OTHELLO - Othello birds, landscape and agriculture is going to be on display starting Friday during the Sandhill Crane Festival.

The festival takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday and is located at Othello High School, 340 S Seventh Ave. Admission to the event costs $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and children younger than 12 years old are free with a paying adult. Tours are priced separately, ranging from $10 for adults to $50.

"The goal of the festival is to allow people to view the migrating birds in a safe manner for the birds," said Marie Lotz, the festival's coordinator. "We have many guided tours with a biologist and an agricultural guide."

The festival starts with several tours on Friday, including a boat tour of the Potholes Reservoir, a tour of Puget Sound Energy's windmill farm near Vantage and tours to see the cranes in the region.

The evening concludes with a lecture from Daniel and Ginger Poleschook called "Wonderful Waterbirds." The nature photographers specialize in taking photographs of water birds while doing research and conservation work, according to the festival's program.

The two photographers plan to present images from the nearly 300 bird species they took photographs of, according to festival organizers.

The main day of the festival is Saturday with a combination of displays, children's activities and lectures held at the high school and tours leaving.

"We have a lot of new lectures and a lot of new tours this year," Lotz said. "Some of the new tours this year are the Palouse Falls. We also a have a photography birding tour ... Most of our lectures this year are pretty much new ... We got a lot of new ideas from some of our members and through their contacts we ended up getting a lot of new lectures and tours."

The lectures include a look at migrating swallows, Yakima Valley dams, using plants to attract certain types of birds and a presentation from the Washington State University Raptor Club.

Along with the lectures, informational booths and children's activities in the Othello High School gym, Lotz said.

"We're going to have plenty of children's activities. They're going to have an insect display, painting projects, mask making, making binoculars and many, many other things," she said.

Saturday's events culminate with a banquet and silent auction featuring Nicole Perret. The licensed falconer and artist is the featured speaker for the event. She appeared on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," and the "Ellen Degeneres Show," according to the festival program.

"She can perform more than 160 bird calls," Lotz said. "She is a birder and she is also an artist."

The festival concludes Sunday with several more tours, including a habitat restoration project in Walla Walla and crane and burrowing owl viewing.

People wanting to attend the lectures and other activities on Saturday can purchase tickets at the door. Lotz recommended people wanting to go on tours should call the festival at 509-488-2802 to reserve a spot.

"We're almost filled up on our tours," she said.