Springville, Tenn.–As winter approaches our Kentucky and Barkley Lakes are beginning to fill with migratory birds of many varieties. In light of this, a unique group of bird rich areas have teamed up to host the upcoming “Wings of Winter Birding Festival” from January 19-21.
Deadline for registration of this new event is looming soon on December 15. Details about the festival and registration can be found at the Paris/Henry County Chamber of Commerce website at www.paristnchamber.com/wingsofwinter. To sign up for lodging at Paris Landing State Park Inn, please contact directly the Inn at 731-642-4311.
The Festival will be focused on the areas around Kentucky and Barkley Lake but will be based at Paris Landing State Park., The many birding field trips include Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge, Kentucky Dam, Land Between the Lakes, Fort Donelson National Battlefield and Harmon Creek Wildlife Management Area. Workshops will also be offered in Wildlife Photography, Beginning Birding, and Journaling / Poetry Writing in regards to Ornithology.
Featured speakers for the weekend include storyteller, author and naturalist Brian “Fox” Ellis, who will be taking the persona of John James Audubon for the Friday night program. He will also be leading several birding and naturalist walks as Audubon as well as a workshop called “Bird is the Word” which will focus on nature journaling, poetry and non-fiction writing. Fox has portrayed Audubon worldwide in countless birding festivals, museums, nature centers, schools and has lead birding hikes in 49 of the 50 states.
The Keynote speaker for Saturday night will be Julie Zickefoose, who is a regular contributor for Birder’s Digest. She is the author of “Letters from Eden”, “The Bluebird Effect” and most recently “Baby Birds: An Artist Looks Into the Nest. Among speaking at many birding festivals, Mrs. Zickefoose leads natural history excursions abroad with Holbrook Travel.
An impressive list of agencies and groups have come together to make this first birding festival a memorable one. Those include the Paris/Henry County Chamber of Commerce, Paris Landing State Park, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Southeastern Avian Research, Stewart County, Tennessee Ornithological Society, and Kentucky Ornithological Society.
The weekend will begin with a special pre-festival half day birding field trip on Friday, January 19th led by the keynote speaker Julie Zickefoose and refuge manager Rick Eastridge to Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge. Birders will get a chance to see the heart of this refuge when it is completely filled with wintering waterfowl and other species. A Friday night reception beginning 5:30 pm at the State Park Inn and will feature Brian Fox Ellis speaking at 7:00 pm as John James Audubon.
Saturday, January 20th will be filled with four all day field trips that include travel and a box lunch. These field trips will begin and end at Paris Landing State Park and will be led by agency staff and expert birders. The all day trips will include Land Between the Lakes, with a stop at the Woodlands Nature Center, Kentucky Dam with stops at local hotspots along the way. Two Different trips will go to different areas of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge that include sanctuary areas of the Duck River Bottoms, and the Big Sandy Unit including a stop at the refuge Visitor Center, Big Sandy Peninsula and Pace Point, considered one of the top ten birding locations in the state.
There will also be half-day field trips on Saturday that will begin and end at Paris Landing State. Those will include the History of Bald Eagles, which will take participants to former hacking towers, restoration sites and concludes with an active bald eagle nest. The Paris Photography Club will lead a Nature Photography Workshop that will begin with instruction and will travel for in the field photography shoots. Brian Fox Ellis will also be leading a birding walk along areas of Paris Landing State Park in the persona of John James Audubon.
Saturday afternoon will consist of several workshops held at the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center located at 1371 Wildlife Drive in Springville, TN. A Beginning Birding Workshop will be held for those individuals and families just wanting to start their birding experience. Also Brian Fox Ellis will conduct a workshop on Journaling, Poetry, and Non-Fiction Writing in regards to Ornithology.
The Saturday night banquet begins at 6:00 pm at the State Park Inn featuring the keynote speaker Julie Zickefoose.
The festival will conclude on Sunday with several half day field trips. These trips include another chance to go birding opportunity with John James Audubon at the Paris Landing State Park. Harmon Creek Wildlife Management Area will be another destination. A trip to practice Duck Identification on the Wing, as well as a last glimpse at What’s on the Lake will head to several bays on Kentucky Lake.
For more detailed information on the festival, or field trips please see the Paris/Henry County Chamber website www.paristnchamber.com/wingsofwinter or call 731-642-2091.
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