Smile Across America

At Turnbull Refuge, Birds and a String Quartet Shared the Evening

A June gathering in eastern Washington brought more than 100 visitors together for a bird walk, live music and an easy kind of welcome.

There are evenings when a place seems to supply its own soundtrack. At Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Washington, a June gathering invited people to listen for it—and then added a string quartet.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service reported that more than 100 visitors came to Songbirds & Strings, a collaboration among the Service, the Spokane Symphony, Spokane Audubon and the Friends of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. The event made room for art, wildlife and the people who enjoy both.

First, a walk with the birds

The program began at 6 p.m. with a guided bird walk led by Spokane Audubon. More than 50 people—from first-time birders to experienced naturalists—followed a short trail. The Service said songbirds moved through the shrubs while waterfowl paddled across the wetlands.

That mix of experience is part of the charm. A person who knows every call does not need the evening to be the same as a beginner’s. One visitor can point toward a treetop; another can simply notice the light on the water. The shared attention is enough to turn a walk into a small community event.

Music by Headquarters Pond

At 7 p.m., visitors gathered around Headquarters Pond while Supervisory Park Ranger Josh Contois welcomed the crowd and introduced the Spokane Symphony quartet. The musicians performed nature-inspired works by Mozart, Vivaldi, Handel, Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, MacDowell, Haydn and Debussy.

The Service described pauses between pieces that left room for shared silence—and for the refuge’s own sounds. Birds continued singing from nearby snags, and some crossed above the mobile stage. The concert did not try to overpower the setting; it gave people another way to pay attention to it.

A generous collaboration

After the performance, guests could explore the refuge’s environmental education classroom, where rangers offered waterfowl-identification activities and answered questions about Turnbull’s habitats. Friends of Turnbull kept the Nature Store open late, extending the welcome with resources and keepsakes.

There is a useful lesson in the shape of the evening. A federal refuge supplied the place and the conservation knowledge. Spokane Audubon helped people look closely. The symphony brought music outdoors. Friends of Turnbull added the neighborly details that help an event linger. Each group contributed something different, and the result was a gathering that asked very little of visitors beyond showing up with curiosity.

That is a lovely kind of public celebration: a wetland doing what it does, musicians sharing what they know, and a crowd making time to notice both.

Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, “Songbirds & Strings: A Symphony of Wildlife, Community, and Culture,” July 6, 2026. Smile News did not attend this event.