral type of environment, but we are located at the confluence of three major rivers, the Yakima, the Snake, and the Columbia, which, together with much agricultural irrigation, gives us a large amount of wetlands and riverine environments. This combination of factors, as well as our location under a major bird migratory pathway, gives us a much larger variety of species than might otherwise be expected

• Nature Conservancy of Washington

  Website
  Our vision is of thriving nature and thriving communities — a shared future that enables us to prosper while we care for the lands and waters that sustain us. Learn more about the places you are helping us protect in Washington state.

• North Cascades Audubon Society

  Website
  Since 1970, the North Cascades Audubon Society has represented the interests and importance of wildlife, habitat and the environment in Whatcom County.

• North Central Washington Audubon

  Website
  Our area includes four counties: Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, and Ferry. The total area is just over 12,200 square miles (31,600 square kilometers), which is roughly the size of Belgium. This is one of the largest areas for a single Audubon chapter in the state. The area includes extensive shrub-steppe, aquatic and riparian areas, and upland forest communities.

• Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society

  Website
  Bird Walk every Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. Meet at the Dungeness River Audubon Center

• Palouse Audubon Society

  Website
  The mission of the Palouse Audubon Society is to promote education, conservation, and the restoration of natural ecosystems focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.

• Pilchuck Audubon Society

  Website
  Pilchuck Audubon Society is a grassroots environmental organization with approximately 1,500 members in Snohomish County and Camano Island, WA. Our mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems focusing on birds and other wildlife for the benefit of the earth`s biological diversity

• Rainier Audubon Society

  Website
  Mission: To conserve and restore natural ecosystems and protect birds and other wildlife for the benefit of humanity and biological diversity in South King County and the world we live in

• San Juan Islands Audubon Society

  Facebook Page
  This is the web site of the San Juan Islands Audubon Society. We are a group who meets for bird walks monthly on one of the four islands in the San Juan Islands serviced by the ferry system. Our basic philosophy is enjoy the wildlife and try to tread lightly. Our goal is to attain a better understanding and respect for the flora and fauna of our surroundings. We invite all to join us

• Seattle Audubon Society

  Facebook Page
  Seattle Audubon Society serves its members in their endeavours to appreciate, preserve and enjoy birds and the natural environment in the Pacific Northwest.

• Skagit Audubon Society

  Website
  The mission of the National Audubon Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the Earth`s biological diversity. This site is also a better than average one; well laid out and full of good stuff.

• Spokane Audubon

  Website
  To provide services to the Spokane region that allow natural ecosystems to become more healthy, thriving and restorative, to nurture and protect birds and other wildlife and their habitats, and to encourage biological diversity for the benefit of people and nature in the Spokane region and the world we live in. Education Program services include Audubon Adventures, Nature Mapping projects and the Spokane Audubon Centre for nature projects. Conservation Program services include the Important Bird Areas program. An attractive site with nice bird photos too.

• Tahoma Audubon Society

  Website
  The Tahoma Audubon Societyconnects people to nature through education, recreation and conservation. Founded in 1969, Tahoma Audubon Society is a member-driven and volunteer-supported grassroots organization that is recognized as a conservation leader. Tahoma Audubon Society is the Pierce County Chapter of the National Audubon Society. Tahoma Audubon's members, volunteers, and staff partner together to make a positive difference in the lives of people, birds, and wildlife in Pierce County, Washington, while protecting habitats for future generations.

• Vancouver Audubon Society

  Website
  Vancouver Audubon Meets at the: Clark County Genealogical Society, 717 Grand Boulevard (Grand & Evergreen) Vancouver, Washington (just south of Mill Plain on NE corner)

• Vashon-Maury Island Audubon Societ

  Website
  The Vashon-Maury Island Audubon Society was founded in 1989. From the beginning, our membership included individuals of diverse ages and backgrounds who shared a common interest in nature and an enthusiasm for the very special environment of Vashon and Maury Islands. Today, at any one of our program meetings, you will find birders of all skill levels, wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts, environmental activists, and people who simply enjoy listening to our guest speakers and socializing with other members

• Washington Bird Records Committee & Rare Bird Reports

  Website
  Details of what to submit and where to send it etc.

