2018 Birding Festivals On Wildlife Refuges: A Complete List

WASHINGTON, DC — Grab your binoculars and strap on the hiking boots — the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday released their list of all the birding festivals on wildlife refuges in 2018. The refuges feature more than 700 species of birds and are managed by the service to maintain the migratory habits of birds, the agency said in a statement announcing the festivals.

“Millions of acres of wetlands, forests, grasslands, deserts and swamps — professionally managed to conserve birds and wildlife — make national wildlife refuges wonderful places for birding,” Mike Carlo, visitor services specialist at the federal agency, said in a statement. “We work hard to create birder-friendly national wildlife refuges, offering facilities, activities, information and other amenities that help people enjoy connecting with natural areas and wild birds.”

Festivals will take place in most months of the year all over the country. Below is a complete list of all the festivals offered on the wildlife refuges. The agency notes the festivals are very popular, so registering in advance is suggested:

JANUARY 2018

Festival of the Cranes
Jan. 13-14
Decatur, AL

Wings of Winter
Jan. 19-21
Buchanan, TN

Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival
Jan. 24-29
Titusville, FL

Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway
Jan. 24-28
Chico, CA

Winter Wildlife Festival
Jan. 26-28
Virginia Beach, VA

FEBRUARY 2018
Sparrow Fest
Feb.3
Marble Falls, TX

Winter Wings Bird Festival
Feb. 15-18
Klamath Falls, OR

Eagle Watching Day
Feb. 10
Brussels, IL

Florida Scrub-Jay Festival
Feb. 3
Deltona, FL

San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival
Feb. 9-11
Mare Island Preserve Visitor Center
Vallejo, CA

Whooping Crane Festival
Feb. 22-25
Port Aransas, TX

San Diego Bird Festival
Feb. 21-25
San Diego, CA

MARCH 2018
Monte Vista Crane Festival
March 9-11
Monte Vista, CO

Othello Sandhill Crane Festival
March 23-25
Othello, WA

APRIL 2018
Harney County Migratory Bird Festival
April 5-8
Burns, OR

Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken Festival
April 13-14
Eagle Lake, TX

Godwit Days
April 18-24
Arcata, CA

Featherfest
April 17-22
Galveston, TX

Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival
April 25-28
Suffolk/Chesapeake, VA

Balcones Songbird Festival
April 27-29
Lago Vista, TX

Birding and Blues Festival
April 20-22
Pacific City, OR

Grays Harbor Shorebird and Nature Festival
April 27-29
Hoquiam, WA

MAY 2018
The Biggest Week in American Birding
May 4-13
Northwest Ohio

Horicon Marsh Bird Festival
May 10-14
Marsh Haven Nature Center, WI

Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival
May 10-13
Homer, AK

Wings Over Muscatatuck Bird Festival
May 12
Seymour, IN

Great Salt Lake Bird Festival
May 17-21
Farmington, UT

Chequamegon Bay Birding & Nature Festival
May 17-19
Ashland, WI

Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds
May 16-19
Detroit Lakes, MN

Kenai Peninsula Birding Festival
May 17-20
Kenai, AK

Down East Spring Birding Festival
May 25-28
Trescott, ME

JUNE 2018
Potholes & Prairie Birding Festival
June 13-17
Carrington, ND

OCTOBER 2018
John L. Borom Alabama Coastal BirdFest
Oct. 3-6
Spanish Fort, AL

Ridgefield Birdfest and Bluegrass
Oct. 6-7
Ridgefield, WA

Eastern Shore Birding & Wildlife Festival
Oct. 5-7
Cape Charles, VA

Ding Darling Days
Oct. 14-20
Sanibel, FL

Wings over Water Festival
Oct. 16-21
Manteo, NC

NOVEMBER 2018
Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival
Nov. 7-11
Harlingen, TX

Fall Flight Festival
Nov. 4, 11, 18 and 25
Las Vegas, NM

Festival of the Cranes
Nov. 13-18
Socorro, NM

DECEMBER 2018
Eagle Days
Dec. 1-2
Forest City, MO

Swan Days Festival
Dec. 8
Swanquarter, NC

Photo credit: J Pat Carter/Associated Press