FAMILY NATURE SUMMIT 2015 – RACE 4 BIRDS
The annual Family Nature Summit featured a brand new element this year as organizers added Race 4 Birds to their program. Beautiful Lake Januluska in North Carolina was the venue for this year’s Summit in late June.
The Race 4 Birds Foundation provided guidance to the Summit organizers about how to incorporate an R4B event into their very busy event calendar. And, we provided two customized checklists specifically for the event. The checklist for the littlest birders featured a dozen species and photographs. R4B also donated Orion binoculars to the Summit organizers to use as they saw fit. Here is how the Summit organizers announced this new program on their website: * Race4Birds OPEN TO ALL AGES Calling all Junior Naturalists! (Adults also welcome.) Bring your binoculars and find as many birds of the Great Smoky Mountains as you can over a 24-hour period. The clock starts ticking at 6am on Tuesday, June 30, at early morning birding with Jeff Harding and continues until 6am Wednesday. Look for birds during the day and evening while you participate in your other Summit activities and keep a record of birds you find. Sign up for the race during registration on Sunday, June 28th and get your checklist and keys to identifying birds you are likely to see. Get the early scoop on birds of the Smokies on Sunday afternoon when Jeff Harding and Bruce Lampright will talk about the amazing birding in the area. Adults are welcome to participate, too. Remember to bring binoculars (two pair will be available at the Summit office, first come). If you have a smart phone, you might want to download Merlin, a fabulous app for bird identification available from Cornell lab. |
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Almost 50 young people participated in the inaugural Family Nature Summit R4B.
Here is how the Summit organizers described their first R4B event:
“As expected, our kids saw the very common birds—Cardinal, Blue Jay, Robin, Canada Goose, Ducks, but they did get to see the Wild Turkeys and chimney swifts which were new for most of them! They enjoyed seeing all of them, though! They are not as particular as adults—they just like to look at them! Especially with binoculars!
Thanks so much for your support on this. The kids and adults really had fun with it. Loved your lists, especially photos for kids."
Almost 50 young people participated in the inaugural Family Nature Summit R4B.
Here is how the Summit organizers described their first R4B event:
“As expected, our kids saw the very common birds—Cardinal, Blue Jay, Robin, Canada Goose, Ducks, but they did get to see the Wild Turkeys and chimney swifts which were new for most of them! They enjoyed seeing all of them, though! They are not as particular as adults—they just like to look at them! Especially with binoculars!
Thanks so much for your support on this. The kids and adults really had fun with it. Loved your lists, especially photos for kids."
PHOTOS FROM THE FAMILY NATURE SUMMIT RACE 4 BIRDS
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