The opportunity to visit new birding hotspots and attend informational seminars attracts crowds of people to birding festivals each month (Tricolored Heron photo by Paul Konrad).

Just as October is a prime birding month, it’s also prime time for Birding Festivals from Washington to Florida, Michigan to Louisiana! If you are interested the learning and birding opportunities provided by a festival there are some excellent options. Starting with BirdFest & Bluegrass in Washington on October 1st, and ending October 30th with the Yellow Rails & Rice Festival in Louisiana, the month of October is filled with exciting social opportunities for birders, including a couple long-time favorites – the 75th Cape May Fall Festival and the Florida Birding & Nature Festival.

Even if you can’t make it to a birding festival this fall, it’s worth checking out the many options across the continent – each festival website will provide insights into the local area’s birding hotspots, and provide you with new insights about birds and birding in some of America’s top birding locations, including the importance of birding economics to communities and conservation groups.

October 1 – BirdFest & Bluegrass, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Ridgefield, Washington; see BirdFest & Bluegrass - Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge (ridgefieldfriends.org)

October 2 – Meadowlands Birding Festival, Meadowlands Environmental Center, Lindhurst, New Jersey; see Meadowlands Birding Festival - Home | Facebook

October 8 & 9 – CraneFest, Kiwanis Youth Conservation Area, Battle Creek, Michigan; see CraneFest XXVII | Facebook

October 13 to 16 – 75th Cape May Fall Festival, Cape May Bird Observatory, Cape May, New Jersey; see Cape May Fall Festival | New Jersey Audubon (njaudubon.org)

October 18 to 23 – Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival, National Wildlife Refuges Visitor Center, Manteo, North Carolina; Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival - Wildlife Tours, Nature Education

October 20 to 23 – Florida Birding & Nature Festival, Apollo Beach, Florida; Florida Birding & Nature Festival (fbnfestival.org)

October 26 to 30 – Yellow Rails & Rice Festival, Jennings, Louisiana; Birding Festival | Yellow Rails and Rice Festival