By Laurelle Walsh
The fifth annual Chelan Ridge Hawk Migration Festival takes place this weekend with field trips and bird-oriented programs at Memorial Park in Pateros, at North Cascades Basecamp in Mazama, at Wells Wildlife Area near Brewster and atop Chelan Ridge and Hart’s Pass.
The festival begins on Friday (Sept. 12) with a raptor identification workshop taught by Jerry Liguori of Hawk Watch International. The workshop begins at 7 p.m. in the Convention Room at the Pateros Lakeshore Inn. Liguori, a premier raptor ID expert, has studied raptors throughout North America and is the author of two books about hawks.
On Saturday (Sept. 13) from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Memorial Park in Pateros there will be hands-on educational booths for all ages, face painting for kids and live raptors from the WSU Raptor Club. Cutting edge optics from Wild Birds Unlimited, bird guides from Trail’s End Bookstore and bird houses by Daniel Anderman will be for sale in the park. Live music will be provided by David and Mica Shearer.
A birding trip to Wells Wildlife Area to view migrating songbirds and waterfowl will depart Memorial Park at 8 a.m. and return by noon. Participants will carpool from Pateros. A Discover Pass is required for parking.
Vans will leave Pateros for four-hour field trips to the Chelan Ridge HawkWatch Site every hour from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Children must be 11 years old or older to ride the shuttle.
Chelan Ridge sits 5,675 feet above sea level along the flyway of migrating raptors. Biologists and on-site educators will share with visitors the work they conduct each fall, observing, counting, banding and tracking raptors migrating southward on the Pacific Coast Flyway. Participants will be able to observe live raptors such as Cooper’s hawks being banded and released.
The festival moves to Mazama on Sunday (Sept. 14) starting with breakfast at North Cascades Basecamp at 7:30 a.m. U.S. Forest Service biologist Kent Woodruff will then lead a raptor migration field trip to Hart’s Pass from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. All-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended for the 40-minute drive to Hart’s Pass. Space is limited. Register at info@northcascadesbasecamp.com.
For more information and to register for shuttles and specific events go to www.ncwaudubon.org/events.html.
