2011 Urban Birding Festival
Urban Birding Festival – Where Birds and People Meet
May 12 – 15, 2011
Mark your calendars now for a fun, free celebration of springtime birds, the Urban Bird Festival, May 12-15, 2011. Kids, their families and everyone else are invited to take part in all or part of this four-day event, now in its 6th year. Billed as “Where Birds and People Meet,” the festival welcomes everyone, from brand-new to experienced birders, to see many of the interesting birds found in the Twin Cities and suburbs. No registration is required (except Saturday lunch – see below), so just show up at the events you wish to attend.
The festival, with St. Paul Audubon as a sponsor, features free day and evening bird walks, plus a daylong series of events at Fridley’s Springbrook Nature Center, “Birding Central” for the festival. The only event with a fee is Birding Central’s catered lunch with guest speaker writer Jan Dunlap.
The festival wraps up on Sunday, May 15, with hikes through the rarely open Arden Hills Army Training Site (AHATS). All walks during the festival are led by experienced bird watchers, many of them St. Paul Audubon members. Due to MNPCA land use restrictions, participants need to be over the age of 18.
Schedule (see calendar of events for specific location):
| Date | Event | Time | Location | Terrain |
| 5/12 | Hike | 8-9:30 am | Rice Creek Trail | 2 miles, flat, paved |
| 5/12 | Hike | 8-9:30 am | Vento Nature Sanctuary | 1 mile, flat, partly paved |
| 5/12 | Hike | 7:30-9:00 pm | Tamarack Nature Center | 1 mile, flat, partly paved |
| 5/13 | Hike | 8-9:30 am | Como Park | 1mile, rolling, partly paved |
| 5/13 | Hike | 8-9:30 am | Locke Park | 1 mile, hills, partly paved |
| 5/13 | Hike | 10-11:30 am | Roberts Bird Sanctuary | 1 mile, flat, paved |
| 5/13 | Hike | 10:30-11:30 am | Anoka County Riverfront Park | 1 mile, flat, partly paved |
| 5/13 | Hike | 11:30-1pm | Osprey Nest Observations at Coon Rapids Dam | stationary, adjacent to parking |
| 5/14 | Hike | 8-9:30 am | Woodview/Reservoir Woods | 1 mile, flat, paved |
| 5/14 | Hike | 8-9:30 am | Innsbruck Park | 3/4 mile, hilly, unpaved |
| 5/14 | Hike | 8-9:30 am | Crosby Park | 1 mile, flat, partly paved |
| 5/14 | Activities | 9-3:00 pm | Springbrook Nature Center, Displays, Demos, walks, etc | |
| 5/14 | Hike | 10 am | Springbrook Nature Center – Wetland Hike | |
| 5/14 | Hike | 11 am | Springbrook Nature Center – Young Birder Walk | |
| 5/14 | Luncheon | 12 pm | Springbrook Nature Center – Luncheon speaker: Jan Dunlap; Box lunch can be purchased | |
| 5/14 | Hike | 1 pm | Springbrook Nature Center – Young Birder Walk | up to 1 mile, flat, partly paved, boardwalk |
| 5/15 | Hike | 8-9:30 am | Battle Creek Park | 1.5 -2 miles, hilly, unpaved |
| 5/15 | Hike | 8-9:30 am | Mississippi River Gorge | 1.5 -2 miles, hilly, mostly unpaved |
| 5/15 | Hike | 12-1:30 pm | AHATS | 1.5 miles, flat, gravel |
| 5/15 | Hike | 1-3:30 pm | AHATS | 3 miles, hilly, gravel and off trail |
| 5/15 | Hike | 2-3:30 pm | AHATS | 1.5 miles, flat, gravel |
Check the calendar for bird hike details and directions.
Order your Saturday box lunch below.
Cost per attendee: $8.00
The date for this event has passed.