Wings Over Willapa Festival

Schedule of Events:

8:00 - 11:00am: Leadbetter Adventure

Journey along with staff of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge for an exciting trip to the outermost tip of the Long Beach Peninsula, Leadbetter Point! This wild place with limited human access results in a sanctuary for wildlife, rare plants, and hundreds of bird species, including the federally threatened western snowy plover and streaked horned lark. Bald eagles and peregrine falcons are often seen. Fall migration also brings shorebirds to estuaries and sandy beaches. The guided tour includes information about the local ecology and ongoing habitat restoration activities by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

-Participants will ride in festival provided 4WD vehicles.
-Participants must be able to walk in loose beach sand and uneven terrain for short distances.

Location: Oysterville Road Beach Approach in Ocean Park

8:00 - 10:00am: Meet the Giants of Teal Slough

This forested slope at the northern tip of the Bear River Ridge in the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge protects a handful of giant trees that were spared from the saw.  Massive in girth and height, these giants provide habitat for marbled murrelets.  Join refuge staff on a walk to learn more about these incredible trees and listen and look for birds along the way.

-The trail is 0.5-mile with slight elevation gain and a natural surface.
-Due to limited parking at the trailhead, meet in the parking lot at Cutthroat Creek.
-Participants will ride in vehicles provided by the refuge.

Location: Willapa NWR - Cutthroat Creek, located north of mile marker 24 on Highway 101

8:00 - 10:00am: Look, It's a Loon!

Join Cindy McCormack for a guided walk to look for and learn about the birds of our nearshore ocean and sandy shoreline. Loons, grebes, gulls, and shorebirds are often seen on this trip. The two-hour bird walk starting with a short walk on the beach to scan the horizon for a variety of ocean loving birds. Then you’ll hop back into your cars and migrate over to the northern-most Leadbetter Point parking area on Stackpole Road. The hike will continue on Bay Loop Trail on Willapa National Wildlife Refuge which provides viewing opportunities for shorebirds, waterfowl, and songbirds along the shoreline through a shore pine forest.

Cindy is a monitoring biologist for Columbia Land Trust and spends much of her free time outdoors. Her previous experience includes other wildlife and botanical fieldwork in the Pacific Northwest. She leads field trips and bird walks for Vancouver Audubon and Washington Ornithological Society, serves on the Washington Bird Records Committee, and volunteers as a eBird regional reviewer.

-Washington State Discover Pass required.
-Trail difficulty is rated as easy. Participants should be prepared to walk up to 1.5 miles on both wet and loose sand and a natural surface nature trail.
-Bring binoculars if you have them for the best experience.

Location: Oysterville Road Beach Approach in Ocean Park

8:00 - 10:00am: Good Morning Birds

Join Sarah Swanson and Max Smith for an early morning walk to look for and listen to birds of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. During this 2+ mile stroll along Tarlatt Slough and South Bay trails you’ll visit three different habitats including forest, estuary, and grassy meadow. Songbirds, shorebirds, ducks, and birds of prey are most likely to be encountered. Highlights are bald eagle, great blue heron, western sandpiper, cedar waxwing, spotted towhee, and pacific wren.

Sarah cares deeply about the conservation of birds and their habitats and has pursued this passion as an author of bird books, an environmental educator, and a fundraiser and event manager for conservation nonprofits. Sarah’s most recent books are: Best Little Book of Birds: the Oregon Coast and Best Little Book of Birds: the Cascade Range and Columbia Gorge. Max is an ecologist working for the Rocky Mountain Research Station on projects related to water and wildlife in the western U.S. He loves birding with Sarah, especially at the coast and in central Oregon.

-This walk will be at a slower pace, the trail is rated as easy to moderate.
-Participants must be able to walk for two miles on a trail that ranges from gravel to natural surface.
-Bring binoculars if you have them for the best experience.

Location: Willapa NWR - Tarlatt Slough, South Bay Trails, end of 95th Street, Long Beach

9:00am - 11:00am: White-tails and Red-tails

Hike with refuge manager Jake Bonello at the Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-tailed Deer. Our sister refuge offers a chance to see unique habitat and wildlife along the lower Columbia River. Jake is an avid birder and photographer and will share stories about the refuge as you walk three miles along a trail rated as easy. The trip will take you along a corridor of open water, intertidal wetlands, lowland forest, and open pastures that offer the opportunity to see the threatened Columbian white-tailed deer and many species of migrating birds such as cackling geese, shorebirds, and birds of prey.

-The Julia Butler Hansen refuge is about a one-hour drive east from the city of Long Beach,
-WA Trail difficulty is rated as easy. Participants should be prepared to walk up to 2 miles on gravel.

Location: Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-tailed Deer. 46 Steamboat Slough Road. White-tail trail parking lot. Trailhead is 2 miles NE of the refuge office along Steamboat Slough Road.

10am - 1:00pm: Bird Baths with Clay

Learn hand building techniques to create your own Bird Bath or Pollinator Dish out of clay! Working with clay is a great way to connect with yourself, exploring your creativity and focusing your attention to the task at hand. This is a fun-filled class, and no experience is necessary! Ages 14+ solo, and ages 10-13 with an adult. Participants will create a bird bath or pollinator dish during the class, then it will be fired and glazed by the studio. Items will be available for pick-up approximately 2-3 weeks after event.

Location: Ilwaco Artworks, 109 First Ave N, Ilwaco

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