Home >  Plan a trip >  Nature >  Birds & wildlife >  Spring bird festivals

Other stories in "Birds & wildlife"

• Birding by rail
  On Wisconsin's Chippewa River, a little train rolls into a bird-watcher's Eden.
• Where eagles land
  Winter is anything but slow at the big birds' favorite gathering spots.
• All eyes on Wabasha
  Eagles are drawn to this Mississippi River town, along with flocks of binocular-toting visitors.
• Snow birds
  A wintering flock of trumpeter swans has put Monticello on the map.
• Hawk heaven
  On a ridgetop in Duluth, bird watchers keep eyes on the fall skies.
• Winter weekend in Monticello
  Come for the swans; stay for the shopping and skiing.
• Playing the field in Wisconsin
  In April, the kooky courtship of prairie chickens brings out the bird watchers.
• Open sesame on the sloughs
  In winter, eagle-watchers and snowshoers can explore frozen Mississippi byways.
• Wings over Alma
  Tundra-swan watchers have a honkin' good time during the November migration.
• Owl aboard
  In southeast Minnesota, a live-wire named Alice is the star of a late-winter festival.
• Bird walks
  In spring, a symphony of trills and chirps draws hikers into the woods.
• Life on Horicon Marsh
  At an avian rest stop, humans learn about life on the wing.
• Beguiled by bears
  In northern Minnesota, the man who loved bears left a legacy for thousands.
• Ely and the three bears
  At the North American Bear Center, visitors meet some big personalities.
• Looking for bald eagles
  In winter, the cold forces the birds to go where they're easier to see.
• Counting birds
  At Christmas, birders go afield for the annual census.

Spring bird festivals

After a long winter, birders welcome return of feathered friends.

By April, the harbingers of spring are on the move.

"The spring migration is well underway!'' comes the report from Crex Meadows refuge, in northwest Wisconsin near Grantsburg. "Eagles and swans, Canada geese, robins, sparrows, sandhills cranes have arrived!''

Where there are birds, there are birders — and bird festivals. Those are especially nice for beginners, who don’t yet have the skills to find and identify birds.  If there’s a bird-banding demonstration, don’t miss it; it’s a good chance to see identifying markings of a bird close-up. 

Below are a few of the best festivals in 2012. Space on field trips and tours goes fast, so sign up early.

April 27-29, Spring Fling at the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory in Paradise, Mich. At the southeast corner of Lake Superior near the Soo Locks, thousands of migrating birds are funneled past this point, adjacent to Seney National Wildlife Refuge and next to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.

The festival includes early-morning and dusk owl programs plus walks and workshops.

April 29, Spring Birding by Mini-Train near Alma, Wis. Spot birds while riding the Chippewa Valley Railroad Association's mini-train from Durand through the Tiffany Bottoms, along the Chippewa River as it flows to the  Mississippi.

Cost is $40, including lunch. Reserve early.

May 11-14, Horicon Marsh Bird Festival in east-central Wisconsin. This large festival is around a large marsh often called the Everglades of the North. There are bird hikes, bird-banding demonstrations, pontoon-boat tours, canoe and kayak tours, bus tours and a round-the-clock Big Sit, in which participants try to identify as many birds as possible.

For more, see Life on Horicon Marsh.

May 11-13, Spring Warbler Weekend in Frontenac State Park. The St. Paul Audubon Society hosts this festival from Villa Maria near Lake City, Minn., with beginner bird walks, speakers, birding games and evening owl walks.

May, International Migratory Bird Day Festival in Copper Harbor, Mich. Presentations and programs around the Keweenaw Peninsula, including scenic Brockway Mountain Drive, known as "Hawk Highway.''

For more, see Copper Harbor refuge.

May, Kids Bird Watching Fair at the Rapids Lake Visitor Center of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Carver, Minn. This fair in the far southwest corner of the Twin Cities is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and includes bird-banding, live birds of prey, bird identification and lunch for kids and chaperones.

It's designed for kids 12 and younger, but all ages are welcome. Sponsored by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Audubon Minnesota.

May, Urban Bird Festival in St. Paul. The St. Paul Audubon Society sponsors 16 free bird hikes for all levels at spots around St. Paul and its suburbs.

May 18-20, Birding Festival at the North Lakeland Discovery Center in Manitowish Waters, Wis. There will be bird-banding, warbler walks, field trips and workshops at this festival in the northeast Wisconsin forests.

May 17-20, Festival of Birds in Detroit Lakes, Minn. Learn to identify bird songs and join field trips at this big festival in northwest Minnesota, near the convergence of prairie with northern pine forest and eastern hardwood forest. Space in field trips to local refuges fills quickly.

May 17-19, Chequamegon Bay Birding & Nature Festival based out of the Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center in Ashland, Wis. Activities include bird-banding, hikes and expeditions, hatchery tours and kayaking tours of estuaries. The speaker will be Stan Tekiela.

June 1-3, Boreal Birding & Northern Landscapes Festivalin Grand Marais, Minn. Workshops and field trips on North Shore birds, wildflowers, insects and geology, hosted by the North House Folk School. 

June, Door Islands Bird Festival on Washington Island in Wisconsin. This festival on the tip of the Door Peninsula includes an optics workshop, eagle program, early-morning expeditions and field trips by ferry to Rock and Pilot islands.

Last updated on January 8, 2012