After six years, the organizers of the Merrimack River Eagle Festival have created the perfect format for the outdoor program as thousands of spectators visit Newburyport for a chance to spot a bald eagle, whether it’s by van, on foot or even at City Hall.
Throughout the free festival — which is scheduled on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. — participants can enjoy a range of activities, all designed to help participants observe eagles in their natural habitat.
"People love it," said Melissa Vokey, a manager at Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center, one of the two organizations that oversee the program. It is also hosted by the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.
The agenda allows for tour locations along the river where naturalists will help spectators spot eagles, as well as a live eagle show at City Hall. More activities take place at Joppa Flats and the refuge's visitor centers, including games, crafts and wildlife presentations.
The event draws about 2,000 visitors to the city.
"This is just a wonderful event for everybody in the family to do together," Vokey said.
While the guided van tours are already booked up, participants will have numerous opportunities to possibly see an eagle at one of the "hot spots": the Spring Lane pumping station, Cashman Park, Deer Island, Mersen in Newburyport (formerly Ferraz Shawmut) and Lowell's Boat Shop in Amesbury. Each site will be marked with an Eagle Festival sign and naturalists will be on hand to help search for eagles.
"We never really know where the eagles are going to be," Vokey said. "It's completely unpredictable."
Volunteers will be visiting the sites to get updates, Vokey said, and communicating activity to other festival-goers.
Additionally, there will be two hour-long raptor demonstrations by Tom Ricardi of the Massachusetts Bird of Prey Rehabilitation Facility at Newburyport's City Hall at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Families can also stop by Joppa Flats Education Center and the refuge headquarters throughout the day to take part in arts and crafts workshops, play some games or see live bird demonstrations.
At Joppa, visitors can make a massive eagle nest outside using sticks or try their luck at trivia. Across the street at Parker River Wildlife Refuge, attendees will be dissecting eagle pellets.
"It's for all ages," Vokey said.
The festival continues to build excitement, Vokey said, in part because of the mystique surrounding the guest of honor.
"People really respond to eagles," she said. "They love them."
Last week, a couple stopped into the center and asked for a guide to help them see an eagle, Vokey said.
"They came back glowing," she said. "They had such a great experience just seeing one eagle. It really does something for people to see an eagle in the wild."
Even when spectators don't easily spot an eagle, she added, the festival allows for a chance to observe numerous other birds, including ducks, mallards, goldeneyes and great blue herons.
"There's lots to look at," Vokey said.
The Eagle Festival is sponsored by The Daily News of Newburyport and the Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank. For more details about the Merrimack River Eagle Festival and a complete listing of events, visit the website, www.massaudubon.org/eaglefestival.
IF YOU GO
What: The Merrimack River Eagle Festival
When: Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center, 1 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport; Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, 6 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport, and other locations.
How: Free. For more information, call 978-462-9998 or visit www.massaudubon.org/eaglefestival.
DID YOU KNOW
It takes four to five years for bald eagles to get their white heads.
The average wingspan of a bald eagle is almost 7 feet.
Female bald eagles are larger than males.
Bald eagles are kleptoparasites: They sometimes steal food from other birds.
Source: Joppa Flats Education Center
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