• Washington Brant Foundation

  Facebook Page
  The Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) is a small sea goose that is about the size of the common Mallard and stages one of the most spectacular migrations of all waterfowl…

• Washington Ornithological Society

  Website
  The Washington Ornithological Society was chartered in 1988 to increase knowledge of the birds of Washington and to enhance communication among all persons interested in those birds...

• Whidbey Island Audubon Society

  Website
  Whidbey Audubon Society is dedicated to the protection of wildlife species and their habitat on Whidbey Island and surrounding waters

• Willapa Hills Audubon Society

  Website
  Willapa Hills Audubon Society (WHAS) is a local chapter of the National Audubon Society and is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit organization. WHAS covers Cowlitz County, Wahkiakum County and all parts south of South Bend in Pacific County in Southwest Washington as well as parts of Columbia County in Northwest Oregon.

• Yakima Valley Audubon Society

  Website
  The Yakima Valley Audubon Society (YVAS), in Yakima, Washington, is dedicated to the enjoyment and preservation of the natural world. Through birding, education and conservation activities in our community, we raise awareness and promote the cause of global environmental protection. YVAS is a chapter of the National Audubon Society and serves its members in the Yakima Valley.

Abbreviations Key

• NC Adriana Hess Wetland Park

  Facebook PageSatellite View
  Tahoma Audubon offers a wide range of activities at this small urban park. If you are looking to stay outdoors, you'll find an ADA-compliant trail that leads you through our demonstration backyard habitat area along the Donna Cooper Pepos Native Plant Trail. You will be surprised by the peaceful Morrison Pond - brimming with cattails, spirea and lily pads. You'll often see and hear Red-winged blackbirds, Violet green swallows, Buffleheads, and even the occasional Great blue heron perched high in a fir tree towering over the pond.

• NC Dungeness River Audubon Center

  WebsiteSatellite View
  The Dungeness River Audubon Center is intended to enable residents, students and visitors to enjoy and understand the unique natural character of the Olympic Peninsula, with special focus on the Dungeness River and watershed…

• NC Seward Park Environmental & Audubon Center

  WebsiteSatellite View
  The Seward Park Environmental & Audubon Center is part of national Audubon’s vision to make conservation the path to a better future by building a constituency as diverse as nature to help protect nature….

• NC Tacoma

  WebpageSatellite View
  The Tacoma Nature Center is a 71-acre nature preserve encompassing Snake Lake and the surrounding wetlands and forest. Stroll nature trails to experience native birds, animals and plants. Join in exciting nature programs and summer day camps. Visit our collection of small animals including an observation beehive!

• NRCA Woodard Bay

  InformationSatellite View
  Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area is a natural reserve in Olympia, Washington protected under the Washington Natural Areas Program. Once an important processing facility for the logging industry, it has been designated as the Weyerhaeuser South Bay Log Dump Rural Historic Landscape. Today the area is a renowned sanctuary for a variety of birds, harbor seals, river otters, bald eagles, and a colony of bats, as well as serving as an important great blue heron rookery.[2] A recent conservation program in the area between the State of Washington and the Nature Conservancy is the first of its kind in the country.

• NWR Nisqually

  WebpageSatellite View
  Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Complex includes Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually and Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuges.

• NWR Ridgefield

  WebsiteSatellite View
  Ridgefield NWR has a total of 5,150 acres of marshes, grasslands, and woodlands. Preservation of the natural Columbia River floodplain is the management objective of the Carty (2-mile self guided hiking trail) Roth and Ridgeport Dairy units. The River 'S' (4.2 mile auto tour route and 1.2 mile seasonal hiking trail) and Bachelor Island units are managed to maximize habitat for waterfowl and other wetland wildlife.

• NWR San Juan Islands

  InformationSatellite View
  The habitats of the various islands range from small rocks to larger grassy or forested islands, some with high cliffs that provide nesting sites for a large variety of marine birds.

• NWR Willapa

  WebpageSatellite View
  Unique among National Wildlife Refuges, Willapa encompasses a broad diversity of habitats. Hundreds of plant and animal species use habitat protected by this refuge, including a number of endangered species. Over 200 bird species...

• Washington Tweeters

  News & Sightings
  Bird News by Date

• Western Washington Birders

  Discussion Group
  For birders of all levels to share information and ask questions about wild birds in Western Washington and nearby birding hotspots. Please note that only local (Pacific Northwest) birders or people with a...

