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Whiting Forest of Dow Gardens Birding Festival

September 19, 2019 @ 9:00 am - September 21, 2019 @ 8:30 pm

Birders of all abilities and expertise are invited to Midland, Michigan for the inaugural Whiting Forest of Dow Gardens Birding Festival. During the three-day event, attendees will learn from more than 20 distinguished conservationists, researchers, photographers, and environmental educators. Over 30 dynamic sessions will be offered on topics such as Kirtland’s Warbler Conservation, raptor identification, and birding by ear.

The capstone of the festival is keynote speaker, David Allen Sibley, presenting The Art of Identification. Sibley is the author and illustrator of the series of successful guides to nature that bear his name, including The New York Times best seller The Sibley Guide to Birds. He has contributed art and articles to Smithsonian, Science, The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, Birding, BirdWatching, and North American Birds, and wrote and illustrated a syndicated column for The New York Times. He is also the recipient of the Roger Tory Peterson Award for Lifetime Achievement from the American Birding Association and the Linnaean Society of New York’s Eisenmann Medal. He lives in Concord, Massachusetts.

A special evening reception at the recently-unveiled Whiting Forest of Dow Gardens will allow guests to join birds in the treetops on the nation’s longest canopy walk, soaring up to 40 feet above the ground. Whiting Forest features 54 acres of woodlands, ponds, apple orchard, meadows and stream along 1.5 miles of accessible pathways and additional nature trails. The Alden B. Dow-designed Whiting home welcomes guests as a Visitor Center. Other features include a playground, apple orchard, Whiting Forest Café, Snake Creek restoration and two pedestrian bridges.

Experienced guides await to provide tours of wildlife refuges, nature centers, and conservancy properties throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region. Additional offerings include sailing on the Tall Ship Appledore, birding by kayak on local waterways, a family five senses walk, and golf cart tours for mobility-limited participants. Instructional workshops will be led by noted bird illustrator Catherine Hamilton, award-winning Michigan photographer David Stimac, and creative non-fiction and nature writing instructor, Dr. Kevin Koch

Early bird registration opens April 29, 2019.

To learn more about registration as well as event sessions, field trips, and special features, visit this website:
https://www.dowgardens.org/birdingfestival

Details

Start:
September 19, 2019 @ 9:00 am
End:
September 21, 2019 @ 8:30 pm

Venue

Whiting Forest of Dow Gardens
2203 Eastman Ave.
Midland, MI 48640 United States
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