Bird watching has become one of the most popular forms of outdoor recreation. To celebrate bird life on one of the sites along the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division’s (WRD) Southern Rivers Birding Trail and to learn more about the adventures of birding, bring the entire family to the Pinewoods Bird Festival (PBF) at Pebble Hill Plantation on Saturday, April 9, 2005. Held on the grounds of historic Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomasville, Ga., the festival will host a variety of activities for all ages to enjoy featuring birds, butterflies and beauty of the southern longleaf pine forests. The gates open at 9 a.m. with activities scheduled throughout the day until 4 p.m.

“The Pinewoods Bird Festival will offer a unique opportunity to enjoy birds on one of Georgia’s most beautiful plantations, a site on WRD’s Southern Rivers Birding Trail,” said Terry Johnson, WRD’s Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program Manager.

While winding their way through a mature longleaf pine forest, visitors will hear the beautiful song of the Bachman’s Sparrow and see many other species of birds. Early spring offers a chance to see and hear local breeding birds as well as migrants that are returning from wintering areas in Central and South America. Enjoy great viewing opportunities to see anything from Bluebirds to Buntings and Barred Owls to Bobwhite. Special tours provided throughout the day by WRD and Tall Timbers Research Station (TTRS) biologists offer a chance to view one of Georgia’s rarest birds – the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker.

Various pre-registration field trips are available at this year’s festival, which include Banding Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Bird Tour of Birdsong Nature Center, Century Forest Tours of Greenwood Plantation, Game Bird Trapping and Radio Telemetry Study, Banding Bachman’s Sparrows, The Fire Forest Revealed and Get Down with Herps. For more information on pre-registration and fees for field trips (Pre-registration of field trips does not include admission fee to the festival), visit the festival website www.pinewoodsbirdfestival.com.

“Thanks to the generous support of International Paper and the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival, the Children’s Activity and Education area will be offering children numerous opportunities for hands-on learning,” said festival Co-chairman and TTRS Biologist Jim Cox.

This year’s Children’s Activity and Education Area will focus on Flying WILD, a new Project WILD conservation education curriculum for middle-school students sponsored by WRD.

“Flying WILD introduces middle-school students to bird conservation through school bird festivals and hands-on classroom activities,” said Walter Lane, Georgia’s Project WILD Coordinator.

Local children will be showcasing the new, exciting curriculum by hosting booths and demonstrating activities straight from the Flying WILD guide. Some of the planned activities include assembling a unique birdhouse, dissecting owl pellets, face painting, and creating backyard bird feeders. The St. Francis Wildlife Association will also offer an exhibit with an up close look at several rehabilitated birds used in their education programs.

Other festival activities include seminars on creating a backyard wildlife habitat and

Georgia’s wintering hummingbirds, guided botanical tours of the grounds and abbreviated tours of the Main House at Pebble Hill Plantation. The historic home is filled with collections of sporting art including an extensive collection of early edition Audubon prints, watercolor works by Lassell Ripley and Athos Menaboni’s Mourning Doves. Wildlife vendors and professional birders will provide educational resources and instruction on bird watching basics, binoculars,

butterflies and more. Georgia Southern University’s Center for Wildlife Education will present a flighted raptor demonstration with eagles, hawks, owls and falcons that promise to be one of the highlights of the festival.

The price of admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under (additional fees may apply, and some events are space limited). Children 12 and under can also visit the festival website (http://www.pinewoodsbirdfestival.com), color the Brown-headed Nuthatch image and bring to the festival on April 9 to receive free admission. The abbreviated Main House Tour is $5 (children under the age of 6 are not admitted). A portion of the proceeds from the Pinewoods Bird Festival will help support wildlife and habitat conservation efforts with the Red Hills Wildlife Fund at Tall Timbers Research Station.

The 2005 PBF is a cooperative partnership between state, private and not-for-profit organizations that include, Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Ornithological Society, Pebble Hill Plantation, Tall Timbers Research Station, The Georgia Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy.

For more information on the Pinewoods Bird Festival, contact Whitney White, Pebble Hill Plantation, P.O. Box 830, Thomasville, GA 31799, call (229) 226-2344 or visit the festival website www.pinewoodsbirdfestival.com.

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