Saturday, May 18
5:30am - 8:30pm
Walking Trails
Price: Free, Seats: n/a
A one-mile long year-round nature trail meanders through a variety of habitats past wildlife viewpoints and ends at the wetland overlook. 3-miles of seasonal trails circle the wetlands. Seasonal trails open May 1st.
5:30am - 10:30am
Birding with FWS – Ted Buerger
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Ted Buerger: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Since 2000, Ted has been the Manager of the Environmental Contaminants Division at the USFWS’s Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office in Portland, which is the Ecological Services program field office for Oregon. The Environmental Contaminants Division is responsible for identifying sources of pollution, investigating pollution effects on fish [...]
6:00am - 11:00am
Birding with FWS – Jeff Dillon
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Jeff Dillon Jeff is a fish and wildlife biologist who works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office in Portland, Oregon. Jeff has spent the last nine years as the recovery coordinator for most of Oregon. His job entails working on the conservation and recovery of listed and [...]
6:30am - 11:00am
Birding with FWS – David Leal
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
David Leal has been a wildlife biologist with the Federal Government for 23 years and with the FWS for 19 years, primarily reviewing project impacts on threatened and endangered birds. He has a B.S. in wildlife management from Humboldt State University and M.S. from New Mexico State University. His thesis involved bird and habitat associations [...]
7:00am - 9:00am
Early Morning Songbird Hike
Price: Free, registration required, Seats: 0
This expert-guided bird walk is a great way to learn how to identify local birds and learn about their habitats. Join Elaine Murphy, a naturalist from the Backyard Bird Shop, to explore the five different habitat types along the year-round trail. This walk is appropriate for birders of all ages and abilities. Bring your binoculars [...]
9:00am - 7:00pm
Wildlife Center and Nature’s Overlook Store
Price: Free, Seats: n/a
While you’re at the Festival, be sure to visit the Wildlife Center to view the wonderful exhibits and to shop at Nature’s Overlook store. The store is stocked with books, gifts, clothing, toys and games – all selected to help you enjoy and learn about the Refuge and its inhabitants. You will find the perfect [...]
9:00am - Noon
Canoe Launch – FULL, Registration Closed
Price: Free, registration required, Seats: n/a
SORRY, CANOE LAUNCH IS FULL, NO MORE RESERVATIONS BEING TAKEN. Celebrate the Bird Festival by paddling through the refuge with the Tualatin RiverKeepers! See the refuge from a whole new angle. What a great way to spend a leisurely Saturday morning…you never know what kind of wildlife you might see! This year the put-in point [...]
9:00am - 10:30am
Guided Nature Walk – Birding 101
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Visitors are invited to learn the basics of bird watching and nature observation during this guided walk. Steve Runnels, noted ornithologist and naturalist, will lead a hike on refuge trails in search of resident birdlife on the refuge. This program is appropriate for all skill levels. Bring your binoculars and field guides, or borrow some [...]
9:00am - 2:00pm
Wood Carver – Gene Mulkey
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Watch local artist Gene Mulkey as he carves and paints beautiful bird schulptures. Feel free to ask him questions about his work.
10:00am - 11:30am
Guided Nature Walk for Kids – Bugs & Slugs
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
The smallest creatures are the most fun to discover. Join Gary Fawver, our experienced Volunteer Environmental Educator to explore the nooks and crannies of nature…under logs, behind trees, in the mud, around shrubs, in the puddles…for a fun adventure geared towards to families with children.
10:00am - 4:00pm
Drop-In Activities for Kids
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Bring your kids—young and old—for hands-on activities and take-home crafts that will teach you more about the nature around you. Activities are fun, engaging, and spark a sense of discovery and wonder for the child in all of us. Pick up a scavenger hunt worksheet in the Discovery Classroom, find the answers, and come back [...]
10:00am - Noon
Musical Performance by Faith ‘n’ Glory
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Folk songs with a nature twist! Enjoy the fun sounds of the guitar and mandolin this duo that has been performing together for over 26 years. Inside the Wildlife Center.
10:00am - 4:00pm
Scavenger Hunt
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
The answers to your nature questions can be found on the refuge. Pick up a scavenger hunt worksheet in the Discovery Classroom, find the answers, and come back for a prize.
10:00am - 4:00pm
Pond Study – a Tiny World
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
What is that “squiggly little bug thing” in that pond? Stop by the Wetland Ponds study site and discover the small creatures that are a foundation of nature’s food webs. Wildlife such as many dragonflies, worms frogs, salamanders, and many others get their start in life in a wetland pond. Join our experts to see [...]
