Shorebird Festival Returns to Southern Oregon Coast in September

Published 07/15/2015 at 4:04 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Charleston, Oregon) - Tens of thousands of shorebirds migrate along the Oregon coast in the fall, using beaches and estuaries as stopover habitat to feed and ready themselves for the journey south. When Peter Matthiessen wrote in The Wind Birds that “the restlessness of shorebirds, their kinship with the distance and swift seasons, the wistful signal of their voices down the long coastlines of the world make them, for me, the most affecting of wild creatures,” it helped inspire several naturalist groups. Now, they have jointed together again this year to celebrate the birds' return with the 29th Annual Oregon Shorebird Festival, held September 4-6 in Charleston, on the southern Oregon coast.

During expertly guided trips to Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, visitors will have an excellent opportunity to see teeming flocks of shorebirds comprising Western and Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Long-billed Dowitcher, Semipalmated Plover, and Black-bellied Plover. Rocky intertidal habitat along Bandon’s South Jetty draws the likes of Black Turnstone, Wandering Tattler, Surfbird, and Black Oystercatcher, while open stretches of sandy beach harbor Western Snowy Plover. Additionally, a five-hour pelagic trip will provide birders the chance to see a variety of seabirds, from albatrosses and jaegers to shearwaters and phalaropes.

On Friday night, look forward to a talk and exhibit from the Washed Ashore Project, a non-profit, community-based organization with a mission of educating and creating awareness about marine debris and plastic pollution through art. Saturday’s presentation features Dr. Daniel Roby, professor of wildlife ecology at Oregon State University’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, who will speak about Double-crested Cormorant ecology and management in the Columbia River estuary.

Just as last year, the Oregon Shorebird Festival aptly falls on World Shorebirds Day, a national effort aimed at raising global awareness of the need for the protection of shorebird populations, nearly half of which are in decline.

Pack up your binoculars and join the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Oregon Birding Association, the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve and more for a weekend of birding fun and adventure. For a full schedule of events or to register visit the Oregon Shorebird Festival website - found here.:

More Oregon coast birds below:

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted