Wings Over Willcox Birding & Nature Festival

If you’re looking for a great way to get back to nature early next year, make sure that you stop off at the 16th annual Wings Over Willcox birding and nature festival for some great family fun. Whether you’re an avid bird watcher or you just enjoy taking in the sights and sounds of nature, you’re sure to find something enjoyable to do at this great annual event.

If you’re looking for a great way to get back to nature early next year, make sure that you stop off at the 16th annual Wings Over Willcox birding and nature festival for some great family fun. Whether you’re an avid bird watcher or you just enjoy taking in the sights and sounds of nature, you’re sure to find something enjoyable to do at this great annual event.

The 16th annual Wings Over Willcox festival is due to get off to a flying start on January 14, 2009. It is a five-day festival that covers various aspects of nature and serves both as a window on the natural world and as a means to educate the general public. The 2009 Wings Over Willcox festival promises to be bigger and better than ever before, with seminars, exhibitions, tours, a massive banquet and both photographic and artistic displays. Some of the new tours will feature rather novel aspects, such as astronomy, while others will focus on the wildlife of the Chiricahuas – perfect for those who love nature in general. The AEPCO power plant has volunteered to open its doors for the weekend so that visitors can learn more about this electric power station, while those with green fingers will no doubt get a kick out of visiting the 100-acre greenhouse in the area. There is also a working ranch filled with farm hands that are ready to show you the ropes. Of course, no visit to the area would be complete without a bird watching tour and you can be sure that there are plenty of those to go around. If you are lucky you will get plenty of chances to see cranes, sparrows and a variety of raptors in their natural habitats. There are also plenty of other birds to see – almost as many as 180 different bird species have been spotted in the area during the last four years of the festival alone, with an average of 135 different bird species being sighted annually.

Some of the seminars will cover diverse topics such as rainwater harvesting or wildlife tracking. There will also be seminars on rarities such Siberian cranes and jaguars. Clearly this is a diverse and intriguing part of the natural world and visitors are openly invited to explore the birds, bats, rocks and plants of the area. The Wings Over Willcox festival will also be targeting schools, trying to highlight the need to protect nature in a way that children can identify with. Birds will be taken to the classroom during the festival and part of the art exhibition will feature various artworks done by a number of school children in the area. However, the more intriguing art will be provided by Anne Peyton who is this year’s featured artist. So make the most of this great annual event by being a part of the 16th annual Wings Over Willcox birding and nature festival!