Queen City Birding Festival, Sat. May 15th

In case you are looking for something different to do this weekend, I have a great option available. Come to the Third Annual Queen City Bird Festival!

This free event is hosted by Audubon Miami Valley of Ohio and the Avian Research and Education Institute. Come out and celebrate the beauty of spring, birds and nature! It is located inside Hueston Woods State Park at the nature center. Festivities will begin at 7am and run throughout the day until 6pm. Activities for the entire family, including:

• Numerous activities for children and a wonderful way to introduce children to nature
• Guest speakers on bird migration, bird banding and where to bird watch
• A variety of food and merchandise vendors
• Local conservation groups
• Live music
• Hourly bird walks
• Bird banding demonstration
• 

We would like to welcome our 2010 special festival guest Thane Maynard, Director of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Thane is an avid author and the world has benefited from his many wildlife programs at the Cincinnati Zoo. He is known for his radio series The 90-Second Naturalist on public radio which airs nationally to enhance public awareness of biological diversity, natural history and wildlife conservation.

Also, the lovely Susan K. Williams will be there from Raptors, Inc. with some of her bird friends. See owls and hawks up-close!

You’ll also enjoy many great classes such as “Birds in the Classroom” by Seven Hills School teachers Karen Glum and Jennifer LiCata. Sr. Marty Dermody of Mt St. Joseph will cover “Birding in Southwest Ohio.” Casey Tucker of Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics of Ohio will help you master “Birding by Ear.” “The Basics of Birding” will be covered by Bill Heck. Don’t forget to catch “Photographing Birds" with nature photographers Jim and Deb Chagares and don’t miss Rick Lee’s experiences while “Birding Antarctica

Jill & Dave Russell, Directors of the Avian Research and Education Institute, P.O. Box 555, W. College Corner, IN 47003 are co-organizers and sponsors of the Queen City Bird Festival. They are federally licensed bird banders and long-time birders who regularly provide educational seminars and lead birding trips internationally. Dave and Jill have spent untold hours encouraging the young and old to get out and explore their natural world. Their patience with the early birder and enthusiasm for bird research makes them the dynamic duo of avian awareness and research.

Bird banding lists and bird sightings from previous festivals are available on the AREI website. For further information please contact Jill Russell at 513-244-4783, jrussell@avianinstitute.org, or Debbie Gross, Communications 513-255-5313.