Birding Washington State
When it comes to habitat diversity, it’s hard to beat Washington, which boasts about 500 species on the state checklist. The snow-capped peak of Mount Rainier watches over black oystercatchers and harlequin ducks along Puget Sound. The Hoh Rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula is one of North America’s temperate rainforests, and receives about 12 feet of rain per year. The Cascades Mountains bisect the state, and the Columbia River and its tributaries carve the central and eastern portion of the state, known as the Columbia Basin. The coast of Washington is the southernmost range of dozens of Arctic seabirds, so marine birding between January and October is a best bet.
