Foothills Equestrian Nature Center will offer their third seasonal bird walk of the year at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 9.

This educational, guided bird walk is free and open to the public. FENCE welcomes everyone from first-time birders to advanced birders to join international bird guide, Aaron Steed, for a walk in the woodlands and fields on the FENCE property.

Though many of the breeding birds will have stopped singing by this time of the summer, an outing in August can still provide a worthwhile experience for birders, organizers said. Many of the swallows will have begun heading south and mixed flocks consisting of Tree, Barn, Cliff, Northern Rough-winged and Purple Martin can be found en masse feeding over the fields.

This is also the time of post-breeding dispersal, and many first-year birds leave their home patch and start to wander, so any number of warblers, tanagers and sparrows may be found as well.

Participants will also get to go by the FENCE pond in hopes of spotting any noteworthy wading species.

Participants are asked to wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a water bottle. Guests are welcome and encouraged to bring binoculars and bird guides along for this walk as well.

The Kirby Endowment at the Polk County Community Foundation has made the event possible.

FENCE is located at 3381 Hunting Country Road, Tryon, North Carolina. For more information about this or other upcoming events, people may call 828-859-9021, email info@fence.org or visit fence.org.

– Submitted by Amy Schmitte