Bird festival focuses on wood-peckers

Birders from all around Oregon will migrate to Sisters for the Woodpecker Wonderland Festival in Camp Sherman June 6-8.

Camp Sherman is the home of many species of woodpeckers - 11 approximately - more than many other places in North America. Which makes Camp Sherman a unique place for birders to meet and enjoy beautiful landscapes and their native residents.

This will be the only bird festival on the continent focused solely on that hardy species. Friday's events start late in the day at 1 p.m., but Saturday and Sunday start at the birding hour of 7 a.m., with a field trip followed by several hourly bird walks and choices of either late morning or early afternoon, half-day field trips.

Want to feel like you're on a trip with Lewis and Clark? One trip will take you to the mixed-conifer forest enjoyed by the Lewis's Woodpecker, originally discovered by Corps of Discovery Captain Meriwether Lewis.

Nancy Tanner will be the keynote speaker on Saturday evening, June 7. Tanner is one of the few people left on earth who has actually seen the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, believed by some to be extinct. Tanner's husband, James, an ornithologist, was among a team of Cornell scientists studying the Ivory-billed in the 1930s and '40s as they were becoming extinct.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker was even larger than the well-known Pileated Woodpecker. Recent possible sightings in 2004/2005 have brought back hope to many that the Ivory-bill might still be out there.

Woodpeckers are key to the health of the forest. By feeding on insects just below the bark, they help protect the trees. The familiar drumming sound of woodpeckers is not a noisy eating habit. It's the male's way of advertising his territory.

For nesting, woodpeckers drill cavities in dead trees. Other birds, like the Northern Pygmy Owl, later use those cavities for nesting.

To register for participation in woodpecker tours, visit http://www.paradisebirding.com. Call 408-1753 for more information.