Birding Festivals and Conferences

Jack Doyle

Snowy Owl

The following birding festivals and conferences are sponsored, in part, by the National Audubon Society and/or Audubon Chapters. Please also check your local Audubon Center or Chapter website for birding events. If your Chapter is sponsoring an event that is not yet listed, please email the date(s), location, website URL for more info, brief description of the event, and contact information to Chapter Services.

2013

MAY

9-12: Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival: Homer, AK. The Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival will be celebrating its 20^th anniversary in 2012. Enjoy presentations on birding both around the globe and here in Alaska. As always, expert speakers, naturalists, and guides will share their extensive wealth of birding knowledge as they lead you through the many field events; workshops; presentations; and boat, bus, and kayak tours. When your day of birding and exploring Homer winds down, spend your evening enjoying the great line-up of entertainment for all ages. The Keynote speaker this year is Dr. George Archibald, the co-founder and senior conservationist with the International Crane Foundation.

11: Hummingbird Fest as Grange Insurance Audubon Center: Columbus, OH. Join us for a fun-filled, family day celebrating our smallest migrant, the hummingbird! On International Migratory Bird Day, May 11, 2013, we will be having Hummingbird Fest! There will be activities for all ages! Please save the date and check our website for further details!

11: Wings Over Weston (WOW) Festival: Weston, MO. Come and let us introduce you to the world of birds, their magical migration, and the importance of conservation of their habitats at Wings Over Weston on Saturday, May 11th, 2013 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.  Activities will include: live bird presentations, bird banding, guided bird hikes, games, arts, crafts, live music from the Bluegrass Tornadoes, a native plant sale, and much more! Wings Over Weston is a joint collaboration between Burroughs Audubon and Missouri State Parks.  Sponsors include Audubon Missouri, Aveda, Missouri Department of Conservation, City of Weston, Platte County Parks and Recreation, Master Naturalists, The Wildlife Society, KCP&L, Home Depot, and the Kansas City Woodworkers Guild. For more information contact: Christine Kline of Burroughs Audubon at (816) 540-3515 or birdsecretary@comcast.net or Lee Wilbeck of Missousri State Parks at (660) 258-4950 or lee.wilbeck@dnr.mo.gov.

15-19: Spring into Yellowstone: Birding & Wildlife Festival: Cody, WY. Discover the iconic birds and wildlife of northwest Wyoming: from sage grouse to grizzly bears. The festival will feature guided field trips and interactive seminars led by some of the biggest names in birding and nature photography, as well as some of the top regional biologists. Each evening, take in Buffalo Bill country's finest restaurant fare and check out wildlife-themed art at galleries. Organization Information: Cody Chamber of Commerce. Contact Person: Jill Osiecki Gleich. Phone Number: (307) 587-2777

16-19: Kenai River Birding Festival: Central Kenai Peninsula, AK. "The central Kenai Peninsula area offers pristine beaches, beautiful state parks, a fantastic wildlife refuge, and, best of all, thousands of birds. This event is designed to showcase and celebrate our area birds. Julie Zickefoose and Bill Thompson of "Birders Digest" fame are our guest speakers this year. Suitable for the beginner as well as the advanced birder, the event includes a series of discussions and birding field expeditions. Our field excursions offer fantastic birding opportunities without going too far. We have a host of experts ready to help enhance your birding skills. This year we’ve included a children’s component to the program that is sure to excite interest. This is a FREE event and open to all."

16-20: Great Salt Lake Bird Festival: Salt Lak CIty, UT. Come join the Salt Lake Audubon Society for a fun family event! The Great Salt Lake Birding festival is a fundraiser for the Great Salt Lake Nature Center at Farmington Bay. This festival is sure not to diappoint with its workshops, keynote speaker: Kevin Karlson, and more. Get your tickets now! 

18: Audubon Miami Valley Bird Festival: Hueston Woods State Park (College Corner), Ohio. This is a free, very family-friendly event, so bring your kids, grandkids, scout and church groups. We’ll have kids’ arts and crafts booths and fun educational activities, bird walks, use of binoculars and spotting scopes, and live raptors (owls, hawks, and eagles). We’ll also have live music, a concession stand and vendor booths to browse.

25-28: Down East Spring Birding Festival: Trescott, Maine. Many of Maine's 418 bird species may be found in the Cobscook Bay area. Festival attendees will have a chance to enjoy guided hikes, boat tours, and presentations led by area experts. Of special interest will be boat trips to Machias Seal Island to seek views of Atlantic puffins, Leach’s storm petrels, northern gannets, cormorants, common eiders, five species of gulls, three species of terns, razorbills, common murre, black guillemots, seals, and porpoises. For more information call 207-733-2233.

30- June 2: Acadia BirdingFestival: Mount Desert Island, ME. Acadia's birding community invites you and your family to celebrate the ecological wonders of the birds of the Gulf of Maine at the Acadia Birding Festival. Explore Mount Desert Island and its birds through numerous events and venues. Greet our warblers on early morning birding walks, visit with puffins and pelagic birds at sea, and observe Peregrine Falcons at an active breeding site in Acadia National Park. Our combination of lectures, walks, and adventures will connect you to Downeast Maine’s many bird species, diverse habitats and local birding experts.

