The Adams County Amish Bird Symposium.
WEST UNION, Ohio — The Adams County Amish Bird Symposium is on its way. Saturday, March 2, 2024, at the Wheat Ridge Amish Community Center bird enthusiasts will have the opportunity to gather and enjoy speakers, Amish-made food and even shop a little.
Registration for the symposium is open and can be accessed by going online to amishbirdsymposium.org. Price of registration is $45 and includes the price of the meal.
The event begins with registration at 9:15 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. with an optional field trip to Adams Lake for bird watching.
Vendors will be set up selling bird-related items such as photographs and other art media, bird houses and bird foods.
Amish donuts and coffee will be provided for breakfast with a break for lunch also courtesy of the local Amish community.
Author Kenn Kaufman will be presenting on the history of Warblers. As a young man, Kaufman hitch-hiked regularly in pursuit of his bird-watching desires. He later detailed his experiences in his book Kingbird Highway.
Throughout his career, Kaufman has authored or co-authored 13 books and is a field editor for Audubon, a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society. He has received the American Birding Association’s Lifetime Award twice. He is the first and only member of the association to receive the honor more than once.
Wil Hershberger is a skilled photographer and nature sounds recordist. His works have been published by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds while his photographs have been published in books, calendars and even museum exhibits.
Hershberger will be examining some bird songs with symposium goers and going over the communication techniques of birds.
Marc Alverson of RAPTOR Incorporated will provide an overview of their mission and discuss how the nonprofit cares for injured birds of prey.
Birds admitted to RAPTOR are first evaluated, treated and finally released into their natural habitats.
Alverson will explain how he came to be the President of the Board of Trustees.
A passionate birder herself, S. Marty Dermody is the Director of the Spirituality Center for the Sisters of Charity. Dermody will be sharing her knowledge as well as her photography work.
The Amish Bird Symposium used to be a byproduct of the Cincinnati Museum Center before it was handed to Adams County to continue.
The symposium usually draws a large crowd and is an opportunity for Adams County to shine for tourists.
Because the symposium is all nonprofit, any money that is leftover from the registration fees will be given to the Wheat Ridge Amish community in the hopes it will be used to help teach the young kids about nature.
The Wheat Ridge Community building is located at 3735 Wheat Ridge Rd in West Union.
