Eagle Creek Birding Festival

7th Annual Eagle Creek Park Birding Festival! Get ready for a weekend of celebrating all the birding opportunities Eagle Creek Park has to offer during the height of migration season. We will offer FREE guided hikes, raptor programs, crafts, workshops, and more. No birding experience required!

Ornithology Center open 10:00 am - 5:00 pm - Crafts, coloring, scavenger hunts, and interactive tables will be set up at the Ornithology Center (moved indoors if it’s raining) for all ages! Visit the raptor ambassadors, try the Migration Obstacle Course (ages 6 - 12), learn about the birds that visit the feeders, and explore our exhibits. We will also have special hands - on bone specimens, feathers, furs, and more on display today! Guests such as the Amos Butler Audubon Society, International Crane Foundation, Bird Safe Indy/Renewal by Anderson, and other Eagle Creek Park Partners will have booths as well.or, the Eagle Creek Park Foundation!

Schedule:

8:00 - 9:30 am - Warbler Watch at Marina
Join Aidan at the Marina for an early morning warbler watch! This is a fantastic opportunity to observe and hear multiple migrant warbler species. We will plan to meet in the parking lot and will be birding the road leading to the marina, and the peninsula for migrant warbler flocks. Bring your own binoculars if you have them! If not, we will have a limited supply.

10:00 am - 12:00 pm -  Coffer Dam Hike with Donna McCarty at Ornithology Center
Hike the Coffer Dam loop around the Bird Sanctuary with long - time park volunteer and experienced birder Donna McCarty.
Trail: 2 miles, moderate with one hilly portion

10:00 am - 12:00 pm -  Open Water Birding at Earth Discovery Center
Pre - registration required at indyparks.org -  Canoe Rental #32238 or Bring Your Own Boat (BYOB) #32237
Get ready for an open water birding extravaganza on Eagle Creek Reservoir. This event will focus on enjoying, finding, and identifying birds from a canoe or kayak. Participants can rent equipment ($25) or bring their own ($15). Find more information and register at indyparks.org.

10:15 - 11:00 am -  Story Time: Wake Up Woods at Ornithology Center
Join Naturalist, Zach for story time in the nature playroom. He will be reading Wake Up Woods, a children’s book detailing native Indiana spring plants and the organisms that rely on these plants for survival. Afterward, you will also have the opportunity to join Zach for a short hike on one of the trails nearby the Ornithology Center to search for the plants described in the book!

11:00 - 11:45 am -  Fantastic Falcons at Ornithology Center
Learn about falcons and their conservation stories in Indiana while meeting our two falcon ambassadors, Hazel the American Kestrel and Freyja the Peregrine Falcon. They will be eating their favorite foods during the program, raw chicken and mice!

11:00 am - 2:00 pm -  Campfire Lunch at Ornithology Center
Bring your own lunch and join us around the campfire! We will also be selling hotdogs, chips, and s'mores while supplies last. All proceeds go to our Raptor Ambassador Fund!

12:00 - 12:45 pm - WFYI Woodpecker Video Showing  at Ornithology Center

12:00 - 1:00 pm -  Birding with Don Gorney at Skating Pond
Join Indy birder, Don Gorney at the Skating Pond to have a chance at seeing multiple spring migrants. This could include migrant warblers, thrushes, flycatchers and more! Meet at the Skating Pond Parking area to start the hike! Bring your own binoculars if you have them! If not, you can pick up a pair to borrow before the hike at the Ornithology Center.
Trail: 1 mile, easy, grass and forest, could be wet/muddy

12:00 - 2:00 pm -  North Loop Hike at Ornithology Center
Join Aidan to bird the North Loop trail! We will focus on searching for any migrant shorebirds present on the north end mudflats, as well as any migrant songbirds we see along the trail. Bring your own binoculars if you have them! If not, you can pick up a pair to borrow before the hike at the Ornithology Center.
Trail: 2 - 3 miles, easy but muddy/wet.

1:00 - 2:00 pm - Family Bird Hike at Ornithology Center
Join the Nawrocki Family for a beautiful stroll around Lilly Lake.
Trail: 1 mile, easy, but may be difficult in some spots for strollers

2:00 - 3:30 pm -  Birding with Whitney Yoerger at Spring Pond/SE Fields
Join Whitney to bird the Southeast fields! This hike will focus on targeting field, scrub, and forest edge bird species such as orioles, sparrows, cuckoos, and more. Waterproof/mud boots are recommended for this hike. Please park at the Mt. Pleasant parking lot (close to 56th St. entrance) if space by the pond fills up. Bring your own binoculars if you have them! If not, you can pick up a pair to borrow before the hike at the Ornithology Center.
Trail: 2.5 miles, easy, likely wet/muddy on trails

2:30 - 3:00 pm - Raptor Feeding Time at Ornithology Center
Watch one of the naturalists feed the birds of prey in their enclosures at the Ornithology Center open 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Crafts, coloring, scavenger hunts, and interactive tables will be set up at the Ornithology Center (moved indoors if it’s raining) for all ages! Visit the raptor ambassadors, try the Migration Obstacle Course (ages 6 - 12), learn about the birds that visit the feeders, and explore our exhibits. We will also have Mother’s Day Crafts throughout the day so come celebrate with us! Guests such as the Amos Butler Audubon Society, International Crane Foundation, Bird Safe Indy/Renewal by Anderson, and other Eagle Creek Park Partners will have booths as well. Thank you so much to our event sponsor, the Eagle Creek Park Foundation!

