FEATHERED FRIENDS FRIDAY
Calling all bird lovers! Feathered Friends Friday celebrates the wonderful world of birds and the gardens and habitats that help them thrive. Join us for a day of feathered fun!
Explore bird-friendly gardening, wildlife habitats, and more through FREE seminars featuring bird experts and garden personalities. Meet the folks from BirdNote and Birds Connect Seattle, and celebrate the premiere of State Bird: A Nation Elects Its Feathered Representatives, the new book from New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart. Rumor has it, a falconer might make a special appearance!
All Feathered Friends Friday seminars and activities are FREE with your Festival ticket unless otherwise indicated.
Check back for schedule updates and new additions.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS & PARTNERS
Feathered Friends Friday
Friday
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9:30am (Hood Room) |
Meadow Makeover: Lessons from Bloedel Reserve for Your Garden Haley Wiggins - Botanist, Bloedel Reserve Natural Area Conservation Manager
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What can eight years of habitat restoration at Bloedel Reserve teach us about our own gardens? At the Reserve’s Buxton Bird Marsh and Meadow, a variety of methods have been tested to transform areas with low plant diversity into thriving habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. Discover what Bloedel has learned from experimenting with different approaches to preparing, planting, and restoring these landscapes, and how those lessons can translate to gardens of all sizes. You’ll leave with practical ideas for increasing plant diversity and creating better habitat for the wildlife that shares your garden. |
Meadow Makeover: Lessons from Bloedel Reserve for Your Garden
What can eight years of habitat restoration at Bloedel Reserve teach us about our own gardens? At the Reserve’s Buxton Bird Marsh and Meadow, a variety of methods have been tested to transform areas with low plant diversity into thriving habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. Discover what Bloedel has learned from experimenting with different approaches to preparing, planting, and restoring these landscapes, and how those lessons can translate to gardens of all sizes. You’ll leave with practical ideas for increasing plant diversity and creating better habitat for the wildlife that shares your garden. Feathered Friends Friday 9:30am
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10:00am (Rainier Room) |
The Return of the Species: Growing for Diversity Lee Buttala - Author, Emmy Award-Winning Producer, Seed Preservationist
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Modern horticulture has given gardeners an extraordinary range of hybrids and cultivars, but it can also narrow the genetic diversity that helps plants adapt and evolve. Learn why maintaining that diversity matters and how growing plants from open-pollinated seed can help preserve it. Drawing on lessons from heirloom vegetable preservation and seed saving, discover a simple approach to supporting biodiversity in your own backyard, whether you grow native plants, vegetables, or ornamentals. See how the plants we choose to grow and propagate can help maintain greater genetic breadth while creating gardens that are economical, environmentally sound, and satisfying to grow. |
The Return of the Species: Growing for Diversity
Modern horticulture has given gardeners an extraordinary range of hybrids and cultivars, but it can also narrow the genetic diversity that helps plants adapt and evolve. Learn why maintaining that diversity matters and how growing plants from open-pollinated seed can help preserve it. Drawing on lessons from heirloom vegetable preservation and seed saving, discover a simple approach to supporting biodiversity in your own backyard, whether you grow native plants, vegetables, or ornamentals. See how the plants we choose to grow and propagate can help maintain greater genetic breadth while creating gardens that are economical, environmentally sound, and satisfying to grow. Feathered Friends Friday 10:00am
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10:00am-5:00pm (Meet & Greet Café) |
Ad Hoc Bird Talk Birds Connect Seattle - Conservation & Education Since 1916 Who's visiting your garden when you're not looking? Discover the fascinating birds that call the Seattle area home and how your garden can help them thrive! Stop by the Meet & Greet area to explore a display of local bird specimens and chat with the experts from Bird Connect Seattle. Get a closer look at some of our feathered neighbors, learn about their behaviors and habitat needs, and discover simple ways you can help them thrive in your own garden. No formal presentation or schedule required! Just drop in, ask questions, and discover why what's good for gardens is good for birds! |
Ad Hoc Bird Talk
Who's visiting your garden when you're not looking? Discover the fascinating birds that call the Seattle area home and how your garden can help them thrive! Stop by the Meet & Greet area to explore a display of local bird specimens and chat with the experts from Bird Connect Seattle. Get a closer look at some of our feathered neighbors, learn about their behaviors and habitat needs, and discover simple ways you can help them thrive in your own garden. No formal presentation or schedule required! Just drop in, ask questions, and discover why what's good for gardens is good for birds! Feathered Friends Friday 10:00am-5:00pm
