GH Shorebird and Nature Festival
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  • Home
    • Contact Website Editor
  • 2025 Festival
    • 2025 Best Times
    • 2025Schedule
    • 2025Field Trips Walks
    • MarketPlace 2025
    • 2025 Bird Surveys
  • Plan Your Trip
    • Ocean Shores
    • Westport
    • Grayland
    • Tokeland
    • 2024 Bird Surveys
  • Area Information
    • CIC programs of interest
    • Local Attractions
    • Eateries
    • GH Lodgings
    • Maps
    • Shorebirdviewing
      • Shorebirds of Grays Harbor
      • Current Bird Surveys
      • Videos
  • Activities
    • Family Activities
      • Craft Activities
      • Story Maps
    • Poster Contest 2024
    • Poster Contest 2023
    • Poster Contest 2022
  • Partners and Sponsors
  • Contact us
  • Donation
303 2nd st.
San Francisco

(415) 872 - 9585

Grays Harbor Shorebird and Nature Festival

The Birds are still here in 2025 - Plan to attend the next festival: May 1 - 3, 2026.

Celebrating the natural world and the spring shorebird migration!

Picture
Photo by Dave Hayden
Locate items on our website by using this search feature ----->

As of Monday, April 21 -  8,200 shorebirds have been observed!

Most of the photos in slide show are by Rick Moyer.

Each spring, hundreds of thousands of shorebirds stop to rest and feed along the Washington Coast and in the Grays Harbor estuary during 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! 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.

Plover

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Semi-Palmated Plover - Photo by John Whitehead

Turnstone

Picture
Ruddy Turnstone - Photo by John Whitehead

Sandpiper

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Least Sandpiper - Photo by Tom Rowley

Dowitcher

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Dowitcher - Photo by Tom Rowley
Shorebird is the name given to the group of birds that are usually found along the shoreline. They include plovers, turnstones, sandpipers, dowitchers, and others. Some shorebirds can be found in Grays Harbor County all year; others only during their migration.
The shorebird spectacle happens every year at Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge and in other parts of the County. People from around the world come to view this event of hemispheric importance. The Festival works to bring people together for this incredible natural phenomenon.

Updates

Registration for Keynote Speaker, Dinner, and workshops is now open
2025 Festival Registration
Picture

John the Falconer (John Prucich) is Keynote Speaker. Maria Ruth, Rare Bird, is Dinner Speaker.
More info on 2025 Festival Page.

Sessions on Saturday and Sunday at Hoquiam Middle School are now listed on the website.
Box Lunches can be ordered from The Grizzly Den for field trips by calling their phone number (360) 537-9840. Must be ordered in advance and picked up at the food truck near the middle school. Beverages are available and sold separately. Click here for MENU.
Click here for sandwich descriptions.
Donations to the shorebird education program are necessary and gratefully received through this website.
View Facebook Videos of previous festivals.
Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge is open Sunrise to Sunset, 7 Days a week, and we invite you to enjoy our year-round trail.
Should you have questions, concerns, or comments, please contact us using the contact form on this website.
Just an FYI - the 2026 Shorebird & Nature Festival will be
May 1 - 3, 2026

May 1st high tide @ 2:16 pm (8.73 ft)
May 2nd high tide @ 2:57 pm (8.7 ft)
May 3rd high tide @ 3:38 pm (8.57 ft)
Website Updated 4-28-25 Contact Website Editor

Start planning to attend the next festival: May 1 - 3, 2026

Quick Links
Festival Videos
Contact Us
Shorebird Survey
Poster Contest Information
Tides in Grays Harbor
  at Aberdeen

Copyright © 2023 Grays Harbor Shorebird
and Nature Festival

Partner Links
Grays Harbor Audubon Society
Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge
City of Hoquiam
Grays Harbor Tourism
Greater Grays Harbor, Inc.
Coastal Interpretive Center

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  • Home
    • Contact Website Editor
  • 2025 Festival
    • 2025 Best Times
    • 2025Schedule
    • 2025Field Trips Walks
    • MarketPlace 2025
    • 2025 Bird Surveys
  • Plan Your Trip
    • Ocean Shores
    • Westport
    • Grayland
    • Tokeland
    • 2024 Bird Surveys
  • Area Information
    • CIC programs of interest
    • Local Attractions
    • Eateries
    • GH Lodgings
    • Maps
    • Shorebirdviewing
      • Shorebirds of Grays Harbor
      • Current Bird Surveys
      • Videos
  • Activities
    • Family Activities
      • Craft Activities
      • Story Maps
    • Poster Contest 2024
    • Poster Contest 2023
    • Poster Contest 2022
  • Partners and Sponsors
  • Contact us
  • Donation