Spring in the Washington Cascades 6/1/2025-6/7/2025

ebird.org/tripreport/377661

Spring is a lovely time to be in the Washington Cascades.  The weather is beautiful, wildflowers carpet the mountain meadows, and wildlife is abundant. Leavenworth is our home base for the week, a German themed town nestled on the east side of the Cascades in the shadow of the towering Enchantment Mountains. The town is a couple of weeks out from the high tourist season, so it feels like we are the only ones there. Birds are singing away on recently set up territories. There is no shortage of awesome locations to seek out some of these northwest specialties. Leavenworth has a surprising amount of high quality restaurants to enjoy, most walkable from the hotel. This is a must-do trip for the bird and nature enthusiast.

Cascade Mountains © Brian Gibbons

We were eager to start our journey. The tour started off in Seattle with an introductory dinner. Most of the participants on the trip were old friends, and by the time dinner was over everyone seemed that way. We got to know each other and were eager to start our adventure. The next morning we arose and did some birding around the Seattle area. A great spot about ten minutes from the hotel has been reliable in recent years for Barn Owl, California Scrub-Jay, and Black Phoebe. We were successful in seeing all three! Travel days are all about timing, so we had to maximize our time to see as many birds as we could on the west side of the mountains. A stop at Lake Sammamish State Park gave us great looks at Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Red-breasted Sapsucker. We were feeling good about our targets for the morning, so we headed up and over the Cascades. A stop near Snoqaulmie Pass netted us Barrow's Goldeneye. One more stop on the east side of the Cascades gave us our first looks at Western Bluebird, Pygmy Nuthatch, and Cassin's Finch. Having seen a lot, we headed up to Leavenworth for the evening.

American Barn Owl © Brian Gibbons

The next full day was spent in and around the Leavenworth area. We started at one of my favorite places to bird in all of Washington, the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. There are miles of trails meandering along Icicle Creek here. It was educational to see and learn about the salmon that are raised here. The walk started out a little slow, but soon we were surrounded by Nashville Warblers, Pygmy Nuthatches, Pine Siskins, and many other birds. A little further along the trail we found two of our main targets for the trip at the same time! While walking along Icicle Creek, I peered out into the water and saw a trio of Harlequin Ducks; at just about the same time, a White-headed Woodpecker flew in to a dead snag right in front of us. We didn't know which way to look. Luckily, both species stuck around for prolonged views. It was an amazing experience. We headed to lunch in Leavenworth with smiles on our faces. The afternoon was spent partly at Peshastin Pinnacles State Park, where we found White-throated Swifts and a flyover Golden Eagle. Optional shopping or a walk along the Wenatchee River filled the rest of the day before dinner.

Harlequin Duck © Brian Gibbons

Full day number three was a treat. Our early(ish) departure saw us heading down toward Wenatchee for a full day in Swakane Canyon. This nine-mile forest service road starts out near the Columbia River with desert-type habitat and winds upward through wetlands and Ponderosa Pine forests, and ends in Subalpine and Douglas Fir forests. The variety of birds seen here can be great. The entryway to the canyon gave us great looks at Lazuli Bunting, Chukar, Canyon Wren, and Rock Wren. What a way to start the day! We wound up the canyon and were soon greeted by Lewis's Woodpecker, a big target of the day. As we headed up-canyon to our lunch spot, we heard the booming of Ruffed Grouse and had great looks at Cassin's Vireo. One stop after lunch was the territory of a Calliope Hummingbird, and we saw the male perched up on a snag. We ended the canyon trip at a nice wetland with Willow Flycatcher and Dusky Flycatcher giving nice views. The ride down the other side of the mountain ended with a California Quail perched in a tree. If that weren't enough of a day, we had an optional night trip near Leavenworth to Camas Meadows, a beautiful high mountain meadow that had a very cooperative Red-naped Sapsucker. The main target of the evening was Flammulated Owl; we were able to hear but not see this tiny, secretive owl. A huge herd of Elk stole the show by frolicking in the meadow. There were some very exuberant calves that were anxious to play in the evening light.

Swakane Canyon © Kevin Burke

The trip had already been filled with so many highlights, but we were after more. Our third full day in the area involved a trip out to the Shrubsteppe. It was a little drive to get down to where our targets were, but we made the hour and a half drive with no problems. It was already getting warm at nine in the morning, so we rushed to see our three big targets: Brewer's Sparrow, Sagebrush Sparrow, and Sage Thrasher. They came in that order and fairly quickly, and we were all able to get great looks. As we wandered around the area, we came upon a Western Pacific Rattlesnake. This was a lifer snake for just about everyone! We observed it from a safe distance, of course. The heat of the day was building, so we headed back to the mountains for lunch and more birding. A pair of Williamson's Sapsuckers was a huge hit. The male and female Williamson's Sapsuckers couldn't look more different and were once considered separate species. Another huge highlight of the day was seeing a Northern Pygmy-Owl. We were walking along a forest service road and heard quite a few small songbirds mobbing something. Upon further inspection, the owl revealed itself and showed well for several minutes. We were all happy birders! Dinner was outside of town in a beautiful setting among the mountains.  

Sagebrush Sparrow © Kevin Burke

Our last day was a travel day back across the mountains to Seattle. We made several stops heading up to Steven's Pass, none more important than the first right in Leavenworth. The bridge that goes over the Wenatchee River was several hundred yards from the hotel. There was one bird that we had not seen yet that we couldn't dip on, the American Dipper. We observed two just below the river, foraging in the fast moving water. You can't dip on the dipper! At the summit of Steven's Pass we stopped for a snack and had good looks at Hermit Thrush and Varied Thrush. We traveled down the west side of the mountain for lunch and more driving back to the hotel near the airport. Our final dinner was right on the Puget Sound overlooking the Olympic Mountains. We took a leisurely stroll on the pier, and many folks got one more lifer, the Pigeon Guillemot. It was a nice way to round out the trip.

Wenatchee River © Brian Gibbons

This was an awesome trip, with awesome people. The birds cooperated along with lots of other wildlife. The restaurants were top-notch. The weather was great. You can't ask for a better tour than that! We were so fortunate to have Brian Gibbons with us as co-leader, too. His knowledge and experience added a lot to our trip. Leavenworth is a place that every birder needs to have on their list of places to visit. We had only five days, but could easily have spent a couple of weeks exploring all the area has to offer. I wouldn't be surprised if we see repeat participants on this very enjoyable tour.

A complete list of the birds recorded on our tour can be found at: ebird.org/tripreport/377661

Read the description for the next departure of this tour.

View Kevin Burke's upcoming tour schedule.

View Brian Gibbons's upcoming tour schedule.