April 10-13, 2025
Registration will go live on January 1, 2025
Welcome to 2025 BirdFest!
BirdFest offers a major birding event in the wild and untamed Olympic Peninsula, hosted at the new facility of the Dungeness River Nature Center. The North Olympic Peninsula comprises a strip of coastlines and forests between the million-acre Olympic National Park and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The steep rise of the mountains allows birders to sample coastal, riparian, forested and montane habitats in close proximity. The Dungeness River Watershed, for example, drops from 7800 feet to the sea in only 32 miles. The central location of the Dungeness River Nature Center puts all these habitats within reach of birders.
Participants can choose to visit Neah Bay near the northwesternmost point of the continental United States in the territory of the Makah Tribe, or to walk the longest natural sand spit in the nation at Dungeness Spit, now under management by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. The Elwha River, freed in 2014 by the largest dam removal project in the United States, offers riparian birding. Other field trips will explore Sequim Bay, Port Angeles Harbor, Dungeness Bay, Ediz Hook and wooded areas and fields.
The April dates of Olympic BirdFest allow birders to catch wintering birds such as harlequin and long-tailed ducks, along with spring migrants such as the rufous hummingbirds that arrive in this area with the blooming of red-flowering currants in early April.
All proceeds from BirdFest support the Dungeness River Nature Center, helping to fund environmental education programs that connect people of all ages to the Peninsula’s ecosystems. Field trip leaders and speakers donate their time and expertise advance the River Center’s mission to inspire understanding, respect, and stewardship of the natural and cultural resources of the region.
Whether you’re a seasoned birder, a nature enthusiast, or simply curious about the diverse ecosystems of the Dungeness River Watershed, we invite you to enjoy the birds and landscapes of the North Olympic Peninsula with us!
In addition to the field trips, birders may participate in presentations, workshops and a banquet (with great food, a speaker and a raffle of birding-centric items).
Sequim is the ancestral home of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe (a partner of the non-profit Dungeness River Nature Center). Their Tribal headquarters are at the head of Sequim Bay at Blyn. A tour explaining traditional Northwest Coast totemic art (totem poles, house posts, masks, and signage) at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center and their Seven Cedars Resort properties will also be offered. For more information about the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, see https://library.jamestowntribe.org/home where you can also find pre-recorded presentations by tribal elders and leaders on the Tribe’s culture and history.
Banquet & Keynote Speaker
Saturday, April 12, 2025 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Location: Dungeness River Nature Center – Rainshadow Halll
*Doors open at 5:30 PM
Price: $75.00 (casual dress)
Enjoy a delicious buffet dinner and dessert at Dungeness River Nature Center’s Rainshadow Hall.
Kokopelli Grill will cater the event again this year, providing entree options of Salmon Filet with an ancho light butter or Pasta La Casa in a luscious cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes. Both will be served with generous helpings of accompanying sides.
Please register for this event by choosing either the salmon option or vegetarian option.
This event always sells out so register early to save your seat. Limited to 100.
2025 Saturday Night’s Banquet Speaker: PhD Candidate Rob Blenk, UC Davis
Join us for an enlightening evening with PhD Candidate Rob Blenk, a Sequim High School graduate and former River Center volunteer who has gone on to pursue a career in the field of avian conservation. Rob will share how cutting-edge technologies are transforming the way we study and protect birds in the wild. Learn more here.