Tetzlaff to speak at Birds & Breakfast event

Many people love looking out the window at their bird feeders and seeing any number of a variety of birds visiting for a bite to eat. And while it is hard to get as close to the birds as one may want, Butch Tetzlaff can make it happen.

Tetzlaff, the owner of The Bluebird Shed in Bella Vista, has a federal marking permit which allows him to catch feeder birds, also known as songbirds. And that’s what he’ll be doing Saturday, April 16, at the Birds & Breakfast event scheduled from 9-10:30 a.m. at the Hobbs State Park Visitor’s Center.

“We’re going to be catching birds behind the visitor’s center and bringing them in for people to see,” he said. “We’ll talk about their feeding ecology, their breeding habits, their migratory patterns and that sort of stuff. We’ll walk them around the audience real quick so people can see them and then let them go a few minutes later so they’re not stressed. It will be a ‘get them in, chat about them and let them go’ kinda thing.”

He said it will be a great opportunity to see some of the same species of birds that visit feeders all over Bella Vista.

“That’s one of the nice things about it,” he said. “People will get to see the birds that they usually have at their feeders. They’ll get to see them up close and personal. That’s one of the nice features about it.”

Flyers promoting the event say it will be cancelled if it rains. But Tetzlaff said if it does rain, and the rain is not too heavy, he may still be able to catch some birds. If he can’t, he said he has more than enough information to give an informative presentation.

He said he’s eager to put on any kind of a program, rain or shine.

“They’ve cancelled because of covid, so this will be the first time we’ve done this in three years,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Due to the presentation, The Bluebird Shed won’t open until noon on Saturday.