The second annual Woodpecker Wonderland bird festival is being held at Camp Sherman, Oregon, June 5-7, 2009.
There could be no more beautiful backdrop to this festival than Camp Sherman in the central Oregon Cascades. Here, amid the golden ponderosa pines with the picture puzzle bark, long green needles, and scent of vanilla, the Metolius River emerges full-blown from a hole in the earth. The river meanders across a green meadow to the north. And there, standing above the open meadow is the snow-covered volcanic cone of Mt. Jefferson, standing 10,000 feet high against the deep blue sky.
One flyfisherman (SwittersB) recently created this poetically descriptive post and photo of the Metolius River: Metolius River (As Pristine As it Gets for now & Confessions of a Trespasser).
Thus, I was overjoyed when the organizers of this event asked me to be a tour leader for some of the birding trips during the festival. Besides the eleven species of woodpeckers found in the nearby areas, this is a wonderful birding locale.
For more information on the festival, and to register, visit the Woodpecker Wonderland web site.
There are full and half-day tours on Friday and Saturday, and half-day tours on Sunday. The Saturday evening Keynote speaker is Dr. Eric Walters who will present the program: "Acorn Clowns and Red Cockades," a reference to two woodpeckers found in North America.
See you there!