Exploring Nature: Bird F
estivals
A real delight for most birders is a good birding festival. There’s something about getting together with other avian admirers and looking at birds that lifts the spirits.
With that in mind, let me suggest just a few upcoming festivals that I recommend.
First and foremost is the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival set for Nov. 5-9 in Harlingen. This is a marvelous event featuring field trips, a photo track, special events, seminars and a trade show. Something for everyone.
My favorite birds from this locale are the green jay, great kiskadee and chachalaca. For more information, visit rgvbf.org.
My second favorite Texas festival is the annual HummerBird Celebration, scheduled for Rockport- Fulton, Sept. 18-21. This celebration of all things hummingbird will feature birding boat excursions, hummer home tours, a nature-related market, guided field trips and lectures.
This is the 37th year for this event, and having attended it in the past, I heartily recommend it. It exceeded my expectations.
If you want to venture outside the great state of Texas, I’m told the North Shore Birding Festival in Florida is a good one. They boast over 377 bird species and birding and photo field trips. For information, visit North-ShoreBirdingFestival. com.
Finally, the Cape May Fall Festival is set for Oct. 16-19 in New Jersey. Keynote speaker will be Kenn Kaufman and they feature field trips, boat rides, trolley trips, plus talks and birding vendors. Learn more at NJAudubon.org.
In Texas, Florida or New Jersey, a good birding festival is hard to beat. I’d like to visit them all.
