Festival of Birds 2019 to Take Flight in October

HIFB 2019 Runs October 24 to 28 at Sheraton Keauhou, May 29, 2019, PC: HIFB

The Fourth Annual Hawai‘i Island Festival of Birds (HIFB), is scheduled for Oct. 24 to 28, 2019, at the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay.

HIFB has launched its upgraded and updated website for the event where attendees can register for the event and make excursion reservations.

The 2019 theme, Wanderers and Migrants—Hawai‘i’s Unique Avian Visitors, highlights the migratory and accidental avian visitors that arrive in Hawai‘i each year.

Festival programming includes the Birds, Brews & Binos street fair celebration, lively panel discussions with experts from across the globe, guided birding excursions, free community bird walks, a film festival and more.

Key speakers slated for HIFB 2019 include renowned experts on wanderers and migrants:

• Robin Baird, Ph.D., Hawaiian cetacean, seabird researcher with Cascadia Research
• Peter Pyle, research scientist, Hawaiian bird authority, The Institute for Bird Populations
• Lindsay Young, Ph.D., executive director, Pacific Rim Conservation

“Our committee is working hard to make 2019 the best festival yet,” said Debbie Anderson, festival co-chair and founder and president of Destination Marketing Hawai‘i. “Their creative ideas and collaboration will be evident to all who attend.  We’ve solidified a solid lineup of experts, multiple field trips on land and water, fun events and a service day at the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center.”

Festival beneficiaries include the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center and The Hawai‘i Island Coast to Coast Birding Trail administered by the State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Department of Forestry and Wildlife.

Sponsors of the Hawai‘i Island Festival of Birds include the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, County of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Forest & Trail, Destination Marketing, Hawai‘i Wildlife Center and Alaska Airlines.

For more information and reservations, go online.