Some of us don't know a cedar waxwing from a belted kingfisher—but Sarah Swanson sure does. The Audubon Society of Portland educator has, along with her spouse Max Smith, written Must-See Birds of the Pacific Northwest, out this week from Portland’s Timber Press. Besides profiling 85 flying fiends of the Northwest, the book traces eight weekend birding vacations.

The book may tell us that the Swainson's thrush makes a constant "wup!" sound—like a little brown feathered hype man—but where should beginning birders go for just a day? Here's what Swanson told us:

1. Union Bay Natural Area, otherwise known as the Montlake Fill near University of Washington
Best time to bird: May–June

Yes, it's a former landfill. And yes, Swanson happily walks the trails here in the spring, finding "bright common yellowthroats and noisy marsh wrens," as well as songbirds, among the trees and tall grasses. "Cinnamon teal and pied-billed grebes both nest in the lily-filled ponds. You even come across a Virginia rail with its fuzzy young," she says. In the skies she's seen "at least four species of swallows," as well as small gray birds called Vaux's swifts that tend to make a scene at dusk.

2. Skagit Wildlife Area, south of Mt. Vernon
Best time to bird: November–February

Swanson digs the entire Skagit River delta, noting that multiple parking areas have good birdwatching—just "scan sloughs and canals for ducks." Swans? They got swans: "You can compare large tundra swans with huge trumpeter swans—the latter has a larger, triangular bill and a brassier call." Throughout the area, falcons and hawks perch on power poles, bald eagles roost in trees, and snow geese gather. "Scan driftwood in marshy fields for short-eared owls," says Swanson, and "shallow water may contain large flocks of shorebirds like dunlin and black-bellied plovers."

3. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, north of Newport, Oregon
Best time to bird: May–July

"Thousands of seabirds nest right at eye level" on offshore rocks at the appropriately named Outstanding Natural Area, says Swanson. Engage all your senses, she says: watch "Brandt’s cormorants display their blue throat patches," listen to the common murre, and "take in the unmistakable smell of bird guano." Also here: pigeon guillemots on the cliffsides, brown pelicans, bald eagles, and turkey vultures. "Scan the rocks near the tide pools for brightly striped Harlequin ducks and noisy black oystercatchers," says Swanson. The entrance fee is well worth it, she says.

4. Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, southwest of Portland
Best time to bird: November–February

While Swanson recommends all of the Northwest's National Wildlife Refuges for winter birdwatching, "but Tualatin River has some of the best accessibility and visibility." Besides the top-notch interpretive center and viewpoint, there's a gravel trail leading to a viewing platform. "You’ll likely notice the large bald eagle nest immediately, since it is built in a tree in the middle of the marsh. During winter the adults are adding to the nest and incubating eggs," says Swanson. Also everywhere: Ducks, like the lesser scaup, ring-necked duck, and northern pintail, and geese—cackling geese are smaller than Canada geese. "The forest often holds both large great horned and small western screech owls; ask at the interpretive center about recent sightings," says Swanson.

Oh, and Swanson reminds birders not to forget their Discover Pass. Swanson and Smith plan to hold a birding cruise in Bellingham Bay in early October.