CLEARLAKE — The 18th annual Heron Festival, presented by the Redbud Audubon Society has moved back to the south end of Clear Lake and will be presented at Redbud Park in Clearlake on May 5.
Pontoon boat rides down Cache Creek and areas of Anderson Marsh are a favorite part of the festival. Heron Festival was started 18 years ago at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park and is, in a sense, returning to its roots.
This year, the festival booths and programs will be at Redbud Park in Clearlake and pontoon boat rides will leave from Redbud Park to view the Great Blue Heron Rookery in Anderson Marsh. Tickets are now available to purchase for the boat rides. The rest of the festival is free and open to the public.
Besides the change of location (the festival has been held at Clear Lake State Park for the last six years) there are other changes to the event.
It will only be held for one day and because of this, there are fewer boat tickets available. People who want to purchase boat ride tickets are advised to do so right away. Tickets cost $20 per person and may be purchased by going to the festival website at www.heronfestival.org. Reservations and advance ticket purchase are required for the boat trips.
The keynote speaker is internationally-honored nature photographer Philip L. Greene from Point Reyes. Greene has studied and photographed herons and egrets for more than two decades.
His photos and lecture focus on the nesting cycle of herons and egrets, with special emphasis on mating behaviors, nest building and fledging.
The live owls and raptors show will be offered at 1 p.m. and repeated at 2 p.m. This special talk and demonstration by Native Bird Connections is one of the activities designed especially for families with children.
Harry Lyons again offers his “Myths and Music of Clear Lake,” combining an entertaining mix of music, science, and humor to tell the story of Clear Lake.
Redbud Audubon will show a video and slide presentation on the courtship “dancing” behaviors of the grebes that frequent Clear Lake by the thousands every year during the breeding season.
For photos and details on all festival events and to purchase tickets for the pontoon boat tours, visit www.heronfestival.org or call 263-8030.
The festival website also provides a link to information about the Wildflower Brunch on April 28.
