OTHELLO - The town of Othello overflowed with people who like to watch birds, people who like being outdoors and people who like to photograph all of it during the Sandhill Crane Festival over the weekend.

The festival is three days of tours around the Othello area and Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, along with a day of classes and activities. The tours are so popular they must be booked in advance, and even a rainy Friday night attracted two busloads of people.

So what's the attraction of the birds? "I have no idea," Greg Plummer, of Spokane, said.

"I'm the one who's more interested in birds," said his wife Sue. She really likes nature, Sue Plummer said, the chance to get out and experience the sights and sounds of the natural world. Enthusiasts have to experience it while they can, she said, since human impact might damage or destroy it.

Stephen Chen and his wife Clara came from Seattle. Stephen Chen is partially disabled, but he's an enthusiastic birdwatcher and wanted to come just the same, Clara Chen said.

The Chung Ai Photographic Society were not just birdwatchers; they were in town for good photos. Based in Vancouver, B.C., club members travel the world looking for good pictures, said James Yip, the group's chair.

The cranes were out Friday night, feeding in local fields, before flying to Scootney Reservoir, among other places, to find a safe roost for the night. They spiraled in, directly overhead of the best viewing spot. "When they come in for a landing they are just spectacular," said Dan Haas, the bus tour guide.

The rain clouds were beginning to dissipate, and the setting sun highlighted the ripples as the birds landed on the water. Camera shutters whirred.

Othello, its surrounding fields and reservoirs, are a resting place for the birds on their spring flights to nesting grounds in Alaska, Haas said. It wasn't always that way. Residents started noticing the birds in the 1970s, and naturalists theorize that the birds were attracted to the food and good nesting spots that came with more irrigation and farming, Haas said.

Birdwatchers started getting interested, and the idea for a festival was born. "Everybody loves cranes, so there you go. Cranes it was," he said.

Like any town project, a lot of Othello gets involved. The Rotary chapter sponsored a fundraising breakfast, and senior citizens raised money with a baked potato bar. Othello High School and local businesses opened their doors for activities.

Othello School District provided the buses. Leilani Ezell maneuvered the bus down dirt roads to provide a look at the effects of ancient floods and the best spots for viewing birds. She drove bus for birdwatching tours last year and "I loved it," she said.

The festival date moves a little to take advantage of the bird migration, Haas said, and festival organizers try to get that information out as soon as possible.