APC festival

Luckily for excited birders everywhere the government did not shut down this weekend and the 17TH annual Attwater prairie chicken festival was open to the public. I got up at Saturday morning to undo a large chain fence erected at the entrance of the refuge and was surprised to find a couple of cars waiting patiently outside at 6am and by 7am  there was a line of about 40 people with expensive cameras (thousands of $) and large scopes waiting to get on the refuge vans. I was in charge of the important task of greeting, counting visitors and parking. Final count was 110 visitors on saturday and 68 on sunday. The average age of the birders there was probably around 65. Enthusiastic birders from across the country (NJ, LA, AZ, NY, etc.), and some from as far away as England and Germany flocked to the refuge for a rare glimpse of the prairie chickens displaying on their booming grounds. I talked to a guy who drove all night from Baton Rouge, LA to come to the APCNWR and see a prairie chicken. These people were serious. Overall it was a great weekend, people were very excited to see one of their life list birds (birds to see before they die, sorta like a bucket list for birders). It was good to know that there are people who appreciate these rare, beautiful birds and the job that I do.

fog and the prairie in the morning

patiently waiting in line