Tofino's Shorebird Festival

You can be sure it’s Spring when you see flocks of shorebirds darting along our shoreline. Every year beginning in mid-to-late April flocks of sandpipers, plovers, whimbrels, and many other shorebirds pass through the Tofino area.

The combination of expansive mudflats and long sandy beaches create an ideal habitat for shorebirds. These habitats provide the opportunity for hundreds of thousands of shorebirds to feed and rest before they continue their impressive journey north. The annual migration between their southern wintering grounds (which can be as far as the southern tip of South America) and northern breeding grounds (Canada and Alaska) can be up to 7000 km, with 2000 km between stops! Because some birds only stop here for a couple of days it is critical that they are given space to feed and rest.

The Shorebird Festival was created to raise awareness and appreciation about this remarkable migration, in conjunction with the Raincoast Education Society we present a weekend of walks, talks, guided birding and more, check the festival schedule