Contributed article
WILLCOX — The 33rd annual Wings Over Willcox Birding and Nature Festival is a great way to ring in the New Year with the calls of thousands of Sandhill Cranes, as row after row fly across southeastern Arizona skies.
As Arizona’s only winter birding festival, the popularity of Wings over Willcox continues to grow, with more vendors and exhibits at the Willcox Community Center. Some tours have already sold out but space is still available on others.
The festival takes places on Thursday through Sunday, over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, Jan. 15-18.
Tours begin Thursday afternoon followed by a welcome reception with music and hors d’oeuvres from 5:50 to 7:30 p.m., at the Willcox Community Center, the hub of all festival activities.
This year’s featured artist, internationally awarded wildlife artist Walt Anderson, has created an incredible painting of an Arizona Woodpecker. Southeastern Arizona is the only U.S. location within this Mexican bird’s range. Festival shirts with the design can be ordered online or purchased at the Nature Expo.
The Saturday night banquet will continue the woodpecker theme, with keynote speaker Steve Shunk’s presentation on “The Lives and Times of Arizona Woodpeckers.” Shunk, the author of “The Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America,” will focus on Arizona’s 12 nesting species that comprise more than half of the North American population of woodpeckers. He will sell and sign his book or guests can bring their own for him to sign.
The annual quilt raffle will feature a woodpecker-themed quilt handmade by Barbara Moe and quilted by Kay Kartchner. Tickets for the raffle can be purchased online in the registration link, at the Nature Expo, and during the banquet. Proceeds from the raffle support the Willcox Nature Association’s Wings Over Willcox festival and habitat conservation efforts.
Hawk Stalks, Sparrow Seeks, and Southwest Winter Specialties are among the most popular guided tours; some are already sold out but have a waiting list to fill last-minute cancellations. A free tour to see Sandhill Cranes and waterfowl at Whitewater Draw is offered for families with children under 18 and includes lunch. Tour begins at 9:20 a.m. and returns at 2 p.m. on Saturday and is limited to 28. To register, call 928-274-4808 or e-mail info@willcoxnature.org.
For those with diverse interests, Wings Over Willcox offers tours featuring history, geology, ranching and even wine making and tasting. The festival website at www.wingsoverwillcox.com provides tour descriptions, a schedule of free Friday and Saturday seminars, Nature Expo activities, and the Saturday-night banquet and silent auction at the Golden Rule Vineyards.
Regional artists will sell photos, paintings, jewelry, and nature-inspired gifts. Regular exhibitors like the Tucson Bird Alliance will sell books, birding gear and clothing. Huachuca Area Herpetological Association will bring live snakes and lizards.
