DOINews: USFWS: Great Bird Festivals at National Wildlife Refuges

Ducks take flight at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, which hosts the annual Festival of the Cranes in November. Photo by Marvin DeJong, USFWS volunteer.

Surprise. You don't have to be a serious birder to get a kick out of a refuge bird festival. All you need is a wish to see skies suddenly fill with more birds than you've ever seen before.

National wildlife refuges make great festival sites because they're bird magnets; many protect key bird habitat along the country's major flyways. Many festivals coincide with spring or fall migration. Here are some great refuge bird festivals to check out in 2015:

Calendar of Festivals on or near National Wildlife Refuges

Submitted by: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Dec. 11, 2014