Schedule of Events:

FESTIVAL CHECK-IN, Cortez Cultural Center Gallery
12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Full Registration Fee & banquet $85
Daily registration fee $15
(no reg. fee req’d for teens)
Banquet only fee  $55
Lectures included with each day’s registration,
otherwise $5 at door

Wildflower Walk at Hawkins Preserve
David Faulkner, Natural Resource Biologist, Retired

1:30 pm – 4:30 pm; $25
Walk Hawkins Preserve’s trails during peak wildflower bloom. Protected for decades, these 122 acres within Cortez’s city limits incorporate vegetation of native habitats: sagebrush, pothole-slickrock, pinyon-juniper, riparian, rim rock and more. Specific species are emphasized for value as dye plants, medicine, wildlife browse, horticulture and bird habitat. (9 bird species in 2023) Moderate, up to one-mile flat walking. Approximately 3 miles round trip.

Falcons and Eagles and Owls…Oh My! #1
Tyler Lausten, Wildlife Photographer; Carolyn Gunn, Veterinarian, Retired

2:30 pm – 8:30 pm; $50
The ever-popular raptor tour within the Cortez area has expanded to incorporate early evening hours. Species could include Bald and Golden eagles, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Great-horned Owl, Barn Owl and Burrowing Owl. Some of these species might be observed on or near their nests. Peregrine Falcon, Cooper’s Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk are other raptor possibilities. (24 species in 2023) Easy. Box dinner by Holly provided. Approximately 65 miles round trip.
A raptor seen during the Birding Festival
Photo courtesy of Diane Cherbak

Falcons and Eagles and Owls…Oh My! #2
Vern Gersh, Naturalist Ranger, Bureau of Land Management, Retired; Terry McLaughlin, Naturalist, Mono Lake Committee, Retired

2:45 pm – 8:30 pm; $50
The ever-popular raptor tour within the Cortez area has expanded to incorporate early evening hours. Species could include Bald and Golden eagles, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Great-horned Owl, Barn Owl and Burrowing Owl. Some of these species might be observed on or near their nests. Peregrine Falcon, Cooper’s Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk are other raptor possibilities. (24 species in 2023) Easy. Box dinner by Holly provided. Approximately 65 miles round trip.

Birds and Bites WELCOME RECEPTION
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Cortez Cultural Center Gallery
Join fellow bird enthusiasts during the UMMV Birding Festival’s Welcome Reception. Enjoy beer, wine, appetizers and the bird art exhibit.

LECTURE
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Topic and Presenter