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Birding in the San Juan Islands: Bird-Watching Tours & Trips

Birding Tours in Washington

Join a professionally guided bird watching tour in the famous San Juan Islands of Washington state. Nestled in northern Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands are a prime wildlife watching and birding location with over 300 species of birds having been recorded. Excellent birding habitat is found in the San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge, San Juan Island National Historical Park, numerous Marine State Parks, and Moran State Park, the largest state park in Washington.

“My wife and I had a wonderful experience. We observed several bald eagles, nesting peregrine falcons, porpoises, seals, and a pod of orca whales as the finale. What really made the trip memorable was seeing so many diverse species in their natural habitat and learning more about them from our exceptionally knowledgeable guide, Mark Lewis. The information we received on the geology, flora and fauna of the San Juans, and the history of the islands themselves surpassed anything I have yet read in any guidebook or other publication on the topic.  My most sincere thanks for a birding tour we will always remember.”

Daniel Bartholomew, North Bend, WA

JOIN US FOR BIRD WATCHING TRIPS IN THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS

Mark Lewis, the senior author of “Birding in the San Juan Islands”, leads personalized birding trips suited for all levels of bird watchers. Mark has been living in the San Juan Islands for four decades, at times conducting research on birds and marine mammals, teaching natural history classes, and guiding sea kayak tours. He is the founder of Sea Quest Kayak Tours and Zoetic Research.

THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS OFFER EXCELLENT BIRD WATCHING IN ANY SEASON

Some of our specialty species include three species of cormorants, including the Brandt’s and Pelagic; virtually all species of North American waterfowl, including Harlequin Ducks and Trumpeter Swans; easily accessible nesting Peregrine Falcons; a pair of breeding Bald Eagles for each mile of shoreline; rocky shore specialists such as Black Oystercatchers, Wandering Tattlers, and Surfbirds; a dozen species of gulls, including Thayer’s; a variety of alcids, including Marbled and Ancient Murrelets, Pigeon Guillemots, Rhinoceros Auklets, Common Murres, and Tufted Puffins; and a variety of smaller sought after species, such as the Rufous Hummingbird, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Hutton’s Vireo, Varied Thrush, Townsend’s Warbler, “Sooty” Fox Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and Red Crossbill.

OTHER BIRDING TOURS LOCATIONS & BIRD-WATCHING TRIPS IN WASHINGTON STATE

Birding trips are also available in eastern Washington, the Olympic Mountains, Pacific Ocean coast, Puget Sound and elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest region. Click on the links below to learn about our other Washington bird watching tour locations:

RESERVE YOUR BIRDING TOUR IN THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS TODAY!

To reserve your custom birding tour in the San Juan Islands, please visit our Fees & Options page where you will find a list of questions that we need answered to properly plan your bird-watching trip. Email your answers to us via our Contact page or call (360) 378-5767.