Klamath Basin Winter Wings Festival Opens Early On February 14th on Presidents’ Day Weekend

Dec. 13, 2012 - PRLog -- Klamath Falls, OR– Bald eagles are among the migratory birds highlighted during the 34th Annual Winter Wings Festival (www.WinterWingsFest.org), which has been expanded to four days, February 14-17, 2013, over Presidents’ Day Weekend. Held at various venues throughout the Klamath Basin, including the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls and the Lodge at the Running Y Ranch, the festival offers 30 field trips, 13 workshops, 7 free mini-sessions, 3 receptions, and keynote presentations by three nationally recognized leaders in their fields: George Lepp, Kevin Karlson and Alvaro Jaramillo. The Festival is produced by the Klamath Basin Audubon Society. Anne Wenner, festival co-coordinator, remarked that “Even if you’ve attended before, this year we have 18 new activities to keep the festival fresh and interesting.

George Lepp, Canon Explorer of Light master photographer, will give the keynote address on Saturday night, which will focus on the success (and hilarious failures) of his bird photography. George is widely known for sharing his knowledge through seminars and writing. Alvaro Jaramillo and Kevin Karlson will provide a one- two punch of top-notch birding talent for the Thursday and Friday keynotes.

Kevin Karlson is a professional birding tour leader and wildlife photographer who has published numerous articles on bird identification and natural history for an assortment of magazines and journals, including the Birder’s ID column for Wild Bird Magazine. Kevin will lead two workshops as well as field trips on Saturday and Sunday. He will give the keynote on Friday night about the miracle of bird migration.

Alvaro Jaramillo is a rising star in the birding world. He has authored the field guide Birds of Chile and operates a birding tour company out of Half Moon Bay, California. Alvaro will lead two special birding field trips and will provide the keynote address on Thursday night.

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 (www.fws.gov/klamathbasinrefuges). Both Dr. Jeff Smith and Dick Ashford will be on hand to share their popular Raptor Identification workshops and companion field trips. Competitive birders will enjoy participating in either of two Big Day field trips. Novice birders will have their choice of two Beginning Birding trips. Brian Woodbridge returns to the festival to lead a new Butte Valley raptor field trip.

The festival offers four days of birding seminars, photography workshops and field experiences. A host of professional photographers and specialists will be on hand over the weekend to share their skills Klamath Basin photographers, Larry Turner, and Jonne Goeller plus Photoshop specialist Mark Fitzgerald from Portland. Canon staff return this year with two Long Lens classes, a Beginning EOS Discovery workshop, and will offer new digital camera mini-sessions for youth.

In addition to, Kevin Karlson and Alvaro Jaramillo, other notable birding specialists include Brian Woodbridge, Brian Sullivan, David Irons, Jeff Smith, Dick Ashford, John Alexander, Shawneen Finnegan, and Damian Fagan.

Families take center stage on Saturday. Almost all of the children’s 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 Raptors of the High Desert, which features a live raptor flight demonstration.

About 40 vendors will also be on hand from 3:00 pm Friday afternoon through 1:00 pm Sunday to share their products and resources. Saturday’s activities close with a Festival banquet dinner and keynote presentation by highly acclaimed bird outdoor photographer, George Lepp. He will share his creative techniques he uses to get winning shots around the world.

According to Diana Samuels, festival co-coordinator, “ The demand for field trips has been growing so this year we decided to expand the schedule by one day allowing us to offer more trips to the public. Also, the photography classes and field trips are the most in festival history. We encourage the public to register in December as popular activities are still expected to fill early. Registration is scheduled to begin on December 8, 2012.”

This Festival is partially funded by the Klamath County transient room tax grant program. For the complete schedule and fees, visit Festival website at www.WinterWingsFest.org . Online registration can be completed at www.WinterWingsFest.org/register. For more information email the Festival at info@WinterWingsFest.org or call 1.877.541.BIRD (2473).

About the 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 massive flocks of waterfowl and large numbers of 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 (see 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. About 80% of the Pacific Flyway migrants make the Klamath Basin a stopover.