10:00am - 4:00pm
Build a Bee Board, Bird or Bat House
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Build a bird house that might be used by Chickadees, Nuthatches, Wrens or many more! Bats are great to have around, they eat more than their weight in mosquitos every day! Bees are the best pollinators! Build a bee board, bird or bat house to take home. We have all the materials and the tools, [...]
10:00am - 4:00pm
Migration Golf – Links to the Sea
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Migration Golf–Links to the Sea is an innovative game which depicts the life cycle of salmon. Five holes take the salmon from the hatchery through such perils as terns, gulls, mergansers, and disease. Next on to a working dam where the fish must pass through either, the bypass spillway, or the turbines. On to the [...]
10:00am - 4:00pm
Casting Challenge
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Fish are an important part of our river’s ecosystem and, for some people, an important part of outdoor sports. Great blue herons and ospreys are masters at catching fish. Try your hand casting a fishing rod. How many times out of 10 can you cast your bobber into the target’s hole?
10:00am - 4:00pm
Lamprey Tank – see a live Lamprey!
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Don’t forget to stop by the tank full of Pacific lamprey ammocoetes! You may catch these little guys swimming around before they dig deep into the mud. Here, US Fish and Wildlife Service’s summer intern Marjay briefly shows an excited scout what’s hidden under the mud at the Girl Scouts 100th year anniversary celebration.
10:00am - 4:00pm
Gyotaku – Japanese Fish Printing
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Gyotaku pronounced Ghee-oh-Tah-koo, from Gyo – “fish” and taku – “rubbing”. As long ago as the 1800s Japanese fisherman used Gyotaku to record their catch. Now it’s an artform practiced all around the world. Try your hand at this ancient art and have a beautiful print to take home with you. Fun for all ages!
Noon - 1:00pm
Audubon Live Bird Show
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Come and meet Audubon’s education birds up close and personal. Learn how they came to be at Audubon and what makes their species unique. In other words, what makes owls and falcons such amazing hunters, why are vultures called “Nature’s Recyclers”, and why are ravens so adaptable to the world around them.
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Guided Nature Walk – Native Plants
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Join Refuge Volunteer Botanist, Ginny Maffitt, for a walk in search of native plants. Discover what’s blooming and how native plants are vital to healthy wildlife habitats. Feel free to bring cameras, plant identification guides, and nature journals if you like. Binoculars are always handy for those watchable wildlife moments.
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Roving Audubon Birds
Price: Free, Seats: n/a
Meet and Greet! The birds and their handlers will be available for one-on-one questions and viewing after their show on the main stage. Watch for them walking around the plaza.
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Musical Performance by Dave Orleans, The Earthsinger
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Returning to the festival once again, enjoy Dave Orleans as plays his acoustic guitar and sings folksy songs with catchy tunes about trees, watersheds, toads and much more.
2:00pm - 3:30pm
Guided Nature Walk – Family Friendly “Discovery Stroll”
Price: Free, no registration required, Seats: n/a
Join one of our Volunteer Field Naturalists to learn about the plants and animals that call the refuge home. Explore the sights and sounds of nature and discover new ways to think about and observe nature. This tour is an easy stroll along refuge trails and is suitable for all ages and abilities.
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Behind the Scenes of Refuge Management – Click here to sign-up
Price: Free, registration required, Seats: 8
Have you wondered what tools and techniques refuge staff use to restore and conserve habitats? Go “behind the scenes” with Deputy Refuge Manager, John Gahr to learn the art of landscape conservation on a national wildlife refuge. John has recently joined Tualatin River Refuge staff after many years of on-the-ground experience at Baskett Slough National [...]
4:00pm - 6:00pm
Basic Point-and-Shoot Digital Photography – Click here to sign-up
Price: $10.00, Seats: 15
This two hour workshop will cover digital photo basics, including how to get good focus, composition basics and lighting. Conducted by professional photographer and trainer Rebecca Benoit of Pixelegacy, it is designed for the casual photographer that needs help in getting the maximum benefit from their digital cameras. The workshop will consist of hands-on classroom [...]
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Twilight Talk & Walk – Click Here to Sign Up
Price: Free, registration required, Seats: 5
One of the best times to experience nature is when the sun goes down. Come learn about the adaptations animals have which allow them to be most active at night and discover the sights and sounds for yourself on a guided walk through one of the few urban refuges in the country. This event is [...]
