Annual bird festival scheduled March 31

By Ruth Lauman

The 5th Annual Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival is scheduled for Saturday, March 31 in a new location.

The event, which features birding walks, nature cruises, educational demonstrations, arts and crafts vendors, and raffle prizes begins at 9 a.m. in Blaine’s Marine Park.

This year’s festival is a day-long event centered in downtown and features birder’s nature walks with wildlife excursions to Semiahmoo, Birch Bay State Park and Lake Terrell.

New venues include something for the entire family with free kid’s games and activities, as well as art and craft vendors on Peace Portal Drive. The festival will showcase Blaine’s scenic harbor along with the area’s unique wildlife habitats setting the perfect stage for people to relax and enjoy the area’s natural resources while having fun.
Activities and events for the festival include a Friday night Wine tasting at Northern Meadows Specialty Gifts & Wine on Peace Portal & H Street from 6 to 9 p.m. with a door prize from the Washington Brant Foundation.

Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Downtown Blaine art & crafts street vendors between G & H streets on Peace Portal Drive, bake sale for breast cancer awareness, kid’s games at H Street Plaza, display from Tennant Lake Interpretive Center, and a Washington state department of fish and wildlife exhibit.

A “Migratory Maze” will be provided for kids of all ages to get their migratory passport stamped and be eligible to win a grand prize. The Plover passenger ferry will also be providing nature cruises of Drayton Harbor and Semiahmoo Bay for a cost of $5 per person. Vans will take interested persons to Lake Terrell for boat excursions into wildlife habitat for a cost of $5 per person.

Bird viewing stations will be located in Blaine Marine Park, Semiahmoo Spit and Birch Bay State Park.

At Marine Park, the Washington Brant Foundation will have a tent with decoy bird carving demos, a mounted bird display, Washington waterfowl exhibit, Wildlife art sale, and a silent and live auction at 4 p.m.
The harbormaster building on Marine Drive will have a variety of guest presentations on the Snow Goose hunt program, Trumpeter Swan mortality and other northwest Washington birding projects.
For more information, call 360/332-4544. Complete details of the festival are available at www.blainechamber.com/wow and  www.washingtonbrant.org.

For more information about the Washington Brant Foundation call 360/202-0415 or Ruth Lauman at 360/371-7277. Their website is www.washingtonbrant.org.