Learn how to attract a wide range of birds to your garden, see live raptors up close, then take a short cruise around the waters of Puget Sound to see a marbled murrelet.
Those are just some of the cool things bird fans can try at the third annual Puget Sound Bird Fest at various locations in downtown Edmonds.
It’s the ultimate celebration of local birds, starting Friday with a presentation of stunning bird photos by award-winning Northwest nature photographer Paul Bannick, and concluding the evening of May 19 with a keynote speech, “A Bird’s-Eye View of Global Warming,” by Jeff Price, an assistant professor at California State University.
This year the event has expanded to draw more people, thanks to more field trips around the region, bird-watching opportunities, seminars, a marketplace, kids activities, a new art show and, also new this year, live raptor presentations by the Sarvey Wildlife Center.
“On Wing,” a juried exhibit and silent auction, featuring work by local artists, will open Friday evening with a distinctively avian theme.
“We’ve got a lot of stuff planned,” said Sally Lider, environmental education coordinator for Edmonds Parks and Recreation. “I think we’ve connected with more people because of the art element.”
Edmonds, one of the first stops on the Audubon Society’s Great Washington State Birding Trail, is a haven for birds such as ducks, geese, grebes, cormorants, eagles, herons, killdeer, sandpipers, gulls, terns, auklets and belted kingfishers too.
“There’s been over 200 species of birds recorded throughout the year,” Lider said of Edmonds. “Some are residents and some are migrants.”
Seminar-style presentations will include topics such as “Bird Photography Basics,” “Identification of Common Backyard Birds” and “Pigeon Guillemots: Puget Sound’s Seabird Mascot,” a talk by Frances Wood, president of the Whidbey Audubon Society.
If you haven’t heard of pigeon guillemots, listen up.
Wood, who lives in Langley, expects the native, nearly all-black seabirds to become popular icons among wildlife advocates with their white wing patches and fire-engine red feet and throats.
“These birds are far more engaging than the puffins that everybody knows,” said Wood, who is leading a long-range volunteer study of the birds, which breed each spring on Puget Sound bluffs. “They are playful. They splash around in the water. They circle each other. They have a very intriguing song, kind of a high trill.”
Wood and about 30 other volunteers logged more than 220 hours watching the birds last year for their study, now in its fourth year. They’re just that interesting, said Wood, who will give her talk at 2:45 p.m. May 19.
“I really think these little birds should be our mascot,” Wood said. “It’s going to be a popular little bird down the road.”
If you go
What: Puget Sound Bird Fest will feature expert speakers, guided bird-watching field trips, live raptors, tours of backyard wildlife sanctuaries, a marketplace, an event shuttle and family-friendly activities.
When: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. May 19.
Where: Edmonds Plaza Room, Frances Anderson Center and the Edmonds Conference Center
Cost: Most programs are free, including expert speaker lectures. Some of the field trips require advanced registration and a $5 admission charge.
Information: Find detailed schedule and registration requirements at www.pugetsoundbirdfest.org or call 425-771-0227.
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