FREE Birding Festival At Heinz Refuge

 The "Cradle of Birding" Wildlife and Conservation Festival on September 17 is the largest event offered at the refuge for the entire year.  It features dozens of exhibitors, workshops on birding, fly tying, and nature photography, and live animal demonstrations including the always popular "Raptor Show" featuring hawks, owls, and eagles. There's live music provided by Tinicum's own "Environmental Troubadour, Glen Waldek and free hot dogs and soft drinks for all present.  Visitors can take a trackless trolley tour of the refuge and learn about the different habitats and wildlife or watch how water retrieving dogs are trained.  Area carvers will be on hand creating amazing pieces of art from blank pieces of wood and several of the Refuge’s volunteer naturalists will lead three early morning birding walks starting a 7am. 
  The keynote speaker for this year's festival will be John Rogers of Bird Town Pennsylvania with a presentation of how to create bird and butterfly habitats in yards.
   The "Cradle of Birding" Festival is sponsored by the Friends of the Heinz Refuge and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is a FREE event. 
   For more information on the "Cradle of Birding" Festival or the photo contest, visit www.fws.gov/heinz or call 215-365-3118.