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About
Godwit Days is a three-day spring migration bird festival celebrating the Marbled Godwit and all the birds of the coastal redwoods, bays, marshes, and mudflats of California's Redwood Coast. Choose from over 100 field trips, lectures, workshops, and boat excursions. Pre- and post-festival trips are available for an extended stay and opportunity to explore all the birds of the North Coast and Klamath Bioregion.
Join us at the Opening Reception and Art Exhibition at the Arcata Community Center, where you can meet celebrated wildlife and nature artists, talk to our expert field trip leaders, and hear our keynote speaker. Perhaps you would like to make an inquiry about a particular species. Included with your registration are two days of compelling videos, beginning birding seminars, and breath-taking live birds of prey to see. View the beautiful selection of art by our top North Coast artists. Browse the Bird Fair and see the products and information you can't be without -- and don't forget to purchase a Godwit Days shirt or cap as a remembrance.
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Hooded Merganser tile painting by 2009 poster artist Sara Starr. |
Cedar Waxwing drawing by art show participant Carl Meyers. |
The City of Arcata has been exceptional in its efforts to establish and promote a comfortable environment for birders of all skill levels. Godwit Days begain 1995 with the efforts of The City of Arcata and Rob Hewitt. From 1999 to 2004 the festival was operated by Arcata MainStreet. In 2004, a nonprofit organization was formed to run the festival. The City of Arcata continues to support the festival and the Birdbox (707-822-LOON), a clearinghouse for rare bird sightings in the area, in partnership with the Redwood Region Audubon Society.
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Keynote Speaker 2010 - Jeff Bouton, research biologist, author, professional nature tour guide, and Leica Sport Optics Product Specialist.
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Lots to take in at the Arcata Community Center
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- Sign in, get information, directions, or maps.
- See rehabilitated raptors up close with no barriers from Wildlife Images of Grants Pass, Oregon, including a Golden Eagle.
- View the Art Exhibition - See and bid on the work of North Coast nature and wildlife artists.
- Browse booths from vendors, local non-profit groups, and government agencies - birding books, optics, gear, information, and merchandise.
- A banquet preceding the Saturday Keynote lecture.
- Wildlife Demonstration Garden provided by Miller Farms Nursery.
- Student Bird Art Contest entries.
- Early morning through mid-afternoon beverages and food at the Redwood Region Audubon Society's Godwit Cafe.
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Godwit Days baseball cap, visor, and knit cap for sale during the festival
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Men's and women's 100% cotton T-shirts -- with the 2010 poster art on front -- will be sold at the Arcata Community Center during the festival. Other various Godwit Days merchandise will also be available for purchase, including previous years' t-shirts.
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Fun for kids at the Community Center
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Kids make pine cone bird feeders at the Arcata Community Center during Godwit Days. |
Drawing is always a favorite among the youngsters.
Photos by Beth Deibert. |
On Saturday, April 17, Friends of the Arcata Marsh will host free family activities in the arts & crafts room at the Community Center as part of the Festival. Activities will be held between 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Activities include making fish prints, birdfeeders, water cycle bracelets, buttons, and 3-D paper birds and butterflies. All children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Student Bird Art Contest Returns
For the seventh year, Redwood Region Audubon Society and Friends of the Arcata Marsh are once again teaming to sponsor the Annual Student Bird Art Contest with entries displayed during Godwit Days. A total of $500 will be awarded in various grade categories. Special prizes for best rendition of a bird in it's natural habitat. All entries will be displayed in the Community Center, with the winners receiving their awards at the Opening Reception.
Submission Rules:One entry per student. Maximum size of artwork is 8.5" x 11". Subject must be a rendering of a bird listed below. Any media may be used (e.g. crayon, pastels, paint, pencil, collage). Artwork must be able to be pushpinned to a wall for display. Write student's name, home address, phone number, teacher's name, grade number, and name of school on back of entry, along with the species of bird being depicted. Do not frame. To receive artwork back, enclose a self-addressed envelope with proper postage (minimum $1); allow at least two weeks after April 17 for return. Teachers submitting artwork for their entire classroom may pick up their packet of entries at Strictly For The Birds AFTER may 1.
Winners will be announced and awarded prizes during the festival at the Arcata Community Center gymnasium at 11:30am Saturday April 17. Entries will be displayed in the Arcata Community Center during Godwit Days. Color copies of winning art will be displayed at the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center during May. Winner's names will be published in FOAM and RRAS newsletters and sent to local media.
The deadline for receipt of entries will be Friday, March 26, 2010. Drop off at Strictly For The Birds, 123 F Street, Eureka, or the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, South G Street, Arcata, or mail to Sue Leskiw, 5440 Cummings Rd. Eureka, CA 95503.
Please select one or more species from the list below when creating your artwork entry:
American Avocet
Bufflehead
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Wood Duck
Bald Eagle
Great Egret
Peregrine Falcon
Purple Finch
Northern Flicker
Marbled Godwit
American Goldfinch
Western Grebe
Northern Harrier
Red-shouldered hawk
Great Blue heron
Anna's Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
White-tailed Kite
Common Loon
Western Meadowlark
Marbled Murrelet
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Osprey
Spotted Owl
Snowy Plover
Tufted puffin
California Quail
American Robin
Cliff Swallow
Cinnamon Teal
Forster's Tern
Varied Thrush
Spotted Towhee
Cedar Waxwing
American Wigeon
Pileated Woodpecker
Marsh Wren
Common Yellowthroat
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Areas of special interest to explore during the festival:
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Festival participants enjoy the waterbirds at
Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge
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* The Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary - 307 acres of ponds, lakes, and marshes (225 acres open to the pubic) where over 250 species of birds have been sighted just blocks from the downtown.
* Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge
* Redwood National and State Parks, including the breathtakingly beautiful Fern Canyon
* The Egret rookery on Indian Island
* Elk Head and Castle Rock
* Headwaters Forest Reserve
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Carving Seminar for Beginners at Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Join master carvers from the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association for a four-hour carving seminar, Sunday April 18th, from 9 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The seminar will be held at the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, just south of Eureka, exit 696 on Hookton Road. All of the necessary materials, including a study guide and the best knives on the market, will be provided for this seminar. Short lectures with lots of hands-on carving will enable you to complete a life size Dunlin shorebird decoy. Topics include where to get your supplies, how to use reference material, wood selection, and how to use hand tools and power tools. There is a $25 fee for materials. The price includes a one-year membership in the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association, and a club directory, so you’ll know who is carving in your area. Must be fifteen years old or older. This seminar is limited to ten students. To be a part of this carving seminar, you must register with Jim Burcio at (925) 754-4978. |
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Something Different
If you are looking for a little Sunday night entertainment, the Arcata Theater Lounge will be showing Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds on April 18th at 7:30pm.
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Registration Features for 2010:
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- If you select trips that have a time conflict, you will be warned of the scheduling conflict.
- You can be wait listed for sold-out events.
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See the Registration Details page for instructions on signing up.
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You will be e-mailed a confirmation letter detailing your itinerary. Always feel free to call our office at 1-800-908-WING or 707-826-7050 if you have questions or need assistance. |
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