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John Scharff Bird Festival

The John Scharff Migratory Bird Festival, held each year at the beginning of April, is a great way to get to know birds -- thousands of them flock through here on the Pacific Flyway during migration -- but it's also a good way to get acquainted with the remote high desert country of eastern Oregon's Harney County.

The bird festival offers lots of bird tours, from short and aimed at the beginner to an all-day, exhausting birdathon that takes you quickly around the area's many hot spots, trying to idnetify as many species as possible before dinner time.

But in addition to bird tours it offers ranch tours. If you've never seen a working ranch, here's your chance.

Best bet is to figure on getting to Burns Friday night, checking out the evening lecture in the auditorium, then hitting a tour or two on Saturday before the steak dinner and Sarurday night program.

Finally, figure on an early morning trip on Sunday up to a sage grouse lek before heading out of town.

Register as soon as you can after the schedule is announced by the Harney County Chamber of Commerce -- usually in January or so. The popular tours fill up early. Here's the festival website.

all text and images © 2005-06 by Bob Keefer
no reproduction allowed in any form without written permission