Detroit Lakes Festival Of Birds

Detroit Lakes is nestled in the heart of a transition zone between tall grass prairie, northern hardwood and conifer forest ecosystems. That means there are lots of kinds of birds! Which, in turn, means a lot of serious birders flocking here each spring for the annual Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds.

The 29th annual Festival of Birds will be held May 14-16, 2026.
Since registration is under a new program be sure to read the instructions first!

Online registration is now open.

Register for the festival by Friday May 1, 2026.
Cancellations must be made by 4:00 pm (CST) on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. The event fee of $10.00 (one day) and $15 (multiple days) is non-refundable.
One person among the early-bird registrants by April 24, 2026 will take home a Diamondback HD 10 x 42 binocular provided by Vortex!

Schedule
Thursday, May 14, 2026
9:00 am-5:00 pm: Registration at Detroit Lakes Chamber Office, 700 Summit Avenue
4:30 pm-6:30 pm: 4:30 pm-6:30 pm: Bird Trivia Social at Bucks Mill Brewing, 824 Washington Avenue, Detroit Lakes

Friday, May 15, 2026
9:00 am-5:00 pm: Registration at Detroit Lakes Chamber Office, 700 Summit Avenue
5:15 am-5:30 am: Registration at M State West Parking Lot, 900 Hwy 34 East
5:30 am-1:00 pm: Felton Prairie Area Field Trip by Coach Bus
5:30 am-1:00 pm: Bluestem Prairie/Buffalo River State Park by Coach Bus
5:00 pm-7:00 pm: Buffet dinner and Al Batt presentation at Fair Hills Resort

Saturday, May 16, 2026
5:15 am-5:45 am: Registration at Detroit Lakes M State West Parking Lot, 900 Hwy 34 East
5:30 am-1:00 pm: Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge Field Trip by Coach Bus
5:45 am-11:00 am: Hamden Slough National Wildlife Refuge to Lake Park sites by Coach Bus
3:00 pm-4:30 pm: Silent Auction at M State College, Peter Cavanagh signing his books and Carrol Henderson’s book available from Friends of Tamarac
5:00 pm-7:00 pm: Buffet dinner at M State College with Peter Cavanagh presentation.

4:30-6:30 pm, Thursday May 14, 2026
BIRD TRIVIA AT BUCKS MILL BREWING
824 Washington Avenue, Detroit Lakes
Cost: $20.00
Let’s kick off the festival with another entertaining evening of Bird Trivia! The social features brain teasers while serving up fun guessing the answers. Meet some new birders and share laughs! Bucks Mill Brewing is the newest brewery in downtown Detroit Lakes. Buffet will feature macho nachos, pizza and salad from Zorbaz, including vegetarian options. Cash bar available.

FIELD TRIP NOTES: 
– Field trips will be guided by experienced leaders and a naturalist
– Trips leave promptly at stated time by motorcoach buses with onboard restroom from the M State College west parking lot
– Spring temperatures may vary from 70’s to 30’s – bring layered clothing and waterproof footwear/outerwear
– Be prepared for insects and woodticks – long sleeves, socks over pants, repellents
– Bring a beverage and snacks, a large thermos of water available for your refills
– Pack a lunch for Friday and Saturday field trips until 1:00 pm, refrigeration not available
– No field trips will be cancelled unless weather is severe
– No refunds will be issued for cancelled field trips, or for speakers who are unable to deliver their presentation due to an emergency
– Please read the field trip descriptions to find those most suitable for your mobility
– Maps will be available at Detroit Lakes Chamber office for field trip and evening presentation locations as well as birding hotspots

5:30 am–1:00 pm, Friday, May 15, 2026
Bluestem Prairie/Buffalo River State Park
Cost: $63.00
Note: M State College will not be open before and after field trip
Bring your lunch, refrigeration is not available
Location: Coach bus leaves promptly from M State west parking lot, 900 Hwy 34 East, Detroit Lakes. Requires a minimum of 25 and maximum of 45 birders.
We head just a half hour west of Detroit Lakes to make an early stop at a native prairie to view Greater Prairie Chickens booming on the lek. Bluestem Prairie Scientific and Natural Area along with the preserve is one of the most significant northern tallgrass prairie sites in the nation and stretches over 6,500 acres owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy. The landscape contains more than 250 species of wildflowers and grasses, including some plants now rare in Minnesota. Here we’ll also look from the roadside for other unique grassland birds. Then we’ll head to Buffalo River State Park which contains over 1300 acres of prairie and riverine habitats. This varied habitat attracts upwards of 200 species of birds. You’ll walk through the prairie and riverbank trails. Watch for nesting Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, vireos, flycatchers, and a variety of warblers. An assortment of swallows may be seen along the banks to test your skills. Birds we will be looking for: Greater Prairie Chicken, Upland Sandpiper, Bobolink, grassland sparrows including LeConte’s and Henslow’s, Western Meadowlark and Marbled Godwit.