9:00 - 11:00 am - Hideaway Hike with Aidan Rominger at agle’s Hideaway
Pre - registration required at indyparks.org - program #32322
Join Aidan for this spring migrant hike, starting at Eagle’s Hideaway parking lot and hiking down the main hideaway access road, to the water in search of any spring migrant species we can find! FREE but pre - registration is required. Bring your own binoculars if you have them! If not, we will have a limited supply.
Trail: 4.5 miles, moderate, woods and fields, not ADA or stroller accessible

9:00 - 11:00 am Amos Butler Audubon Society Birdwalkat Ornithology Center
Join a group of new and experienced birders for a brisk morning bird walk! Meets every Sunday morning at 9:00 am at the Ornithology Center, led by ABAS, rain or shine. Young birders welcome!
Trail: various, depending on the group size and preference

11:00 am – 12:45 pm    Forest Bathing Walk at Starts at the Ornithology Center
Pre - registration required at indyparks.org - program #32239
Join Certified Association of Nature & Forest Therapy (ANFT) Guide & Ornithology Center Assistant Manager, Donna Riner, for a guided Forest Bathing Walk. During the walk, we will use our senses to “bathe” in our surroundings, using eyes, ears, hands, nose, body, and heart to experience the world around us. We will meet at the Ornithology Center at 11:00am and we will conclude around 12:45pm. Preregistration required, walk is limited to 15 participants, cost $15/person. Youth ages 7 and older are welcome to participate, and they must be accompanied by an adult guardian.

11:30 am – 12:30 pm - Birding with Nick Kiehlat Skating Pond
Join Indy birder, Nick at the Skating Pond to have a chance at seeing multiple spring migrants. This could include migrant warblers, thrushes, flycatchers and more! Meet at the Skating Pond parking area to start the hike. Bring your own binoculars if you have them! If not, you can pick up a pair to borrow before the hike at the Ornithology Center.
Trail: 1 mile, easy, grass and forest, could be wet/muddy

1:00 - 1:30 pm - Owls of Indiana    at Ornithology Center
Learn about the different owls that can be found in Indiana, see some owl taxidermy up close, and watch a feeding demonstration with our two Owl Ambassadors

1:00 - 2:30 pm Mother Tree Hike at Ornithology Center
Park volunteer and retired ecosystems scientist, Marty Risch, will lead you to view “Mother Trees” of many species visible from the park trails. Learn about the Eagle Creek Park Big Tree Registry and discover how historic land use affected today’s forests.
Trail: 1 mile, easy, forest, old paved road with bumps but pretty accessible for strollers and wheelchairs

1:30 - 3:00pm - Spring Warbler ID Workshop at Ornithology Center
Join Aidan and get to know how to properly identify all 35 expected warbler species found in Indiana! We will cover how to identify them by sight, sound, and behavior! All skill levels welcome!

2:30 - 3:00pm - Meet a Raptor at Ornithology Center
Meet Freyja, the Peregrine Falcon ambassador! Learn about her and the peregrine conservation success story from her trainer and park volunteer, Donna McCarty. Spanish - speaking naturalist, Donna Riner, will also be available to translate and answer questions as needed.

3:00 - 4:00 pm - Spring Migrant Walk with the Nawrocki’sat Ornithology Center
Join the Dr. Stephen Nawrocki and his family on a spring migrant hike where we will be targeting thrushes, vireos, warblers, flycatchers, and more on the trails around the Ornithology Center.
Trail: 1 mile, easy, forest, could be wet/muddy

3:30 - 4:30pm - Family Bird Feeder Workshopat Ornithology Center
Pre - registration required at indyparks.org - program #32321
Sign up the whole family for a winter bird feeder craft time! All supplies will be provided. $10/bird feeder (2 - 4 people expected), only one adult per bird feeder needs to pre - register and pay. Pre - registration required. Park admission included!

4:30 - 5:00pm - Raptor Training Tour at Ornithology Center
Join bird trainer and OC manager, Jenna, on a behind - the - scenes tour of the Raptor Ambassador enclosures and learn about how the naturalists at the OC care for and train them. You may also get to watch some of them eat!

5:00 - 7:00 pm - Nature Open Mic & Campfire at Ornithology Center
Step up to the mic and share a story, poem, song, or any performance art piece inspired by nature. This is a family friendly event; all ages are welcome to perform and attend. No registration required - performers will add themselves to a cue at the open mic. Bring your own dinner and join us around the campfire! We will also be selling hotdogs, chips, and s'mores while supplies last. All proceeds go to our Raptor Ambassador Fund!
populations in Eagle Creek Park.

Building Hours: 1pm - 5pm

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