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[From Fall 1998]
The sixth annual Eastern Shore Birding Festival was held on October 9, 10 and 11. This event provides a unique opportunity to enjoy the peak of fall migration of neo-tropical songbirds and raptors on Virginia's Eastern Shore -- a globally important bird concentration point.
The Eastern Shore creates a natural funnel, focusing the fall migration of birds through the lower part of the Delmarva Peninsula. In preparation for their annual flight to the tropics, thousands of songbirds and raptors congregate at the southern tip of the peninsula which is also the location of the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge, Fisherman Island Refuge, and Kiptopeke State Park. On Friday night, October 9, Kenn Kaufman, was the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony. Mr. Kaufman is an author, artist, teacher, traveler and naturalist who has led nature tours on six continents. He is also a contributing editor to Birding World and Bird Watcher's Digest.
Saturday and Sunday Birding Festival events included a variety of guided activities, exhibits, workshops, speaker presentations, children's activities, and food and retail vendors. The grounds of the Sunset Beach Inn, which is located just north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, was the staging area for most of the festival activities.
Activities at Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge included Trail Hikes, Inland Passage Canoe Trips, tours of Fisherman Island and a variety of children's activities. Special video presentations were conducted in the Refuge Visitor Center throughout the weekend.
Field trips to historic Eyre Hall, the Kiptopeke Hawk Observatory, and a behind the scenes tour of Turner Sculpture (an internationally recognized wildlife studio) were also highlights of the weekend.
The Birding Festival is held in conjunction with the Eastern Shore Harvest Festival, which takes place annually on the first Wednesday in October. The Harvest Festival offers all-you-can-eat Shore delicacies, local arts, music, and entertainment, along with our special Eastern Shore hospitality.
This year's menu included clam chowder, crab cake sandwiches, chili, chicken wings, soft crab sandwiches, pork barbecue, corn on the cob, fried green tomatoes, sweet potato biscuits with country ham, sweet potato pie and a "sampler" tent which this year featured fried bay scallops, flounder, and crab fingers.
Both of these spectacular events are sponsored by the Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce and sell out early. If you missed either one this year, contact the Chamber soon to make sure you don't miss next year's festivities. You may telephone the Chamber at (757)787-2758, FAX (757)787-8687, visit their office on U.S. Route 13 in Melfa, or write to them at:
E. Shore of VA Chamber of Commerce
P. 0. Box 460
Melfa, VA 23410
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