Doors open at 8:30. First speaker begins at 9:00 sharp.
Sit and enjoy three engaging presentations as you savor a light breakfast of fruit, muffins, juice, coffee, tea. There will be a break in-between each speaker.
Dr. Scott Johnson talk about our Verde Valley specialty and this year’s festival theme bird, the Common Black Hawk.
Alice Madar, the executive director of the Sedona Hummingbird Festival and excellent nature photographer, will regale about our tiniest birds—the Hummingbirds.
Becky Hardy, our local butterfly expert, will teach you to pay attention to the beautiful winged insects around us—the butterflies. Not just enchanting and mystical! There is a complex structure that defines their species. Did you know they have two superfamilies? Each butterfly family has their own, specific characteristics. Within families, there are resident and migrant butterfly species. Do you know the difference? Learn more with us!
Agenda
8:30am – 9am – Breakfast and social time
9am – 9:45am – The Common Black Hawk with Dr. Scott Johnson
9:55am – 10:35am – Hummingbirds with Alice Madar
10:45am – 11:30am – Butterflies with Becky Hardy
Speakers:
Becky Hardy
Becky Hardy is a butterfly enthusiast who has had a lifelong passion, interaction and observation of butterflies. Over the years, Becky has reared thousands of butterflies across multiple species. She tended to her certified Monarch Waystation garden when she lived in California, which included eighty percent native host and nectar butterfly and hummingbird plants. She is a member of the North American Butterfly Association, the International Hummingbird Society and the Northern Arizona Audubon Society, of which she is their Education Chair. She is currently laying the groundwork for a foundation whose mission will be education and conservation of our native plants, butterflies and birds in the Verde Valley.
Alice Madar Executive Director, International Hummingbird Society
Before moving to Sedona, I had a career in writing, editing, and corporate communications in the San Francisco Bay Area. After I settled here with my family, I joined Sedona Charter School. As its director I found great joy in helping it grow into a vital, solid institution with a strong sense of community. I learned a lot about managing a non-profit. But the hummingbirds were always calling to me. I built a hummingbird garden in our yard, complete with two ponds, because I learned hummers love water features. I traveled to Ecuador and Peru and southeastern Arizona to see and photograph as many of them as I could. I have been to every Sedona Hummingbird Festival for the past eight years and have loved every one of them.
Part of the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival
It’s the 2024 Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival! In 2024, join us as we explore the theme of migration and its impact on riparian areas in our environment. Our keynote speaker, Richard Crossley, will lead discussions, and the featured bird for the year is the common black hawk.
The Free Family Nature Festival at the Verde Valley Birding & Nature Festival will be in the lagoon area on Saturday, April 27th from 9am to 3pm.
There will be armchair birding and guided bird walks all across the Verde Valley from April 25th – 28th that you do need to register for.
