Return of Bald Eagles & waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway to the Klamath Basin

 America’s Oldest Birding Festival event celebrates the return of Bald Eagles & waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway in the Klamath Basin February 18-20, 2011 

Klamath Falls, OR  – Bald eagles are among migratory birds highlighted during the 
 
32nd annual Winter Wings Festival www.WinterWingsFest.org   February 18-20, 2011 
 
over the three-day Presidents’ Day Weekend. Held at the Oregon Institute of 
 
Technology www.oit.edu/campus-map  in Klamath Falls, the festival offers 23 field trips, 
 
17 workshops, 7 mini-sessions, 2 reception events, a banquet dinner and 2 keynote 
 
presentations by two nationally recognized leaders in their fields: Jeffrey Gordon, birder, 
 
writer, naturalist and Art Morris, world-renowned bird photographer. The Festival is 
 
produced by the Klamath Basin Audubon Society and welcomes Canon USA as the 
 
Festival Title Sponsor. Both online registration and mail-in registration are now available. 
 
Birders can enjoy a diverse group of activities that showcase the Klamath Basin. Several
 
birding field trips are scheduled to the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges complex 

http://www.fws.gov/klamathbasinrefuges . Jeffrey Gordon makes his debut on Friday 

night with a Birding Quiz Show that will test attendees’ knowledge of birds in a 

Jeopardy-style event. Registrants can also watch the sun rise as bald eagles fly from
 
their roosts to the local refuges on daily “flyouts.” Dick Ashford, Chairman of the 
 
Klamath Bird Observatory Board, leads two Hawks for Beginners field trips. Dr. Jeff 
 
Smith from San Francisco returns with his popular Intermediate Raptor Identification 
 
workshop and companion field trip. Damian Fagan will reprise his crowd-pleasing Oregon
 
Owls mini-session. 

A new Raptor Rally is planned with local biologist Marshal Moser and Bay Area
 
raptor specialist Larry Broderick. 

The festival offers three full days of photography workshops and field experiences. A 

host of professional photographers and specialists will be on hand over the weekend to 

share their skills: Art Morris, Jim Dicecco and Genaro Arroyo, sponsored by Canon 

USA; George Felker of Swarovski Optik; Klamath Basin photographers, Larry Turner 

and Jeremy Franklin; Kowa representative and naturalist, Jim Danzenbaker from 

Portland; and Photoshop specialist Mark Fitzgerald from Portland. 

Families take center stage on Saturday. Almost all of these activities are free and are
 
open to the public, including photo contests, art contests and many interactive
 
children’s activities, including seeing live raptors. Highlighting the family activities is 
 
Denny Olson, a master of theatrical performances who will take to the stage in costume 
 
as two personas: Professor Avian Guano and Doc Wild. 

About 25 vendors will also be on hand from Friday afternoon through noon Sunday to 

share their products and resources. Saturday’s activities close with a Festival banquet 

dinner and keynote presentation by highly acclaimed photographer, Art Morris 

birdsasart.com. This illustrated lecture will feature Art’s spectacular images while of his 

life’s journey in Brooklyn to full-time photographer specializing in birds. 

According to Diana Samuels, event coordinator, “Many of the field trips and workshops 

have limited space and fill up quickly so participants are encouraged to register early for 

the best selection.”

This Festival is partially funded by the Klamath County transient room tax grant 

program. For more information, visit Festival website at www.WinterWingsFest.org . 

Online registration began in mid-December and continues at 

www.WinterWingsFest.org/register . For more information email the Festival at 

info@WinterWingsFest.org  or call 1.877.541.BIRD (2473). 

http://www.winterwingsfest.org/brochure10/2011brochuresmall.pdf 

About Klamath Basin: 
The Basin is home to the largest concentration of wintering bald eagles in the lower 48 
states – numbering some 500-800 birds typically. Other visitors include huge flocks of 
waterfowl and wintering raptors on this major stopover of the Pacific Flyway. There are 
over 100 species of birds counted each winter in the Klamath Basin. 

About Klamath Basin Audubon Society: 
The Klamath Basin Audubon Society (KBAS) welcomes birders and
wildlife enthusiasts to monthly programs, field trips, and other activities that enhance the appreciation of the spectacular beauty of the Klamath Basin. KBAS produces the annual Winter Wings Festival celebrating the largest wintering population of bald eagles in the lower 48 states as well as the abundance of all the birds that make the Klamath Basin home. Website: http://www.klamathaudubon.org. 

About the Pacific Flyway: 
The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south route of travel for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading to breeding grounds, or traveling to over-wintering sites, such as the Klamath
Basin.