The Oregon Shorebird Festival Celebrates 25 years - August 26-28, 2011
Experience the wonder of shorebird migration along the scenic Oregon coast at the 25th Oregon Shorebird Festival to be held August 26-28, 2011. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Cape Arago Audubon Society, South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve and many other sponsors will have a full weekend of activities planned for birders of all skill levels. The festival is headquartered at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology in Charleston, OR. Activities include expertly guided land based field trips to Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Millicoma Marsh and the greater Coos Bay area. And for those who want to experience birding on the water, The Bird Guide, Inc. will offer a five hour pelagic trip on Saturday. Expected seabirds include Black-footed Albatross, Parasitic Jaeger, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Sooty & Pink-footed Shearwater, Pomarine Jaeger, Red-necked Phalarope, Cassin's Auklets, and more. The Friday evening program will feature a live bird of prey from exhibit by staff and volunteers from the Free Flight Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. The keynote speaker on Saturday will be Samantha Franks from the Centre for Wildlife Ecology at Simon Fraser University. Her presentation is titled "Have Feathers, Will Travel: The Migration Strategies of Shorebirds."
Bring your best pair of binoculars as Bandon Marsh and Coos Bay are renowned for shorebird watching and each year a few rarities have delighted festival attendees. Regular migrants include Black-bellied plover, Semipalmated plover, Western sandpiper, Least sandpiper, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Long-billed dowitcher, and Red-necked phalarope. Please join us on the southern coast of Oregon for a weekend of birding fun and challenges. To register for the festival or for more information please visit our website at www.fws.gov/oregoncoast/shorebirdfestival.htm or contact Dawn Grafe at 541-867-4550.
