2009 Festival Schedule

7 a.m.

Bird and ecology walk
Walk to Fisher Butte Unit at Fern Ridge to look at species of waterbirds that breed here, and focus on how they use the wetland habitats of Fern Ridge.

Length: 3 hours

Led by: Dave Bontrager

Meet at: Secret House Winery

Cost: $10.00

Pre-registration Required

Limited to 20 people

Birds and Blooms walk and tour at the Oregon Country Fair
The 380 acre property on the banks of the Long Tom River has been used for seasonal gatherings for thousands of years. The site is flooded several times most winters and includes wetlands, uplands, forests and open meadows. There will be all sorts of interesting things to see in this magical setting.

Length: 3 hours

Led by: Bruce Newhouse, Dennis Arendt

Meet at: Meet at Oregon Country Fair site entrance at 24450 Suttle Road and the corner of Aero Road and follow the signage for parking and our starting point.

Cost: Free

Pre-registration Required

Limited to 40 people

Scopes at Royal Avenue Platform
Come watch birds with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) biologists. 

The large Royal Avenue platform has a 360 degree view of wetland habitats. At this site one can see numerous species of waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, terns and other birds. Bring your spotting scopes, binoculars and field guides, or borrow the ones provided.

Led by: Roberta Swift

Cost: Free

Secret House Festival Grounds Open

Free Fun for the whole family!

Gardens open all day for bird watching!

Lunch from Veneta's Our Daily Bread Restaurant!

Hourly bird walks on the beautiful Secret House Grounds

Booths sponsered by Lane County Audubon Society, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cascades Raptor Center, Nearby Nature, Willamette Resources Education Network, Barnes & Noble, Veneta Parks, Fern Ridge Trails, and Wine Tasting will have tons of cool information and ongoing activities!

Fern Ridge Bird Walk

This walk will focus on identification of the many shorebirds that can be found along the edges of the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area.

Led by: Dan Farrar

Meet at: Royal Avenue Gate

Cost: Free

Pre-registration Required

10 a.m. to 12 noon

SOLD OUT

Paddle for Predators to find Raptors on Fern Ridge Lake and to Coyote Creek for other bird species.

Paddle the marshy side of Fern Ridge and get close to wetland raptors and other water-loving birds. Oregon River Sports will provide the canoes, personal floatation device and canoe paddles.

The weather will dictate items that you want to bring on this suggested gear list. If you decide to bring it all you will be prepared for anything that you may encounter while on this trip.

THINGS TO BRING:
A small backpack, duffle bag or dry bag that the following can be put in:
Light raingear
Sweater or light jacket
Gloves
Sunscreen
Insect repellant
Lip balm
Binoculars
Small writing pad and pen, incase you want to write down a few notes
Water and any personal snacks that you may need
Camera
Sunglasses with eyeglass retainers
Bandana
Personal meds

THINGS TO WEAR:
Please avoid cotton clothing
T-shirt (quick drying)
Long sleeve button up
Fleece pants or similar, no Levis
Wool socks (or quick drying socks)
Hat (for sun or rain)
Tennis shoes or any shoe than you won't mind getting wet and muddy
if you wear prescription glasses, wear eyeglass retainers

Led By: Noah Strycker

Meet at: 9:45 at Perkins Peninsula Park

Cost: $25 per person or $40.00 per canoe

Pre-registration Required  Sorry, This Event Is Sold Out!

Limited to 10 canoes

Open House at ODFW Office at Fern Ridge Wildlife Area 26969 Cantrell Road. Visit and see the displays of mounted birds, bird checklists, maps to trails of woodlands and wetlands. A great opportunity to become better acquainted with your local wildlife area.

Directions to ODFW Office

Free guided walk at 11:00 A.M. by Kevin Roth.

The grounds are also open for self guided walks during the open house.

Hourly Bird Walks on grounds of Secret House Winery led by various Lane County Audubon leaders

Length: 1 hour

Meet at: Audubon booth

Cost: Free

Limited to 25 people

Raptor ID talk “Raptors: Who they are and how to know them.”

Led by: Dan Gleason, Louise Shimmel and an all-winged cast from CRC.

Meet at: Cascades Raptor Center Booth

Kid friendly bird walk
Kids can learn about birds as they walk in the beautiful gardens.

Led By: Leila Snow and Kris Kirkeby

Meet at: Lane County Audubon Society booth

Cost: Free

Hedgerow talk
Learn about plantings to enhance bird habitat, especially native plants to attract native birds. Hedgerows are important in agricultural areas to provide cover and breeding sites for wildlife.

Led By: Patti Chappel

Meet at: Wine Tasting Booth

Cost: Free

Tour 3 Wineries and bird at each site! Van tour will begin at Secret House, go to Sweet Cheeks and King Estate Wineries. Visit the tasting rooms, hear about each winery, check for birds at each location with the guidance of our experts and enjoy the afternoon tour! Leila Snow, the Lane County Audubon Field Trip coordinator will be the bird guide.

Meet at: Secret House wine cellar

Limited to: 30 People

Pre-registration Required

Cost: $35.00 per person

Plants and Wildflower Walk at Fisher Butte led by Wes Messinger, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers botanist.

Willamette Valley wet prairie is fascinatingly diverse.  But it's wet: wear waterproof boots.

Led by: Wes Messinger

Meet at: Fisher Butte parking lot, N side of Hwy 126 half a mile west of Fisher Road, 4.8 miles E of Territorial Hwy in Veneta

Length: 2 hours

Limited to 20 people

Cost: Free

Backyard Habitat talk with Dick Lamster. He will discuss Bird Feeders, Bird Boxes, and attracting wildlife with landscape ideas.  

Led by: Dick Lamster

Meet at: Secret House

Cost: Free

Bat talk: This presentation will dispel the common preconceptions of our oft misunderstood flying mammalian neighbors. Topics include bat biology, physiology, species richness in our area, some beneficial services bats provide us, and the physical adaptations which allow members of this amazing mammalian order to persist in our area.

Led by: Cameron Bishop

Meet at: Secret House