Birding Festival features Skagit's abundance

La Conner became a landing spot for bird lovers last weekend.

Drivers and pedestrians passing Maple Hall Saturday morning saw a roving raven drawing attention to the La Conner Birding Festival inside. That was Lisa Judy, her black costume complete with wings and a mask with a beak.

Judy, La Conner Chamber of Commerce board chair, is lead organizer of the festival. Saturday she welcomed visitors to step inside and enjoy. "We got a really good response," said Judy. "I think it worked out really well."

Inside Maple Hall, people with binoculars hanging around their necks wandered from table to table. Artists, educational organizations and local merchants shared their love of birds at the resumed annual festival, back after a 2-year Covid-19-induced break.

Parents brought their kids for activities about birds. These were so popular that supplies ran out.

Rosi Jansen, owner of Fine Feathered Friends in La Conner, noticed many young families and was delighted that children already knew bird names. Jansen thinks there is more interest in nature these days. "We love the birds, bees and bats," she said. Jansen likes sharing her knowledge at her store, noting "We learn ourselves when people ask questions."

Learning opportunities abounded throughout the building. Books were for sale. Tables staffed by local nonprofits lined the walls. Birders shared recent observations from the field.

"Something's different this year with the geese," said Stephanie Fernandez, whose business, Skagit Guided Adventures, takes visitors on personalized tours of the area. She was advocating to Be Bird Wise, an effort to promote a positive code of conduct for birders interacting with birds and landowners in Skagit County.

Diverse artists offered their work for sale. Photographers, painters, mosaicists and more shared their bird-inspired art. Judy said artists had done well in making sales.

The Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum was a major sponsor of the festival and held its opening reception for its sixth annual "Birds of a Fiber" exhibit Saturday afternoon. The coordinated events benefited both organizations.

Amy Green, the museum's executive director, said the opening reception was its busiest ever, with more than 100 people visiting. One couple traveled all the way from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Bringing people to town is the point of having these events in February, said Mark Hulst, executive director of the La Conner Chamber of Commerce. It "is an educational opportunity and gives merchants an opportunity to prosper." He noted that stores were busy with out-of-town and local customers. "It's been a great day, even better than I expected," he said.

While the festival is over, "Birds of a Fiber" continues until March 24. The wintering birds also remain in the area for many more opportunities to appreciate them before they migrate north this spring.