• Bird Treks

  Tour Operator
  Bird Treks has been providing small group and custom birding tours for over 20 years. Visit their website to see the incredible tours available, including Mount Rainier and a full day pelagic with Westport Pelagics!

• San Juan Safaris

  Tour Operator
  Charter one of our boats for a Birding Safari which is 3 - 4 hours in search of birds and wildlife in obscure coves and backwaters of the San Juan Islands.

• Sea Quest Expeditions

  Tour Operator
  Washington state is famous for its spectacular scenery and wonderful bird watching tour opportunities. The variety of bird habitats, from ocean coast and inland waterways to mountain peaks, and from rainforests to deserts, can be astounding. Washington birding trips can be very rewarding as many bird species are found here in greater numbers than any place else on the continent, including several that are rare and endangered. From Bald Eagles to Hutton’s Vireos, Laysan Albatross to Hermit Warblers, Spotted Owls to Marbled Murrelets: one can begin a love affair with bird-watching in Washington.

• Westport Seabirds Offshore Trips

  Tour Operator - Pelagics
  Join us in the 2018 Season for one of our all day pelagic birdwatching trips to one of several deep water submarine canyons that are 30 nautical miles from the mouth of Grays Harbor, on the edge of the North American continental shelf. The outer half of the shelf and the Canyons support a vast array of marine life. In addition to regular species like Black-footed Albatross and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, our trips feature seasonal species such as Laysan Albatross, Flesh-footed, Short-tailed, and Buller’s Shearwaters, and South Polar Skua among many other offshore species. You may wish to choose one of our mid-summer trips that leave at 5:30 am. when we will take you a little further offshore looking for Leach’s Storm-Petrel.

• 2014 [02 February] - Terry & Karen McEneaney

  Report
  …We concluded the trip with 105 species (106 taxa) of birds and five species of mammals. We observed more than 100,000 individual birds, with approximately 44,000 Snow Geese in four discernable geographic flocks comprising the bulk of the birds seen….

• 2016 [02 February] - Terry & Karen McEneaney - Pacific Northwest

  Report
  ...Bird sighting highlights for the tour included Eurasian Wigeon, Long-tailed Duck, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Red-throated and Pacific loons, Cackling Goose, Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Lesser Yellowlegs, Rhinoceros Auklet, Short-eared Owl, Anna’s Hummingbird, Thayer’s Gull, Mew Gull, Bonaparte’s Gull, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Western Scrub Jay, Northwestern Crow, Pacific Wren, Varied Thrush, Hutton’s Vireo, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Red Crossbill, Purple Finch, and surprising female Common Yellowthroat...

• 2017 [06 June] - Bob Sundstrom

  PDF Report
  The morning of the fourth day of our 2017 Spring in the Washington Cascades tour found us at the foot of a canyon in the Entiat Mountains, just where the canyon opens to the massive Columbia River...

• 2017 [06 June] - Richard Rae - California, Oregon & Washington

  PDF Report
  This report describes the birding I was able to include on a road trip through these westernstates with my wife, 2 young children and sister-in-law. While birding was clearly not theprimary aim of the trip, I was extremely happy with what I was able to see, which includedthe majority of species I considered realistically possible on such a trip, with a few bonusesthrown in...

• 2018 [06 June] - Woody Wheeler - Washington’s Olympic Peninsula

  PDF Report
  Annotated species list...

• 2019 [06 June] - Woody Wheeler

  PDF Report
  The woods were full of song from Swainson’s Thrush, Song Sparrows, American Robins, Yellow Warblers, and Blackheaded Grosbeak. It was hard to get good looks through the dense tree canopy, but ultimately, we did see Swainson’s Thrush, Willow Flycatcher, Western Wood Pewee, Common Yellowthroat and Yellow Warbler.

• 2019 [08 August] - Christian Hagenlocher

  PDF Report
  ...Recently fledged Bald Eagles were quite vocal as we sorted through swarms of swallows, finding Barn, Tree, Violet-green, American Cliff, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows and a handful of Purple Martins and Sand Martins (Bank Swallows)...

