Birding festivals are many things to many birders. Perhaps most of all, they provide great opportunities for you to seek out and view new species of birds on field trips led by local birders who are familiar with the area who will help you improve your ability to identify birds and provide insights about bird behaviors you witness. In addition to well-established birding fests, each year we see communities and organizations start new birding festivals to serve local birders, school groups, and birders who travel to see birds and learn more in the context of a social event during a peak birding period.
Birding Festivals tend to grow year by year with local citizens, businesses, and wildlife groups finding a sense of community in each event. Some birding festivals also create considerable economic and conservation benefits generated by the organizers, sponsors, and birders. Whether there is a birding festival near you, or cross-country at a birding hotspot you have always wished to visit – maybe April is the time to connect with the birds there, in the company of other fun-loving birders.
With more than 30 Birding Festivals scheduled during April, we broke the extra-long list of birding events into 2 lists, this being the second list. (The list of festivals being held during the first half of April was published last week in the March 18 issue). To learn more about the April Birding Festivals listed below, you can simply refer to the links provided by each event organizer:
April 16 to 19 – California – Godwit Days, Humbolt Bay, Arcada, California; see Home - Welcome to Godwit Days
April 17 to 19 – Texas – Matagorda Bay Birdfest, Palacios, Texas; see Home - Matagorda Bay Birdfest
April 17 to 19 – New York – Bird of Prey Days at Braddock Bay, Braddock Bay Raptor Research, Rochester, New York; see Bird of Prey Days | Braddock Bay Raptor Research
April 18 and 19 – Louisiana – Grand Isle Migratory Bird Festival, Grand Isle, Louisiana; see Migratory Bird Festival - Grand Isle
April 22 to 26 – Florida – Florida's Birding & Photo Fest, St. Augustine Beach, Florida; see Florida's Birding & Photo Fest | Over 130 exciting photography & birding events | 5205 A1A South, St. Augustine Beach, Florida, USA
April 22 to 26 – Alaska – Stikine River Birding Festival, Wrangell, Alaska; see SCHEDULE — Travel Wrangell
April 22 to 26 – Texas – Birdiest Festival in America, South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center, Corpus Christi, Texas; see The Birdiest Festival in America | Texas Birding
April 23 to 26 – Alabama – Alabama Coastal BirdFest, Alabama Audubon, Spanish Fort, Alabama; see Full Event & Field Trip Schedule — ALABAMA AUDUBON
April 23 to 26 – Arizona – Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival, Cottonwood, Arizona; see 2026 Verde Valley Birding & Nature Festival
April 24 to 26 – Texas – Balcones Songbird Festival, Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, Marble Falls, Texas; see Friends of Balcones Canyonlands NWR - Nearby Nature!
April 24 to 26 – California – Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival, Point Reyes Station, California; see Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival
April 25 – Missouri – Birds, Bees & Blooms Festival, Missouri River Bird Observatory, Arrow Rock, Missouri; see MRBO Festivals
April 25 – California – California Duck Day, Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, Davis, California; see Duck Days – Yolo Basin Foundation
April 25 to 26 – Alberta – Snow Goose Festival, Tofield, Alberta; see Snow Goose Festival | Festival | Tofield, AB, Canada
April 26 – Wisconsin – Madison Bird & Nature Festival, Warner Park, Madison, Wisconsin; see Bird & Nature Festival 2026 | Parks | City of Madison, WI
Plus these long-term Birding Festivals:
April 1 to 30 – Yukon – A Celebration of Swans, Swan Haven Interpretive Center, Marsh Lake, Yukon; see A Celebration of Swans | Yukon.ca
April 10 to May 10 – Georgia – Georgia Bird Fest, Birds Georgia, statewide and Atlanta, Georgia; see Georgia Bird Fest - Birds Georgia