5:30 am – 1:00 pm, Friday, May 15, 2026
Felton Prairie Complex
Cost: $63.00
Note: M State College will not be open before and after field trip
Bring your lunch, refrigeration is not available
Location: Coach bus leaves promptly from M State west parking lot, 900 Hwy 34 East, Detroit Lakes. Requires a minimum of 25 and maximum of 45 birders.
Felton Prairie has been a designated a bird area for several years and is considered one of our best birding hotspots in the area. Recently there has been an explosion of new state and federal land acquisitions that will add several thousand new acres of public permanent habitat for many bird species. We will spend time birding this new habitat which is directly adjacent to the Felton Complex. This area serves as an island for many endangered and threatened species. Experienced tour leaders who have birded this site for several years will be available to assist small groups in landing your life birds. We’ll have a picnic lunch at a warbler hot spot. Loggerhead Shrikes have been common here as well as Upland Sandpiper, Brewer Blackbirds and both Orchard and Baltimore Orioles.  The combination of open prairie, river woodland and open marshes is expected to bring about 100 species. Sturdy hiking boots or knee-high rubber boots are recommended for brief hikes through brushy and occasionally wet terrain. Birds we’ll be looking for: Greater Prairie Chicken, Western and Eastern Kingbirds, Orchard Orioles, Upland Sandpiper, Chestnut Collared Longspur, Loggerhead Shrike, Eastern Meadowlark, Brewers Blackbird, Sandhill Cranes, a myriad of spring migrating Warblers, Marbled Godwits, Greater Yellowlegs and many additional shorebirds and waterfowl.

5:00-7:00 pm, Friday May 15, 2026
DINNER AND HUMORIST AL BATT AT FAIR HILLS RESORT
24270 County Hwy 20, Detroit Lakes
Cost: $43.00
Our 5:00 pm buffet dinner includes pasta with options of red (vegan) or pesto (vegetarian) sauce. Top or side with sliced Italian seasoned chicken breast. (A vegan pasta bake that is gluten-free is available for those with dietary restrictions) Buffet served with roasted green beans, mixed garden salad with side dressings, garlic bread sticks (including gluten-free), dessert bar, coffee and water. Cash bar open 5:00 pm-6:00 pm.

Al Batt is a writer, speaker, storyteller, author, birder and humorist whose observations about nature and humankind are published in many newspapers, books and magazines, and heard on umpteen radio stations. Al has received the Ed Franey Media Award from the Izaak Walton League and the Thomas Sadler Roberts Award from the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union (MOU) for lifetime contributions to birding. He shares his stories with anyone who will listen. His mother thinks he’s a big deal and so do we! Join us for snickers and all-out belly laughs.

5:45 am – 11:00 am, Saturday, May 16, 2026
Ecosystem Discovery Tour
Cost: $53.00
Note: M State College will not be open before and after field trip
Location: Coach bus leaves promptly from M State west parking lot, 900 Hwy 34 East, Detroit Lakes. Trip requires a minimum of 25 and maximum of 45 birders.
Our first stop will awaken sleepy birders with the haunting sounds of the Greater Prairie Chickens booming on the Hamden Slough refuge lek. Watching Greater Prairie Chickens performing their annual mating ritual is a “bucket list” experience for many birders. Listen for the lively calls of sandhill cranes, bobolinks, western meadowlarks, sedge wrens and the occasional marbled godwit – all common spring visitors to this refuge lek site. Besides the prairie birds there are a number of ponds and lakes where a variety of waterfowl, wading birds and shorebirds may be found. Bisson Lake is an excellent place for a variety of ducks, geese, herons and rails. Smaller ponds have an assortment of shore birds such as turnstones, dowitchers, phalaropes, and many species of sandpipers. There are also some small stands of trees which can act as migration traps for warblers and other passerines. Dive into this birding journey packed with prairie charm, shorebird spectacles and the melodies of woodland songbirds. Birds we’ll be looking for: Greater Prairie Chickens, Bobolinks, Western Meadowlarks, Sandhill Cranes, Savanna Sparrows, Sedge Wrens, Marbled Godwits, Sandpipers, Phalaropes, Dowitchers and Turnstones.

5:30 am – 1:00 pm, Saturday, May 16, 2026
Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge
Cost: $63.00
Note: M State College will not be open before and after field trip
Bring your lunch, refrigeration is not available
Location: Coach bus leaves promptly from M State west parking lot, 900 Hwy 34 East, Detroit Lakes. Trip requires a minimum of 25 and maximum of 45 birders.
Explore one of Northwestern Minnesota’s premier birding destinations! Nearly 43,000 acres of pristine forests, wetlands, lakes and grasslands make Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge a true birder’s paradise. The refuge is home to an impressive 258 recorded bird species, including 25 species of warblers and the highly sought-after Golden-winged Warbler.
Tamarac’s wildlife biologist, along with other experienced leaders, will guide participants through a mosaic of habitats including pine and hardwood forests, rivers, marshes, lakes and brushy grasslands. Short guided walks will take you into key areas of the refuge for outstanding viewing opportunities.
Footwear: Sturdy hiking boots or knee-high rubber boots are recommended for brief hikes through brushy and occasionally wet terrain. Birds we’ll be looking for: American Woodcock, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, vireos, Solitary Sandpiper, Trumpeter Swan, Ruffed Grouse, nesting Bald Eagles, Common Loon, Golden-winged Warbler and a wide variety of other warblers.

