The 2010 Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Sierra Vista. Sierra Vista lies at the foot of the Huachuca Mountains, minutes away from some of the most famous birding spots in the United States including the San Pedro River, Garden, Sawmill Huachuca, Ramsey, Carr, Miller and Ash Canyons. These places have been known historically for their great biodiversity of birds, butterflies, odonates and other insects, mammals, reptiles and close to 1,000 species of plants.

Rick Taylor will be our Keynote Speaker this year. Rick is the founder of Borderland Tours, a birding company dedicated to responsible ecotourism which operates trips throughout the world. His Birder's Guide to Southeastern Arizona, published in 2005 is an essential toolkit for birders in SE Arizona.  Rick's new book will be relased at the SW Wings 2010 Birding Festival, and will available at a discount to festival attendees - plan to attend the offical release and Rick will be happy to sign your copy of the new book. For more details, please visit the Keynote Speaker page.

Quick FAQ:

Festival Registration | Free Programs | Policies | Vendors | Lodging

[Please click here for the printable festival brochure PDF ]
(30 pages, 2.1MB)

Festival Registration
Registration for the SW Wings 2010 will be conducted online for the first time this year. Using our on-line registration system you will be able to view the many paid field trips and the free seminars that are available to you. Overnight Field Trips include lodging and three meals. Day trip field trips include a box lunch – be sure to pick a lunch choice when you choose a field trip. To make your reservation just click on the REGISTER button where you will find information about the festival and link directly into our new on-line reservation system where you will be able to reserve spaces for field trips, order box lunches for the field trips, purchase festival merchandise, and process your credit card payment securely. The reservation system will provide you with your festival itinerary. And you can come back to the registration system and make any changes you might need.
[Visit the Registration area]

All field trip and dinner participants must check in at the registration desk (located in the Knights of Columbus Hall) to receive their badges and information/registration packet. The registration desk will be open Wednesday 12 noon to 7:00 p.m., Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 4:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. The festival administration fee of $15 will apply only to Field Trip and Dinner participants. Hummingbird Banding, Ramsey for Kids, Nest Box Building programs.

• Participants in Field Trips will receive a free stainless steel reusable water bottle.  We will no longer provide bottled water in plastic bottles on trips.  Water will be available from large jugs, just refill your Southwest Wings water bottle with fresh water over and over again – it’s the responsible and healthy way to support our environment.
  
  

Many free programs will be presented in the lower level of the Knights of Columbus Hall and at some of the local birding locations (via carpool).  These seminars are open to the public at no cost and you do not have to register for the Festival to attend any of these sessions.  Details on these free programs are available on our registration site, but you do not have to pre-register for these events. [Visit the Schedules page]

Cancellation and Refund Policy
• Cancellations received by June 30 will be refunded less a 10% processing fee.
• No refunds will be issued after June 30.
Southwest Wings reserves the right to cancel or revise any event for any reason. If it becomes necessary to cancel a paid event (field trip or dinner) for which you have a reservation, we will notify you and issue a full refund. If you cancel your paid trip reservation before June 30, we will refund the full trip cost.
•No refunds will be issued for no-shows.

Exhibitors and Vendors
Vending hours are10 to 6 on Thursday, 9 to 6 on Friday, and 9 to 6 on Saturday.
Location will be on the second floor of the Kof C Hall.
There will be a variety of exhibits from state, federal, and non-profit wildlife and conservation associated agencies, as well as commercial exhibitors, with displays and free handouts. In the Vendor Room optics companies, retail stores, craftsmen and artists with an excellent selection of nature related merchandise, will be open for your shopping pleasure. 
[Visit the Vendors page]

Lodging:
Be sure to make any lodging reservations well in advance.  There will be a major conference in Sierra Vista at the same time that we are hosting the SW Wings Birding Festival.  For this reason, hotel, motel, and bed and breakfast rooms will be in short supply.  We urge you to make any lodging reservations as early as you can. 
[Visit the Lodging page]

Arizona's longest running nature festival, Southwest Wings is an educational celebration of the diversity of birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects, in their unique environment; the sky islands in southern Arizona.

Southwest Wings is held in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Some of the educational highlights of the Birding and Nature Festival will be Mexican Birds, Trogon, Butterflies, Dragonflies, Ornithology, Humming Birds, Bats, Bugs, Snakes, and Owls. It takes place in the spectacular high desert environment of Cochise County, home to the Huachuca Mountains and the San Pedro River.

The Southwest Wings Nature Festival is a nonprofit educational organization, chartered as a 501(c)(3) under IRS guidelines. There are no members, only a board of directors, and therefore no membership dues to provide income. The festival is the major event put on by the group. Additional tax deductible donations to support the organization's goals are always welcome. The organization's purpose is to promote nature-based tourism and environmental awareness in southeastern Arizona.