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| The Othello Sandhill Crane Festival began in 1998, sponsored by the Greater Othello Chamber of Commerce and the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). The Eleventh Annual Festival has many tours for crane viewing along with specialty tours. Specialty tours have included Columbia National Wildlife Refuge/Potholes area wildlife tour, Missoula Floods and the Channeled Scablands geology tour, Sage Grouse Lek tour, Lower Grand Coulee birding tour and Wahluke Slope/Shrub Steppe birding tour. With admission price into the Festival on Saturday, you may attend free lectures which are repeated throughout the day. Lectures given in the past have included falconry, Missoula Floods and the Channeled Scablands, Woodland Park Zoo, Grouse of Washington, Othello History within the Drumheller Channeled Scablands, Shrub-Steppe Flora and Fauna, Owls of Eastern Washington and Spring Migration in the Columbia Basin. For information, go to www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org |
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 information, go to www.shorebirdfestival.com. |
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The Leavenworth, Washington area features spectacular
habitats, ranging from snow-capped mountains to sunny Ponderosa
pine forests, attracting a wide variety of birds. See Calliope
Hummingbirds, White-headed Woodpeckers, Harlequin Ducks,
Osprey, Western Tanagers and MacGillivray's Warblers. While
birding is the heart of the weekend, activities will also
include geology, wildflowers and conservation. Professionally
guided trips and activities range from leisurely strolls to
active hikes. Fun for experienced and novice birders of all
ages! For information, go to www.leavenworthspringbirdfest.com. |