Festival Of Birds in Detroit Lakes Minnesota

Set the alarm. Grab the binoculars. Put on good walking shoes

You don't want to waste any time in birders' paradise - Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. More than 250 species of birds live in Becker County. Why? Because the Detroit Lakes area is in the heart of a transition zone of tall grass prairie, northern hardwood and coniferous ecosystems. Serious birders flock here each spring for the annual Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds.

Mark your calendars for the 13th Annual Festival of Birds, May 20-23, 2010. This year we'll explore the science of birds and take you to some of the state's hottest birding sites!

New field trips for 2010: Friday we'll travel to Manston Slough, a wildlife habitat project restoring a partially drained wetland located on the old lake bed of Lake Agassiz, important for migrating shorebirds! Friday evening we'll look for Clay-colored, Vesper, Grasshopper and Savanna Sparrows on a 240 acre grassland near Fair Hills Resort. Sunday a trip to Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge will include a stop at Agassiz Dunes, we'll see mima mounds, prairie restoration and look for warblers, sparrows, Sandhill Cranes, Grouse, Bobolink and more! Other field trip favorites include Glendalough State Park, Hamden and Tamarac National Wildlife Refuges, Fergus Falls Prairie Wetlands and Itasca State Park.

Mike Murphy will shed light on the secrets of bird migration on Thursday evening. A Minnesota favorite, wildlife biologist and photographer Carrol Henderson will present Friday evening "Birds in Flight: The Art and Science of How Birds Fly," based on his latest book. One of the most talented duck stamp artists in the nation, Joe Hautman will be at the festival on Saturday, May 22 demonstrating his drawing technique. Charlie Walcott from Cornell University offers insight into Why Birds Sing and the Behavior behind Loon Vocalizations, in free Saturday workshops. Have fun while you learn bird songs with keynote speaker Jeff Gordon at Saturday night's "Bird Song Grammys." Gordon is an experienced birder, writer, photographer and naturalist from Delaware who has lead tours around the globe.

Detroit Lakes is now part of North America's newest International Birding Trail! The Pine to Prairie Birding Trail continues north another 300 miles into Manitoba.

Over 170 species were recorded during the 2009 festival. Field trip leaders included: Doug Buri, Kim Eckert, Denny and Barb Martin, Richard Crossley, Bob Russell, Scott Kahan, Kathy Henry, Mike Murphy, Barbara Boyle, John Voz, Wayne Brininger, Lowell Deede, Teresa Jaskiewicz, Judd Brink, Gary Tischer and Jeanie Joppru.

In recent years, birders have checked these species off their list: Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Rough-legged Hawk, Chestnut-collared Longspur, LeConte's and Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows, Rock Wren, Golden-winged and Northern Parula Warblers, Alder Flycatcher and Black-backed Woodpecker. On a previous field trip to Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, birdwatchers were graced with a flock of Hudsonian Godwits numbering just over 90 birds. In just four hours, 135 different species of birds were sighted. Field trip leader Doug Buri exclaimed, "I've been looking at shorebirds for 40 years and I don't ever recall seeing 25 species in just 2 hours. What an amazing day!" The Eared Grebe, Willet, Long-billed Dowitcher, Bonaparte's Gull and Sharp-tailed Grouse were new sightings for the festival that day.

Look for the 2010 Festival of Birds program by March 15 and online registration. Register by May 7th and you're eligible to win a Raven 6.5 x 32 binocular from Eagle Optics!

Any time of year, we welcome you to check out several sites along the Pine to Prairie Birding Trail that are near Detroit Lakes. Download the Bird Checklist of 275 species along the trail below. For more birding opportunities in Minnesota, see the MOU website.

Everywhere you go in Detroit Lakes' bird paradise, you're guaranteed to see birds to check off your bird list. Best of all, you'll hear the winsome call of the loon, Minnesota's state bird.

We welcome you to Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Happy birding!

Festival Bird Sightings (PDF)

Species Checklist (PDF)