Birders are very busy in May, so mark your calendar now for the fun, free and close to home (for metro residents) Urban Bird Festival of Ramsey County.
Urban Bird Festival celebrates spring’s birds The annual Urban Bird Festival in Ramsey County, a fun, free, close-to-home celebration of springtime birds, kicks off on May 13 and runs through May 18. The festival features guided bird walks at many area parks and golf courses, a bird expo and a spaghetti dinner (one of the few events charging a fee). The festival, billed as “Where birds and people meet,” is designed for beginners as well as experts, and families and others. The public is invited to attend just a single bird walk or every event. Bird walks are scheduled to give a bird’s eye view of areas where swans, eagles and osprey nest and where migrating warblers feed. Other tours will look at year-round birds like cardinals, blue jays and chickadees. Walks cover easy terrain and generally take about two hours. The dinner on May 16 features local humorist and bird columnist Clay Christensen, “The Birdman of Lauderdale.” His topic is “Attracting and identifying yard birds.” The festival’s schedule on May 16 features a bird expo with a full day of displays, demos and hikes at Harriet Alexander Nature Center in Roseville. A birding adventure by canoe and a tour of the habitat-rich Arden Hills Army Training Site are highlights on May 17. Daily hikes and events are open to everyone and will be led by the area’s birding enthusiasts. Additional details and dinner registration information are available at http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/parks/NaturalResources/urbanbirdfestival.htm [end] Media: For more information, contact John Moriarty, Ramsey County Parks (651) 748-2500 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
