The Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest, put on by the Wenatchee River Institute and North Central Washington Audubon Society, occurs every 3rd weekend in May. Planning is underway and we can't wait to see you all.

The annual Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest promotes conservation through educational and recreational activities about birds, wildlife, and their environments.

Come bird with us, discovering the natural beauty and wonders of North Central Washington!

Celebrate the return of migratory birds in the midst of peak wildflower season. Enjoy the excitement of birding field trips and workshops. Take part in speaker events, music, visual arts, picnics, and activities for all ages and abilities. All of this is happening in beautiful Leavenworth, WA and throughout the Wenatchee River Valley. Bird Fest happens in association with World Migratory Bird Day. Bird Fest contributes a list of all birds seen during the festival to eBird, the world’s largest biodiversity-related community science project.

2025 Artist Spotlight: Heather Murphy

We are so excited to have Heather Murphy of Walleye Cards at Bird Fest 2025 as our Artist Spotlight! You've probably met Heather guiding some amazing Bird Fest trips in years past.

See some of her nature-inspired work here and be sure to check out the daily Spotlight Artist's Gallery in the River Haus at Wenatchee River Institute to see her work in person May 15-18!

During Bird Fest, look for Heather at the following events and trips. See the Bird Fest Schedule for more details.

Sunday May 18

Paint-In workshop at the Red Barn, 9:00am-12:00pm (registration required)

Biography: Heather is a Pacific Northwest notecard artist, wildlife biologist, watercolorist, and nature writer. She holds a Forest Technology degree from Wenatchee Valley College and a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Habitat Management from the University of Washington, where she also studied drawing. Her watercolors, journal sketches and migratory bird paintings have been selected for conservation programs in the Western Hemisphere. The Sleeping Lady 2016 Calendar solely featured Heather’s art. 

Heather’s agency career spanned from 1974 to 2005, when she retired from the U.S. Forest Service as a wildlife biologist on the Wenatchee River Ranger District. She currently leads Citizen Science wildlife programs as a volunteer for the U.S.F.S. 

Walleye Cards, LLC and Wildtales Journals, Heather’s naturalist notecard, journal business, was founded in 1997 in response to nature journal card needs for Harriet Bullitt’s Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort. Heather’s small independent, woman-owned, business, donates over 10% of her sales to conservation and arts organizations. 

Heather presented "Wildlife and Art of National Forests" to the Smithsonian Institution's 2005 Folklife Festival in Washington D.C. Throughout her travels, she has offered nature journaling workshops such as in the Scottish Highlands and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. She was the Artist-In-Residence for the North Cascades National Park in 2007. Heather was an Artist in Resident for the Icicle Fund CHA CHA (2020 & 2021). During 2023 Heather was an Artist-In-Residence for Terminus: the Memorial to Glaciers of the Olympic National Park. Since 2023 she’s been the Artist-In-Residence at Sleeping Lady Inc., Leavenworth WA.

Special neotropical migratory birds projects, which Heather helped co-found, are: ¡Team Naturaleza! and Dancing With Birds. Both programs connect people with natural science education, and with migratory birds in the Western Hemisphere.

Heather notes that much of her success is from her remarkable family and friends, above all her husband, Patrick. They live in Leavenworth, Washington’s Icicle Valley.

Schedule:

Sunday, May 18, 2025

Self-Led Bird Walk at Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery ^ +
All day | Free

Spotlight Artist's Gallery ^ +
Sunday, May 18
9:00am - 1:00pm

Birding in the Coulee
Sunday, May 18
6:00am - 4:00pm | $95

Kayaks and Birds
Sunday, May 18
7:00am - 9:30am | $55

*NEW* E-Bike Lake Wenatchee State Park to Tall Timbers *
Sunday, May 18
7:00am - 1:30pm | $75

Birds of Farms, Fields, and Woods
Sunday, May 18
8:00am-11:00am | $45

Journaling for Young Naturalists ^ +
9:00am - 11:00am | Free

Paint-In with Bird Fest Spotlight Artist Heather Murphy
Sunday, May 18
9:00am - 12:00pm | $10

Bird by River Raft
Sunday, May 18
10:00am - 1:00pm | $65

Bilingual Nature Walk at Camp CamRec
Sunday, May 18
4:00pm - 6:00pm | FREE, no registration required

Register Now

^ Denotes a trip that is more physically accessible than others. These trips and events have lower physical activity requirements, and might be suitable for those with mobility issues or people who want less-strenuous activities. Please read the trip description for more details and reach out to us via phone or email if you'd like to know more about accessibility of any of our trips
*Denotes a trip that is more physically difficult than others. This could be due to the walking mileage, elevation gain, trip length, or a combination of factors. Please read the description and reach out if you need any clarification. Difficulty references physical activity of the trip - birders of all birding skill levels are welcome on any Bird Fest trip. 
+ Denotes a trip that does not require registration and is free. Participants can join day of!