FESTIVAL EVENTS 2012
Totem Tour
Friday, March 30, 9:00am - 11:30am
$30.00
Visit the Tribal Center of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, located on beautiful Sequim Bay, and join a guided tour of their renowned totem poles.
Tribal members will give an "up-close" view of the poles, explaining the historical figures and legends that inspired their designs.
You will learn about the "Founding Fathers" of the Jamestown Tribe, discover why the S'Klallam are called the "Strong People," and learn why the wolf is so well respected.
The numerous stories and folk tales of these carved columns will be revealed to you. The tour includes a visit to the "House of Myths," known locally as the "carving shed," where the totem poles are created.
After the tour, lunch will be provided at the Seven Cedars Casino.
Birding Sequim Bay and John Wayne Marina Trip
Various times
$25.00
Sequim Bay, one of the great, protected embayments of the North Olympic Peninsula, attracts a wonderful variety of shorebirds, alcids, gulls, and waterfowl.
Shorebirds include plovers, dowitchers, yellowlegs, several sandpipers, Whimbrels, and godwits. The bay provides great opportunities to see Rhinoceros Auklets and Marbled Murrelets.
Ducks include Barrow's Goldeneyes, Hooded Mergansers, Surf and White-winged Scoters, and Long-tailed Ducks.
Nature Photography Workshop 1 Intermediate/Advanced
Friday, March 30, 12:30pm - 4:30pm
$40.00
National award-winning wildlife photographer Stephen Cunliffe will teach ways to improve your nature photography.
Learn how to improve composition, exposure, and consistently take quality images. Stephen will analyze up to three images (in print or electronic form) for each participant.
Please bring jpeg files no larger than 3 MB each, in a dedicated folder on a USB-drive or CD. Bringing cameras is recommended, in case an outing is favorable.
In this session, Stephen Cunliffe will teach at the intermediate and advanced level. Registration is limited to 12, so please register early.
Endangered Waterfowl Breeding Sanctuary (Non-ADA facility)
Various times
$25.00
Managed by Debbie and Arnold Schouten, this licensed facility near Port Angeles raises beautiful waterfowl, many of which are used for research programs or are sent to zoos.
The facility maintains and raises 13 species of ducks commonly known as sea ducks, which are rarely seen in captivity.
These sea ducks spend most of their lives in salt water, coming to fresh water and landing only during the breeding season.
The sea duck group includes some of the most spectacular and highly specialized of all waterfowl - Harlequin and Long-tailed Ducks; and Spectacled, King and Common Eiders.
How do you raise these awesome birds? Very carefully! Come see the special techniques at work, and have an intimate experience with these birds.
Birding Dungeness Bay and Three Crabs Trip
Various times
$25.00
Dungeness Bay is a spectacular estuary at the mouth of the Dungeness River, one of the prime birding areas of the North Olympic Peninsula.
Deemed an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society, it is rich in birdlife throughout the year.
Waterfowl gather here by the thousands, including Brant, who feed on eelgrass during migration and in winter. At the right tide, shorebirds feed in easy view, along with eagles and falcons.
Birding Dungeness Spit and Recreation Area Trip
Various times
$25.00
One of the greatest sand spits in the world, Dungeness Spit juts five miles into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Part of the Dungeness NWR, the Dungeness Spit combines birds of offshore waters with birds of inshore bays.
We will scope inshore and offshore waters for loons, grebes, sea ducks, auklets, murrelets, and more. The Dungeness Recreation Area provides birds of upland rainshadow habitats, mixing thickets of forest with open grasslands and marshes.
Where else can you see Black Scoters and Red-throated Loons at the same time as Northern Harriers and Golden-crowned Sparrows?
Wine Tasting
Friday, March 30, Open House from 5:00pm through 7:30pm
$45.00
Come join us for Birdfest's inaugural tasting of wines from two of the premier wineries of the Olympic Peninsula, Camaraderie Cellars http://www.camaraderiecellars.com and Harbinger Winery http://www.harbingerwinery.com.
Delicious appetizers prepared by one our renowned local caterers will complement the wine. This presentation will be held at Camaraderie Cellars' wine-tasting facility in Port Angeles, set in Tuscan gardens, warmed with an outdoor fire pit.
Take this opportunity to support the programs of the Dungeness River Audubon Center while celebrating with finely crafted wines and food. Please register by March 23 so that we can plan for this special event. Registration is limited.
Live Raptor Presentation
7:00pm - 8:30pm
free
The Northwest Raptor Center rehabilitates injured birds and mammals, particularly eagles, hawks, and owls.
Come see some of these birds of prey and hear about the ingenious methods used by the Raptor Center to bring these majestic animals back to health.
Jaye Moore, Director of the Center, will give this free presentation at the Sequim High School Cafeteria (601 N. Sequim Ave., Sequim, WA). For a preview, click www.youtube.com.
Olympic Owl Prowl
Various times
$25.00
Venture into the foothills of the Olympic Mountains to talk to the owls. We hope to hear Western Screech Owls, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Barred Owls, and Great Horned Owls, plus maybe other night creatures.
Dr. Jerry Freilich leads the Friday trip, and Bob Boekelheide leads the Saturday trip. No guarantees, but we'll do our best to hear some tootin' and hootin'.
Dawn Chorus at Railroad Bridge Park
Various times
$15.00
Rise and shine! The lower 11 miles of the Dungeness River pass through large stands of intact riparian forests, and has been designated an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society.
Railroad Bridge Park is one of the few public accesses to this habitat, where Bald Eagles, American Dippers, and Common Mergansers cruise the rivers and Brown Creepers, vireos, warblers, and other forest birds cruise the canopy.
