“They’re amassing out there someplace and they’ll be back. You can count on it.” No, they’re not Hitchcock’s birds, but birdwtchers, flocking to the Creston Valley to partake in the May 9-11, 2014, Creston Valley Bird Fest. Hosted by Wildsight, the festival is a celebration of the art, the agriculture, and the birds of the Creston Valley. With 7000 hectares of protected wetland and a richly rural landscape, it is where the birds are. Over 200 participants enjoyed a weekend of presentations, birding tours, fine food, and several unique tours to special events such as the community greenhouse, the organic dairy, a walk through the medicinal plants at Schikurski Park, and several children’s events at the Wildlife Centre. The festival included a bus tour to an eagle’s nest, a night listening to bats, a photography workshop with well-known West Kootenay photographer Jim Lawrence, and an amazing keynote address by Wildlife biologist Dave Quinn from Kimberley. Over 108 bird species were seen on the Saturday birding tours. The golden eagle, the red-necked phalarope, and a possible sighting of Lewis’s woodpecker are rare occurrences for the valley. See the website: http://www.crestonvalleybirds.ca for the entire bird list as well as festival photographs. The 2014 Creston Valley Bird Fest Committee would like to thank the hundreds of people and thousands of birds that contributed to the success of the festival. Next year’s bird fest is scheduled for May 8,9, and 10, 2015. Tanna Patterson Chair–Creston Valley Bird Fest 2014 http://www.crestonvalleybirds.ca
