Camp Cascades - July 2026
Dates: July 22 - August 2, 2026
Leaders: Michael O'Brien & Louise Zemaitis
E-bird
Total Species: 175 birds
Click Here to view list.
Overall Summary
The richness of the Pacific Northwest reaches its pinnacle in summer, when cold coastal waters support a thriving marine ecosystem, and lush mountain meadows come alive for a short time, supporting an amazing diversity of flora and fauna. There couldn’t be a better place for young naturalists to learn, to be inspired, and to soak in the wonders of nature. 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of VENT’s youth birding camps, and Camp Cascades has been part of that program for much of that time. We all owe Victor our gratitude for having the vision to start this program, and for so many years of mentoring the next generation of birders, naturalists, and conservationists!
We began our adventure in the Puget Sound Region, based at YMCA Camp Casey on Whidbey Island. Situated on the edge of Crockett Lake and adjacent to Fort Casey State Park, the birding right outside our doorstep was plenty to keep us busy for a few days. Crockett Lake held good numbers of shorebirds, as well as a huge flock of gulls and American White Pelicans. Bluffs overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca provided a fun vantage point for sifting through flocks of alcids, including Rhinoceros Auklets, Marbled Murrelets, and Common Murres. Wooded trails around Fort Casey provided an excellent introduction to Pacific Coast land birds such as Olive-sided Flycatcher, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Pacific and Bewick’s wrens, Red Crossbill, and many more. The Keystone Ferry Landing provided amazing views of nesting Pigeon Guillemots and Pelagic Cormorants, plus a loafing Harlequin Duck. Forays farther afield found us enjoying a plethora of waterfowl and shorebirds at Deer Lagoon, some fun tide pools at Libbey Beach, many lingering waterfowl and nesting Pied-billed Grebes at Stanwood, and stunning Black Oystercatchers at Rosario Beach.
After traveling east to Mt. Rainier National Park, we settled into the Lodge at Shawnee Trail in Packwood, where we enjoyed the resident Common Nighthawks displaying every evening, plus the occasional flyover Black Swift. The centerpiece of our visit to the Cascades was time spent at or above treeline. Our two visits to Paradise and one to Sunrise allowed us to soak in this spectacular place. Several wonderful hikes yielded amazing views of Sooty Grouse, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Canada Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, American Dipper, Mountain Bluebird, Varied Thrush, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, and numerous warblers, including Townsend’s and Hermit. When birds weren’t distracting us, we also enjoyed sightings of Mountain Goat, Hoary Marmot, American Pika, Black Bear, and a dazzling show of wildflowers and butterflies.
For a change of scenery, we also visited the east side of the Cascades, where the “rain shadow” effect results in much drier habitats, reminiscent of the Southwest U.S. At Oak Creek, some new birds for us included White-throated Swift, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Rock and Canyon wrens, Bullock’s Oriole, and Lazuli Bunting. And to cap things off, at Wenatchee National Forest, we finally found the “good spot,” locating the elusive White-headed Woodpecker plus a bonus Black-backed Woodpecker!
Day-by-Day Summary
July 22 – Arrivals at Sea-Tac Airport. Mukilteo-Clinton Ferry to Whidbey Island; YMCA Camp Casey; night at YMCA Camp Casey (Firehall and Staff Quarters D).
July 23 – YMCA Camp Casey; Fort Casey State Park; Keystone Ferry Landing; Crockett Lake; Deer Lagoon; Useless Bay; night at YMCA Camp Casey.
July 24 – YMCA Camp Casey; Penn Cove; Fort Ebey State Park; Libbey Beach Park; Boss Lake; ferry to Port Townsend; Port Townsend waterfront; night at YMCA Camp Casey.
July 25 – YMCA Camp Casey; Skagit Flats area including Channel Drive and Jensen Access; Stanwood Water Treatment Plant (Irvine Slough); Rosario Beach State Park; night at YMCA Camp Casey.
July 26 – YMCA Camp Casey; South Whidbey State Park; Bush Point (private); Lake Tipsoo (Mt. Rainier National Park); night at The Lodge at Shawnee Trail (Packwood).
July 27 – Packwood; Mt. Rainier National Park including Narada Falls and Paradise hike to Nisqually Vista Trail and picnic area; dusk swift-watching in Packwood; night at The Lodge at Shawnee Trail (Packwood).
