Schedule:
 
Friday, May 5, 2023

Canoe Oneal Lake
Choose from 2 Times:  9:00 a.m.  or  11:00 a.m.
Location:  Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge, 6772 Highway 76 South, Stanton, TN 38069
Leader: Tara Dowdy, Refuge Ranger
Meet at the Hatchie Refuge Office on Oneal Lake for a quick “Canoeing 101” before taking to the water.  No age limitations.  During the canoe trip participants will learn about our National Wildlife Refuge System, what we do at West TN Refuges and why, identify local birds, etc.
No Charge. Number of participants is limited for each trip and you Must Pre-Register to participate. Call 731-779-9000 to reserve your spot.

Hatchie Clean-Up
1:00 p.m - 4:00 p.m
Location: Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge, 6772 Highway 76 South, Stanton TN 38069
The Hatchie BirdFest is a World Migratory Bird Day Event and this year’s theme is Water. The vast majority of migratory birds rely on aquatic ecosystems during their life cycles. Inland and coastal wetlands, rivers, lakes, streams, marshes, and ponds are all vital for feeding, drinking, or nesting, and also as places to rest and refuel during their long journeys.  As World Migratory Bird Day highlights the importance of water for migratory birds and identifies key actions for protecting water resources and aquatic ecosystems, you’re invited to help us keep our refuge safe for all wildlife.

10th Annual Hatchie BirdFest Kick-Off
Location: Historic Downtown Brownsville,  28 South Court Square (Former Economy Store building)
Beginning at 5:30 p.m
We’re going downtown for our kick-off event.  Today is Cinco de Mayo and our community is celebrating with food, drink and shopping late on our court square.  You are invited to eat at one of our local restaurants, shop a little and enjoy the ambience of our small town before we gather to enjoy our official Hatchie BirdFest band, The Dirt Pilgrims.

The Dirt Pilgrims
In Concert 5:30 p.m
The “Dirt Pilgrims,” a folk-Americana cover band, was started by three professors from Jackson State Community College, James Mayo, Associate Professor of English, John Koons, Associate Professor of Biology, Bob Raines, Professor of Psychology, and Victor Garcia, the JSCC Web Administrator and Adjunct Professor, in 2007. They share a love of acoustic music, and perform an eclectic mix of songs written by some of their favorite artists:  Woody Guthrie, John Prine, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Hank Williams, Flogging Molly, The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, Josh Ritter, Old Crow Medicine Show.

Discussion, Reading and Book Signing:
6:30 p.m
Dawn Songs: A Birdwatcher's Field Guide to the Poetics of Migration
Join BirdFest’s own Bob Ford as he talks about Dawn Songs and his contributions to this book.
Books will be available for purchase ($20) and Bob will be available for signing.
Dawn Songs invites you into the deep terrain of birds and bird watchers. It will take you on a lyrical journey that spans miles, ecologies, and cosmologies. It is an anthological exploration of migration at the interface of Nature and human nature. It is well-travelled voices rising, collectively, to call upon a new day.

Evening Presentation
7:00 p.m
Studying Ruby-throated Hummingbirds During Their Nesting Season
Presented by Dr. David Pitts
Ornithologist and Retired Professor, U.T. Martin
Dr. Pitts will share his extensive knowledge of the Ruby-throated hummingbird based on his 12+ years of research. During this time he has discovered 284 nests. He will briefly describe their breeding biology and recent changes in numbers. Emphasis will be placed nesting success ad factors influencing nest success. Dr. Pitts will share methods used to locate the nests and suggest ways of attracting hummingbirds to yards. Raised on a small hill farm in northwest Tennessee (which makes him a hillbilly, not a flatlander); Dr. Pitts is a retired Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Tennessee at Martin from 1969-2013 where his primary responsibilities were teaching General Biology and Ornithology. His research has concentrated on Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Chickadees, Loggerhead Shrikes, and, most recently, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.  He spends much of his summers searching for and observing hummingbird nests.

Saturday, May 6, 2023

5:30 a.m
Legend of the Nightjar
US Fish and Wildlife Biologist Bob Ford
Join Bob virtually (Facebook Live) for an early morning outing listening for the nightjar.

7:30 a.m - 11:00 a.m
Bird Hike, Nature Walk
Led by birding experts, this hike is good for all experience levels. Please come prepared to spend the morning in the field. This includes binoculars, bug spray and staying hydrated, extra water is always good to have. Participants will meet at the WT Delta heritage Center and caravan to select spots on the Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge and other Haywood County Locations. This is usually a 4 hour adventure. Because you will be caravanning, for those who do not wish to stay out that long, you are welcome to leave at any point.

7:30 a.m - 11:00 a.m
Hummingbird Banding Demonstrations
Cyndi Routledge of SEAR (Southeastern Avian Research) will be demonstrating how hummingbirds are banded throughout the morning as hummingbirds visit the feeders at the Delta Heritage Center.  She will present a program on the subject at 2 pm.

8:00 a.m - 10:00 a.m
Photography  Nature Walk
Led by Watt Wallace
This is a bird watching, photography opportunity to learn tips and tricks for photographing wildlife,, especially birds, while also learning identifications tips. Bring your camera and binoculars.
This class will concentrate on the Oneal Lake area of the Hatchie NWR. Participants will caravan from the the WT Delta Heritage Center.

