Woodpecker Wonderland & Malheur Region
Dates: May 26 - June 4, 2020
2020 Tour Fee: $3,950 double / $4,585 single occupancy
Leaders: Steve Shunk plus add'l local guide
Questions: Contact Paradise Birding owner Steve Shunk
How to Register: Click the button below to view and download the tour itinerary, and register for the tour here.
SPECIES LIST | PHOTOS | PARADISE BIRDING TOUR FAQs
TOUR SUMMARY
I first moved to Oregon in early 1997, when I lived and worked at southeastern Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Later that year, I moved to the town of Sisters, in central Oregon, and in the spring of 1998, I started leading our first multi-day tours, with extended weekends to Malheur. At the same time, I had begun to marvel at the amazing woodpecker diversity on the eastern slope of Oregon's Cascade Mountains. Our multi-day tours grew to include trips in the Cascades, featuring our local Woodpecker Wonderland and the diversity of this spectacular region.
Fast forward 20 years, and Paradise Birding now operates tours on four continents. However, despite so many wonderful trips on the schedule, Oregon remains our home and the cornerstone of our business. It seems overdue, then, for us to feature two of Oregon's premiere birding destinations in the very same tour: our first-ever trip to combine Malheur and Woodpecker Wonderland. Join me to experience some of the best bird diversity in North America, with over 200 breeding species and dozens of possible migrants. And expect some of the best scenery on the continent, from the Cascade volcanoes to Malheur's expansive high-desert oasis. Join us in celebrating Oregon!
Owner & Trail Boss, Steve Shunk
ACCOLADES
“My birding tours with Steve Shunk/Paradise Birding are memorable highlights of my birding ‘career.’ Woodpecker Wonderland was one of my favorite guided tours ever. ... If I could, I would sign up to tour with Stephen Shunk again in a heartbeat, knowing that my comfort and my birding experience would be GREAT!”
“Bill and I have many good memories of our day strolling through burnt out forests with Steve in search of the Three-toed Woodpecker. And finding it, after 8 hours or so! And then that Pgymy Owl nailing the chipmunk — that was memorable!”
“I greatly enjoyed your field trip and deeply appreciated your willingness to share blackbacked woodpecker and quail information. You make the woods come alive through sensitivity of observation and thorough, well-crafted information. You are truly a naturalist- in contrast to merely a bird guide. I say you are the genuine article.”
“You and Christine are ‘totally awesome’. Your trip was perfectly planned, you rallied with our punches, and we had an excellent experience. I have never eaten so well on a tour. Thanks for everything”
“I hugely enjoyed our 2 days birding together, in which we saw an impressive number of species for me, who would have encountered only a fraction of that if not for you. You marveled me with the number of bird voices you recognize, your ability to imitate many of them, and the breadth and depth of your knowledge of birds”
“I would highly recommend any trip that Steve Shunk leads. ”