The Big Festival Welcome!
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The 2009 RGV Birding Festival was a stellar success! The following from Susan Sigmon, attendee from Ohio, wonderfully sums up the positive buzz:
Thank you, thank you, thank you for my memorable RGV birding festival trip! I am still floating from such a great trip. The “final count” was 27 “lifers” for me! You and your group should be truly commended on such a great festival. I was most impressed with everyone’s great attitude, your attention to all the details, and last but not least, the GREAT birding experiences! The leaders on each of my trips were vastly knowledgeable, approachable, and p-a-t-i-e-n-t with us less-than-expert birders. I will cherish the memories from your festival for many many years. I met great people…saw magnificent birds…and wined and dined with great, like-minded people from all over the world.
“Thanks” just doesn’t seem adequate….but it’s all I have. Please accept my heartfelt appreciation for a wonderful trip.
* A Message from the RGVBF
Wow. The Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival is in its second decade, and we’re still going strong. Why?…
The Leaders. The RGVBF is long-famed for the quality of its leaders. Bird with the big names—the authors and editors of your favorite books and publications, the movers and shakers in science and conservation and education.
The Birds. The Valley boasts the biggest concentration of eye-popping tropical species, birds not found anywhere else in the U.S.
The Place. The Valley offers a great birding getaway—warm, affordable, and friendly.
The RGVBF has always been an innovator among events, and this year will be no different. Check out our Photography trips or the not-to-be-missed fun of the Saturday Quiz Show keynote.
So, join the southerly migration to Harlingen in November, and join the excitement!
–The Volunteers of the RGVBF
My number one festival is the Rio Grande Valley Bird Fest in South Texas–great species and wonderful people who run the festival. Green jays, kiskadees, three species of kingfishers! And it’s also a fairly cheap area to stay in. The food is amazing…
—Sharon Stiteler, Birdchick.com
Hi! I’m Marci Fuller, Chair of the Festival. I write for BirdWatcher’s Digest, am Captain of the Eagle Optics Great Texas Birding Classic Big Sit Team, but the hat I wear most is my RGVBF hat. I’ve been involved with this special event for over a decade now. We’re going to have a great Festival in November. Come on down – the Green Jays and Chachalacas await!
Hi! I’m Danny Hoehne, the new President of the RGV Birding Festival. As a fairly recent–four years now–transfer from Washington, D.C., I’ve been involved with the Festival since my arrival. But now I’m jumping in with both feet and lovin’ every minute of it! I’ve always been passionate about birding, but since moving to the Valley have discovered total immersion and a wonderful birding community. And hey!…great weather and no warbler neck! Come on down!
We had never planned a specific birding trip until this year, when we began to look over our North American bird list to see where we might have the best opportunities for new sightings…such a wonderful opportunity for birdwatchers in the lower Rio Grande Valley.
~Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the U.S, 2002 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, author of 18 books, Chair of The Carter Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, avid birdwatcher, and chooser of the Rio Grande Valley for a birding vacation.