5:00 pm-7:00 pm, Saturday May 16, 2026
DINNER AND PETER CAVANAGH AT M STATE COLLEGE CONFERENCE CENTER
900 Hwy 34 East, Detroit Lakes
How Birds Fly: The Science and Art of Avian Flight
Cost: $47.00
Our evening begins with a buffet of chicken breast served over wild rice pilaf with homemade alfredo sauce, dinner salad with vinaigrette dressing, breadstick (or gluten-free toasted garlic bread), regular and gluten-free caramel cheesecake, coffee and water. Dietary entree: Roasted ratatouille (includes eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes) on a rice pilaf.
Perhaps for most birders, the bird in flight too often means the end of an observation. A warbler flits off through the understory; a hawk glides over the tree line; the shorebirds or ducks lift and tear off across the marsh; and it’s on to the next bird. But how often do we stop to wonder, how in the world do they do it?
Peter Cavanagh’s blend of qualifications makes him uniquely suited to answering this question in his 2024 book, How Birds Fly: The Science and Art of Avian Flight. A British native, he received his doctorate in anatomy and biomechanics at the University of London’s Royal Free Medical School. His passion for bird photography and bird flight evolved from his love for the outdoors, his experiences in the air as an instrument-rated private pilot, and his extensive professional training in the science of locomotion. An accomplished bird photographer whose photos have been included in Audubon’s Top 100 Bird Photographs of the Year, he has spent over a decade photographing birds in flight on every continent, amassing an archive of over 800,000 images!
In his previous photographic book, 100 Flying Birds: Photographing the Mechanics of Flight (2020), Cavanagh curates a selection of personal favorite images, sharing for each photo the backstory and technical details of taking the picture, tales of his travel to far-flung destinations, and bird facts about the species shown. “The fragile span of outstretched wings and the arc of a graceful flight path are irresistibly beautiful. Flight is the essence of bird life, and capturing it in a few megapixels is a privilege and a joy.”
In How Birds Fly, Cavanagh shifts his focus toward bird flight itself. He states in the book that his goal is to “pull back the veil of mystery surrounding bird flight and explain its many facets in a way that is accessible to all people who love birds.” Cavanagh’s presentation will center on the mechanics of bird flight accompanied by his eye-popping photographs of a wide range of birds in which every feather is visible.
Please join us as Peter Cavanagh unravels the mystery of bird flight in an accessible way—a way that turns out also to be enjoyable and spectacular! It will be of interest to birders, photographers, students, and anyone wishing to broaden their knowledge of and appreciation for the wonders of the avian world.

Online registration is now open.

Field Trip Leaders
Festival of Bird field trip leaders scout sites a few days before the event to get you looks at bird species you came for. Then on the day of the event, they are listening and searching for species to point out to attendees. Thank you field trip leaders!

2025 Field Trip Checklists
Friday, May 16 2025 Mahnomen Ecosystem
Friday, May 16 2025 Dunton Locks/Ortenstone Gardens
Saturday, May 17 2025 Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge
Saturday, May 17 2025 Dunton Locks/Ortenstone Gardens
2025 Checklist of Total Species Recorded

2024 Field Trip Checklists
Friday, May 17, 2024 Wannigan/Ike Fischer/Hamden Slough checklist
Friday, May 17, 2024 Tamarac Refuge checklist
Saturday, May 18, 2024 Rothsay/Dunton Locks checklist
Saturday, May 18, 2024 Warblers & Wildflowers checklist
Saturday, May 18, 2024 Tamarac Refuge checklist
2024 Checklist of Total Species Recorded on Field Trips

Festival attendees throughout the years have learned much about birds, wildlife and conservation efforts through presenters such as Don Kroodsma, John Fitzpatrick, John Marzluff, Joel Greenberg, Melissa Groo, Rosalind Renfrew, Sue Leaf, Drew Wheelan, Charlie Walcott, Richard Crossley, Scott Weidensaul, David Sibley, Bill Thompson III, Laura Erickson, Don and Lillian Stokes, Kenn Kaufmann, Dr. Paul Johnsgard, Stan Tekiela, Dr. James Grier, Sharon Stiteler, Al Batt, Jeff Gordon, Joe Hautman, Jeb Barzen, Ernesto Reyes, Noah Strycker, Lyanda Haupt, Kevin Karlson, Randy Kolka, Mike Havlik, Steve Maanum, Marshall Johnson and Rebecca Heisman.

If you would like to receive future Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds email updates, please contact us at dlchamber@VisitDetroitLakes.com or call 218-847-9202. For updates, “like” us on facebook. Enjoy our small town hospitality while in Detroit Lakes, including several lodging options.

In recent years, birders have checked these species off their list: Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Rough-legged Hawk, LeConte’s and Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows, Golden-winged and Northern Parula Warblers, Alder Flycatcher, Greater Prairie Chicken and Black-backed Woodpecker.

Any time of year, we welcome you to check out several sites along the Pine to Prairie International Birding Trail that are near Detroit Lakes. 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. We welcome you to Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Happy birding!