Annual birding festival flies into town April 24-28

The time of year is approaching when birds flock to the river flats, and Wrangell is once again hosting the Stikine River Birding Festival.

The festival will run from April 24 to 28 and will include a variety of bird-themed events and activities free of charge.

This year is a bit of a lighter year, Matt Henson, who is organizing festival planning, said. They are focusing on community-centered, family-friendly events.

Rather than a couple weekends of programming that the festival has offered in years past, this year’s schedule will be more condensed into just a few days.

The events will kick off with “Birding 101” led by Bonnie Demerjian at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church on Wednesday, April 24, at 6:30 p.m. Demerjian will provide tips and tricks for identifying birds.

On Friday, April 26, Gwen Baluss, a U.S. Forest Service wildlife technician, will band birds at the Volunteer Trail from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 27, will be full of activities, beginning with a bird walk led by Demerjian at Muskeg Meadows Golf Course, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars and join her for coffee, pastries and casual birding conversations at the Nolan Center afterward.

The Wrangell Community Market will take place at the Nolan Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 27. From 11 a.m. to noon there will be birdhouse building outside the center. Participants should bring their own hammer.

Also on Saturday, the Angerman’s Inc. Golf Tournament will be held at Muskeg Meadows. Registration is open until 9:30 a.m. and costs $25. The tournament starts at 10 a.m.

The festival will conclude Sunday, April 28, with a ballet recital at 10 a.m. at the Nolan Center. There will also be a workshop presentation on pollinators in Southeast Alaska at 11 a.m. at the Nolan Center.

Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. the movie “Migration” will be shown at the Nolan Center. The animated adventure comedy film tells the story of a family of mallards who try to migrate from New England to Jamaica.

All weekend, art by Evergreen Elementary School students will be on display at the Nolan Center.

The event is supported by a U.S. Forest Service grant, which provides enough funding for this year’s event and two more years. Next year, organizers are hoping to have more of a regional draw for the festival, said Henson, who works as the borough’s marketing and community development coordinator.