Please Note: As of this time I am not leading local tours. However, I am available for private consulting sessions to help with your trip planning, photo tips, and portfolio reviews.

The greater Seattle area and the Pacific Northwest are beautiful locales that offer a number of good wildlife viewing and photography opportunities throughout the year.  If you live or are based in the great Seattle area, we can arrange half-day, full day or overnight tours for you or a group.  Read on to see what local options are available.  If you have any questions or would like to book a private workshop, please contact me.

Boundary Bay & Reifel Bird Sanctuary

Located across the border in British Columbia, Boundary Bay and Reifel provide a couple of great walking workshop locations. Boundary Bay has hosted the rare snowy owls during recent irruptions and is a good place to spot other birds of prey, including eagles, hawks, falcons and other owl species. Reifel Sanctuary has a good series of wetland trails running through excellent habitat for waterfowl, herons, cranes, raptors, wrens, woodpeckers and the elusive American mink and rare black morph gray squirrel.

Recommended itinerary: full day or overnight trip from the Seattle area.  Best in winter and early spring.

Discovery Park or Yost Park

Seattle’s expansive Discovery Park is a great spot for wildlife. In spring there may be good opportunities to find barred owls and other bird life.  Yost Park is an alternate destination for barred owls.

Recommended itinerary: half day tour or combined with Arboretum (see below) for a full day session.  Best in spring and early summer.

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

Located near Olympia, Nisqually is an excellent spot for land-based excursions with a major focus on birds. Major species include: great blue heron, American bittern, several species of waterfowl, eagles, hawks, falcons and great horned owls, raccoons and mink.

Recommended itinerary: half day trip from the Seattle area.  Best in spring, early summer and fall.

San Juan Islands Foxes

I am offering a limited number of excursions to photograph the colorful red foxes of the San Juan Islands. The resident population of foxes on the island comes in all sorts of colors, from orange to silver to black and even brown. An optional whale-watching/photography excursion may also be added to this trip.

Learn more about this tour.

Skagit River Bald Eagles

Every winter the Skagit River plays host to hundreds of bald eagles that flock here to feed on salmon.

Recommended itinerary: full day trip from the Seattle area.  Best in winter.

Skagit Valley

About an hour’s drive north of Seattle, the Skagit Valley is a top destination for bird photography. The highlights during winter include short-eared owls and other raptors, migrating swans and geese and other bird life. This can be a very good place for practicing birds-in-flight photography.

Recommended itinerary: half day trip from the Seattle area.  Best in winter and early spring.

Washington Park Arboretum

A great spot for urban wildlife, particularly waterfowl and other birds. The Arboretum is best explored by boat, which gives us better access to certain wetland species. There are also several trails in the area that allow for land-based exploration. Major species seen during Arboretum workshops include: great blue heron, red-winged blackbird (right), mallard duck, wood duck, cinnamon teal, bufflehead, marsh wren, pied-billed grebe, green heron, pileated woodpecker, bald eagle, painted turtle.

Recommended itinerary: half day tour starting with an early morning walk followed by boating.  Best in spring and summer.

Woodland Park Zoo/Northwest Trek

Working in a controlled environment can be very beneficial for practicing photography. Woodland Park Zoo and Northwest Trek both present a variety of wildlife in enclosed environments, perfect for working on basic photography skills.

Recommended itinerary: half to full day trips.  Great any time of year, though summer is understandably more crowded.

What is Included in the Price of Your Workshop?

• Transportation to/from the Seattle area.
• Full photographic instruction during the duration of the workshop.
• Drinking water & light snacks

What is NOT Included

• Entry fees, where applicable.
• Rental fees, when applicable.
• Meals
• Photo equipment*
• Lodging for overnight trips.

* – Rental camera bodies (Canon), lenses (Canon) and accessories may be available for an additional fee.

Rates

• 1-2 People – $800/Day
• 3 People – $1000/Day
• 4+ People – Please contact me for a quote.

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