SANTEE -- A fascinating and educational adventure is scheduled April 24-26, when the second annual Santee Birding and Nature Festival comes to the Santee Town Hall Complex.

The event offers an opportunity to experience the birding wonders of the Santee region in Central South Carolina. Last year's festival garnered favorable reviews, and organizers encourage both adults and children to attend the free event, which will feature small wild animals as well as birds.

The festival kicks off at 8 a.m. Friday, April 24, with a bird walk at Santee Wildlife Refuge's Bluff Unit and Dingle Pond. Additional walks will be offered on Friday at a variety of locations, including additional areas of Santee Wildlife Refuge, Francis Beidler Forest, Santee State Parks and Lakes Marion and Moultrie.

Friday's events will culminate with a dinner banquet at the Holiday Inn in Santee, featuring a presentation by Peter Dunne, one of the nation's top birding experts. Dunne is director of the Cape May Bird Observatory in New Jersey and founder of the World Series of Birding. He is also a regular columnist for a number of birding publications and has authored numerous books on birds and the art of bird watching.

Best known for his skills as a hawk watcher, Dunne is equally as fascinated by shorebirds and songbirds and has been leading workshops and tours for nearly 30 years. He will lead a workshop on the "Art of Fishing" as well as a field trip at Santee National Wildlife Refuge.

Events for Saturday and Sunday, April 25-26, include additional guided walks, canoe and kayak trips at Francis Beidler Forest, Congaree National Park and Sparkleberry Swamp, and pontoon boat tours of Lakes Marion and Moultrie.

Dunne will lead birding trips, and photography workshops will be led by internationally known wildlife photographer Len Rue. A fossil walk will be held at Giant Cement Quarry in Harleyville, led by one of the state's pre-eminent naturalists, Rudy Mancke. Also on tap will be conservation exhibits.

A 38-passenger pontoon boat tour of Lake Marion, presented by Fish Eagle Boat Tours of Santee State Park, will cover everything from the building of the Santee Lakes to the wildlife that inhabits it. Besides getting great viewing opportunities of native wildlife, those attending will also learn more about the Native Americans who inhabited the area.

Some of the places that will be featured in the festival include Audubon Center at Beidler Forest, Brosnan Forest, Congaree National Park, Giant Cement Quarry, Lakes Marion and Moultrie, Manchester State Forest, Poinsett State Park, Santee National Wildlife Refuge, Santee State Park, Upper and Lower Santee Swamp and Wannamaker Preserve Audubon Sanctuary.

"Advanced registration is recommended due to limited size of field trip groups, so don't miss this opportunity to come and explore the natural wonders of central South Carolina," Refuge Manager Marc Epstein said.

For more information about the Santee Birding and Nature Festival, visit fws.gov/santee/Santee-birding-festival-2009.pdf.

T&D Correspondent Shirley Upton can be reached by e-mail at writer@ntinet.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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