ST. GEORGE — For many, January might mean setting New Year’s resolutions but, for birders, it’s prime time for birding. Winter’s chill forces shrubs and trees to shed their leaves, creating an idyllic environment to catch glimpses of otherwise elusive and beautifully brilliant species of birds.
Birders are drawn to southwest Utah’s “St. George Winter Bird Festival,” not only to enjoy the region’s mild January weather, but also to view more than 375 species of birds the area attracts.
The event, which runs Jan. 28-30, provides the public with opportunities to enjoy a wide-variety of fun and exciting educational workshops for adults and children, presentations, field trips and more to learn more about these vast species of birds.
In its thirteenth year, the festival will host presentations by birding experts, such as “Introduction to Birding,” as well as workshops like the “Junior Birder Program” and “Build a Birdhouse” just for kids, and field trips to regional birding hot spots such as Zion National Park, Quail Creek, Sand Hollow and Hurricane Fields and the Lytle Ranch.
Daily lectures include species identification, banding, predators and photography.
The majority of festival events will begin at the Tonaquint Nature Center at Tonaquint Park, 1851 S. Dixie Drive in St. George, with Thursday and Friday evening presentations hosted at the Children’s Museum, 86 S. Main Street in St. George.
Longtime fans of the St. George Winter Bird Festival will be excited to hear from keynote speaker Kate Davis, founder of the nonprofit organization “Raptors of the Rockies” and author of the award-winning book “Raptors of the West Captured in Photographs” and “American Kestrel; Pint-sized Predator.”
For more information regarding registration, activities, field trips and lectures included in the 2016 St. George Winter Bird Festival, call 435-673-0996 or go online. The cost for the event is $10 for general admission, which can be picked up at the Children’s Museum during the Thursday evening presentation and at the Red Cliffs Audubon Society’s booth, located at the Tonaquint Park Friday and Saturday.
The St. George Winter Bird Festival is sponsored by the Red Cliffs Audubon Society, Division of Natural Resources, Dixie/Arizona Strip Interpretive Association, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, City of St. George, Home Depot, Click Elite, St. George Inn & Suites and Best Western Abbey Inn.
Event details
- What: St. George Winter Bird Festival
- When: Jan. 28-30
- Where: Tonaquint Nature Center, 1851 S. Dixie Drive, St. George | Children’s Museum, 86 S. Main Street, St. George
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
Hey, St. George! We’ve got a bunch of your Utah and Nevada yahoos occupying a beautiful bird sanctuary and wildlife refuge up in Harney County at the Malheur site. We want to send them back to occupy your sanctuary and bird watching site. Sound like a good deal? No? Then please get on your phones and call the Bundys and get them out of Oregon. Thank you. They don’t belong there and are not wanted there any more than they would be at your birdwatching festival. These guys make no sense. I think the last thing you want would be a militia coming to your nature center soon.
You’re an idiot !