Springtime is for the birds! Members of the campus community and the general public are invited for a family-friendly Feathered Friends Festival on Saturday, May 6. The day's schedule includes:

• 11 am – 1 pm | Activity and Demonstration Stations. Stop by tables inside and outside the building to make bird-themed crafts, enjoy food and drinks, gather tips for backyard bird feeding, watch feathered friends at the Rice Creek bird feeders, enter a raffle for bird goodies, and learn about current bird research at SUNY Oswego.

• 11 am – noon | Beginner Bird Walk. Join our naturalist for this family-friendly walk to look for and listen to birds. Participants will learn how to identify a handful of common species by sight and sound. This walk is offered in coordination with Rice Creek's Junior Naturalist Program. Participants should wear boots as spring trails are muddy.

• 1 – 2 pm | Talk: The Mysteries of Migration! Join local wildlife rehabilitator Jean Soprano for a lively talk including several of her non-releasable birds. Jean, an alumn of SUNY Oswego, operates Kindred Kingdoms Wildlife, Inc. with her husband Len.

• 2 – 3 pm | Bird Banding Demonstration. Dr. Daniel Baldassarre will be safely and humanely catching birds using a "mist net" and banding them for research and monitoring, as part of a continent-wide effort to track bird migration and survival. The opportunity to see wild birds up close is one that will stay with you for years to come!

• 3 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Raffle Winner Announcements. The winners of our raffle prizes will be announced live! Feel free to stick around, or we will contact you about how to receive your prize.

• 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. | Nighttime Owl Prowl. Hit the trails to search for owls while learning about what makes them so unique. Participants should wear boots and appropriate clothing as spring trails are muddy. Participants may also wish to have a light source such as a flashlight. Note: participants will not have access to the inside of the building -- including the restroom facilities.

Please note that children under 17 must be accompanied by an adult.

Transportation & Parking

Students can request a van pick-up by emailing rcfs@oswego.edu at least 24 hours in advance. For those driving personal vehicles, free parking is available at Rice Creek Field Station, located at 193 Thompson Road, 1 mile south of the SUNY Oswego campus.

Questions

Please direct questions to rcfs@oswego.edu or 315.312.6677.