Plan to arrive at the Portland International Airport by early afternoon. We'll work our way toward the coast with our first planned stop being Tillamook Bay and Bayocean Spit, one of the prime birding areas in the Pacific Northwest. We should be able to find a nice assortment of Pacific seabirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl, then head south to spend the night in Lincoln City.

Most of our day will be devoted to searching for coastal species, many of which will be different from the ones that we'll see on tomorrow's pelagic trip. Siletz Bay should yield some of our expected loons and cormorants. Lingering shorebirds congregate at Drift Creek, a great location to search for Baird's Sandpiper and Marbled Godwit. A flock of Pectoral Sandpipers may yield a big bonus, the rare Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Boiler Bay is good for Black Oystercatcher, Marbled Murrelet, Common Murre, and any number of pelagic species. We will make several stops around Yaquina Bay in Newport to look for Harlequin Duck, jetty shorebirds, Western Grebe, and flocks of scoters and other sea ducks. We'll also search for the elusive Wrentit. This area yielded an unusual Palm Warbler on a previous tour. Second night in Lincoln City.

Our entire day will be spent at sea with Greg Gillson and Tradewind Charters. Our destination is Heceta Bank, an underwater mountain at the edge of the continental shelf. We will be looking for all of the pelagic species listed above, plus more unusual birds such as Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Ancient Murrelet, Long-tailed Jaeger, and Flesh-footed Shearwater. Several years ago we found lots of Black-footed Albatross, two Laysan Albatross, and the incredibly rare Short-tailed Albatross! A Tufted Puffin put on a good show on a recent tour. We'll return to a good dinner and a restful night at the same motel in Lincoln City.

Our morning starts along the coast, re-visiting any intriguing areas from Friday and stopping at a few new ones. This may include Seal Rock State Park, our most reliable location to look for Surfbird and Wandering Tattler, plus sea ducks and gulls, and herds of Harbor Seals and Sea Lions. Then we turn inland toward Eugene and an afternoon at Fern Ridge Lake. Raptors may include Cooper's Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, and White-tailed Kite, with a chance of Short-eared Owls hunting over the grasslands. We'll look for shorebirds, rails, and bitterns in nearby marshlands and mudflats, and check the hedgerows for Golden-crowned Sparrows and perhaps an Orange-crowned Warbler and Bewick's Wren. Overnight in Eugene.

Our first stop is majestic Crater Lake, Oregon's only National Park. This will give us our best opportunity for high-elevation species such as Gray Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. A recent tour yielded a Say's Phoebe, Prairie Flacon, and a flock of Evening Grosbeaks. Lodgepole and pine-hemlock forests contain Sooty Grouse, Black-backed and American Three-toed Woodpeckers, Steller's Jay, Mountain Chickadee, and Townsend's Solitaire. Extensive Ponderosa Pine stands to the south are home to White-headed Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Pygmy Nuthatch, and Red Crossbill. Today's birding may not be easy, but the birds that we find will be very rewarding. Overnight in Klamath Falls.

Today we will explore Upper Klamath Lake and Fort Klamath, with their forests, fields, and beautiful streams. This is perhaps the best area in North America to see large numbers of waterfowl and raptors; nearly 350 species of birds have been identified here. The weather can be expected to be beautiful, with 300 days of sunshine annually. We will make a special effort for the magnificent Great Gray Owl: there are several especially good areas near Fort Klamath. We heard one and then had close looks at a second one on a past tour. You can also expect Mountain Bluebird, White-headed Woodpecker, California Quail, and Ruffed Grouse. Overnight in Klamath Falls.

Today we make the short drive south to Tule Lake and Lower Klamath Lake NWRs in northern California. There are so many and varied habitats that the birding opportunities are almost endless. You will probably see larger numbers of waterfowl today than you have ever seen in your life! New species that we may find include Black-crowned Night-Heron, Tricolored Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Clark's Grebe, Ferruginous Hawk, and Sandhill Crane. We may find Canyon Wren and Rock Wren on the same rocky cliff, with Townsend's Solitaire, Loggerhead Shrike, and Yellow-headed Blackbird nearby. Our third night in Klamath Falls.

We'll have part of the day for more exploration in this incredible area, looking for any species that may have eluded us during the past few days, such as Lesser Goldfinch. Then it will be time to drive north to Portland with stops at a few nice refuges along the way. Ankeny NWR is always on the agenda for Acorn Woodpecker, Cinnamon Teal, and Greater White-fronted Goose. Overnight in Portland.

Sauvie Island in the Columbia River is just a short drive from Portland. Recent highlights included 100s of Sandhill Cranes, 1000s of waterfowl of many different species, a wonderful variety of songbirds, and often Merlin and Rough-legged Hawk. We'll have the entire day to explore Sauvie and several additional areas along the Columbia River. Our second and final night in Portland.

We'll shuttle to the Portland International Airport for our morning flights home.

. . . If you wish to explore a brand new area, please consider our 4-day extension to the extreme NORTHWEST CORNER OF OREGON, including Fort Stevens, Clatsop Spit, and the mouth of the Columbia River. See the separate itinerary for complete details.

The Klamath Basin and Coastal Oregon Tour will be led by Bob Schutsky or John Puschock. Both leaders are quite familiar with the birds of Oregon and will give you a wonderful tour of this incredibly beautiful portion of the Pacific Northwest.

$2295 per person, double occupancy. Single accommodations are available at an extra charge of $495. See our separate itinerary for the details and price of the extension.

Expert guide service, lodging for 9 nights, ALL meals for the entire tour, entrance fees, pelagic trip, and ground transportation within Oregon and into California. ALL tips are also included in the tour fee, except for anything that you may wish to give to your tour leader(s) and boat crew.
Does not include the cost of airfare to and from Portland, Oregon. BIRD TREKS will, upon request, gladly help you obtain the best possible airfare. Also not included are the costs of alcoholic beverages and items of a personal nature.

A $500 deposit will assure your reservation on the tour. The balance is due 1 August 2008.

We offer the services of our exclusive BIRD TREKS travel agent, Lori Heathcote, in arranging your air travel. Lori has 22 years of experience in the travel industry and is a veteran birder. Contact her through Bailey Travel at 1-800-224-5399, or you can e-mail lori@baileytravel.com. By dealing with Lori you have the security of a 24-hour toll-free telephone number in case of any travel emergency. She can also assist you with all pre- and post-tour travel plans.

With written notice more than 60 days prior to the first day of the tour, 100% of your deposit will be refunded, minus a $75 service fee. With 30-60 days notice, you will receive a 50% refund of the full cost of the tour. No refund can be made with less than 30 days notice. You will receive a full refund if you provide a replacement for your spot on the tour. No partial refund can be given once a tour begins. We strongly recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance to protect your investment in case of injury or illness to you or your family prior to or during a tour. Click on the following link to Access America or contact BIRD TREKS for information on obtaining this coverage.