Grayling Visitors Bureau

Kirtland Community College
News Release
10775 N. St. Helen Road Roscommon, MI 48653 989-275-5000
www.kirtland.edu

Subject: KWWF offers new wildlife tours at annual festival May 15
Office: PR Contact: Dennis Mansfield at 989-275-5000, ext. 242
Date: Saturday, May 8, 2009 For Release: Immediately

New wildlife tours expand festival offerings

By Hillary Salvas

ROSCOMMON – The Kirtland’s Warbler is not alone! That may come as a surprise to nature lovers and bird-watchers who have not already attended the Kirtland’s Warbler Wildlife Festival (KWWF), thinking the only bird to see during the annual event is the rare song bird that calls northern Michigan its summertime home.

Those who’ve attended previous festivals, held annually on the third Saturday in May, can attest the Kirtland’s warbler has many other species of birds for neighbors, not to mention the abundance of non-winged wildlife.

While the Kirtland’s warbler is North America’s rarest warbler, the 17th annual KWWF, set for Saturday, May 15, on Kirtland Community College’s main campus near Roscommon, features two new tours designed to expand a festival-goers’ knowledge of many other birds, including other endangered winged-friends, such as the whooping crane and piping plover.

Best of all, the new tours give festival-goers an opportunity to see these rare and beautiful creatures in their natural habitat. In fact, the checklist used for the new bird tours include 227 species of our feathered friends for enthusiasts to search out and check off.

Discussion to add the new tours came after a very successful demonstration, “Birding by Ear” by Nature Discover’s Jim McGrath, at a previous KWWF. The presentation went over well because many were shocked with how many different birds they saw and heard.
By expanding the festival to include the multiple-species tours, festival organizers hope to bring back repeat birding enthusiasts and previous visitors, allowing them a new and different chance to reconnect with nature during a fun, family-oriented weekend that KWWF officials hope will become a yearly tradition.

“We believe the Kirtland’s Warbler Wildlife Festival is a celebration – a celebration of nature, the Kirtland’s warbler and of the jack pine ecosystem that dominates our region, helping to education festival-goers through the tours and presentations,” said Jim Enger, the festival’s committee chairman.

One of the tours isn’t really new, but definitely has a new twist – and time. The “Wakeley Lake Wildlife Walk” was previously held on the Friday evening prior to the festival. However, the timing didn’t take advantage of the fact many species are more active in the morning. So, the wildlife walk was moved to Friday morning and is now slated for Friday, May 14, beginning at 7 a.m.

The tour is about two to three hours in length. Not only will participants start off the day with fresh air, they’ll also have the chance to spot loons, eagles and a variety of other wildlife. Like all festival tours, the Wakeley Lake Wildlife Walk is guided by wildlife professionals and naturalists, ensuring that participants will get the most out of this unique experience.

A truly new addition to the festival slate is the “Roscommon Area Birding Tour,” which is scheduled for Saturday, May 15, at 7 a.m. and lasts roughly three hours. The tour begins with a bus ride and takes participants to places where they may see dozens of different birds, including diverse types of warblers, sparrows and vireos. Some of the sites are known to harbor the bald eagle, yellow-bellied sapsucker, upland sandpiper and pileated woodpecker, among many others.

“Now, more than ever, The Kirtland’s Warbler Wildlife Festival offers a chance to expand your birding knowledge and take some great photographs – cameras, binoculars, and spotting scopes are all welcome,” Enger said. “The best thing about these new tours is it’s so inexpensive to attend. A $5 festival button gets you into the festival –that’s it – and includes admittance to all the tours and presentations.”

A complete festival schedule may be viewed online at warbler.kirtland.edu, or for additional details call 989-275-5000, extension 266 or 242.

– Hillary Salvas is a student writer for the Kirtland Current, the student publication serving Kirtland Community College.