The Bird Haven Festival is an annual event held on the NSW South Coast to celebrate bird life.
Birds are worth celebrating, that’s why!
Throughout the ages, humans have been fascinated by birds – by their ability to fly, their beauty, their agility, their loyalty to their young, their unique calls and their freedom. They have inspired stories and legends around the world – from Dreamtime stories and the bird gods of ancient Egypt to the Ugly Duckling and the albatross of the Ancient Mariner – and continue to inspire artists to attempt capture their spirit and grace.
The Bird Haven Festival is our opportunity to celebrate the beauty and wonder of birds, by finding out more about them through walks, talks, creative activities, a bird-themed market, information stalls and more.
At this time in history, with birds under threat on so many fronts, the Festival is a fun way to increase awareness, learn what we can do to help and celebrate the difference they make in our lives.
The aims of the Bird Haven Festival are to:
Our Festival Founders and Directors, Cathy Law and Perrie Croshaw live at opposite ends of Seven Mile Beach, on the NSW South Coast. They got talking one day about how birds are such a feature of living here, and before you know it they came up with the idea of running a Festival to celebrate them at the little village of Shoalhaven Heads, on the southern end of the Beach.
Surprisingly, the friends freely admit they are by no means experienced birders. However, they do love having birds around, and think it is high time that someone throws them a party.
While they may lack birding experience, both Perrie and Cathy have extensive experience in journalism, hospitality, events and life.
They set up Bird Haven Festival Inc as a not-for-profit, and held a fledgling festival four months later to test whether their idea had wings. With the invaluable support of Birdlife Shoalhaven and other local birding organisations, the inaugural even was a great success.
The enthusiasm shown by those who came encouraged them to move ahead with a bigger and better 2019 event.
The support of the NSW Government, through a Destination NSW Incubator grant, is enabling a leap ahead in the Festival’s development, to present a three day event in just our second year.
Come along! It is going to be a fun way to learn more about birds!