by Jay Galvin
Rainier Audubon’s first annual bird festival at Flaming Geyser State Park on Saturday, June 25th was an overall success even in 95 degree heat! The covered shelter used turned out to be ample cover from the sun when needed.
The hourly guided bird walks led by Steve Johnson, Calen Randall, Cheryl White, Raphael Fennimore and Barbara Petersen were a big success. with at least 35 enthusiastic participants being led into the forest, along the Green River or next to the roadside marsh habitat.
Along with the bird walks were a children’s activity table manned by Chris Odell and Heather Gibson which kept the kids occupied making birds out of clothespins to painting birdhouses. Cindy Flanagan and Carly her daughter, gave a workshop on nature journaling. The native plant and bird identification tables were manned by Marie West Johnson and Barbara Retelle respectively. Hourly presentations included Backyard Bird Habitats and How to Photograph Birds presented by Marie West Johnson and Jay Galvin.
The welcoming tent was occupied by Ken Schroeder and Linda Carlson who had an excellent bird box display setup. Park Ranger Scott Ellis led a walk into the woods to point out native and invasive plants in Flaming Geyser Park.
Plans are already under way for our 2023 festival. Visit our Website for festival volunteer opportunities and schedules.