31- 2 June: The 11th annual Great Adirondack Birding Celebration: Paul Smiths, New York. The event will feature field trips to boreal birding hot spots, informative lectures, workshops, a raffle, social hours and more. Some of the boreal species that participants in the Great Adirondack Birding Celebration hope to find include the Black-backed Woodpecker, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, Spruce Grouse, Bicknell's Thrush and a variety of migrating warblers.The 3,000-acre Paul Smiths VIC contains every habitat type found in the Adirondack Park with the exception of alpine vegetation. Included on the property is a 60-acre marsh, five ponds, several brooks and swamps, bogs, fens, and varied forest types, most notably northern boreal forest. The site includes significant glacial and geological features and provides scenic vistas of Saint Regis Mountain and Jenkins Mountain. The VIC property includes 6 miles of interpretive trails and 8 miles of back country trails for spring, summer, and fall use.Point of contact:  Brian McAllister, 518-327-6241, bmcallister@paulsmiths.edu

JUNE

7-9: Montana's Audubon's 14th Annual Wings Across the Big Sky Festival: Lewistown, MT. You are invited to take part in dynamic birding field trips, interesting presentations, and fun festivities as we celebrate efforts to conserve our birds, wildlife, and habitat in the heart of Montana. Join Susan Bonfield, Director of Environment for the Americas and Coordinator of the Western Hummingbird Partnership, for a hummingbird keynote. One of only ten cities nationwide selected to receive an Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds grant, Lewistown and the region are gearing up to welcome you. Experience Central Montana's five mountain ranges, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, and American Prairie Reserve. Something for everyone and all for the birds! For more information and field trip listings, please visit the festival website.

7-9: Birding Bonanaza Weekend: Sandstone, MN. The rich biological diversity of Pine Country and the surrounding area provides a bonanaza of birding opportunities for experienced birders and those just getting started. The Audubon Center of the North Woods is located in a unique transition zone where the eastern deciduous forest meets the northern conifer forest with pockets of western prairie. This first-class weekend birding festival gives participants a chance to visit a wide variety of habitats that support myriad birding species.  Some of the fun includes: field trips, workshops, bird banding sessions, a live raptor resontation and much more. We invite you to join us for a fun and memorable weekend. 

15-16: 31st Annual Basin and Range Weekend Seminar: Strawberry Valley, UT.  This seminar brings together students of nature, lay people and professionals for field studies in Strawberry Valley, UT. Participants accompany instructors for three hour classes in any of the seven sessions Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning. Offered classes include: Amazing Anthropods: Insects and Spiders, Amphibians, Stream Ecosystems and Boreal Toads, Wildflowers of the Strawberry Valley, Montane Neo-tropicals: Western Mountains, Hot Spots Around the Strawberry Valley, Birds of the Strawberry Valley and Strawberry Valley Bird and Nature Photography (bring your camera). Much fun is to be had by all! For more information contact: Jeanne Le Ber or Ray Smith at phon no: 801-532-7384 or jeanne.leber@utah.edu 

16-21: Woods, Water and Wisdom: A Family Nature Adventure at the Lake: Sandstone, MN. The forests, fields, ponds and lakes of Minnesota's North Woods hold exciting environmental lessons for you and your grandchild. Search for reptiles and amphibians, meet impressive birds of prey, discover the hidden life of beavers and learn about the natural behavior of wolves. Feel the rush of adventure on our rock climbing wall and high ropes course, and enjoy making tradional Ojibwe crafts. Program intended for participants and family members ages 9 and up.

AUGUST

14-18: Tucson Bird and Wildlife Festival: Tucson, AZ. The Tucson Bird & Wildlife Festival celebrates the unique biodiversity of southeast Arizona with exciting educational opportunities for birders and nature enthusiasts to discover and enjoy the Sonoran Desert and Sky Islands. Features include: moonsoon birding, expert-led field trips, evening programs with J Drew Lanham and Christopher Cokinos, workshops, and much more. Register online. For more information contact: Erin Olmstead, (520)629-0510 x 7009, eolmstead@tucsonaudubon.org 

SEPTEMBER

24-29: Florida Keys Birding & Wildlife Festival: Marathon, FL. Make sure you don't miss out on the 15th Annual Florida Keys Birding & Wildlife Festival. Be prepred for six days full of guided field trips, informative evening presentations, and the all-day wildlife fair. Keynote speakers include: Rafael Galvez, of the Tropical Audubon Society and Mark Hedden, birding expert and board member of Florida Keys Audubon. For more information call: (305) 872-0774 or email: flkeysbirdfest@gmail.com 

October 

10-13: Bird Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden: Coral Gables, FL. Off-site birding field trips Thursday, October 10th and Friday, October 11th.  Join us at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden for the weekend's events which will include lectures, expert-led bird walks, vendors offering bird-attracting plants, kids activities and more.  The 2013 Keynote Speaker will be Ted Floyd, editor of Birding, the flagship publication of the American Birding Association.Location: 10901 Old Cutler Road Coral Gables, Florida 33156. For more information contact Vanessa Cook, 305-667-1651x3377, vcook@fairchildgarden.org