The weather in the Pacific Northwest is milder and wetter than winter in much of the rest of the continental United States.  As it is much warmer, with plenty of open water, winter brings many Arctic-breeding birds to the shores, bays and beaches of Oregon and Washington.

​

With eight excellent days of bird watching in the field,  we should see twenty-five waterfowl species (including a number of Red-throated Loon, Common Loon, Pacific Loon, Harlequin Duck, Long-tailed Duck, White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter, Brant, a number of Pacific Ocean alcids, Rhinoceros Auklet, Pigeon Guillemot, Cassin's Auklet and more). We could find as many as a dozen gull species (including Glaucous-winged Gull, Western Gull, Glaucous Gull, and Thayer's Gull). A number of Pacific specialty shorebirds (Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Black Oystercatcher) can be found here. Other Pacific coast specialties include Red-breasted Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker, Pacific Wren, Varied Thrush, Chestnut- backed Chickadee, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Wrentit and Hutton’s Vireo. Many of these species are unknown, difficult to find, or just rare outside of California, Oregon and Washington.