The 24th Annual KachemakBay Shorebird Festival will take place this week, May 12th through the 15th, in Homer. Robbi Mixon, who coordinates the festival, talks with KBBI News Director Daysha Eaton.
Daysha Eaton: “For people who don’t know, what is the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival?”
Robbi Mixon: “The shorebird festival is coming up May 11th through the 15th. This will be our 24th Annual Shorebird Festival. It is generally a celebration of the spring. We have over 100,000 birds that fly through Kachemak Bay on their way to the fertile breeding grounds of the Arctic. There’s over 30 species of shorebirds that fly through the bay along with another couple hundred resident birds. So, it is a great place for birders to check off some birds on their life list.
Daysha Eaton: “So, how does this work?”
Robbi Mixon: “So with your registration fee, we offer a lot of free events, so different birding walks – a lot of different educational talks. There are tons of free activities, but there are also a lot of fee-based activities. Every year we bring in at least one keynote speaker, this year we have three. And they will give a variety of talks: Birding by Impression; Smart Phone Birding; Digiscoping – a lot of really cool topics that we don’t necessarily have local people to give those talks so we like to bring in people from around the world, really, to come and give some talks. We also have different excursions, so this year we are premiering stand-up paddleboard birding, which our longtime True North Kayak Adventures, this is a new trip for them this year. We’re also doing birding by fat bike. So, Cyclelogical, a local bike shop here, is getting into the shorebird game and offering a really unique way to go birding. You can access places that you can’t by foot or car, easily, so those are some really fund, new stuff going on this year.
Daysha Eaton: “And there are some special activities for children, right?”
Robbi Mixon: “This is a family-friendly festival. We have a really awesome junior birder program. It’s probably one of the best in all of the bird festivals around the nation that I’ve seen. You can participate for seven years and there’s a different track every year with slightly different requirements. Some of those include coming to a bird lab so you actually go through and dissect birds. There are different walks, all kinds of different educational opportunities for kids. And we also have a live bird presentation. The folks from Anchorage Bird TLC come down and they bring two to three different birds that they’re rehabilitating and do a demonstration, so we’re going to have two presentations on Saturday and then folks can come on Sunday during our Birder’s Coffee and take a look at the birds too.
Daysha Eaton: “Where is all this happening, Robbi?”
Robbi Mixon: “So our headquarters is now at Islands and Ocean Visitors Center. This past year, Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges took over as a co-sponsor with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. So we now have an office in the wonderful Islands and Ocean Visitor’s Center. And that’s where we will be having registration this year. Lots of our talks and walks start from Islands and Ocean, but the festival does happen all over the Homer area. We have a lot of community partners like, Center for Alaska Coastal Studies, the Pratt Museum; the Homer Chamber of Commerce will have their doors open to welcome visitors.
Daysha Eaton: “How can people register for this?”
Robbi Mixon: “You can register online anytime 24/7 at kachemakshorebird.org or you can give us a call. During the festival we’ll open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Islands an Ocean. So, you can stop by, see what events are still open and pick up your tickets and registration badges. The registration fee for individuals is $20 and then family members can be added for an additional $5 up to four family members.
Daysha Eaton: “And there’s an art show associated with the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival this year, right?”
Robbi Mixon: “Yes, we are having an awesome fundraiser going on right now. It’s a 6x6 art show. Artists from around Alaska have painted birds that put at least a wing into Alaska and so there are about 38 artists that have donated and that show is on display right now at Islands and Ocean Visitor’s Center, so come on down and check out the art auction. All of the proceeds go to the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival.
Daysha Eaton: Thanks, Robbi.
Robbi Mixon: Thanks for having me, Daysha.
