Winter Wings Festival in Klamath Falls — A Must for Birders and Hikers

The Winter Wings Festival in Klamath Falls happens in February every year. Far northern California and southern Oregon are a haven for migrating waterfowl and other birds. I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the best birding spots and also hiking in the area, and I think it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Winter Wings Festival in Klamath Falls

Now you have the perfect opportunity to come explore the region, do a few hikes, and learn a lot about birds: the 2011 Winter Wings Festival is happening February 18-20, 2011, in Klamath Falls. Below are all the details from Winter Wings Festival press release.

Bald eagles are among migratory birds highlighted during the 32nd annual Winter Wings Festival www.WinterWingsFest.org February 18-20, 2011 over the three-day Presidents’ Day Weekend. Held at the Oregon Institute of Technology www.oit.edu/campus-map in Klamath Falls, the festival offers 23 field trips, 17 workshops, 7 mini-sessions, 2 reception events, a banquet dinner and 2 keynote presentations by two nationally recognized leaders in their fields: Jeffrey Gordon, birder, writer, naturalist and Art Morris, world-renowned bird photographer. The Festival is produced by the Klamath Basin Audubon Society and welcomes Canon USA as the festival Title Sponsor. Both online registration and mail-in registration are now available.

Birders can enjoy a diverse group of activities that showcase the Klamath Basin. Several birding field trips are scheduled to the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges complex. Jeffrey Gordon makes his debut on Friday night with a Birding Quiz Show that will test attendees’ knowledge of birds in a Jeopardy-style event. Registrants can also watch the sun rise as bald eagles fly from their roosts to the local refuges on daily “flyouts.” Dick Ashford, Chairman of the Klamath Bird Observatory Board, leads two Hawks for Beginners field trips. Dr. Jeff Smith from San Francisco returns with his popular Intermediate Raptor Identification workshop and companion field trip. Damian Fagan will reprise his crowd-pleasing Oregon Owls mini-session.

A new Raptor Rally is planned with local biologist Marshal Moser and Bay Area raptor specialist Larry Broderick. The festival offers three full days of photography workshops and field experiences. A host of professional photographers and specialists will be on hand over the weekend to share their skills: Art Morris, Jim Dicecco and Genaro Arroyo, sponsored by Canon USA; George Felker of Swarovski Optik; Klamath Basin photographers, Larry Turner and Jeremy Franklin; Kowa representative and naturalist, Jim Danzenbaker from Portland; and Photoshop specialist Mark Fitzgerald from Portland.

Families take center stage on Saturday. Almost all of these activities are free and are open to the public, including photo contests, art contests and many interactive children’s activities, including seeing live raptors. Highlighting the family activities is Denny Olson, a master of theatrical performances who will take to the stage in costume as two personas: Professor Avian Guano and Doc Wild.

About 25 vendors will also be on hand from Friday afternoon through noon Sunday to share their products and resources. Saturday’s activities close with a Festival banquet dinner and keynote presentation by highly acclaimed photographer, Art Morris birdsasart.com. This illustrated lecture will feature Art’s spectacular images while of his life’s journey in Brooklyn to full-time photographer specializing in birds. According to Diana Samuels, event coordinator, “Many of the field trips and workshops have limited space and fill up quickly so participants are encouraged to register early for the best selection.”

This Festival is partially funded by the Klamath County transient room tax grant program. For more information, visit Festival website at www.WinterWingsFest.org . Online registration began in mid-December and continues at www.WinterWingsFest.org/register . For more information email the Festival at info@WinterWingsFest.org  or call 1.877.541.BIRD (2473).

About Klamath Basin:

The Basin is home to the largest concentration of wintering bald eagles in the lower 48
states – numbering some 500-800 birds typically. Other visitors include huge flocks of
waterfowl and wintering raptors on this major stopover of the Pacific Flyway. There are
over 100 species of birds counted each winter in the Klamath Basin.

About Klamath Basin Audubon Society:

The Klamath Basin Audubon Society (KBAS) welcomes birders and
wildlife enthusiasts to monthly programs, field trips, and other activities that enhance the appreciation of the spectacular beauty of the Klamath Basin. KBAS produces the annual Winter Wings Festival celebrating the largest wintering population of bald eagles in the lower 48 states as well as the abundance of all the birds that make the Klamath Basin home. Website: http://www.klamathaudubon.org.

About the Pacific Flyway:

The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south route of travel for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading to breeding grounds, or traveling to over-wintering sites, such as the Klamath Basin.

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