July 28 – Packwood; Mt. Rainier National Park including Sunrise hike to Frozen Lake (foggy); Bevin Lake; night at The Lodge at Shawnee Trail (Packwood).
July 29 – Packwood; US-12 pigeon cliffs; Oak Creek Wildlife Area; Wenatchee National Forest including Wild Rose Day Use Area and Bethel Ridge Road area; White Pass (Leech Lake); night at The Lodge at Shawnee Trail (Packwood).
July 30 – Packwood; Mt. Rainier National Park including Paradise hike to Panorama Point via Deadhorse Creek Trail, Skyline Trail, and Golden Gate Trail; ice cream in Packwood; night at The Lodge at Shawnee Trail (Packwood).
July 31 – Packwood; Wenatchee National Forest including Hause Creek Campground, Bethel Ridge Road area (the good spot), and Clear Lake; White Pass (Leech Lake); night at The Lodge at Shawnee Trail (Packwood).
August 1 – Packwood; Lake Tipsoo (foggy); M Street Marsh; Dash Point State Park; night at Red Roof Inn–SeaTac.
August 2 – Departures.
Wildlife Seen:
MAMMALS:
Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) ( I ) – Seen near Seattle
Western Gray Squirrel (Sciurus griseus) – Seen at Oak Creek
Douglas’s Squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii) – Seen or heard on eight days
Yellow-pine Chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) – Seen on seven days; common above treeline on Mt. Rainier, as well as in the drier ponderosa forest on the east side
Townsend’s Chipmunk (Tamias townsendi) – Seen on seven days; this is the common chipmunk in humid forests, both in the Puget Sound Region and on Mt. Rainier; generally darker and duller than Yellow-pine Chipmunk
California Ground-Squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) – Numerous at Oak Creek; this is about the northern limit of this species’ range Cascade
Golden-mantled Ground-Squirrel (Spermophilus saturatus) – Seen on four days; numerous in open or edge habitats on Mt. Rainier
Hoary Marmot (Marmota caligata) – Seen above treeline on Mt. Rainier at Paradise
American Pika (Ochotona princeps) – Seen or heard on six days, at rockslides near or above treeline
Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) ( I ) – Seen on five days in lowland areas
Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) – One roadside sighting near Packwood
Coyote (Canis latrans) – Several at Camp Casey
American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) – Three separate sightings at Mt. Rainier: a mother and two cubs (cinnamon morph) on the Sunrise hike, a mother and two cubs (black morph) on the Paradise hike, and another single black morph at Paradise
Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) – Seen on three days in the Puget Sound Region
Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) – Seen on six days; all belonged to the very dark “Black-tailed” subspecies (O. h. columbianus)
Elk (Cervus canadensis) – Seen on five days, all around Packwood; these belonged to the “Roosevelt” or “Olympic” subspecies (C. c. roosevelti), which are larger and more richly colored than other subspecies
Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus) – Two seen on the Paradise hike near Panorama Point
Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) – One seen in the distance off Fort Ebey State Park
Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) – Seen at several locations off Whidbey Island
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES:
Western Toad (Anaxyrus boreas) – Many recently emerged young at White Pass
American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) – Seen at Stanwood WTP and heard at M Street
Marsh Cascades Frog (Rana cascadae) – Heard calling at Lake Tipsoo, seen at Paradise
Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) – Seen at Oak Creek
Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) – Several in the Cascades
BUTTERFLIES:
Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)
Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata)
Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon)
Pine White (Neophasia menapia)
Becker’s White (Pontia beckerii)
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) ( I )
Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)
Purplish Copper (Lycaena helloides)
Mariposa Copper (Lycaena mariposa)
Boisduval’s Blue (Icaricia icarioides)
Anna’s Blue (Plebejus anna)
Coronis Fritillary (Speyeria coronis)
Mormon Fritillary (Speyeria mormonia)
Arctic Fritillary (Boloria chariclea)
Pacific Fritillary (Boloria epithore)
Snowberry Checkerspot (Euphydryas colon)
California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica)
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Lorquin’s Admiral (Limenitis lorquini)
Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala)
Common Branded-Skipper (Hesperia comma)
Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides)
DRAGONFLIES:
Common Green Darner (Anax junius)
Blue-eyed Darner (Aeshna multicolor)
Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata)
Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia)
Eight-spotted Skimmer (Libellula forensis)
Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum)