 |
| Volunteer Naturalist, Gary, prepping a group of excited bird lovers for a trail around the refuge! Credit: Meghan Kearney/USFWS |
As bird migration season flies on (pun intended), bird
festivals continue across the globe. Near Portland, Oregon, a particularly
urban festival comes around each May, inviting bird lovers and friends out to
the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. This year, the day began with
hundreds of volunteers swarming the refuge, enthusiastically setting up various
booths around the grounds. From the entry way, local partners were seen setting
up activities from archery to birdhouse building. Inside the visitor center,
arts and crafts tables were quickly covered in colorful paint jars, while the
telescope in the corner was positioned to view an eagle fledgling in its nest.
Just a short trail's journey away from the busy entrance, volunteer naturalists
scurried to set up their stations, from a pond critters area to a casting
target practice area. The refuge was poised and ready for the annual TualatinRiver Bird Festival.
 |
| One of the many families who came out to enjoy bird festival! Credit: Meghan Kearney/USFWS |
Expanding Accessibility
One of the most exciting parts of this year's festival was
the recent partnership between U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and
Univision. Over the past year, the USFWS Pacific Region has been working to
make our events and information more accessible to the flourishing Latino
community in and around the region. This year, programs and other materials at
the festival were available in both Spanish and English, while a number of
bi-lingual volunteers around the refuge were available for Spanish speaking
guests. This milestone marks the first steps from USFWS in assuring our
programs are easily accessible to all members of the community.
 |
| Excited to make a close-up investigation of what was left behind by a Spittlebug! Credit: Meghan Kearney/USFWS |
If It's Gross...
As the morning rolled forward, my first stop at the festival
was a "Slugs and Bugs" nature walk led by volunteer naturalist, Gary. A group
of about twenty, made up of tots, children, parents and grandparents took off
on the trail ready to spot bugs, birds and more. Our first find was a flower
that appeared to be covered in spit. A small group of boys perked up at the
mention of something potentially gross. One of the boys wasn't fooled though,
explaining to the rest of the group that the substance was from an insect
called a spittlebug. After continuing through the trail, spotting a few birds,
and learning about the Tualatin River, the group parted ways to enjoy more of
the festival.
 |
| Homemade binoculars, great for bird watching! Credit: Meghan Kearney/USFWS |
All Things Migration
Next, I headed back up to the Refuge entrance. I first
visited the salmon migration miniature golf course, where throughout the day
children and families would stop before and after trail hikes. The USFWS
Pacific Region Fisheries department also set up a tank housing live Pacific lamprey ammocoetes, which were a huge hit among the kids! Like birds, salmon and Pacific lamprey
also migrate, so they were welcomed guests at the festival. Closer to the
visitor center, Audubon Society of Portland sparked excitement among all visitors with
their live birds of prey. Some of the happy visitors were even seen using
homemade binoculars to get close-up views of the birds. Though as the day
pressed on and the weather clouded over, it didn't stop the crowds from
throwing on their raincoats, dressing up the kids in Puddle Stomper gear and
enjoying the rest of the refuge. At the end of the day, it was another
successful Bird Festival at Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge!
Visit and like us on Facebook to see even more great photos from this year's Tualatin River Bird Festival!
No comments:
Post a Comment