The Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival is returning to the Blaine area for its 22nd year with a full slate of activities, a birding expo and keynote speaker from Friday, March 14 through Sunday, March 16.
Festival coordinator Debbie Harger said the festival is promoted nationally with Cornell University Lab of Ornithology and attracts people from across the U.S. and Canada.
“There are a lot of people who come year after year,” Harger said. “It’s exciting that people enjoy it so much.”
The festival will officially kick off with its opening dinner and featured artist reception at Blaine Senior Center, 763 G Street, 6-9 p.m. March 14. Tickets cost $35.
The event will have a meet-and-greet with the festival’s featured artist, Forrest Chel, a Birch Bay artist whose wood burning work is inspired by nature. The evening will also have a catered dinner from G.O.A.T. Sandwiches, no-host wine and beer bar, silent auction and presentation from Amy Eberling, founder of the Salish Sea School in Anacortes.
On March 15, the main event open to the public will be a free, all-day birding expo at the Blaine Pavilion, 635 H Street, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The expo will have a vendors market, wildlife exhibits, youth activities and expert presentations. Also at the expo, Sardis Raptor Center will give live raptor presentations 10:30-11:30 a.m., 12:30-1 p.m. and 2:30-3 p.m.
The North Cascades Audubon Society will operate bird viewing stations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 15. Maps with viewing station locations will be available at the Blaine Pavilion starting at 8:30 a.m. March 15.
A birding and wildlife cruise will take festival attendees to Boundary and Semiahmoo bays from the Semiahmoo Resort Plover dock, 12:30-2:30 p.m. March 15. Tickets cost $65 each and preregistration is required. Passengers must be 12 years or older.
A new event this year, wildlife photographer Gregory Green will host “Finding the Rhythm in Nature Photography Workshop” at the Semiahmoo Resort theater from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The workshop, which costs $40, will include a field portion on Semiahmoo Spit.
Rounding out the day, author and naturalist Lyanda Lynn Haupt will give a keynote presentation on human connection to the natural world at Blaine Senior Center at 5 p.m. March 15. Haupt is a two-time winner of the Washington State Book Award and created the educational programs at the Seattle Audubon Society. Her books include “Mozart’s Starling” and “Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit.” The presentation will be free, though donations are welcome.
“She’s got a great message about inspiring us, not just about birds, but about wildlife generally in our daily lives, about how to experience that right where we are,” Harger said.
Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2, Friends of Birch Bay Library and Wild Whatcom will put on free youth activities at the bp Heron Center, 7290 Birch Bay Drive in Birch Bay State Park, on March 16. Activities will include a kid’s story time and hot chocolate from 10 a.m. to noon, and crafts and activities from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
The Blaine Arts Council will also have artists’ work featuring local birds on display at its gallery, 922 Peace Portal Drive. The Alaska Packers Association museum on Semiahmoo Spit will also be open as part of the festival. The museum is located at 9261 Semiahmoo Parkway and will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 15 and 1-5 p.m. March 16.
The festival will also have guided field trips and nature walks across White Rock, B.C., Birch Bay, and Semiahmoo Spit that have sold out.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit wingsoverwaterbirdingfestival.com.
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