Tule Lake bird fest on tap – Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News

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Tule Lake bird fest on tap By Mark Freeman May 15, 2008 12:00 AM A A Bird enthusiasts will have plenty to gawk at Saturday at the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, which is hosting its annual Tule Lake Migratory Bird Festival at the refuge in California south of Klamath Falls. The free events will be run out of the Refuge Visitor Center in Tulelake, Calif. The events begin with a mist-netting and bird-banding demonstration from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Mist nets capture small birds that are banded and released. Morning bird walks through Discovery Marsh will run from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. The remaining events require reservations. They include a trip from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. where refuge wildlife biologist John Beckstrand will help participants identify migratory and resident birds. A refuge specialist also will lead a tour through the refuge and share bird-identification techniques. That tour will run from 9:30 a.m. to noon. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., half-hour airboat rides will be given on Tule Lake Marsh. The event concludes with Park Ranger Angela Buckley's guided tour of the Civilian Conservation Corps camp on the refuge. That runs from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. For reservations and more information, call 530-667-2231 or visit the refuge Web site at www.fws.gov/klamathbasinrefuges.