Bird Fest continues through Sunday with offerings for both new and seasoned ornithologists

Posted: September 10, 2022 739
Attendees sign in at the reception table at the Frances Anderson Center gymnasium
“Hotshot” — an 18-month-old common quail (Coturnix coturnix) — drew visitors to a table where they learned about raising quail in backyards and at home.
Teddie Mower, education chair of the Pilchuck Audubon Society, explains the importance of protecting birds from striking your windows by adding simple visual cues to the glass.
Representatives from Wild Birds Unlimited brought an array of products for the home bird enthusiast who want to attract wild birds to their own backyards.
Snohomish County PUD representatives demonstrate measures the utility is taking to protect birds from interacting with power lines and other electrical equipment.
Despite concerns over COVID forcing the keynote address to be virtual, an estimated 100 participants showed up to hear swan biologist Martha Jordan talk about interactions between wintering waterfowl populations and agriculture in Washington.
Presenter Roniq Bartanen explained how birdwatching can become a mindful, spiritual practice.

The 2022 Puget Sound Bird Fest kicked off at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning in downtown Edmonds, with a choice of naturalist-led guided walks through several local parks designed to appeal to bird enthusiasts of all ages.

Returning from the field, participants had time for a quick cup of coffee and a visit to the exhibition hall in the Frances Anderson Center gymnasium before the keynote address by swan biologist Martha Jordan in the Edmonds Library Plaza Room.

Despite not being physically present due to concerns about COVID, Jordan gave a very effective live presentation via Zoom to an estimated 100 attendees. Titled “Washington’s Swans and Snow Geese: Connections to land use, agriculture, and dairy farms,” Jordan explored the interaction between populations of wintering waterfowl and agriculture in Washington. She focused on how changes in agriculture and land use practices will affect these populations, the agriculture business and the farmers themselves.

Other presentations explored subjects ranging from mindful birdwatching, to creating a backyard wildlife refuge, to a virtual tour of Seattle’s Montlake Fill showing how it has become an oasis of nature in the heart of the city.

Bird Fest continues through Sunday, with a day-long workshop on nature photography, several guided walks, and ending with a boat cruise to Protection Island.

For more information and to sign up for activities, visit the Bird Fest event page here.

— Story and photos by Larry Vogel

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