Balcones Songbird Festival- A Celebration of Nature

The Balcones Songbird Festival is a celebration of nature through a collection of interpretive events to experience birds, butterflies and wildflowers to be held at the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge just west of Lago Vista, Texas April 29 through May 1, 2006.

Lago Vista, TX (PRWEB) April 1, 2006 -- The Balcones Songbird Festival (formerly known as the Texas Songbird Festival) is a celebration of nature through a collection of interpretive events to experience birds, butterflies, and wildflowers. The festival takes place April 29 through May 1, 2006. While many of the tours and events take place across the hill country, the main event will be located at the Refuge Headquarters on FM 1431 just west of Lago Vista. It’s hosted by the Friends of the Refuge, Travis Audubon Society and Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge and supported by local and national conservation-minded sponsors and partners who make this event possible.

The Fesitval kicks off with the Wine & Star Shine April 28th at 7:00pm. Flat Creek Estate Winery is graciously hosting a cocktail party to celebrate the Festival. A chance to share in the joy of accomplishment for volunteers and participants alike. Z Tejas Executive Chef, Jack Gilmore will delight you with food pairings to compliment Flat Creek Estate award winning wines. The Austin Classical Guitars Ensemble concert will serenade you, and Jeffery Phillips, of the Austin Dam Astronomers, will provide tales and lights of the sky at dusk. ($29.00 pp)

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will provide a rare view of the Refuge from tethered Hot Air Balloons concurrent with the Balcones Songbird Festival, at no charge! Times and locations will vary throughout the weekend, weather permitting.

There are 12 Nature Walks of varying degrees that offer birding with the experts. Tours will depart search of Warblers and Vireos each morning and afternoon. Jean & Seay Nance will lead a Moderately Difficult hike in the back country of an area of the Refuge not usually open to the public. Be ready for a wide-ranging introduction to the ecology of the Texas Hill Country from two of Central Texas's most experienced naturalists. The Festival also offers backyard landscaping, wildflowers & butterflies, and a nature Photography Workshop. All Nature Tours require a registration fee of $20.00 which includes one tour, each additional tour is $10.00. No registration fees are required for the Wine & Star Shine, the BBQ dinner or the host of family activities on Sunday Afternoon.

Saturday night join us for a chuck wagon BBQ dinner at the Flying X Ranch ($15.00 pp).

Sunday afternoon is dedicated to Family with events like the "Last Chance Forever Show" spiders & bugs, and plenty of hands-on activities to keep kids busy! Come build birdhouses, make seed balls, do insect stamping (no, not with your shoe!) All these events are free but some may incur material charges.

The refuge offers some of the best bird watching and habitat left in Texas. Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge has more than 215 bird species part or all year. Some of the birds at the refuge include the Painted Bunting, Black-crested Titmouse, Vermilion Flycatcher, Bushtit, Black-throated Sparrow, LeConte’s Sparrow and Canyon Towhee. Redtails and Red-shouldered Hawks nest regularly as well as a few Cooper’s Hawks.

Get more details at http://www.balconessongbirdfestival.org

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