Community Clicks
Hummingbird sips from a feeder. Photo by Kathy Becker
Locals and tourists alike agree the Sequim-Dungeness Valley is an amazing place to live and visit.
This sentiment extends to the thousands of resident and migratory birds who take advantage of the area’s unique and diverse habitat.
The coastal waterways, which include protected sanctuaries, refuges and nesting grounds, provide a place for sea birds to thrive.
The dense forests, many of which rest on protected lands, provide a home for a variety owl species and other birds.
The Dungeness River, ponds and wetlands provide a place for herons, ducks and other freshwater-
dependent birds.
During Olympic Peninsula BirdFest, held April 9 to April 11, people will have a chance to learn more about a variety of bird populations that call the valley home.
BirdFest combines dozens of educational lectures and presentations, field trips to prime birding locations and cruises to islands that play host to an astounding number of sea birds.
“BirdFest is a wonderful way for Sequim residents to learn more about local birds and their habitats,” said Bob Boekelheide, director of the Dungeness River Audubon Center in Railroad Bridge Park.
“People can learn the best spots to view birds and go on a field trip lead by local birders who can share facts about birds, other wildlife and plants.
“BirdFest is a celebration of the special spot we have here and the birds who share it with us.”
Boekelheide said BirdFest participants are in for a special treat this year thanks to an unseasonably warm winter and early spring-like weather.
“BirdFest is a week later this year because of Easter and some of the migratory birds are arriving earlier than normal,” he said.
“We have already had numerous sightings of rufous hummingbirds, western bluebirds, band-tailed pigeons, white-crowned sparrows and savannah sparrows. BirdFest attendees could be in for some exciting sightings.”
Boekelheide said the three-day event will bring hundreds of birding enthusiasts to the Sequim area.
“Sequim has a wonderful reputation for great birding,” he said.
“Our area leads bird counts throughout the state and people from as far away as Michigan have signed up to attend the festival.”
The festival is presented by the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, which donates proceeds from the event to the Dungeness River Audubon Center to continue educational programs for area residents.
“One of the great things about the festival is that you do not have to be a birding expert to enjoy the lectures, presentations, cruises and field trips,” Boekelheide said.
People can stop by “Bird Central,” the Dungeness River Audubon Center, 2151 Hendrickson Road, at any time during the festival to learn more about birding opportunities.
Boekelheide suggests people register for lectures, field trips and cruises early because many have filled up before the start of the event.
Registration fees for various activities varies from $15 for festival admission to $650 for a three-day cruise to the San Juan Islands.
Highlights of the event include a presentation, “Live Raptors!” by Jaye Moore of the Northwest Raptor Center, in the Sequim Middle School cafeteria, 301 W. Hendrickson Road. This event is free and open to the public.
Another free activity will be a silent auction. The auction will open to bids Monday, April 5 at the river center and conclude during the salmon banquet at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center on Saturday, April 10.
People who enjoy the raptor presentation can sign up to tour the Raptor Center to learn more about how injured birds of prey and other wild animals are rehabilitated. A fee applies for this tour.
Cruises to Protection Island to view sea birds, harbor and elephant seals and other wildlife are always a favorite activity, Boekelheide said.
Another popular field trip will be to an endangered waterfowl breeding sanctuary which maintains and raises 13 species of ducks commonly known as sea ducks, which are rarely seen in captivity.
“We encourage anyone who enjoys birds to participate in the festival,” Boekelheide said.
For detailed information about the festival, visit www.olympicbirdfest.org or phone 360-681-4076.
BIRDFEST OVERVIEW
FRIDAY, April 9
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Registration: pick up registration materials at the Dungeness River Audubon Center, 2151 Hendrickson Road.
All day — Displays and silent auction items at “Bird Central,” the river center.
1 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Afternoon field trips.
7 p.m. – 8:30 pm — “Live Raptors!” evening presentation by the Northwest Raptor Center in the Sequim Middle School cafeteria, 301 W. Hendrickson Road.
SATURDAY, April 10
6 a.m. — 7:30 a.m. — Dawn chorus on the Dungeness River, registration required.
7 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Registration: pick up registration materials at the Dungeness River Audubon Center.
8:30 a.m. — 11:30 a.m. — Morning field trips (meeting locations and maps will be given to participants with registration).
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. — All-day field trips.
All morning — Displays and silent auction items at “Bird Central,” which is the Dungeness River Audubon Center.
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Lunch break (on your own).
12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. — Photography workshop.
1 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Afternoon field trips.
All afternoon — Displays at “Bird Central.”
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. — Visit gift shop, carving shed, and silent auction at Jamestown S’Klallam tribal facilities before banquet.
