Olympic Birdfest

The North Olympic Peninsula, a strip of coastlines and forests between million-acre Olympic National Park and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, is widely known as a great place for bird watching. The April dates of Olympic BirdFest are timed to overlap wintering birds, such as Harlequin and Long-tailed Ducks, songbirds, and seabirds with spring migration. Rufous Hummingbirds arrive in this area from Mexico with the blooming of wild red-flowering currants in early April.

Field trips are planned for Sequim Bay, Port Angeles Harbor, Dungeness Bay, Ediz Hook, Dungeness Spit, and the Elwha River, as well as trips through wooded areas and fields to view songbirds.

Two cruises around Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge are available on Sunday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

In addition to the field trips, birders may participate in presentations, workshops, and a banquet with a speaker and raffle. 

Sequim is the ancestral home of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe (a partner of the non-profit Dungeness River Nature Center). Their Tribal headquarters are at the head of Sequim Bay at Blyn. A tour explaining traditional Northwest Coast totemic art (totem poles, masks, and signage) at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center and their Seven Cedars Resort properties will also be offered. See https://library.jamestowntribe.org/home for more information about the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, including Zoom presentations on numerous topics.

Banquet & Keynote Speaker
Saturday, April 13, 2024 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Location: Dungeness River Nature Center – Rainshadow Hall
Doors open at 5:30 PM
Price: $75 (casual dress)

Enjoy a delicious buffet dinner, from appetizer to dessert, at Dungeness River Nature Center’s Rainshadow Hall. 

Kokopelli Grill will cater the event again this year, providing entree options of Salmon Filet with an ancho light butter or Pasta La Casa in a luscious cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes.  Both will be served with generous helpings of accompanying sides.

Please register for this event by choosing either the salmon option or vegetarian option. 

This event always sells out so register early to save your seat. Limited to 100.

2024 Saturday Night’s Banquet Speakers: John Gussman, Loni Grinnell-Greninger, Tim McNulty: John, Loni, and Tim will share stories, excerpts, and images from their new book, Salmon Cedar Rock and Rain: Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. A truly collaborative project from Mountaineers Books, Salmon, Cedar, Rock & Rain is a celebration of the remarkable Olympic Peninsula, its wild birds and animals, and the peoples who for untold centuries have called it home. The authors will share personal perspectives on the Peninsula’s natural, cultural and conservation history combined with readings and a sampling of the gorgeous photographs, up on the big screen, which bring the Olympic Peninsula to life.

The Olympic BirdFest is a partnership of the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, Dungeness River Nature Center and Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. Proceeds from this festival help support the educational programs of the Dungeness River Nature Center.