| 
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 14th Annual Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival
will be held on the weekend of April 24 - 26 in Hoquiam, Washington with headquarters at Hoquiam High School.
Dr. Dan Varland will be the Keynote Speaker
on Friday evening. His talk is entitled Raptors of the Washington Coast. Dan is a wildlife biologist with Rayonier and since 1995 he has been monitoring raptors along the Washington Coast. Click here
for more information on the speaker.
Click
here to download the detailed list of birds seen on the 2008 Field
Trips.
You may also want to refer
to the Shorebird Sightings! webpage
for ongoing surveys taken at Grays Harbor NWR by Refuge wildlife
biologist, Marian Bailey.
Grays Harbor Audubon Society,
Grays Harbor National
Wildlife Refuge, and the City
of Hoquiam work with a host of other local sponsors to bring
you the Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival. This event is timed to match
the annual migration of hundreds of thousands of shorebirds as they
pause at the Grays Harbor estuary to feed and rest before departing
for their nesting grounds in the Arctic.
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.
A portion of revenues in excess of festival expenses helps to fund
education programs and scientific research at Grays
Harbor National Wildlife Refuge and helps pay for continuation
of construction of the boardwalk, benches and interpretive signage.
Best
Shorebird Viewing Times
At Grays Harbor NWR, shorebirds can be viewed
best during the period about 2 hours before to 2 hours after high
tide. During high tide, birds are closer and more concentrated for
better viewing. The peak in migration typically occurs the last
week in April.
NOTE:
Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge is open from sunrise to sunset.
Click
here to see a detailed schedule of the Best Shorebird Viewing Times
of Spring 2009!! |