Join us for a lovely walk by the river.
Birding Elwha River Mouth and Salt Creek County Park
Saturday, March 31, 8:30am - 11:30am
$25.00
The Elwha River mouth is famous for superb views of gulls and waterfowl, along with a variety of other saltwater and freshwater birds.
As many as 10 species of gulls roost at the river mouth; it is the most reliable spot for Thayer's Gulls in our area during winter.
Offshore and rocky shoreline birds such as Marbled Murrelets and Black Oystercatchers are found at Salt Creek County Park. These are spectacular spots to see coastal birds in action.
Bays and Coasts of the Olympic Peninsula (all day trip)
Saturday, March 31, 8:30am - 3:30pm
$80.00
Winter resident and migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, and raptors are the focus of this all day field trip. Guided by Bob Boekelheide, the group will explore the very best coastal birding between Sequim Bay and the Elwha River.
Dress in layers, be prepared for possible rain, bring lunch, snacks, and extra water for this all-day adventure.
Nature Photography Workshop 2 Beginning/Intermediate
Saturday, March 30, 12:30pm - 4:30pm
$40.00
National award-winning wildlife photographer Hal Everett will teach ways to improve your nature photography.
Learn how to improve composition, exposure, and consistently take quality images. Hal will analyze up to three images (in print or electronic form) for each participant.
Please bring jpeg files no larger than 3 MB each, in a dedicated folder on a USB-drive or CD. Bringing cameras is recommended, in case an outing is favorable.
In this session, Hal Everett will teach at the beginning and intermediate level. Registration is limited to 12, so please register early.
Birding Ediz Hook and Port Angeles Harbor
Saturday, March 31, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
$25.00
Port Angeles Harbor is a classic northwest embayment, providing shelter inside Ediz Hook for a wide variety of diving ducks, alcids, loons, grebes, gulls, and shorebirds.
Barrow's Goldeneyes, Harlequin Ducks, Red-necked Grebes, Rhinoceros Auklets, and Pigeon Guillemots swim the harbor waters.
The harbor is full of surprises, where rarities such as Common Eider have shown up in the past.
Banquet and silent auction with guest speaker Jerry Freilich, Olympic National Park Research Coordinator, "The Importance of Birds"
Saturday, March 31, 6:30 - 8:30pm
$35.00
Please register for this event by choosing either the banquet or the vegetarian banquet
Enjoy a delicious buffet dinner from appetizer to dessert at the spectacular Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal Center on Sequim Bay.
Select a main entrée of EITHER chicken with pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and a lemon-herb beurre blanc, OR a vegetarian option, Vegetable Wellington, made with portabella, eggplant, zucchini and beer gravy.
Before the banquet, make your bids for the treasures of the silent auction.
Silent Auction
Wonderful, nature-related items ... items for birders, private guided trips, bird-related arts and crafts, gift baskets, and items from our Dungeness River Audubon Center gift shop will be offered in a silent auction.
Items will be on display first at the Dungeness River Audubon Center starting March 28. Final bidding will occur at the banquet. Winning bidders who do not attend the banquet will be contacted.
Speaker Dr. Jerry Freilich will address "The Importance of Birds." Jerry is a delightful speaker, sure to make you think and laugh.
Since 2002, Jerry has held the position of Research Coordinator at Olympic National Park, where his duties include managing the park's scientific research and communicating science results.
Jerry earned his masters degree from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Georgia. His Ph.D. dissertation covered the movements of stoneflies in Pacific Creek at Grand Teton NP, which he did by gluing tiny numbered tags on 2000 individual stoneflies (Don't try this at home!).
Jerry spent five years as a seasonal National Park naturalist, eventually becoming park ecologist at Joshua Tree National Park, where he concentrated on desert tortoises and wildlife/recreation issues.
He was science director at the Wyoming Nature Conservancy for four years and staff ecologist for the Wyoming Outdoor Council for an additional two years, before moving to Olympic NP.
Protection Island Cruise 1
Various times
$60.00
This 3-hour boat trip aboard the M/V Olympus will cruise around Protection Island, a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge.
Marine birds and mammals will be the targets of this trip, and we should see Rhinoceros Auklets, Long-tailed Ducks, Common Murres, loons, cormorants, gulls, harbor seals, and possibly porpoises, elephant seals, and sea lions.
The Olympus is an enclosed, comfortable boat (although the best wildlife viewing is done out in the weather), and snacks and beverages are available for a small price.
This trip is limited to 30 persons and will probably sell out rapidly, so get your reservations early.
San Juan Islands Cruise
Sunday, April 1 through Tuesday, April 3
$600 per person double occupancy, $675 single occupancy
Register separately at
www.pugetsoundexpress.com/whale-watching-and-wildlife-tours/audubon
Join us for a three-day, two-night nature cruise to the spectacular San Juan Archipelago on the M/V Glacier Spirit with naturalist Bob Boekelheide.
Whales, porpoises, seals, and a myriad of sea birds await us. We depart from John Wayne Marina in Sequim at 9 AM on Sunday morning, April 1, stay two nights at historic Roche Harbor Resort, tour San Juan Island National Historical Park, visit Sucia Island (a WA State Marine Park), and cruise through Deception Pass on our way home.
Cruise package includes all lodging, transportation, and breakfasts and lunches. Don't miss it!
The Olympic BirdFest is a partnership of the Olympic
Peninsula Audubon Society, Dungeness River Audubon Center and Jamestown S'Klallam
Tribe. Proceeds from this festival help support the educational programs of the Dungeness River Audubon Center.
Click Here to Register
For more information, call 360-681-4076, or email:
info@olympicbirdfest.org
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