Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival

One of my favorite events - it's mind blowing to see so many birds at once...

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EACH SPRING, hundreds of thousands of shorebirds stop to rest and feed in Grays Harbor estuary on their migration northward. Coming from as far south as Argentina, these Arctic-bound shorebirds are among the world's greatest migrants. Some birds travel over 15,000 miles round trip! Tens of thousands of shorebirds feed on the open mudflats in the estuary. This concentration of birds offers people a great chance to view a number of shorebird species, and with luck, to see the birds fly together in beautiful formations while trying to escape the fastest creature on earth, the Peregrine Falcon.

The 11th Annual Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival will be held on the weekend of April 28-30, 2006 in Hoquiam, Washington with headquarters at Hoquiam High School. The keynote speaker at the banquet on Saturday night will be Dr. Stephen W. Kress, Vice President of Bird Conservation for the National Audubon Society and manager of the Society's Maine Coast Seabird Sanctuaries. Included activities are guided field trips, fun fair for kids, live auction at the banquet, lectures, book signing by authors, poster contest in elementary schools, and lots more.

This wildlife spectacle happens every year at Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge and other parts of Grays Harbor County. People from around the world come to view this event of hemispheric importance. The Shorebird Festival works to bring people together for this incredible natural phenomenon.

To learn more please visit Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival