 |
travel / adventure zone
| The Adventure Zone |
|
|
 |
| Photo: Larry Halverson |
High Flight
The Wings Over the Rockies Bird Festival 2008
By Tracy C. Read
 |
| Photo: Larry Halverson |
Stretching 150 kilometres from Canal Flats to Donald in southeastern British Columbia, the Columbia Valley wetlands represent one of the longest remaining wetland habitats in North America. It’s also the spectacular home to more than 265 species of birds, a wildlife population that locals have long sought to support and celebrate.
The annual Wings Over the Rockies Bird Festival is an annual spring ritual that showcases the return of the valley’s diverse avian life. This year marks the festival’s eleventh edition, and from May 5-11, visitors can choose from a smorgasbord of more than 50 activities that take brilliant advantage of the area’s unique blend of grasslands, forest, alpine meadows and rocky crags.
 |
| Photo: Larry Halverson |
The Purcell and Rocky Mountains are inspiring backdrops to the 26,000-hectare wetlands, and the region is also a bit of heaven on Earth for the birding enthusiast. The one-to-two-kilometre-wide floodplain offers critical breeding and staging habitat for such species as the osprey, swan, common loon, great blue heron and other waterfowl. In the adjacent grasslands and forests, the black-chinned hummingbird, the Lazuli bunting and Lewis’s woodpecker will also be seen this spring. For those aficionados itching to get out on the birding trail or on the water, there are scheduled wetlands nature walks and guided kayak and canoe tours on the Columbia River.
 |
| Photo: Larry Halverson |
Festival organizers also make sure there’s a little birdwatching theory informing the practice. This year, seasoned naturalists will give presentations on alpine birds, modern conservation efforts in the Kootenay and birds and birding in the Columbia Valley. The keynote speaker is Bill Lishman, famously known as “Father Goose” for his pioneering efforts using ultralight aircraft to guide migrating Eastern whooping cranes. Lishman’s daughter Carmen has followed in her father’s footsteps and will be on hand to present a talk on the natural history of the elusive Magellanic plover.
“The Wings Over the Rockies Bird Festival conjures up an image of all that is great about Canada,” says festival patron Robert Bateman. “Spectacular scenery, abundant nature and a warm, human spirit of getting together in a worthy cause.”
Visit www.wingsovertherockies.org
|
|
| ADVERTISEMENT |
|
|
|
|
