If you're in the market for a great way to spend a day,
check out your local birding festivals. Most states have
several fairs and festivals going on during the year, and
they are an excellent way to get outside, learn
something new, make new friends and have fun.
Birding festivals last from a simple one day event to a full
month of outings, activities and lectures. The most
common are over a weekend, and can range from small
local events at a nearby park, to large-scale events that
bring visitors from all over the globe, with events spread
throughout an entire region. Depending on the specific
event, you will have the opportunity to hear
knowledgeable speakers, observe live birds up close,
take guided walks, get pointers on better wildlife
photography, sharpen your identification skills, share
experiences with like-minded folks, and even take more
exotic outings, such as birding by boat or on horseback.
Often there are artists, vendors, children's activities, and
the like.
Many birding festivals center on a specific event taking
place in the local area, migration being a particular
favorite. Another popular theme is the celebration of
specific species found only locally, or perhaps in a
particular abundance, such as warblers, shorebirds,
cranes or hawks. Many blend other interests with birding,
such as butterflies, flowers or even music.
Here is a sampling of some of the larger events that take
place each spring and summer:
Birds, Blossoms & Blues Festival, Norfolk, Virginia. Field
trips, walking tours, boat tours, plant sales, blues
concerts, family festival.
Florida's First Coast Birding and Nature Festival, St.
Augustine, Florida. Kayaking, walking tours, photography
expeditions. Learn about outdoor photography, birding,
wildlife, butterflies, and much more.
Spring Wings Bird Festival, Fallon, Nevada. Field trips,
including a birding by horseback safari, airboat tour,
ranch tour, photography contest, and much more.
Great River Birding and Nature Festival, Lake City,
Minnesota. 3 days of birding and nature events held
throughout the Mississippi River Valley of Southeast
Minnesota and Southwest Wisconsin around Lake Pepin.
Birding by motorboat, mini-railcar, hikes along shorelines,
forests, bluff tops, lectures, and more.
Horicon Marsh Bird Festival, Wisconsin. Bird banding,
birding by pontoon, hikes, talks, and the "big sit", where
participants try to observe as many species as possible
from a 17-foot observatory platform from midnight Friday
till dark on Saturday.
Festival of Birds, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Over 170
species seen last year, field trips, frog/toad outing,
workshops, exhibitors.
Cape May Spring Weekend, New Jersey. 200+ bird
species, field trips, workshops, boat trips and more at the
migration mainline capital of North America.
Mountain Lake Migratory Bird Festival, Pembroke, Virginia.
Visit the beautiful Mountain Lake Hotel, with 2600 acres
of pristine woodlands to take part in dozens of activities -
field trips, workshops, fun for the kids.
Kirtland's Warbler Festival, Roscommon, Michigan. Guided
tours to see the Kirtland's Warbler, nature presentations,
crafts, kids' activities, photography and more.
Bar Harbor Warblers & Wildflowers, Bar Harbor, Maine.
Bird walks, peregrine watches, boat rides, garden and
forest tours, art exhibits.
Potholes and Prairie Birding Festival, Jamestown, North
Dakota. Guided tours, workshop, wonderful prairie
birding.
The Feliciana Hummingbird Celebration highlights
hummingbirds in the St. Francisville area of Louisiana,
including banding and workshops on how to build a
hummingbird habitat in your garden.
Southwest Wings. Arizona's longest running birding
festival celebrates its 15th year in Bisbee. Natural history
tours, birds and butterfly tours, exhibits and programs.
You can find these birding festivals and fairs by checking
birding magazines such as "Birders World" and
"Audubon", by contacting your local Audubon chapter,
and by searching the Internet, but the quickest way to
get a comprehensive list is by scanning the Birding Event
Calendar at www.BirdingResources.com.
Join the flock at your local birding festival, or migrate to a
more distant event. Either choice promises a great day of
birding!
This article is free for republishing
Source: http://www.articlealley.com
Carol Miller is an internet author, entrepreneur and avid birder. You can find great stuff at her website, http://www.BirdingResources.com. Be sure to sign up for the free Birding Event Notifier and find out what's happening in the wild bird world
