Texas Birding Festivals

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Festivals are a great way to get exposed to more birds, with great field trip leaders and interesting places to see. They have a positive financial impact on local communities and contribute to the community's support of wildlife conservation. BWD (Bird Watcher's Digest), a bimonthly magazine, has comments on why to attend a birding festival at Bird Watchers Digest Web Site.

Here are a few tips for a positive experience at a birding festival:

• Think about your physical stamina. Would you like a half-day trip or are you ready for a longer trip? Some trips may require standing in place for a while so a sport or camp stool could be a good idea.
• At multi-day festivals consider trips that will take you to different habitats so that you will see a variety of birds. The trip descriptions will often list target species expected to be encountered on various trips.
• You don't have to sign up for a trip each day of the festival. This frees up time to attend workshops, visit vendors, and bird on your own. It is a great way to pace yourself so the festival does not become a marathon and remains fun. That said, if you want to attend as many trips as possible, go for it.
• Make your hotel reservations early. The nice thing about staying at the designated headquarter hotels is that they usually offer early breakfast.

Texas Birding Festivals - Please notify TOS of any additions or corrections to the list.

Laredo Birding Festival - Laredo. Early February.

Sparrowfest - Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge west of Austin. February.

Valentine's Birding Bash - Riverside Nature Center in Kerrville hosts a family-friendly event to kick off the Great Backyard Bird Count. Mid-February

Whooping Crane Festival - Port Aransas. February.

Matagorda Bay Birdfest - Palacios. Late March.

Spring Chirp - Wing it to Weslaco for the Wonders of Spring!  Early April.

FeatherFest - Galveston. Mid-April.

Balcones Songbird Festival - Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge west of Austin. Late April. Targets include the Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo.

Birdiest Festival in America - Corpus Christi. Late April.

South Llano River State Park Birding Festival - Junction. Late April.

Birding the Border - Val Verde County. Late April/Early May.

Davis Mountains Hummingbird Festival - Fort Davis. Late August.

Celebration of Flight - Corpus Christi. Last weekend in September.

Hummerbird Festival - Rockport. Mid-September. Focus is Ruby-throated Hummingbirds' migration and local birds.

Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival - Harlingen. Early November.