Godwit Days marks its 25th anniversary in 2020

Online registration is open at www.godwitdays. org for the 25th annual Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival to be held April 17 to 19 at the Arcata Community Center, 321 Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. Pre- and post-festival events extend the core dates from April 15 to 21.

To recognize this milestone, Godwit Days has gone all out to offer many new field trips in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

Other new events focus on coastal butterflies, wildlife photography and videography, the Humboldt Botanical Garden, avian hotspots in Eureka and tips and tricks for beginning birders.

The 2020 program incorporates many aspects of the animals and habitats that make up the North Coast. The lineup consists of nearly 90 field trips, workshops, lectures and events like the “Big Day,” where participants travel by van around Humboldt County to spot more than 100 bird species. Many annual field trips are also being offered again, including “Spotted Owls” and “Shorebird Spectacle at the Marsh.”

The program is not limited to birds, with sessions focusing on bats, butterflies, dragonflies, reptiles and amphibians, conifers and other native plants and dune ecology.

Leaders, aka field guides, are trained professionals, local biologists and experts in birds and other wildlife habits and identification. Field guides lead small groups averaging between 12 and 20 on trips.

Visit www.godwitdays. org to review the event schedule and pre-register for events. Registration also can be done by phone at 707-826-7050 or 1-800908-9464.