WEEKEND: BirdFest schedule packed

SEQUIM — A dizzying array of birdwatching and tours will be offered at Olympic BirdFest 2013 at the Dungeness River Audubon Center, 2151 W. Hendrickson Road.

Among the events for the three-day festival are:

Today

■ 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Registrant check-in.

■ 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. — Totem Tour, $30, at the Jamestown S’Klallam tribal center in Blyn.

■ 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Birding in Sequim Bay and John Wayne Marina Trip 1, $25.

■ 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. — Nature Photography Workshop 1 Intermediate/Advanced, $40, with Stephen Cunliffe. Sold out.

■ 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. –– Endangered Waterfowl Breeding Sanctuary, $25.

A tour of Arnold and Debbie Schouten’s breeding sanctuary, which has sent waterfowl to research centers and zoos. Sold out.

■ 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Birding, Dungeness Bay and Three Crabs Trip 1, $25. One of the National Audubon Society’s “Important Bird Areas,” the mouth of the Dungeness River draws thousands of varieties of bird life.

■ 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Birding, Dungeness Spit and Recreation Area Trip 1, $25. Dungeness Spit is home to birds from both offshore and onshore habitats.

■ 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. –– First Friday Sequim Art Walk; no registration necessary. Visit art of BirdFest instructors and photographers, as well as the winning artwork of Sequim High students at venues throughout downtown.

■ 9 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. — Olympic Owl Prowl, $25. Sold out.

Saturday

■ 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. — Dawn Chorus at Railroad Bridge Park, $15. The tour goes along the lower 11 miles of the Dungeness River.

■ 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.— Registrant check-in.

■ 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. — Birding, Sequim Bay and John Wayne Marina Trip 2, $25.

■ 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. — Birding, Dungeness Bay and Three Crabs Trip 2, $25.

■ 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. — Birding, Elwha River mouth and Salt Creek County Park, $25. Take in the daily activities of coastal birds in this trip to the mouth of the Elwha River.

■ 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. — Bays and Coasts of the Olympic Peninsula, $80. Sold out.

■ 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. –– Bird Drawing Class, $25. Artist/instructor Robert Amaral teaches techniques for drawing basic bird shapes as well as complex creatures. Sold out.

■ 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Birding, Sequim Bay and John Wayne Marina 3, $25.

■ 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Birding, Dungeness Bay and Three Crabs 3, $25.

■ 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Birding, Dungeness Spit and Dungeness Recreation Area 2, $25.

■ 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Birding, Ediz Hook and Port Angeles Harbor, $25.

■ 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. — Native Art Gallery and totem carving shed at the Jamestown S’Klallam tribal complex in Blyn, open for viewing.

■ 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. — Reception, silent auction and banquet with guest speaker Jerry Freilich, research coordinator at Olympic National Park at the Jamestown Tribal Complex Community Center. Sold out.

■ 9 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. — Olympic Owl Prowl, $25. Sold out.

Sunday

■ 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. — Dawn Chorus at Railroad Bridge Park, $15.

■ 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Registrant check-in.

■ 8:30 a.m. — San Juan Islands Cruise, a three-day, two-night cruise for $600 per person double occupancy, $675 single occupancy, leaving from John Wayne Marina at 9 a.m. Register separately at www.pugetsoundexpress.com.

■ 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Protection Island Cruise, $60. Participants will take a three-hour boat ride around the Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge to view aucklets, ducks, loons, gulls and seals.

■ 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Tour of Endangered Waterfowl Breeding Sanctuary, a non-disabled-access facility, $25.

■ Noon to 4 p.m. –– Public Art Tile Project, $10. Paint a 6-inch-by-6-inch tile that will be used as part of Sequim centennial public art display, which will be completed at the end of the centennial year in November.

For more information or to register, visit www.olympicbirdfest.org or phone 360-681-4076.

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