Gage Hotel hosts birding festival in July

MARATHON – Mark your calendars now to attend the Gage Hotel’s inaugural birding festival, “Birds and Butterflies of the Big Bend,” July 19-22 in Marathon.

The Gage will kick off its first year by hosting Kenn Kaufman, renowned birding expert, naturalist and author, who will present a lecture at the Ritchey Building in Marathon on July 21 at 4pm.  Other notable guests include Gerald Sneed, the well-known nature artist, who will be exhibiting his work on birds of Texas.

Birds and Butterflies of the Big Bend will feature a high caliber list of trip leaders:

• Kelly Bryan, a hummingbird biologist focusing on the West Texas region

• Long time regional birder and guide, Mark Flippo of Birding Big Bend

• Cameron Carver, President of the Llano Estacado Audubon Society and prominent regional birder

• Steve Gross, President of the Texas Ornithological Society

• Matt York, ornithologist and co-author of the bigbendnature.com blog

• Heidi Trudell, researcher of human impacts on birds, co-author of

bigbendnature.com blog

The Bird Watchers Package includes all meals, the registration party, two birding workshops, Maravillas Tour, Kenn Kaufman lecture as well as special room rates at the Gage. Guests purchasing the value package will also receive a VIP badge, tote bag and t-shirt as part of their VIP registration packet. Cost for the Birdwatchers Package is $350.

Events that can be purchased al a carte include the Hummingbird banding workshop for $20 per person, Butterfly Walk for $10 per person, Kaufman lecture $30 per person and Gage Gardens Dinner $75 per person (wine, tax and gratuity included). The Maravillas ranch tour is restricted to inclusive package members and spaces are limited.

The schedule for the event is as follows:

Thursday July 19 – registration at 5pm at the White Buffalo Bar.

Friday July 20 – 10 am Hummingbird workshop with Kelly Bryan at the Gage Gardens

- 10 am The Ritchey Building will be open to the public to view exhibits and visit with local vendors and regional nature organizations.

- 2pm Butterfly Walk at the Gage Gardens with Matthew York.

- 7pm Fiesta Dinner and mixer with Kenn Kaufman at the Gage Hotel.

Saturday, July 21 – 7am Birding tour of the Maravillas Ranch, a privately owned ranch south of Marathon. Participants will have access to private land with the opportunity to view the abundance of bird species living outside the national park.

4pm – Kenn Kaufman will present his lecture at the Ritchey Building.  Mr. Kaufman is the author of Kaufman Field Guides, A Field Guide to Advanced Birding, as well as his memoir, Kingbird Highway. He is also the field editor of Audubon Magazine as well as the editor of American Birding.

7pm – Dinner at the Gage Gardens

For more information on the event or to print out a registration form, visit gagehotel.com.  To register for the all inclusive package call Michelle West at 432/ 386-4205 ext 263. To book hotel reservation call the Gage Hotel at 432/386-4205.