BIRDING FESTIVALS 101
Birding is often a solitary pursuit, whether by choice or by happenstance.
Many of us keep up with others in the birding world through publications (like BirdWatching), missives from birding and conservation organizations, websites, and Facebook bird groups.
Yet the desire to connect personally with others who enjoy the same passion for birds can be strong — especially, perhaps, for those new to birding. Fortunately, at any given time of the year, you can find a birding festival where you can join others in an educational and social celebration of all things avian!
A quick Google search reveals seemingly endless birding festival options for the traveling birder (many on , of course). Choosing your destination will depend on your schedule, your budget, target species, if any, and, certainly, where you’d like to go. Once you’ve chosen your destination, however, advice on how to plan your festival trip to ensure the best possible experience is nonexistent. Especially for a newbie, a birding festival can be daunting! Experts, real and self-proclaimed, abound. Photographers with huge cameras jostle for position. So many activities to choose from! Where do you begin? You begin at the beginning, and just a
