Spring Wings Bird Festival will take place at Oats Park, a new location organizers said is aimed to build more community interest and open up the festival to all comers, not just bird watchers.

"We're offering free birding tours, a free birding workshop, and creating a festival in the park that will appeal to families, kids and others who normally might not think they would be interested in birding," festival director Janet Schmidt said.

She said the bird festival has always been very heavy with tours that appeal to the more avid bird watcher with staging out of the Fallon Convention Center.

This year, the festival will be outside at Oats Park and include artists and crafters, kids activities including free kite making kits and demonstrations by master kite builder and artist, Ron Gibian of "Colors in Motion."

"We hope the festival atmosphere brings everyone out and hopefully we can expose more people to the joys of bird watching," Schmidt said. Visitors to the festival have known for years about the amazing birding opportunities in Fallon. We hope to introduce more locals to birding."

A free "Birding 101" presentation will take place in the Barkley Theater at 10 a.m. on Friday. The presentation will include how to bird, how to identify birds, and what to look for when observing bird behaviors.

Schmidt said a short field trip through Oats Park will enforce basic birding principals and get everyone fired up for the Spring Wings field trips throughout the Lahontan Valley.

The weekend will be filled with activities that include hands-on crafts, kite making, artists and crafters, kids games and free birding tours to various birding hot spots on a first come basis.

Saturday will feature a presentation in the gym next to the Oats Park Art Center on local raptors along with live hawks, eagles, and owls to see. A golden eagle will be released into the wild on Sunday.

Author Scott Weidensaul is the keynote speaker. His lecture and presentation will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday in the Barkley Theater. His book "Of a Feather" recounts the history of birding in North America and some of the characters who led the way.

Humorist Al Batt will speak at 7 p.m. on Saturday night, also in the Barkley Theater.

Both presentations will include hors d'oeuvers beginning at 6 p.m. each night. A bat tour field trip will follow Batt's performance.

For more information visit springwings.org or call Schmidt at (775) 428-6452.