April 12, 2012
Birdwatching, wetland and prairie chicken lek tours, seminars to be featured; April 13 registration deadline
WAKEFIELD — On April 25-27, the Kansas Birding Festival will be held near Wakefield. The three-day event will feature seminars on birds and birdwatching, guided field trips, food, and much more. This area is rich in birding opportunities during the latter part of April. Native birds inhabit the area year round, and this is the prime season for migrating birds. Combine this with Milford Reservoir and Wetlands and the native prairie, and you have one of the best locations in America for watching birds.

On Friday, April 27, the event will begin at the Wakefield Methodist Church Community Center with registration and guided field trips to the Milford Wetlands, the Republican River Bottoms, and the Kansas Landscape Arboretum.

The event on Saturday will begin with breakfast from 4 a.m. to 5:45 a.m., followed by guided field trips, including a prairie chicken lek at Fort Riley, the Konza Prairie, the Landscape Arboretum, the Milford Wetlands, and the Republican River Bottoms.

After an 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. lunch break, events will include optional free time to bird watch and seminars, including “Greater Prairie Chickens in Kansas,” by Dr. Brett Sandercock; “Shorebird Identification,” by Suzanne Fellows; and “Grassland Birds,” by Eugene Young. At 7 p.m., a banquet will be held with a keynote address by wildlife photographer Judd Patterson.

On Sunday, April 29, breakfast will again be served from 4 a.m.-5:45 a.m. This will be followed by the field trip options.

Fees and pre-registration are required. For more information, phone Chuck Otte at 785-238-4161 or 785-238-8800 or Vanessa Avara at 785-238-3108, email cotte@ksu.edu, or go online to www.kansasbirdingfestival.org.
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