I ve seen a juvenile great blue heron. With the bird book open in my hands, I know what a limpkin sounds like, what it eats and how it flies. For a few seconds, I feel like a real expert. Outside, the Wings Over Water Festival is in full swing. There are exhibits and games, a photography contest, kayaking lessons and carnival food.
Kids can make kites, get their faces painted or build their own birdfeeders.
Gwen White, Wings Over Water s executive director, is especially proud of the festival and of the way Wings Over Water has grown. I m proud of the community for the way it s pulled around and supported the event, she says. We re working with Scouting so that Scouts will be able to fulfill some badge requirements. Overall, White says, the festival s organizers are working hard to make Wings Over Water more inclusive, an event that supports birding as well as other naturalist activities. Wings Over Water has always been called A Celebration of Wildlife and Wildlands in Eastern North Carolina, White says.