The Shorebird Festival is typically held at the Refuge during the last weekend in April, but the exact timing each year depends on tides. During this time, hundreds of thousands of shorebirds stop to rest and feed in the Grays Harbor estuary during their migration along the Washington Coast and 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! The concentration of birds during spring migration offers people a great chance to view a number of shorebird species. With luck you will also see the birds fly together in beautiful formation “murmurations” while trying to escape a Peregrine Falcon. You can expect to see large numbers of Western Sandpiper, Dunlin, Short-billed and Long-billed Dowitchers, and Semipalmated Plover, as well as Black-bellied Plover, Red Knot and Least Sandpiper. Western Sandpipers and Dunlin compose 80 percent of the shorebirds present in the Spring. The best times to see shorebirds from the Sandpiper Trail are approximately three hours before and after high tide. More info: Grays Harbor Shorebird and Nature Festival (shorebirdfestival.com) and TIDES (Grays Harbor) and Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge (fws.gov)
You might also like: Bird Watching in the Puget Sound region (greaterseattleonthecheap.com)