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10:30am (Adams Room) |
Birds: The Gateway Drug to Gardening (Panel) Jennifer Jewell (Moderator) - NPR and Public Television Host Nick Bayard - BirdNote Executive Director David Mizejewsi - Author, Naturalist, TV Host, Urban Ecologist Amy Stewart - NY Times Bestselling Author First you put up a bird feeder. Then you plant something with berries. Suddenly you’re researching native plants, leaving seedheads standing, adding water, and wondering what else you can grow to bring more birds into your garden. Sound familiar? NPR’s Cultivating Place host Jennifer Jewell brings together bestselling author Amy Stewart, National Wildlife Federation naturalist David Mizejewski, and BirdNote Executive Director Nick Bayard for a lively conversation about the powerful connection between birds and gardening. Why do birds inspire us to see our gardens differently? How can the desire to welcome and support them lead to richer, more diverse landscapes? And what happens when bird lovers become gardeners, and gardeners become bird lovers? |
Birds: The Gateway Drug to Gardening (Panel)
First you put up a bird feeder. Then you plant something with berries. Suddenly you’re researching native plants, leaving seedheads standing, adding water, and wondering what else you can grow to bring more birds into your garden. Sound familiar? NPR’s Cultivating Place host Jennifer Jewell brings together bestselling author Amy Stewart, National Wildlife Federation naturalist David Mizejewski, and BirdNote Executive Director Nick Bayard for a lively conversation about the powerful connection between birds and gardening. Why do birds inspire us to see our gardens differently? How can the desire to welcome and support them lead to richer, more diverse landscapes? And what happens when bird lovers become gardeners, and gardeners become bird lovers? Feathered Friends Friday 10:30am
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11:15am (Rainier Room) |
For the Love of Hummingbirds John Shewey - Author, Birding Authority, Photographer
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Hummingbirds amaze and intrigue us. Their high-speed lifestyles are a blur, while their startling colors and fascinating behaviors are a delight. They can also be tiny ambassadors, inspiring a deeper interest in and appreciation for the natural world. Find out what makes these frenetic little birds so fascinating, along with how to attract them, support them, and become a great hummingbird host in your own yard. Drawing from The Hummingbird Handbook, this fun-filled program celebrates the birds that have inspired something close to a national obsession. |
For the Love of Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds amaze and intrigue us. Their high-speed lifestyles are a blur, while their startling colors and fascinating behaviors are a delight. They can also be tiny ambassadors, inspiring a deeper interest in and appreciation for the natural world. Find out what makes these frenetic little birds so fascinating, along with how to attract them, support them, and become a great hummingbird host in your own yard. Drawing from The Hummingbird Handbook, this fun-filled program celebrates the birds that have inspired something close to a national obsession. Feathered Friends Friday 11:15am
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12:30pm (Rainier Room) |
State Bird: A Nation Elects Its Feathered Representatives Amy Stewart - NY Times Bestselling Author
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What were we thinking a century ago when we elected the cardinal, mockingbird, and other familiar favorites as our official state birds? New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart went looking for answers and uncovered a wonderfully American story of early conservationists, schoolchildren casting their first ballots, determined women’s clubs, lawmakers, and some brilliant, and occasionally baffling, choices. Travel the country with Amy as she reveals how our state birds were chosen, from Minnesota’s beloved loon to Hawaii’s imperiled nene, and why these feathered representatives still matter today. Along the way, discover a surprising chapter in the history of bird conservation and our enduring fascination with the birds that represent us. |
State Bird: A Nation Elects Its Feathered Representatives
What were we thinking a century ago when we elected the cardinal, mockingbird, and other familiar favorites as our official state birds? New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart went looking for answers and uncovered a wonderfully American story of early conservationists, schoolchildren casting their first ballots, determined women’s clubs, lawmakers, and some brilliant, and occasionally baffling, choices. Travel the country with Amy as she reveals how our state birds were chosen, from Minnesota’s beloved loon to Hawaii’s imperiled nene, and why these feathered representatives still matter today. Along the way, discover a surprising chapter in the history of bird conservation and our enduring fascination with the birds that represent us. Feathered Friends Friday 12:30pm
