28-30: Oregon Shorebird Festival Plus!: Oregon Shorebird Festival, one of the longest running bird festivals in Oregon, will celebrate 23 years in 2009. This year the festival is teaming up with Oregon Field Ornithologists to make the festival even bigger. There will be a full weekend of activities planned for birders of all skill levels. The festival is headquartered at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology in Charleston, OR. Activities include expertly guided land based field trips to Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, New River and the Coos Bay area. And for those who want to experience birding on the water, The Bird Guide, Inc. will offer two pelagic trips: a long eight hour trip on Saturday and a short five hour trip on Sunday. Expected seabirds include Black-footed Albatross, Parasitic Jaeger, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Sooty & Pink-footed Shearwater, Pomarine Jaeger, Red-necked Phalarope, Cassin's Auklets, and more. Evening programs on birds will feature Geoff Keller "My Most Memorable Field Recording Experiences" and Jim Danzenbaker “A Workshop on the Nuances of Shorebird Identification.”

September

17-20: Eastern Shore of Virginia 17th annual Birding & Wildlife Festival : This four-day festival also includes a variety of fascinating guided boat and land tours suitable for adventurers of all ages. Exciting workshops and exhibits will be hosted in the historic bayside town of Cape Charles whose warm Southern welcome will provide attendees with lovely accommodations, shops and plenty of relaxing restaurants to fuel up between activities. Nature photographer and writer Jim Clark will deliver the Festival's keynote address, "Between Ocean and Bay: A Natural Celebration of the Eastern Shore" at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18.

23-27: Eleventh Annual Florida Keys Birding and Wildlife Festival: The five day festival offers ample opportunity to see rare and unique migrating and indigenous bird species during activities, field trips and events that include: ecology walks , hawk-watching and kayaking at Curry Hammock State Park; biking the Overseas Heritage Trail; snorkeling the Looe Key Marine Sanctuary; boating the Gulf stream from the middle Keys to see pelagic birds and visit the Dry Tortugas with professional birder Larry Manfredi"; and walks through the Key West Botanical Garden. Featuring keynote speakers and photographers Dick Fortune & Sara Lopez, whose images promote conservation and awareness of our delicate natural resources by focusing on wading birds and their habitats, this festival is a must for any serious birder... or those who simply love exploring and discovering wildlife. Call Bruce Horn at the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center, 305-852-4486 or visit www.keysbirdingfest.org for more information and registration.

24-27: Monterey Bay Birding Festival: Designed for both seasoned and beginning birders, the Monterey Bay Birding Festival offers a unique opportunity to explore, learn and appreciate world class habitats such as the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Elkhorn Slough National Marine Estuary, and Pinnacles National Monument. Specially designed field trips will take participants to Big Sur and the Ventana Wildlife Society to witness the return of the California Condors. Join a pelagic trip to one of the world’s most productive regions for albatrosses, shearwaters, storm-petrels and more. Jump into a kayak and get closer to nature.

26: 15th Annual Kern River Valley Autumn Nature & Vulture Festival : The Kern River Valley Turkey Vulture Festival celebrates the height of fall Turkey Vulture migration through California's "Valley Wild", the Kern River Valley. One of the two largest known migration sites in North America (north of Mexico) - Seven-thousand six-hundred sixty-four Turkey Vultures were counted during the 4-day festival in 2004. The 2004 count period from from September 14th through October 14th tallied 23,898 vultures. Our late September festival date also corresponds with what is historically one of the finest weekends for observing fall land bird migration in California. In addition to the presence of many western migrants attractive to eastern birders, there are excellent chances for observing eastern rarities at nearby desert oases. Free Booths/Exhibits/Workshops/Children’s Activities at the Kern River Preserve as well as nature walks.

October

8-12: Georgia's Colonial Coast Birding & Nature Festival: GA Coast is a birder's paradise offering a wide variety of habitats & wildlife. Field trips, seminars, interactive programs, boat trips to outstanding natrual areas and barrier islands, guided by expert naturalists & biologists, spanning the entire coast. More information to come.

15-18: The 6th Annual John L. Borom Alabama Coastal BirdFest: 19 expertly guided tours (by boat & land) to sites on Alabama Coastal Birding Trail; two evening speaker/dinner events (advance registration required for trips and dinners). Free day long Bird & Conservation Expo with fun for all ages on Saturday in Fairhope. All trips leave from 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center in Spanish Fort.

November

17-22: Festival of the Cranes: 2009 is the 22nd year the City of Socorro, New Mexico and the Bosque del Apache NWR celebrated the return of the cranes with this popular and acclaimed Festival. The Festival of the Cranes is an event people love to attend and each year! We have dozens of wonderful offerings from our acclaimed refuge tours to bird, biology, geology and art workshops; fantastic keynote speakers; and much more. We started the Festival to celebrate the return of the Cranes and to encourage others to care for all the creatures with whom we share this fragile earth and to preserve habitats for all. The Festival highlights our world renowned and beloved refuge - the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge which, in 2009 will be in its' 70th year of managing the Refuge for the benefit of wildlife and their habitat.

November

December 14- January 5th: 110th Christmas Bird Count: From December 14 through January 5 each year, tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission - often before dawn. For over one hundred years, the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season. Learn more and join in!