Spring is a wonderful time for bird watching and, fortunate for us, for bird watching festivals. Three are coming up in the next month or so, and each is well worth a little time and travel.
All three are in beautiful locations to observe birds and also feature the company of others who share your birdwatching interests. There will be identification experts available, some with telescopes to allow close observations. And there will be a variety of educational exhibits as well.
From mid-April to mid-May, Grays Harbor is one of the major bird watching spots in North America. People from all over the country come to this one — and lucky us, it’s only about a 90-minute drive from Olympia!
Hundreds of thousands of shorebirds (you know, those sandpiper-type birds) use this location to rest and feed on their migration north to their breeding territories. This is a spectacular bird-watching festival.
This is the 29th year for this event, which began shortly after the creation of the Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge. The weekend selected for the festival varies from year to year to coincide with the daytime high tides that bring the shorebirds up close.
This year the best tides are the weekend of April 25-27. There are many events over the weekend, but the highlight for bird watchers probably are the guided walks at the wildlife refuge.
The main viewing area is just past the City of Hoquiam and will be well marked. It is an event open to all ages and levels of experience — something for everyone. You can find out more about this year’s festival, and get directions, by clicking here.
Of course, you can experience this migration on your own and on other dates, but check the tides first. At mid-tide to low tide, the birds can spread out over harbor’s vast mudflats.
You want to visit when the higher tides concentrate the birds closer to the shoreline where you, and no doubt many others, will be watching them. And showing up before or after the festival weekend will be less crowded.
For a guide to the many shorebirds you might see, check out this identification guide created by the shorebird festival folks.
Another good birding location is along the Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway, also known as State Route 821. Located in Eastern Washington, this is a 25-mile stretch of highway that runs south from Interstate 90 at Ellensburg along the Yakima River toward the City of Yakima. It’s about a two hour and 30 minute drive from Olympia.
The festival is scheduled for May 9-11 and features multiple guided field trips, from night owling to early morning bird listening/watching. As with most festivals, there are activities suitable for all ages and interests.
It’s sponsored by the Kittitas Environmental Education Network. More information can be found at the network’s website.
The canyon is wonderful, even as a scenic drive, but in the spring you’ll want to get out of the car and experience the wildflowers and the many interesting birds of the shrub-steppe landscape.
Even if you don’t attend the festival, this is a good time to become familiar with the many walks and trails in the Yakima River Canyon area. It’s just off Interstate 90 and a drive through this canyon is interesting in any season (although a spring visit is probably the best).
Did you know that we have a Glacial Heritage Preserve here in Thurston County? It’s 1,100 acres of protected prairie and native oak woodland habitat adjacent to the Black River southwest of Littlerock. The conservation funding to purchase this preserve came from Thurston County and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The Glacial Heritage Preserve is generally not open to the public, but each year on the second Saturday of May, it is open for just a few hours on Prairie Appreciation Day.
The event runs from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and includes information booths, guided walks and a hayride. You can find out more, and get directions, by visiting the website.
At 7:30 on that same day, folks from Black Hills Audubon Society will lead a 2-plus mile birding walk at the preserve. This is a wonderful opportunity to get acquainted with our prairie birds, such as the western meadowlark, western bluebird and savannah sparrow.
It’s also a great time to see wildflowers, including vast blooms of blue camas.
George Walter is environmental program manager at the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s natural resources department; he also has a 45+ year interest in bird watching. He may be reached at george@theJOLTnews.com
Photos for this column are provided by Liam Hutcheson, a 17-year-old Olympia area birder and avid photographer.
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