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. — Silent auction and banquet at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center. Featured Speaker: Dr. John Marzluff, “In the Company of Crows and Ravens.”
9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. — Owl Prowl.
SUNDAY, April 11
6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. — Dawn chorus on the Dungeness River, registration required.
7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Registration: pick up registration materials at the Dungeness River Audubon Center.
9 a.m. — Departure from John Wayne Marina for San Juan Islands cruise. Advance payment and registration required, visit www.olympicpeninsulaaudubon.org for details.
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Protection Island boat trip from John Wayne Marina.
9:30 a.m. to noon — Endangered waterfowl breeding sanctuary tour.
11 a.m. to noon — Northwest Raptor Center tour.
1 p.m. to 2 p.m. — Northwest Raptor Center tour.
1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. — Protection Island boat trip from John Wayne Marina.
SPECIAL EVENTS
LIVE RAPTOR PRESENTATION
Jaye Moore, director of the Northwest Raptor Center, will give a presentation in the Sequim Middle School cafeteria, 301 W. Hendrickson Road, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 9.
This event is free and open to the public.
Attendees will have a chance to view some of the birds of prey the center rehabilitates and learn about the methods used to bring these majestic animals back to health.
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
In a four-hour session designed for both beginning and advanced photographers, award-winning wildlife photographers Ken and Mary Campbell will teach ways to improve your nature photography.
The workshop will take place between 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 10.
Cost is $35 per person.
Participants will learn how to use camera functions and lens options to improve composition and exposure to consistently take quality images.
The Campbells will analyze up to four images (in print or electronic form) for each participant.
The workshop includes both classroom and field time.
A portion of the proceeds of the workshop will be donated to the Northwest Raptor Center.
Registration is limited to 10 people, so register early.
PROTECTION ISLAND BOAT TRIPS
This three-hour boat trip aboard the MV Olympas will cruise out of John Wayne Marina and around Protection Island, which is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge.
Attendees should see rhinoceros auklets, long-tailed ducks, loons, cormorants, gulls, common murres, harbor seals and possibly an elephant seal or sea lion.
The MV Olympas is an enclosed boat (although the best wildlife viewing is done out in the weather).
Cost is $55 per person. Trips will take from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 11.
This trip is limited to 29 people per trip and will probably sell out rapidly, so reserve your seat early.
SAN JUAN ISLANDS CRUISE
A three-day, two-night birding cruise of the spectacular San Juan Archipelago.
Participants depart John Wayne Marina aboard the MV Glacier Spirit at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 11, in search of whales, porpoises, seals and a myriad of sea birds.
Participants will rest overnight at the historic Roche Harbor Resort, visit such ports of call as Friday Harbor and Sucia Island and cruise through Deception Pass on the way home.
Cost is $575 double occupancy and $650 single occupancy.
For details, visit www.olympicpeninsulaaudubon.org.
SILENT AUCTION & SALMON BANQUET
SILENT AUCTION
The auction will feature nature-related items, birding items, award-winning bird portraits, private guided trips, bird-related arts and crafts, gift baskets and items from the Dungeness River Audubon Center gift shop.
Items will be on display first at the Dungeness River Audubon Center, 2151 Hendrickson Road, starting Monday, April 5.
Final bidding will occur at the Salmon Banquet at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center on Saturday, April 10.
Winning bidders not in attendance at the banquet will be contacted.
SATURDAY NIGHT SALMON BANQUET
Watch your salmon being baked in the tradition of the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe with the beauty of a Sequim Bay sunset on the horizon.
Locally grown, organic foods from the Sequim-Dungeness Valley will complement the salmon.
Before the banquet, enjoy the native art gallery, carving shed and make bids for the treasures of the silent auction.
Banquet tickets cost $30 per person.
Note: The tribal center is a nonalcoholic campus.
ABOUT BANQUET SPEAKER DR. JOHN M. MARZLUFF
John M. Marzluff is professor of wildlife science at the University of Washington.
His graduate and post-doctoral research focused on the social behavior and ecology of jays and ravens.
He was especially interested in communication, social organization and foraging behavior.
His current research brings this behavioral approach to conservation issues including raptor management, assessment of nest predation and management of pest species.
His recent book, In the Company of Crows and
Ravens, blends biology, conservation and anthropology to suggest that human and crow cultures have co-evolved.
This book won the 2006 Washington State Book Award for general nonfiction.
Marzluff has led studies on the effects of timber harvest, recreation and forest fragmentation on goshawks and marbled murrelets in western Washington and Oregon and the effects of urbanization on songbirds in the Seattle area.
He is a leader of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Recovery Team for the critically endangered Mariana crow, a member of the Washington Biodiversity Council and a fellow of the American Ornithologist’s Union.
