Wiersema hands over Backyard Birding reins with June 6 presentation
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, June 3, 2026
In 1969, Ken Wiersema’s wife asked him to build a uniquely designed bird feeder for her kitchen window — an engineering challenge he accepted. That small project launched a 57-year adventure in learning about birds that led him across the United States and as far afield as Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and parts of Europe.
Since that first feeder and later moving to Sequim in 1994, Wiersema has designed an array of feeders and nest boxes, worked at bird banding and migration sites, and taught classes for new birders.
On Saturday, June 6, the public is invited to hear Wiersema recount his more than three decades of learning about and caring for the birds of the North Olympic Peninsula — and to celebrate as he hands over the reins of the Backyard Birding Program he has led since 2012. “Retrospective on Birding” will take place from 10 a.m. to noon in Rainshadow Hall at the Dungeness River Nature Center, 1943 W. Hendrickson Road in Sequim.
Wiersema currently serves as the education chair for OPAS and helps develop bird programs for the Dungeness River Nature Center.
Admission to Backyard Birding programs is free. However, there is a suggested donation of $5 per person to support OPAS’ ongoing education and bird conservation programs.
