Skagit Guided Adventures

31/10/2024

"I had a wonderful experience with Stephanie on my Skagit Birding Eco Tour! It was an unusually cold and windy day, but Stephanie re-worked the day's schedule so that I could still see some fun birds and other animals! I really appreciated the effort she put in to give me a good experience, despite the weather."

Holden (from Utah, visiting his dad in Seattle) was well equipped with his scope and lots of enthusiasm for his first Birding Adventure in Skagit!

26/10/2024

And that's a wrap for my 4th season catering to American Cruise Lines' hikers!

14/10/2024

The Snow Geese are arriving and Be Bird Wise is Back!

As we begin another winter season, we’re reprising our original Be Bird Wise blog post, recapping a few things worth remembering as we head into another bird-filled winter.

Read our blog here: https://www.bebirdwise.org/blog/bebirdwiseisback

14/10/2024

Watching ACL hikers discover the wonders, big and small, of our magical PNW rainforest is magical!

03/10/2024

Start your day helping birds by drinking "bird-friendly" coffee!

https://abcbirds.org/the-view-from-northern-nicaraguas-highlands-saving-birds-with-coffee-2/

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/buy-bird-friendly-coffee-online

For years, the Highlands of Nicaragua have been a stronghold for farmers growing quality shade coffee. Not coincidentally, it’s also a paradise for birds.

28/09/2024

What great joy it is to guide all the wonderful ACL guests on their "journey of discovery" hike...

22/09/2024

Forest fire smoke did not dampen Kate's (Virginia), Ted's (North Dakota) and Christina's (California) enthusiasm for experiencing the wonders found in the North Cascades National Park!

17/09/2024

The highlights on our last Anacortes Birding Cruise to Vendovi Island of the year? Common murres, Pigeon guillemots and Rhinocerus auklets in non-breeding plumage! Plus gazillions of cormorants, at least 100 Harbor seals hauled out resting, several Harbor porpoise and a small flock of unidentified shorebirds on the rocks (can you see them?). On Vendovi Island, a couple of folks saw a Red-breasted sapsucker in action!
Stay tuned for the announcement of my 2025 Anacortes Birding Cruises.

11/09/2024

Another super fun hike! This time in the heart of the North Cascade mountains with Judy (all the way from Maine). She added a guided hike to the her 3-National-Parks-of-Washington itinerary and got to experience the magic of our Great PNW Rainforest! What struck her the most were the tall straight trees and their "furry" limbs. "Furry" meaning moss covered, LOL!

03/09/2024

What a fun afternoon hike Kayla and I had! She was sooooooooooooooooo amazed (can you tell? LOL) and curious about everything she saw in the forest. Additional treats for her (and me) was seeing a harbor seal, a beaver and a family of quails crossing the road on the drive back from the hike.
Kayla booked her Anacortes Guided Hike en route to Seattle the day before and was sooooooooooooooooooooo happy to have done so on her first trip ever to the Great PNW!
"The hike was excellent and was paced based on my experience level. Stephanie had so much knowledge about the wildlife, the plants, etc and had a lot of neat bits of information to share! She was super easy going and fun to be around, and you learn a lot when with her!"

15/08/2024

We braved a bit of fog and swells but we got to Smith Island and saw the tufted puffins!!!!! Cameras were busy capturing great photos of them, including one taking off from the water (photo credit: Henry DeGive).
Other bird sightings included common murres, rhinocerus auklets, pigeon guillemots, scoters, several species of gulls and cormorants nesting, black oystercatchers, bald eagles, seals and sea lions.
Once on James Island, folks enjoyed their picnic lunch, hiked, relaxed on the beach, watched boats go by, watched and listened to birds and even got to watch a family of racoons digging thru the beach pebbles for food, a totally unexpected surprise! How did they get here? we all wondered...

09/08/2024

How I wish more folks would join the Mount Baker Day Tour to experience the majesty of the North Cascades skyline, wilderness and wildflowers...

Marc (from Kentucky) did!!!!!! He took a gazillion photos and selfies to relive his memories. One of the highlights for him was to savor 5 different kinds of wild berries.

04/08/2024

How I wish more folks would opt for multi-day Adventures to experience all of what Skagit has to offer...

Janice, Joy, and Mark (from the NE coast) did!!!!!! Young Caroline (also from the NE coast) joined one of the days on a 3-day Adventure showcasing the wilderness and birds during the North Cascades National Day Tour, Anacortes "Wild Side" Eco Tour and the San Juan Island Day Tour.

29/07/2024

After much anticipation, ACL cruisers finally get to experience our PNW rainforest environments on their Anacortes Hiking Adventure. Some ACL cruisers have been waiting for an entire year to partake on this activity after signing up for their cruise to the San Juan Islands. And they are always happy they did!

17/07/2024

We couldn't have asked for a better day out on our Anacortes Puffing Cruise! Calm seas made for easy bird viewing.
Ever seen puffins napping? We did! Three Tufted puffins took turns being sentinels while napping on the water. Definitely one of the highlights. Another highlight was encountering one Red-necked greebe in beautiful summer plumage. And perhaps THE highlight of the day was seeing THE ONLY sea otter in the area (that I am aware of).
Our time on James Island was delightful. Folks kept birding, hiked and enjoyed their picnic lunch on the beach or under the shade.
Sounds like something you or someone you know would enjoy? 3 seats are still available on my August 10 Puffin Cruise. https://skagitguidedadventures.com/adventure/san-juan-islands-birding-cruises-from-anacortes/