15th Annual Northwoods Birding Festival

When:
May 31, 2019 – June 1, 2019 all-day
2019-05-31T00:00:00-05:00
2019-06-02T00:00:00-05:00

The Northwoods Birding Festival is an opportunity for bird enthusiasts of all levels to celebrate birds while enjoying the camaraderie of fellow birders in the beautiful Northwoods of Wisconsin. Participate in sunrise warbler walks, enjoy field trips to local birding hotspots, try your hand at bird banding, and learn from experts in the field of ornithology!

Admission
$45.00 – Member
$55.00 – General Public
$20.00 – Students and Youth under 18
$20.00 – Friday only
$25.00 – Saturday lecture only

Festival Schedule at a Glance:
Friday, May 11th
5:00pm – 6:00pm Welcome Reception
6:00pm – 7:00pm Evening Presentation

Saturday, May 12th
6:30am – 7:30am Sunrise Warbler Walks
6:30am – 12:00pm Bird Banding
8:00am – 11:30am Field Trips
11:30am – 12:15pm Lunch
12:15pm – 1:00pm Keynote Presentation
1:15pm – 2:10pm Concurrent Session 1
2:20pm 3:15pm Concurrent Session 2
3:15pm 4:00pm Closing

About the Keynote Presentation:
“The Relationship between Old-Growth Habitat and Birds in Wisconsin’s Northwoods: Do Birds Care and Why?”
Speaker: John Bates, Naturalist and Author
Wisconsin’s old-growth forests lack a large, charismatic bird species like the spotted owl that lives only in western old-growth forests. But researchers have found significant differences in bird populations between old-growth forests and managed forests. Brown creepers, black-throated green warblers, winter wrens, Swainson’s thrushes, blackburnian warblers, pine warblers, and numerous others are all more abundant in northern old-growth than in managed stands, as are cerulean warblers, hooded warblers, and Acadian flycatchers in southern old-growth communities.
Only 0.3% of Wisconsin’s old-growth forests remain. What ecological characteristics attract some bird species to old-growth forests, and what can we do on our own land to increase habitat for these birds? Come find out!

About the Friday Night Presentation:
“Snowy Owls & Project SNOWstorm in Wisconsin ”
Speaker: Ryan Brady, Conservation Biologist WI DNR
Few birds generate excitement like the snowy owl, its white plumage, bright yellow eyes, and diurnal tendencies make it appealing to even the most casual nature lover. Wisconsin hosts at least small numbers of snowy owls each year but this past winter featured another large irruption as hundreds were seen in nearly every county of the state. Ryan Brady has been closely monitoring the birds in recent years and will discuss how this year’s flight compared to others, why these mass movements take place, and tips for finding them in years ahead. Ryan will also detail the movements and travels of five snowy owls tagged with transmitters this year as part of Project SNOWstorm, a cutting-edge international research project that aims to better understand this nomadic species, whose populations are at greater risk than their recent numbers in Wisconsin would suggest. Find out why, and nearly everything else you might want to know about snowy owls in this presentation!