Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival

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. For full information about festival events and how to register for them, see www.shorebirdfestival.com. You can also find a link to Grays Harbor tide times there.

On Friday, until 3 p.m., events start or are located at the Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge Office on Airport Way. On Friday starting at 4 p.m., then all day Saturday and Sunday, the Festival Headquarters is at Hoquiam Middle School, 200 N. Spencer St., Hoquiam. From Aberdeen, follow US 101 to Hoquiam. Stay in the left lane onto Highway 109 (Ocean Shores Hwy.), this is also Emerson Ave. Hoquiam Middle School is on the right 1.1 miles from that intersection. Park in the school lot. Maps can be found here.