CELEBRATE THE BRILLIANT FALL FOLIAGE AND THE BEAUTIFUL WOOD DUCKS AT CLEVELAND METROPARKS "WOOD DUCK FESTIVAL" Some say the area around North Chagrin Nature Center is one of the best places in the world to see and photograph wild wood ducks. And, it is certainly known as an area that is a great place to enjoy the breathtaking fall colors! Celebrate the beauty of the woods ducks and autumn colors in Northeast Ohio at the free "Wood Duck Festival" on Sunday, October 7 from noon to 5 p.m. at North Chagrin Nature Center in North Chagrin Reservation in Mayfield Village. The event features an exhibit of the winners of the Wood Duck/Fall Colors Photography Contest, and also includes art vendors related to the featured bird, presentations on binoculars and optics, exhibits and on-going demonstrations by decoy artists and carvers, crafts and games for kids, seasonal refreshments, musical entertainment, and more. The featured speakers this year are Joe and Mary Ann McDonald from McDonald Wildlife Photography. Joe McDonald has been a professional photographer since 1983, and has authored six books on wildlife photography and another on African wildlife. Mary Ann McDonald has been a professional photographer since 1990, and has authored 29 children's books on natural history. She was honored by winning first place in the 'humor' category of the Nature's Best Photo Competition and has won several times in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. In 1994, she won two first places in the 'endanger species' and 'bird behavior' categories of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition - the only time a woman has accomplished this in the history of the competition. In 2005, both husband and wife were selected as winners in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition - the first time a husband and wife team have won in the same year. Joe and Mary Ann McDonald will speak at 1:30 p.m. on "Wood Duck & Waterfowl Photography" and at 3:30 p.m. on "Nature Photography and Fall Landscapes." Seating is limited. Tim Krynak, a park naturalist, will speak at 1 and 3 p.m. on "Binoculars and Digiscoping." The Wood Duck Festival features nature art/photography exhibitors/vendors, wood carvers and other nature-minded vendors, including: photographers Joe & Mary Ann McDonald, photographer Matthew Studebaker, photographer Dave Lewis, Deep Brook Nature Photography, Great Lakes Wood-Carvers, Wild Birds Unlimited, Gander Mountain, Eddy's Fruit Farm, and EarthWords Nature Shop of Cleveland Metroparks. North Chagrin Nature Center is located off Buttermilk Falls Parkway, off the Sunset Lane entrance of North Chagrin Reservation, off SOM Center Road/Route 91 in Mayfield Village - south of I-90/Rte. 91 exit. For more information, call 440-473-3370 or www.clevelandmetroparks.com. Enjoy the magnificent colors of fall and the beauty of wood ducks at the "Wood Duck Festival" in Cleveland Metroparks - part of your life, naturally. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]