8:30 a.m - 11:00 a.m
Bird Hike, Nature Walk
Led by birding experts, this hike is good for all experience levels, especially those just starting or concerned with staying in the field for long periods. This walk will last approximately 2.5 hours.
Participants will meet at the WT Delta heritage Center and caravan to select spots on the Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge.  Because you will be caravanning, for those who do not wish to stay out that long, you are welcome to leave at any point.
Please come prepared. This includes binoculars, bug spray and staying hydrated, extra water is always good to have.

12:00 p.m
Birds of Prey
Live bird demonstrations that utilizes injured birds of prey including the Bald Eagle.
Presented by David Haggard,
Ranger Naturalist, Tennessee State Parks

1:00 p.m - 2:30 p.m
Lunch on your Own
Food Truck onsite or drive into town.
Enjoy lunch and shopping  in historic downtown Brownsville.  

2:00 p.m
Hummers
Learn more about how hummingbirds are banded and what the research has shown over the years.
Presented by Cyndi Routledge
Federal and State Licensed Master bird bander;  CEO of Southeastern Avian Research, Clarksville, TN.  
Cyndi’s first love and major research subject are hummingbirds, including ‘winter’ hummingbirds. She has banded over 15,000 hummingbirds since she began her research in 2014.
In addition to her non-profit research work with hummingbirds, songbirds and small owls, Cyndi conducts contract avian conservation work for The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and manages the Tennessee Watchable Wildlife webpage. Cyndi has been the Secretary of the Tennessee Ornithological Society for the past 12 years and President of the Nashville Chapter of TOS for the last 8 years.  She was a long-time volunteer bander with Bob and Martha’s Sargent’s Hummer Bird Study Group and has worked with The International Crane Foundation and Wheeler Wildlife Refuge as a ‘crane ambassador’ to educate the public and insure the preservation of the Whooping Crane, one of the world’s most endangered species of birds.

2:45 p.m
The Prothonotary Warbler
Learn more about the Hatchie BirdFest’s signature logo bird.
Presented by Richard “Dick” Preston
An active birder for 50 years, President of the Tennessee Ornithological Society and active member of the Memphis Chapter.

3:30 p.m
Butterfly and Wildflower Walk
Learn about the butterflies and wildflowers native to West Tennessee.

6:30 p.m
Nocturnal Walk: Creatures of the Night  and  Sunset at Oneal Lake
Meet at Oneal Lake to watch the sunset and night critters come out. Experience the lake after dark. The gates will be open until 10 p.m. for self-guided tours around the lake. Be on the lookout for bats and otters among others. Be sure and bring mosquito repellent and a flashlight. This is always a favorite event for attendees and perfect for all age groups. Again, if you don’t want to walk the 2 miles around the lake, you are welcome to drive - just be aware of those walking and use extreme caution.  

Sunday, May 7, 2023

7:30 a.m - 11:00 a.m
Birding with Bob
Our annual caravan to check out Bob Ford’s favorite Birding spots begins at the WT Delta Heritage Center. Meet up for orientation about what the morning will entail and to be sure you are a part of the caravan. You don’t want to miss out.

Sunday Afternoon at  Willow Oaks Flower Farm
Willow Oaks Farm -  2351 TN-54, Brownsville, TN 38012
Sunday afternoon sessions will be held at Willow Oaks Flower Farm, Brownsville. Sarah and David Levy will welcome us to their greenhouses and outdoor spaces for seminars.

Shop and Learn
Beginning at 1:30 pm, experts will be on hand to help you select the perfect plants to attract birds, butterflies and wildlife to your backyard habitat and answer your planting questions.

2:30 p.m
Natives, Nativars: Facts, Fallicies and Foibles
Led by: Carol Reese
Retired UT Extension Horticulture Specialist
Are native plants really more likely to succeed? Are they always the better choice for supporting insects? Are “nativars” bad choices?
Carol’s program separates fact from fiction, and champions all well behaved plants that provide exceptional performance and sustenance for insects and other wildlife. She suggests that dismissing a plant on the basis of its origin rather than its ecological merits has potential to result in more harm than good to our already damaged planet. This thought-provoking program questions the human-imposed “native” - and if trying to freeze the plant palette to a particular moment in time is beneficial, or dangerous - or even possible. Hold onto your hats as Carol humorously uses Frankenstein, Sitting Bull, mastodons, space travel and kitchen blenders to build her case for using Every beneficial plant, inviting unification over the urgent goal of regreening the planet and providing for the “little things that run the world”. (Phrase coined by the late great E.O. Wilson)

4:30 p.m
Field and Forest Ecology Walk
Join Bob Ford, via Facebook live, as he explores and shares  portions of the Hatchie Wildlife Refuge that many have never seen.

5:30 p.m
Bob’s “Wrap-up on the River”
Join Bob Ford, via Facebook live, down on the river. Bob will wrap-up the 2023 event with the list of birds seen over the weekend and other highlights of this year’s Hatchie BirdFest.

Date: May 5 - 7, 2023

Location: Various Venue, Brownsville, TN 38012

Click Here For More Information