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Second Annual Oil Region Birding Festival Scheduled
The Second Annual Oil Region Birding Festival will be held Friday, May 2, through Sunday, May 4. The Festival promises to be even bigger and better than last year’s festival, which drew people from seven states. This year’s festival will be held Friday through Sunday, so that more people may attend without missing work, but was moved a week earlier, so that the festival will not conflict with the Mother’s Day holiday.
The festival will start on Friday afternoon with a guided bus tour of historic sites in the region, followed by an old-fashioned picnic, program on owls and then an owl prowl, all at Oil Creek State Park.
Saturday and Sunday morning will feature guided bird walks to Oil Creek State Park and also the Buttermilk Hill Nature Sanctuary. Waterfowl will be the focus of the guided birdwalk at Kahle Lake on Saturday morning and on Sunday morning a nature photography field trip will allow participants to “Shoot” their favorite species. On Saturday afternoon, there will be a variety of workshops of interest to birders, including one on hummingbirds, one on nests, one on nature photography and one on bird habitat.
“The Birds in Your Backyard” is the topic of a Poster Contest that will showcase the artistic talent of students in grades four and five. A mixed media art contest will feature 2D and 3D art by students in grades six, seven and eight. Finalists’ entries from both of these contests will be displayed at the Transit Fine Arts Gallery in Oil City. Students in all schools in Venango County, as well as Titusville Area Schools and A.C. Valley Schools, will be encouraged to participate in these contests. The grand prize winners will be announced at the Birder’s Banquet on Saturday evening, where Paul Baicich, a renowned tour guide, author and editor, will give the keynote address. His topic is “Nifty Nesters – what we know and don’t know about birds.”
As a special treat for the elementary schools of the area, an assembly on “Bird Day” is offered. The first “Bird Day” was celebrated on May 4, 1894 as a result of efforts of Prof. Charles Babcock, the superintendent of Oil City Schools. Dr. Babcock modeled “Bird Day” after Arbor Day, and immersed the children in the study of birds and their protection. It was the forerunner of Earth Day. The program will be presented by Lauren Koyack and Evan Basham, alumnae of Oil City Area School and elementary education majors at Clarion University, Venango Campus.
The Second Annual Oil Region Birding Festival is designed for birders of all ages and skill levels. Space is limited for some events, pre-registration is recommended. For more information about the Festival, please call Toni Kresinski, Events Manager, at (814) 677-3152, ext. 110.
