Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Birding Festival

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The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge hosts its sixth annual Birding Festival on May 10 - 12, 2012. The festival strategically falls during the height of the spring Neotropical songbird migration, when the greatest diversity of species are on the fly.

Bird lovers will delight in catching a glimpse of the Swainson's warbler and the Wayne's warbler (a race of the Black-throated Green warbler), two of the most secretive and least observed of all North American birds. Lucky visitors will likely catch a "peep" of the white-throated Sparrow, the graceful Great Egret and even the regal Bald Eagle. Other birds of interest are the wood duck, barred owl, pileated woodpecker and prothonotary warbler.

The FREE annual Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival is open to the public and offers family-fun activities, such as guided bird walks, owl prowls, bus tours and photography workshops. Bird walks and bus tours require reservations and can be made by calling the Refuge Headquarters starting March 1, 2012 at (757) 986-3705. For more information about the festival, visit www.fws.gov/northeast/greatdismalswamp.

Schedule of Events