While August is always a popular month for birding all over Cochise County, the actual SouthWest Wings festival runs just from August 1-3. It does attract birders from all over the USA, offering guided field trips and excursions covering a huge swath of southern Arizona, starting in the Sierra Vista area with birding tours in Carr, Ramsey, Garden, Ash and Miller Canyons, then down to the San Pedro River, then west to Madera Canyon, Sonoita and Patagonia, and east to Saint David, Wilcox and the Chiricahua Mountains. More information on the specific events and online registration is available at www.swwings.org website for anyone interested in participating in any of these adventures.

Meanwhile, back at the Gallery, we are filling the walls with bird art, which is not to say that every piece will have a bird in it, but that bird will be featured prominently. The reception will be held as usual on the first Saturday of the month, August 3rd, but we will be extending the reception, 3-6pm instead of ending at 5, to accommodate the birders on the last day of the festival, and to offer them an opportunity to pick up a lovely art piece before heading home.