Please join us for a day outside with the birds
PLUS a special guest this year: Nature photographer Dudley Edmondson.

Place: Sellwood Park, just south of Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge

Date: Saturday, May 9, 2009

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (special Bird Walk starts at 9:00 a.m. - with free coffee and pastries!)

Rain or shine! Dress for the weather.

Free of Charge: Everyone is welcome!

• OAKS BOTTOM WILDLIFE REFUGE. This is the City of Portland's first Migratory Bird Park. It is one of many natural areas in and around Portland that are important to migrating birds for resting, nesting, and re-fueling. Come and see birds hailing from as far away as Argentina!
  
  
• EARLY-BIRD COFFEE AND PASTRIES. Free to the first 100 festival-goers! Locally-owned Portland Roasting Company will provide Tanager's Song shade-grown coffee, and the Sellwood neighborhood's Twin Paradox Coffeehouse is donating home-baked muffins and scones.
  
  
• GUIDED BIRD WALKS. Every half hour, starting at 9:00 am until 3:00 pm. Come enjoy bird walks led by local naturalists along the wetlands trail. You will be amazed at the large variety of migratory birds that use Oaks Bottom during their migratory route.
  
  
• BUTTERFLY SURPRISE: Walk through the wetlands with a real-life biologist who will show you some animal-finding skills. Learn how, when, and where to find butterflies.

• CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES. Kids from ages 3 to 11 will love the hands-on activities, especially painting rocks and building a real birdhouse.
  
  
• FACE PAINTING. New activity this year at USFWS exhibit!
  
  
• STORIES AND SONGS. Local storytellers and musicians celebrate Portland's own birds in music and story.
  
  
• LIVE BIRDS OF PREY. Meet in person Finnegan the Peregrine Falcon, Julio the Great Horned Owl, Hazel the Northern Spotted Owl, and Jack Sparrowhawk, the American Kestre, birds of prey from Audubon Society of Portland’s Wildlife Care Center.
  
  
• INTERACTIVE DISPLAYS. Visit with local partners of the Migratory Bird Treaty Program. Including interactive displays to highlight what is happening locally to protect and enhance our bird populations.

DUDLEY EDMONDSON BRINGS URBAN NATURE INTO FOCUS

We are honored to have as a special guest this year, nature photographer and author of Black and Brown Faces in America's Wild Places, Dudley Edmondson.

• PHOTO WORKSHOPS. Dudley will be conducting two photo workshops for kids, at 9:00am and 1:00pm.  Students from Self-Enhancement, Inc. will participate in the workshops, though there are a few spots still open. 
  
  
• PHOTO EXHIBIT AND PRESENTATION. At 12:00 noon, Dudley will give a presentation, free and open to the public, titled, “Nature Is Everywhere You Are,” in which he will show his photography and talk about how he uses photography to engage kids in connecting with nature. 
  
  
• CONNECTING TO NATURE. In Dudley's words, "The programs I do with kids simply lets them know that nature is everywhere they are more or less, and that they can bring nature to the places they live by creating their own wildlife refuge."
  
  
• WEBSITE. To learn more about Dudley Edmondson, view his website.

"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in." - Rachel Carson

For more information about the Festival, contact Nancy Pollot via e-mail or phone at 503-231-6910

Sponsors: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service <> Audubon Society of Portland, <> City of Portland Parks and Recreation