About

The biggest little birding festival in the Midwest

Hosted every year in May on Michigan’s Sunrise Coast, the Tawas Point Birding Festival is a Michigan Audubon Signature Event. This birding festival is made possible by Event Partners like local chapter AuSable Valley Audubon, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and the US Forest Service, and with the support of Event Sponsors and donations from around the state of Michigan.

New location!

This year for the first time, the Tawas Point Birding Festival will be hosted at the East Tawas Community Center! With plenty of space, we’re excited to be in this new venue. The Community Center is located at 760 Newman Street, just a few short blocks from the bay. Click here to learn more about the Community Center.

Birding, programming, and more

The Tawas Point Birding Festival features guided birding walks at the area’s best hotspots, programs and talks by some of Michigan’s leading wildlife experts, the Michigan Audubon bookstore, and, of course, the opportunity to enjoy the company of hundreds of your fellow birders. Tawas Point offers a a diverse array of bird-rich habitats, from shorebirds and water bird species on Lake Huron to songbirds and marsh species at Tuttle Marsh. High concentrations of migrating warblers make the Point a must-visit for spring birding. With a unique schedule of tours, programs, and presentations by leading experts, you can hone your birding skills and get updates about avian conservation work happening across Michigan.

History

Tawas Point was a beacon for migrating birds long before lake-going navigators used the Point to negotiate the waters of Lake Huron. Since the event began, birders from around the country and the world have made Tawas Point their destination for Spring birding.

Festival participants enjoy some of the best birding in the Great Lakes region; Tawas Point is well known for high concentrations of migrating warblers during the month of May. Recent species highlights include: Kirtland’s Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, White-crowned Sparrow, numerous raptors, shorebirds, and more. Over 200 species were recorded during the festival weekend in 2014.