In April of this year I made a trip out west. My first stop was Kelowna, British Columbia where I spent some time in the higher elevations and encountered Mountain Chickadees and Pygmy Owls. My next stop was the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Vancouver. Here I found waterfowl and Marsh Wrens. The last stop on my visit was south of Tacoma, Washington, where I was delighted to find seabirds and loons.