Puget Sound & Olympic Peninsula

Washington

The Puget Sound and Olympic Peninsula region in Washington State offers world-class birding with over 350 recorded bird species. From ancient old-growth rainforests to rocky Pacific coastlines and the scenic San Juan Islands, this diverse landscape features seabirds, shorebirds, forest specialties, and incredible raptor migration. The area is famous for pelagic species, including Marbled Murrelets and Tufted Puffins.

Best Months to Visit

April to October

Birding Season

Year-round

Notable Species

Marbled Murrelet Varied Thrush Black Oystercatcher Tufted Puffin Sooty Grouse

Top Birding Guides in Puget Sound & Olympic Peninsula

Browse our selection of expert birding guides serving the Puget Sound & Olympic Peninsula area.

Carolyn Wilcox - Experience Olympic

5.0

Master naturalist and birding guide based in Port Angeles, specializing in Olympic National Park and Peninsula birding. Holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science and has been leading birding tours since 2003. Offers private guided nature tours, birding excursions, and low-tide interpretive walks throughout Olympic National Park's diverse habitats from old-growth rainforest to rocky coastlines.

Olympic National Park Old-growth forest birds Coastal species

21 years of experience

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Liam Hutcheson - Washington Birding Guides

4.9

Record-breaking Washington birder who set the state Big Year record in 2023 with 378 species at just 16 years old. Born and raised in Olympia, this young prodigy has rapidly developed extensive expertise with Pacific Northwest bird diversity. Specializes in pelagic birding, seawatching, and knows the state's best migration hotspots and vagrant traps around the Olympic Peninsula and eastern Washington. Offers personalized birding experiences tailored to all skill levels.

Pelagic birding Seawatching Migration hotspots

3 years of experience

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Mark Lewis - Sea Quest Kayak

4.8

Founder of Sea Quest Kayak Tours (est. 1987) and veteran naturalist with four decades of experience in the San Juan Islands. Senior author of 'Birding in the San Juan Islands' and has conducted extensive research on birds and marine mammals while teaching natural history classes. All Sea Quest guides are biologists and/or botanists with publications. Offers unique kayak-based birding experiences accessing remote islands and coastal habitats only reachable by water.

San Juan Islands Kayak birding Seabirds

40 years of experience

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Roniq Bartanen - Shebirds

4.9

Seattle-based female birding guide passionate about making birding accessible and inclusive. Specializes in urban and mindful birding throughout Seattle and Puget Sound, with expertise in helping beginners discover birds in city parks, neighborhoods, and waterfronts. Leads monthly bird walks for Birds Connect Seattle and has guided for Seward Park Audubon and Puget Sound Bird Fest. Focuses on community engagement, women-led birding groups, and educational experiences for all ages and skill levels.

Urban birding Beginner-friendly tours Seattle hotspots

8 years of experience

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Raphael Fennimore - Washington Birding Guides

4.8

Seattle-based birding guide and King County Big Year record holder with 278 species recorded in 2021—the highest county total ever in Washington State. Brings a background in marine science and extensive experience as a Protected Species Observer monitoring endangered species in the Pacific Northwest. Manages the King County Rare Bird Alert and serves on the Washington Ornithological Society Board. Offers personalized birding experiences throughout Washington state tailored to all skill levels.

King County birding Rare bird alerts State-wide tours

4 years of experience

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