Daniel Firehawk Abbott creates fire using a hand drill at the Blackwater refuge's Sixth Annual Eagle Festival. Credit: USFWS/Maggie Briggs.

Mike Callahan from the Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center holds Hali, a female bald eagle. Credit: USFWS/Maggie Briggs.

Blackwater staff members Teresa Burrows and Richard Webster assist youngsters in constructing bluebird houses. Credit: USFWS/Maggie Briggs.

Volunteer Zeeger de Wilde prepares to take a record crowd on an Eagle Prowl to find the bald eagle in the wild. The group saw nine eagles on the tour. Credit: USFWS/Maggie Briggs.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge held its Sixth Annual Eagle Festival to celebrate Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge's seventy-third anniversary and the one hundred-third anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System on March 11. All the activities were free and the entrance fee to Wildlife Drive was waived. With terrific weather, a recent news release on the hatching eagles seen on the Friends of Blackwater webcam and live video in the refuge visitor center, and all the news about the development on Egypt Road during the last few weeks, the refuge and Eagle Festival were well advertised. There was a record crowd of 2,000 visitors attending the festival.

The day began with a bird walk by experienced volunteer birders Gordon and Pam Jennings. The walk was followed with a blue bird box construction program. Materials were supplied by the Friends of Blackwater. The event was limited to 25 kids, who were to register in advance. Fifteen other kids showed up, but everyone seemed satisfied to construct one box per family. Other programs included Ron Warren playing his Native American flute music and an Eagle Prowl with volunteer Zeeger de Wilde. A live owl program with the Salisbury Zoo, "How to choose Binoculars" with Derick Ollinger from Wild Birds Unlimited in Annapolis, a live bald eagle program with Mike Callahan form Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center, "Eagles in the Chesapeake Bay Area" with Blackwater refuge biologist Sean Flint, "Birds and the Working Landscape" with Dr. Wayne Bell, "Wildlife, Fire, and the Ancients" with Native American Daniel FireHawk Abbott, and a repeat of the Eagle Prowl and Native American music made for a busy and entertaining day for visitors.

Other youth programs included a live birds of prey program with Joanne Reed from the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, paper bag eagle puppet construction, owl pellet activity, pine cone bird feeder construction, and endangered species puppet show. All participants to the puppet show received a free Albert the Delmarva Fox Squirrel coloring book, written and illustrated by Alex Briggs and published by Friends of Blackwater. Several other children’s activities were available all day. Expert birders manned a spotting scope on Wildlife Drive to assist viewers in sighting eagles and other birds. "Tom Eagle" greeted visitors, especially the young, and promoted "Eagle Day." Exhibitors from Carrie Murray Nature Center, Salisbury Zoo, and Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, had live birds on display including a turkey vulture, screech owl, saw whet owl, red-tailed hawk, and barred owl.  Ron Warren Music, Wild Birds Unlimited Optics, and Mary Konchar art work, were on display most of the day. The Dorchester Arts Center displayed local Junior Duck Stamp artwork in the visitor center. The Chesapeake Winds band played music throughout the day. Every activity was well attended.

The Hurlock Lions Club had food and drinks available. Even though they doubled the amount they brought the last time, they still ran out of food before the end of the day. The new Friends of Blackwater Eagles’ Nest gift shop was extremely busy all day grossing over $5,500. With the warm sunny weather, the parent eagles left their two young hatchlings out in view for everyone to see on the live video cam in the visitor center most of the day. This encouraged everyone to go out with the eagle prowls or on their own to see the eagles in the wild.

Most of the activities and programs took place in two large tents outside the visitor center. With the warm weather and only a small breeze, heaters and tent sides were unnecessary, but the tents were still overflowing. PowerPoint programs and the puppet show took place in the visitor center conference room.

Approximately 30 volunteers,18 staff members, and 20 other partners help make this the best event that Blackwater has ever had, topping the Eagle Festival from last year.