A great egret wings over the Colorado River as it runs through the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, northeast of Yuma. A hike in the refuge is part of the festival.

Photos by Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Dtar

More Photos (4):

Other articles by Rosalie Robles Crowe:

Fire up your grill skills A kitchen cornucopia These puppets explore new takes on old stories Young at art Young at art Refresh your summer : aguas frescas Take in classic rock at Oracle State Park Quest for shoes that are made for walkin' Young at art Primavera Cooks: wine, dine and help

Health Care
Sierra Tucson
Eating Disorders Program Coordinator Administrative & Professional
Tucson Urban League
CEO/President Administrative & Professional
Jorgensen Brooks Group
Counselor Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic Health Care
Dependable Health Services
Physical Therapists Sales and Marketing
Everready Glass
Sales Reps

If you have a yen for nature, this is the week to head to Yuma.

The 2008 Yuma Birding & Nature Festival in Arizona's extreme southwest corner begins Wednesday with a meet-and-greet event at the Holiday Inn Yuma Hotel festival headquarters, 1901 E. 18th Place, and runs through next Sunday.

Registration fees are $25 for adults and $10 for students and children.

The event offers nature lovers a chance to see birds, bats and bighorn sheep, plus a wide variety of ecosystems.

Sponsored by the Yuma Visitors Bureau in cooperation with local businesses along with city, state and county agencies, the festival is unique because its focus is on the Colorado River and its evolving ecosystem, said festival organizer Chris Bedinger, the visitors bureau's events coordinator.

Bedinger cited efforts over the last several years to restore the river's wetlands — replacing non-native vegetation with native plants and trees — for the return of many species of birds. Close to 400 bird species now frequent the Colorado River flyway, he said.

"Many, such as the great egret, the rare black rail and the large-billed Savannah sparrow, haven't been seen (in the Yuma area) in decades," he said.

Participants can choose from 32 field trips, including trips to the Algodones Dunes, the Salton Sea and the Anza Borrego Desert State Park — all in California. Other field trips: a search for Desert Bighorn Sheep in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, birding tours of the Yuma East Wetlands and a hike through geologic volcanic formations created millions of years ago in the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge.

Seminars slated Thursday through next Sunday will cover such topics as Beginning Birding, Birding and Nature Photography, Wild Horses and Burros, and Flying Jewels (butterflies).

Field-trip fees range from $5 to $125; seminars are free.

Registration, a schedule of events and hotel information are available online at www.yumabirding.com. Or call 1-800-293-0071, Ext. 15.