File Photo By Diane Drobka: Sandhill Cranes fly against the sunset sky. The 31st annual Wings Over Willcox takes place Jan. 11-14, 2024.
By Diane Drobka
Willcox – Spaces are filling fast for guided tours during the 31st annual Wings Over Willcox (WOW) Birding & Nature Festival, with many tours already sold out. The annual event takes place Jan. 11-14, 2024, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, with a full slate of tours, activities, free seminars, and the Saturday-night banquet and silent auction at the Elks Lodge.
Online registration closes on Dec. 31 but any remaining spaces on tours can be purchased in person during the festival.
Tours begin on Thursday afternoon followed by a welcome reception with music and hors d’oeuvres from 5:50 to 7:30 p.m. at the Willcox Community Center.
The banquet keynote presenter will be naturalist, artist, and writer Julie Zickefoose who will share tales of her adventures rescuing injured wildlife. Her painting of a sandhill crane family will be featured on festival shirts that can be ordered in advance online.
The Nature Expo will be back in full swing on Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WOW’s longtime Associate Sponsor, the Arizona Game and Fish Department will bring their live raptors and other rehabilitated wildlife on the stage, joined by Liberty Wildlife. Entry is free so bring the whole family.
Regional artists will sell photos, paintings, jewelry, and nature-inspired gifts. Regular exhibitors like Tucson Audubon, along with Jay’s Bird Barn from Prescott, will be selling books, birding gear, and clothing. Displays by the National Park Service, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management are always educational and informative.
The website, www.wingsoverwillcox.com, has more event details. For questions, call Jeri Higgins, WOW Events Registration, at 928-274-4808.
