Workshops are free with your registration. Seminars have a fee involved and require registration. Both are being held in the Studio located in the far end of the park, unless noted otherwise. A few are being held in a tent in the event area. Check for changes or additions and sign up for all workshops at the registration tent. Participants will be shuttled to and from all workshops/seminars held in the Studio. There is no parking at the studio. A restroom facility is located in the building.

Meet at the shuttle stop in the parking lot of the River Day Use Area near the Aviary 15 minutes PRIOR to the seminar or workshop.

Nicole will be presenting a special workshop on Friday afternoon. This is Nicole’s first visit to the festival and we are very excited to have her with us. It’s a joy to just sit back and listen to her remarkable skill but now she is willing to share her secrets with us so that we too can communicate with the birds we love. Don’t miss this opportunity! Limited seating.

Nicole Perretta is best known for her bird calling skills. She can imitate the calls of 120 species of birds. She learned to produce bird calls between the ages of 6 and 11 years of age. In time she discovered she could capture the attention of the birds around her. She could change the direction of a flying raven, have a dove follow her, or make a hawk dive bomb an invisible foe. Nicole has fine-tuned this ability over the years and can now produce over 140 total bird calls, representing 120 species. She is unique among bird call imitators as she uses her voice to imitate most of the birds instead of whistling or using sound devices. She was on the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno in October of 2003 and the “Ellen Degeneres Show” in January of 2005. She has a CD with 130 of her recorded bird calls.

A licensed falconer, Nicole has broadened her experience with birds by working as an ornithological field assistant and by volunteering at local wildlife rehabilitation centers. She has worked professionally as an exotic bird caretaker, an avian behavioral consultant, and as a Zookeeper for the San Diego Zoo for 6 years.

Nicole has been drawing and painting birds since she was 9 years old; her interest in birds began at that time. She enjoys working in many mediums but her favorites are watercolor, acrylic and prismacolor. Nicole is also a published artist. She has illustrated the books, "Understanding the Life of Birds", by Patrick G. Coyle, and "The Complete Bird Owner's Handbook" by Dr. Gary A. Gallerstein. Please stop by her booth at the festival to see her work first hand.

Nicole’s seminar is sponsored by Arizona State Parks.