How do you choose just one birding festival out of this list of remarkable opportunities for birders to enjoy some social birding at a Birding Festival? May could be named Birding Festival month considering all the birding festivals available for people to attend across the United States and Canada. Each birding festival is different, but they are all created with opportunities for experienced and novice birders in mind. There is truly so much to enjoy during Birding Festival events, such as guided field trips, family friendly activities, informative workshops and presentations, photo-oriented birding trips, featured speakers, a birding marketplace, art exhibits, and other attractions.
Birding Festivals provide excellent opportunities to learn more about birds while connecting with others interested in birds and birding. Anyone can learn more about how to be a better birder in the process of enjoying birds in a new way – maybe even in a new state. Take a look at the variety of Early May Birding Festivals and get more information about any of them by using the links provided below. We will also provide a second list of Late May Birding Festivals in next week's issue.
May 1 to 3 – Washington – Grays Harbor Shorebird and Nature Festival, Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge and other locations, Hoquiam, Washington; see Home
May 1 to 3 – Ohio – Birds in the Hills Festival, The Ohio Ornithological Society, South Bloomingville, Ohio; see Birds in the Hills
May 1 to 3 – Tennessee – Tipton County Museum Birdfest, Tipton County Museum & Nature Center, Covington, Tennessee; see Tipton County Museum Bird Fest – Tipton County Museum
May 1 to 17 – British Columbia – Greater Vancouver Bird Celebration, Vancouver, British Columbia; see Home - Vancouver Bird Celebration
May 1 to 31 – Connecticut – Migration Magic, The Connecticut Audubon Society, Fairfield, Connecticut; see Migration Magic 2026 | The Connecticut Audubon Society
May 2 to 17 – Ontario – Rondeau Festival of Flight, Rondeau Provincial Park, Morpeth, Ontario; see Rondeau Provincial Park - Events
May 2 – Mississippi – Spring Wings, Lee Tartt Nature Preserve, Grenada, Mississippi; see EVENTS — Friends of Chakchiuma Swamp
May 4 to 10 – British Columbia – Wings Over the Rockies Nature Festival, Invermere, British Columbia; see Wings Over The Rockies
May 6 to 9 – Arizona – Southwest Wings Spring Fling, Sierra Vista, Arizona; see Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival -Sierra Vista | Sierra Vista Birding and Nature
May 6 to 10 – Alaska – Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival, Homer, Alaska; see Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival – Alaska's Largest Wildlife Festival
May 6 to 10 – Colorado – Ute Mountain Mesa Verde Birding Festival, Cortez, Colorado; see Ute Mountain Mesa Verde Birding Festival
May 7 to 10 – Alaska – Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival, Cordova, Alaska; see Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival
May 8 to 11 – British Columbia – Creston Valley Bird Fest, Creston, British Columbia; see Creston Valley Bird Festival – Wildsight
May 8 to 10 – Wisconsin – Horicon Marsh Bird Festival, Horicon, Wisconsin; see Bird Festival – Horicon Marsh Bird Club
May 8 to 10 – Ontario – Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory Spring Birding Festival, Milford, Ontario; see Spring Birding Festival — PEPtBO
May 8 to 17 – Ohio – The Biggest Week in American Birding, Oregon, Ohio; see BWIAB - Home
May 9 – Wisconsin – Northwoods Birding Festival, Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin; see The North Lakeland Discovery Center
May 9 to 12 – Texas – Texas Mid-Coast Birding Festival, Port Lavaca, Texas; see Texas Mid-Coast Birding Festival – "Where Coastal Wings Meet Nature's Wonders"
May 10 to 17 – British Columbia – Victoria Bird Week, Rocky Point Bird Observatory, Victoria, British Columbia; see Victoria Bird Week - Rocky Point Bird Observatory
May 13 to 17 – Maine – Wings, Waves & Woods, Deer Isle, Maine; see Wings, Waves & Woods Festival - Island Heritage Trust
May 14 to 16 – Minnesota – Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota; see Detroit Lakes Festival Of Birds - Visit Detroit Lakes
May 4 to 17 – Indiana – Indiana Dunes Birding Festival, Indiana Dunes National Park, Porter, Indiana; see Indiana Dunes Birding Festival – INDunesBirdingFestival and Schedule - Indiana Dunes Birding Festival
May 14 to 17 – Washington – Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest, Leavenworth, Washington; see Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest | Wenatchee River Institute
May 14 to 17 – Colorado – Pikes Peak Birding and Nature Festival, Valley, Colorado; see Pikes Peak Birding & Nature Festival – … prairie to peak
We will provide a second list of Late May Birding Festivals in next week's issue of The Birding Wire (the April 22 issue).