Grays Harbor Shorebird and Nature Festival

Plan to attend the next festival: May 1 - 3, 2026.

2026 Shorebird and Nature Festival

Marketplace

Best Viewing Times

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Friday Keynote Speaker:
    Robert Steelquist

The Sandhill Cranes of the Washington Coast, presents an intimate look at the smallest population of sandhill cranes of the Pacific Flyway—the so-called “Canadian” or “coastal” sandhill cranes. With both close observation and an expansive geographic scope, the presentation documents the geophylogeny, range, diet, physical characteristics, and draws from recent genetic studies on these birds.

Photographer and writer Robert Steelquist shares his close encounters with the coastal cranes breeding in remote islands of British Columbia and Alaska, and wintering habitats in California and the Lower Columbia River. He shares his belief that the relationship between humans and cranes—shaped over thousands of years—is at a critical turning point due to climate change and habitat loss.

Robert Steelquist is a writer, photographer, and educator based on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. He is author of 13 books of Pacific Northwest natural history. His most recent book is The Northwest Coastal Explorer (Timber Press, 2016).
His presentation, The Sandhill Cranes of the Washington Coast, represents over six years’ effort, traveling to the extreme ends of these birds’ migratory ranges, encountering them in spring and fall migrations and in their southern wintering and northern summer breeding ranges. In the process, he’s taken over 6,000 images, capturing Pacific Flyway sandhill cranes in nearly all aspects of their life history.

Mr. Steelquist spent his career serving in state and federal environment organizations including the US National Park Service, NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and has served on boards of directors of numerous nonprofit conservation organizations. He holds a Master of Environmental Studies degree from The Evergreen State College

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Major Speaker: John Prucich
(John the Falconer)

John Prucich:
The Falconer is owned and operated by John Prucich. John spoke at our 2025 Festival and is back by popular demand. John's professional and personal background is anchored in the field of birds. A dual BS/BA degree in Biology with an emphasis in ornithology from The Evergreen State College. As well as a
previous professional background working with zoo birds of prey with Woodland Park Zoo, and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. Personally, John has been an active licensed falconer since 2010 and is a master falconer with an eagle endorsement in Washington State. He holds a federal raptor propagation permit as well. He is an avid birder and his favorite species is the American Dipper. Mr. Prucich started "The Falconer" in 2015
out of his love of falconry, raptors, conservation, and his desire to share that love with the public through education.

Festival Registration for 2026 - is now open

Registration Form is Here

Registration is online and will require the use of a credit card to complete.
The registration site may ask for an outside donation for the use of the vendor's services. This donation does not go towards our festival and there is no requirement to make a donation to purchase tickets. You may change the amount they suggest to whatever you may wish to donate.

There is a line for donating specifically to Grays Harbor Audubon Society, the local sponsors of the festival.

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Saturday Dinner Speaker:
   Allison Anholt

Allison Anholt is the Coastal Birds Lead Biologist for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. She also served as the Coastal Community Science Biologist for Bird Alliance of Oregon for three years, where she managed community science monitoring projects for coastal birds on Oregon’s North Coast, including Western Snowy Plovers, Black Oystercatchers, and local seabirds. Before her return to the Pacific Northwest, Allison worked at the intersection of coastal wildlife conservation and community science in the Aleutian Islands, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Florida Everglades, and some of the busiest beaches in the country in Cape May, New Jersey. She holds an M.S. in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University, a B.S. in Law and Policy from The College of New Jersey, and is currently finishing her Ph.D. working with First Nations fisheries on issues of seabird bycatch in Arctic Canada.

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Sessions & Guided Walks

Beginner Class: "Legs, Bill, and Behavior - Cracking the Shorebird Code", David Slater, Saturday May 2, 2026, at 12 -1 pm at the Hoquiam Middle School (arrive early to ensure seating). Free

Guided Walk with David Slater: Shorebirds for Beginners, Saturday, May 2, 2026,1:30 - 4 pm. Meet at the Sandpiper Trail. Free
Shorebirds can look like a blur of brown at first—but no experience is needed to start making sense of them. In this fun, easygoing class, we will learn how leg length, bill shape, and feeding behavior help identify common shorebirds. After the class, a bus will take students to the nearby Sandpiper Trail for a guided field trip.

Dave holds an M.S. in zoology and has spent decades presenting to community groups and leading nature-based field trips. He creates a welcoming environment where everyone can help find and identify what is being seen.  

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Shorebirds for Beginners 
Session Speakers: Christopher Lang, Jennifer Lang, and Teal Waterstrat 
Sunday, May 3, 12 pm - 1 pm 
              
Guided Walk: Shorebird Identification Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge,
1:30 pm - 4 pm, Meet at Sandpiper Trail. Bring scopes and binoculars, if you have them.
Guides: Christopher Lang, Jennifer Lang, and Teal Waterstrat , Free
This introductory session offers an overview of the shorebirds that migrate through Grays Harbor each spring and winter. Participants will learn how to recognize common species by focusing on size, shape, behavior, and habitat (and tackle some details of breeding plumage). We’ll share why Grays Harbor is one of the most important stopover sites on the Pacific Flyway, highlight the incredible long‑distance migrations of these charismatic birds, and discuss simple tools and tricks to build confidence in identifying birds in the field.
 
Following the presentation, you are invited to take a guided walk along the Sandpiper Trail to practice observation skills and experience the spectacle of the migration firsthand. Be prepared for PNW cool wet weather and bring your binoculars or borrow a pair.  A thermos of tea, cocoa, or coffee is a great addition too!
 
Christopher Lang is a biologist at the USFWS and NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service completing ESA consultations for WSDOT statewide transportation projects. He is a life-long birder and has 15 years of experience relocating native raptors and conducting invasive species management for the protection of native and endangered species with the Department of Agriculture.  

Jennifer Lang is a biologist at the USFWS and NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service completing ESA consultations for WSDOT Local Programs transportation projects. She is a life-long birder and spent two years working as the Conservation Science Coordinator at Seattle Audubon, now Birds Connect Seattle. There, she trained volunteers and managed community science projects such as the Puget Sound Seabird Survey, Neighborhood Bird Survey, and Christmas Bird Count. Her past experience includes several seasons as an avian monitoring technician for various species from piping plovers and Atlantic puffins on the east coast, to Oregon vesper sparrows and streaked horned larks here in Washington. Shorebirds have always held a special place in Jenn’s heart and she is excited to talk about them with you today.

Teal Waterstrat currently works for the USFWS as the Coastal Program's State Coordinator,  partnering to restore shorelines, beaches, and watersheds in Western Washington.  Before the coming to the USFWS he completed an undergraduate at UW and a Masters at The Evergreen State College.  Professionally he has worked on everything from pollock, to trees, to flowers, to frogs, to snails.  He, like shorebirds cannot seem to keep his feet dry, and is always on the lookout for something tasty from the beaches, bays, and sea.  Shorebirds and other eastern pacific migratory species are inspiration to him as they tie together people, places, and ideas across a huge geography reminding us all to work together to accomplish big things.