Photo Contest Begins in March

A photo competition and Photo Fest, a new track of photography field trips, will bring camera buffs as well as birders to the Island April 8 – 11 for FeatherFest. The eighth annual nature festival celebrates avian spring migration. More than 200 different species were sighted during last year’s event.

The FeatherFest photo contest gets underway in March. Individuals are invited to submit photographs of birds taken in Galveston County and nearby areas. Visit http://www.galvestonfeatherfest.com/PhotoContest.php for contest rules and details.

The new Photo Fest program features field trips and workshops led by four award-winning nature photographers. Read about the program and the instructors at http://www.galvestonfeatherfest.com/PhotoFest_Descriptions.php.

Galveston Island is one of the top birding locations in the country because it sits astride the 95th meridian, center of trans-gulf spring migration routes.

Trips to world-renowned birding hot spots like Bolivar Flats and High Island are on the festival’s 2010 itinerary for both birders and photographers. Four birding trips to North Deer Island are also included. North Deer Island, the recent recipient of the prestigious Coastal America Partnership Award for its shoreline restoration project, hosts 5,000 – 25,000 pairs of birds of 17 different species. It is the most productive waterbird nesting colony in Galveston Bay.

FeatherFest offers nature excursions by bus, boat or kayak to a variety of habitats, from beaches to bays, bay marshes to wetlands, and coastal prairies to upland wood mottes.

Festival headquarters will be in the historical Butterowe Building, 2313 Harborside Drive, adjacent to The Strand. Galveston’s downtown Strand National Historic Landmark District was the heart of Galveston in the late 1800s and early 1900s and known as the "New York of Texas."

FeatherFest is a project of the Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council, which supports eco-tourism and education, and promotes the value of area natural habitats. Visit www.GalvestonFeatherFest.com or call 409-392-0841 for more information.