BRUNSWICK — Fall is here. The birds are here. It is the perfect time for the sixth annual Georgia's Colonial Coast Birding and Nature Festival, set for Oct. 9-13 on Jekyll Island. 
Bird-watching season in coastal Georgia peaks in mid-October. Migrants are passing through on their way south, many summer birds are still lingering in the area and a few wintering species have already arrived. For the past five years, during the week of the festival, there have been more than 200 bird species spotted along the coast. The festival celebrates the beauty and wonder of those creatures, offering nature-related field trips, workshops and seminars for birders, photographers and nature enthusiasts from beginners to experts.
Friday afternoon workshop topics include secrets of digiscoping, a visual tour of Georgia, the art of pishing and the digital darkroom. Saturday afternoon seminars will tackle basic nature photography, the Georgia coast, birds of Georgia, pelagic birds and birding essentials.
Author and birder Pete Dunne is the keynote speaker for the Saturday banquet.