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1:45pm (Rainier Room) |
Helping Birds One Garden at a Time David Mizejewsi - Author, Naturalist, TV Host, Urban Ecologist
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Birds are all around us, whether we garden in the country, the city, or somewhere in between. And while North American bird populations face serious challenges, our own gardens can be part of the solution. Discover how native plants and natural gardening practices can create the food, water, cover, and places birds need to thrive. You’ll also learn what it takes to have your garden recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat, turning even a small patch of home into meaningful habitat for our avian neighbors. |
Helping Birds One Garden at a Time
Birds are all around us, whether we garden in the country, the city, or somewhere in between. And while North American bird populations face serious challenges, our own gardens can be part of the solution. Discover how native plants and natural gardening practices can create the food, water, cover, and places birds need to thrive. You’ll also learn what it takes to have your garden recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat, turning even a small patch of home into meaningful habitat for our avian neighbors. Feathered Friends Friday 1:45pm
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2:30pm (Meet & Greet Café) |
Meet & Greet: BirdNote Nick Bayard - BirdNote Executive Director
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Join us for a special Meet & Greet celebrating the popular BirdNote podcast and the wonderful world of birds. Meet Executive Director, Nick Bayard, and other BirdNote personalities, connect with fellow listeners, and enjoy some face-to-face conversation with the voices and people behind the stories you love. Whether you're a devoted listener or just discovering BirdNote, everyone is welcome to stop by, say hello, and share their love of birds! |
Meet & Greet: BirdNote
Join us for a special Meet & Greet celebrating the popular BirdNote podcast and the wonderful world of birds. Meet Executive Director, Nick Bayard, and other BirdNote personalities, connect with fellow listeners, and enjoy some face-to-face conversation with the voices and people behind the stories you love. Whether you're a devoted listener or just discovering BirdNote, everyone is welcome to stop by, say hello, and share their love of birds! Feathered Friends Friday 2:30pm
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3:00pm (Rainier Room) |
Designing a Habitat Hedgerow Daryl Beyers - Author, Garden Designer, Horticulture Educator
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Create privacy for people and habitat for birds and pollinators with a hardworking hedgerow. Learn how to combine trees and shrubs into a living screen that defines your outdoor space while providing food, shelter, and protection for wildlife. Explore which types of plants work best and how to bring them together in a thoughtful planting plan that serves both people and wildlife. You’ll leave with practical ideas for replacing a conventional hedge or screen with a diverse, beautiful habitat that works harder in your garden. |
Designing a Habitat Hedgerow
Create privacy for people and habitat for birds and pollinators with a hardworking hedgerow. Learn how to combine trees and shrubs into a living screen that defines your outdoor space while providing food, shelter, and protection for wildlife. Explore which types of plants work best and how to bring them together in a thoughtful planting plan that serves both people and wildlife. You’ll leave with practical ideas for replacing a conventional hedge or screen with a diverse, beautiful habitat that works harder in your garden. Feathered Friends Friday 3:00pm
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4:15pm (Rainier Room) |
Right Plant, Right Bird Donald Norman - Ornithologist, Native Plant Nurseryman, Puget Sound Bird Observatory Founder Ingela Wanerstrand - Garden Coach & Designer, Horticulture Instructor Create a garden that works harder for birds. Discover simple ways to choose and use plants that provide the food, shelter, and habitat birds need, while also supporting the insects many birds depend on. Bringing together horticulture, garden design, bird biology, and native plant expertise, this presentation explores the connections between plants, insects, and birds and offers practical ideas for creating a more bird-friendly garden at home. |
Right Plant, Right Bird
Create a garden that works harder for birds. Discover simple ways to choose and use plants that provide the food, shelter, and habitat birds need, while also supporting the insects many birds depend on. Bringing together horticulture, garden design, bird biology, and native plant expertise, this presentation explores the connections between plants, insects, and birds and offers practical ideas for creating a more bird-friendly garden at home. Feathered Friends Friday 4:15pm
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