This year’s Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest was an unforgettable milestone for me. It was my first time working the festival at Wenatchee River Institute (WRI), and I had the honor of serving on the planning committee alongside dedicated WRI staff and incredible volunteers from North Central Washington Audubon Society (NCWAS).
Putting on an event of this scale is a massive feat. I only saw a sliver of the behind-the-scenes work, largely because our partners at NCWAS bring such deep community knowledge of local and visiting birders. Watching their expertise blend with WRI’s mission of connecting people, communities and the natural world was nothing short of inspiring.
The Behind-the-Scenes Marathon
Bird Fest is a year-round labor of love. The heavy lifting began last fall as the committee discussed feedback from Bird Fest 2025 to make sure Bird Fest 2026 was better than ever! Because of that hard work, we launched the schedule early—giving eager birders a chance to map out their dream weekend—and opened registration smoothly on March 25th.
Bird Fest continues to welcome all experience levels, from expert and long-time birders to absolute beginners. There is something for everyone: photography, wildflowers, birding on longer hikes, birding from a “Sit Spot,” various art and hands on activities, and more.
Community Programs Educator, Virginia Shoup wishes she could attend every field trip and workshop.
“Our volunteer guides and leaders are amazing—the knowledge and excitement they bring is truly contagious. Birders are often quite humble, but I learn so much about being out in the field with these folks. Bird Fest is making me into a bit of a Bird Nerd because I can’t help it!”
Images: Top left: Birding by Kayak. Top Right: Community Fair educational booth. Bottom left: Birders' BBQ participants mingling. Bottom right: Neil Paprocki sharing his research during the Keynote presentation.
Floating, Food, and Festivities
Personally, my biggest undertaking was planning the Bird Fest Community Fair and the Birders' BBQ. It was a joy to work closely with local vendors and partner organizations, and I loved seeing the creative, educational activities they brought to life at their booths.
While the weekend was packed with highlights, two moments captured the spirit of the festival perfectly:
- The Keynote: A gifted local hawk expert captivated the audience with deep knowledge of the region’s birds of prey and stories of his study and capture methods.
- Sneaking Away to the River: On Thursday morning, I slipped away for the Birding by Kayak tour. Our incredible volunteer guide, Amy Pavelchek, teamed up with Dave Johnson and his team from the Leavenworth Outdoor Center to lead us down the river. The water was high enough that we hardly needed to paddle. We simply floated, listened to the morning chorus, and raised our binoculars. Along the way, we spotted an active bald eagle nest with babies, an osprey, and plenty of Canada geese.
A Massive Impact: By the Numbers
Our community showed up in full force. Here is a look at what we accomplished together:
- 63 Trips & Workshops led by 65 expert Trip Leaders.
- 265 hours of Field Trips and Workshops.
- ~653 volunteer hours logged (not including the planning committee!).
- 165 species recorded on eBird!
Our community gatherings were buzzing:
- Community Fair: 265 attendees
- Birders' BBQ: 98 guests
- Keynote Presentation: 80 attendees
- Happy Hour: 72 participants
- Trivia Night: 54 competitors
- Wingspan Tournament: 30 players
- ‘Listers’ film screening: 18 attendees
Image: Wingspan Trivia participants gathered in the Red Barn during Happy Hour and Game Night.
The intentional community-building resonated deeply with our participants, as shared in our post-event survey:
"Bird Fest really created an environment to appreciate and learn about nature in such a fun and beautiful way and allowed people who share this fun hobby to meet. I made multiple friends from this event. Thank you!" — 2026 Bird Fest Participant
"I did the Friday 'Let Birds Draw You In' nature journaling workshop. I loved it! Carleen [Ormbrek Zimmerman] was kind and welcoming... I left with some new ideas and a boost in confidence that no matter what my skill level, this is something I want to keep having fun with and I CAN." — 2026 Bird Fest Participant
Welcoming a Wave of "Newbies"
Our registration data tells a beautiful story of growth. Out of 422 unique Bird Fest registrants, 96 were completely new to the festival—meaning nearly 22% of our participants experienced Bird Fest for the very first time! Among those new faces, 34 were already familiar with WRI, while 62 were brand-new to our organization altogether.
Image: Bullock's oriole captured around author's home.
A Personal Shift: Tuning In
While the data highlights an incredible success, Bird Fest also changed something in me. In the weeks leading up to the festival, I found myself paying closer attention to the birds around my own house.
My partner has always enjoyed knowing our local birds, but now I find myself truly tuning in when he shares what he sees and hears. Recently, we sat on the porch with our girls and pulled up a bird call app. Together, we listened, learned, and flipped through a bird book to discover fun facts whenever the app picked up a new call in our yard.
Looking Forward
We are incredibly fortunate to have a community—and a birding network—that helps us celebrate the spectacular species residing in and migrating through our little slice of the globe.
Whether you are a seasoned expert or just starting to notice the birds outside your window, we hope you will join us next year for our milestone 25th annual Bird Fest. Mark your calendar now for May 13-16, 2027, and get ready for another memorable experience. See you on the trails—or on the river!
Did you take pictures during Bird Fest? We’d love for you to share them!
Love the gear? Shop Bird Fest merchandise all year round online here.
