Puget Sound Birdfest

Puget Sound Birdfest in Edmonds, Washington is an annual fall celebration of birds and nature found on the beautiful shores of Puget Sound. The three-day event includes speakers, guided walks, land and water-based field trips, exhibits, and educational activities for children and adults. Plan to spend the weekend in Edmonds, birding and meeting other birders, naturalists, photographers, and people engaged in fascinating bird research projects.

The keynote speaker this year will be Kevin Ebi, whose book Year of the Eagle tells the story of how an eagle family works together to pass on essential life skills to their young. Through a collection of stunning imagery and masterful storytelling, Kevin will share how the eaglets develop and learn to fly, survive their first winter in the upper Skagit, and learn to hunt in Hood Canal. Kevin will be selling and signing books following his presentation.

The festival also boasts Noah Strycker of Oregon, who in 2015 became the first human to see more than half of the planet’s bird species in a single, year-long, round-the-world birding trip. Anything could have happened, and a lot did. He was scourged by blood-sucking leeches, suffered fevers and sleep deprivation, survived airline snafus and car breakdowns and mudslides and torrential floods, skirted war zones, and had the time of his life. Birding on seven continents and carrying only a pack on his back, Strycker enlisted the enthusiastic support of local birders to list more than 6,000 species, including Adelie Penguins in Antarctica, a Harpy Eagle in Brazil, a Spoon-billed Sandpiper in Thailand, and a Green-breasted Pitta in Uganda. He shared the adventure in real time on his daily blog (audubon.org/noah) and will share more at the Bird Fest. He will kick off the all-day celebration on Saturday starting at 10:45am in the Edmonds Plaza Room. Noah will also be leading field trips during the festival – details will be posted as they become available at www.pugetsoundbirdfest.com.