The Bowerman Basin area consists primarily of the Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge and the Hoquiam Sewage Ponds. It is one of only a handful of major migration refueling spots in the nation. For a few weeks every spring these mudflats become feeding grounds for up to a million shorebirds.

Every year near the beginning of May the Grays Harbor Audubon Society holds a Shorebird festival celebrating the return of our shorebirds. The festival includes field trips and lectures, as well as the opportunity to meet Birders from around the country.