The annual Harney County Migratory Bird Festival is just around the corner! This year, we’re throwing back to our 1980s roots with a commemorative neon logo and a return to individual exploration. 

The Bird Festival began in 1981 as a Kiwanis-sponsored event to highlight spring birding in Harney County. Did you know that the annual spring migration along the Pacific Flyway passes right through our area, providing more than 100 migrant bird species for the watchful eye? 

During the past 40 years, the Bird Festival has evolved to include organized, expert-led tours on foot, in vehicles, and by bicycle; family and youth activities in and out of the classroom; virtual programs and workshops; and numerous commerce opportunities. The festival is orchestrated by multiple partners with the main purposes of 1) bringing people to Harney County, and 2) supporting opportunities for people to connect with natural resources.  

After canceling the festival completely in 2020 and then going virtual in 2021, we’re starting our return to normal this year! Here are the highlights for the 2022 hybrid event:

Bird Crawl

Think ‘pub crawl,’ but with a vehicle (not walking) and birds (not beer…you’re driving!) Meet up with biologists, scientists, and subject matter experts in 10 different locations throughout Harney County. This event offers a flexible schedule. You can go where and when you choose. 

Set-time experiences 

Plan for scheduled activities like a movie in the park; a mini-concert live and in person with Sparkbird (Google that); the Kids’ Nature Fun Fair; birdhouse building; a tour at Diamond Craters; a class on how to bird Harney County; and so much more!

Virtual programming

Won’t be able to participate in the Bird Crawl, or want to participate online AND in person? Sign up for a virtual program! We have a great line-up of presentations like “Making a Mark on Malheur: The Legacies of John Scharff and Dave Marshall,” and a four-day series on the history and archaeology of Harney County. Programs are live online, and viewable from the comfort of your own WiFi.

Passport for pints

Buy a passport specially designed for 2022. Then, over festival weekend, take it with you to various Bird Crawl locations, or to some of the scheduled activities. A minimum of 8 passport stamps gets you a commemorative 2022 festival pint glass. Quantity is limited!

Shop Harney

Many stores and eateries are offering exceptional discounts and other benefits to festival passport holders for visiting their location. Some businesses are part of the festival glass egg hunt and ‘pics for pints,’ too!

For all the details, to register for fee-based activities, or to buy a 2022 event passport, go online to www.migratorybirdfestival. 

This year, festival partners include the Harney County Chamber of Commerce, Bureau of Land Management, Audubon Society of Portland, Friends of Malheur Refuge, High Desert Partnership, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, and Sage Designworks. 

We hope to see you out and about during festival weekend. And rest assured…we’re working hard to educate visitors on birding from the curb (not from the middle of the highway). Check out next week’s edition of the Burns Times-Herald for a full event schedule!