John James Audubon State Park will be fluttering with activity later this month during the Ohio Valley Birding Festival.
The annual event is set for April 24-26 in locations around the Tri-State. The events at Audubon State Park will all take place on Saturday, April 25, and include guided birdwatching hikes, workshops and lectures on bird-related topics.
In addition, free admission will be offered at Audubon Museum on April 25. This year’s festival falls on the weekend of John James Audubon’s 241st birthday, which is April 26.
Here’s the schedule for April 25:
- 7 a.m., Birding at Audubon Wetlands, approximately two hours. Meets at Audubon Wetlands on Wolf Hills Road and wear shoes for marshy conditions. Participants will help identify this bottomland forest’s birds. Note: There is an active Bald Eagle nest at this location. The hike will be dependent on the Ohio River flood stage, and an alternative hike may be substituted with the meeting point at Audubon Museum.
- 9 a.m., Audubon’s Bird Migration Walk, approximately 1.5 hours. Meets at Audubon Museum. Birds that may be spotted include woodland songbirds, shorebirds and woodpeckers (seven woodpecker species can be seen.) Beginner bird-watchers welcome.
- 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Family Birding Fun, Audubon Museum, will feature these educational booths:
*Make-N-Take Bird Caller: Try your hand a making a simple tool that sounds similar to a bird’s chirp.
*Whose Song Is It Anyway: Test your skills at identifying songs.
*Make-N-Take Hummingbird Spinner: Put together this optical illusion.
*Upcycled Bird Feeders: Bring a clean, dry, plastic soda bottle and repurpose it into a functional bird feeder with the help of the staff of Wild Birds Unlimited.
- 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hands-On Bird Banding Workshop with Master Bird Bander Scott Kramer. Help with an ongoing conservation project to help with the understanding of bird migration, behavior, social structure, lifespan, survival rates and population trends.
- 11 a.m., Whooping Cranes in the EMP, approximately one hour. Dr. Angelica Solano will explore the history and migration patterns of whooping cranes.
- 12:45 p.m., Protecting & Restoring Habitat for Birds in Southern Indiana, approximately one hour. Alex Sienkiewicz, Sycamore Land Trust executive director.
- 2 p.m., Raptors of the Region, approximately one hour. Presented by Audubon State Park naturalist team.
- 3 p.m., Owl Puke — Yuck! Or Not?, approximately 45 minutes. Discover what critters the owls consider a tasty dinner when you dissect a sterilized owl pellet.
***
Here are some other festival activities:
- 7 a.m., Friday, April 24, Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge Birding Hike. Meet at Boyd Woods, Oakland City, Ind. Approximately 2-3 hours.
- 5 p.m., Friday, April 24, Howell Wetlands Birding Hike. Meet at Howell Wetlands parking lot, 1400 Tekoppel Ave., Evansville. Approximately 2 hours.
- 7 a.m., Sunday, April 26, Eagle Slough Birding Hike. Meet at Eagle Slough entrance on Waterworks Road just north of Ellis Park. Approximately 2 hours.
- 1 p.m., Sunday, April 26, Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve Birding Hike. Meet in the Nature Center, 551 N. Boeke Road, Evansville. Approximately 1 hour.
- 2:30 p.m., Sunday April 26, Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve Raptor Encounter.