• 2021 [05 May] - Steve Shunk

  PDF Report
  Pacific Coast, temperate rainforest, inland waters, and the alpine zone; we covered it all in our circumnavigation of the Olympic Peninsula this spring. Throughout the trip, we enjoyed a plethora of western specialty birds along with the tail end of northern migrants on their way to Arctic breeding grounds. We also experienced nine days of stellar weather—quite a surprise in this region known for its drenching rainfall. From gigantic conifers to glaciercovered peaks, we tallied 149 bird species and 15 different mammals. Here are the highlights of our adventures

• 2022 [02 February] - Steve Shunk

  PDF Report
  We prepared for a rainy trip to the Pacific Northwest—and we got sunshine and lots of birds. This was my 10th winter tour to the Skagit Valley, and the region continues to support a great birding experience. We saw hundreds of Trumpeter Swans, Buffleheads, Bald Eagles, and Marbled Murrelets; plus thousands of American Wigeon and thousands of Snow Geese. We watched a Gray Whale at Rosario Head and Harbor Porpoises at Admiralty Inlet. And we tasted some of the best seafood on the planet. Here are the highlights—from Blaine to Sequim—of our winter adventure in northwestern Washington.

• 2022 [08 August] - Steve Shunk

  PDF Report
  “Smashing success” describes well our first fall trip to southwestern coastal Washington. This was a ‘Surf & Turf’, tour, with four-and-a-half days on land and two full days at sea exploring the waters over submarine Gray’s Canyon. We timed the trip for the peak of shorebird and seabird migrations, and we tallied over 130 bird species, more than 75 of which were water birds, including 21 shorebirds, nine ‘tubenoses’, and five Alcids. We scored on two major rarities: Bartailed Godwit (annual in the region) and an amazing Hawaiian Petrel (4th record for Washington!).

• 2023 [05 May] - Carolyn Wilcox

  PDF Report
  We enjoyed a good trip with 135 bird species observed, one of which was new for the tour route. Highlights included 25 different waterfowl and 10 shorebird species; almost daily Surf Scoter, Rufous Hummingbird, Black Oystercatcher, Pigeon Guillemot, Common Loon, Pelagic Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Steller’s Jay and Pacific Wren sightings; 12 different mammal species including a new trip mammal – a beaver; and many northwest wildflowers. Hurricane Ridge was closed, which impacted our total species count.

• Bird Watching Hotspots in Walla Walla Vicinity

  Website
  The delta is fast becoming one of the hottest birding spots in Eastern Washington. Spring and fall migrations bring thousands of shorebirds to this ever-increasing delta area. Some of the better state records are now being seen at the delta. The one drawback is the erratic decisions by the PUDs upriver on the Columbia and their drawdowns on water. You never know how exposed the mudflats will be. The best place to view the delta is difficult to find. Going north on Highway 12 from the junction, watch for a left turning (rough road) just past the bridge over the Walla Walla River

• Birding Klickitat County

  Website
  Washington's home to the Acorn Woodpecker, Ash-throated Flycatcher & Lesser Goldfinch.

• Birding Washington State

  Website
  Washington offers tremendous birding opportunities; the state checklist includes approximately 500 species. Scenic landscapes and habitats vary from seacoast to rainforest to rugged mountains to a semi-arid inland sea of sagebrush. This website organizes information from a variety of sources to help the traveler plan trips throughout the state.

• Sequim

  Wiki
  The North Olympic Peninsula offers exceptional bird watching year round. Our mild winter supports large numbers of ocean birds, including waterfowl. Spring and fall are migration times and offer great diversity in species. Summer residents are numerous and varied due to the diversity of habitat - from rain forest to tidelands.

• The Great Washington State Birding Trail

  Webpage
  Along the Great Washington State Birding Trail, you’ll find the best places for the best bird watching in the Evergreen State. Described in full-color maps with original artwork by Ed Newbold, birds are identified along seven routes, plus descriptions of habitat, access, and when to go.

• Brendan McGarry - Wingtrip

  BLOG
  Brendan McGarry’s exploration of the natural world through photography & writing with a decidedly avian bent…

• Greg Gillson - Pacific NW Backyard Birder

  BLOG
  No longer updated as he moved to San Diego - Enjoying and learning about common birds in British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and northern California…

• Gwyn Calvetti - Bird Brained Stories

  BLOG
  Last update April 2011 - Along with being an erstwhile birder and blogger, I spin yarns of a different sort as a professional storyteller…

• Artist - Don Wesley

  Gallery
  Strange and intesting bird paintings