At the peak of songbird migration and the beginning of the nesting season, it will be prime time to spend a day or a weekend at one of the premier birding festivals being conducted in May. As an extension of last week's "Early May Birding Festivals" article, the following list of events continues from mid-month through the 31st. All birding festivals are different, owing to their location, timing, duration, the activities offered, and the people organizing, leading, and participating. Enjoy seeing what's available at birding festivals near or far, and enjoy the camaraderie benefits of attending a birding festival.
Having already provided you with a full list of Early May Birding Festivals in last week's (April 15) issue, we finish out the May list of birding festivals for you to look explore by simply using the associated links provided for each event below:
May 14 to 17 – New Jersey – Cape May Spring Festival, Cape May, New Jersey; see Cape May Spring Festival | New Jersey Audubon
May 14 to 17 – Utah – Great Salt Lake Bird Festival, Farmington, Utah; see Home
May 14 to 18 – British Columbia – Meadowlark Nature Festival, Penticton, British Columbia; see Birding Archives - Meadowlark Nature Festival
May 15 to 17 – Pennsylvania – Festival of the Birds at Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania; see Festival of the Birds at Presque Isle | Presque Isle Audubon
May 15 to 17 – Oregon – Ladd Marsh Bird Festival, La Grande, Oregon; see Friends of Ladd Marsh – Advocates for public access to and information about Ladd Marsh Wildlife Management Area, Union County, Oregon
May 15 to 17 – Wisconsin – Washington Islands Birding Festival, Washington Island, Wisconsin; see Washington Islands Birding Festival — Art & Nature Center
May 15 to 17 – Ohio – Mosquito Lake Big Birding Weekend, Cortland, Ohio; see Mosquito Lake - Big Birding Weekend
May 16 – Texas – Sherman-Hagerman Bird Festival, Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, Sherman, Texas; see Bird Festival | Sherman Arts
May 16 to 17 – Ontario – Warblers and Whimbrels Weekend, Brighton, Ontario; see Warblers and Whimbrels Weekend
May 16 to 17 – Michigan – Warbler Wonderland, Manistique, Michigan; see Warbler Wonderland
May 16 – Illinois – Rockton Pelican Fest, Natural Land Institute, Rockton, Illinois; see Rockton Pelican Fest 2026 - Natural Land Institute
May 22 to 24 – Michigan – Warblers on the Water, Beaver Island, Michigan; see Warblers on the Water 2026 | BIC Center Store
May 22 to 25 – Maine – Down East Spring Birding Festival, Cobscook Institute, Trescott, Maine; see Spring Festival — Cobscook Institute
May 22 to 25 and 28 to 31 – Ontario – Huron Fringe Birding Festival, MacGregor Point Provincial Park, Port Elgin, Ontario; see Huron Fringe Birding Festival
May 23 and 24 – Alberta – Lesser Slave Lake Songbird Festival, Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation, Slave Lake, Alberta; see 29th Annual Songbird Festival - May 23 & 24, 2026 | Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory
May 23 – Ontario – Spring Bird Festival, Toronto, Ontario; see Spring Bird Festival – City of Toronto
May 24 to 30 – Indiana – Black Birders Week, Conner Prairie Museum, Fishers, Indiana; see Events and Programs | Conner Prairie
May 26 and 31 – Quebec – Rimouski Bird Festival, Rimouski Bird Observatory, Rimouski, Quebec; see Festival – OOR
May 27 and 30 – Wyoming – Jackson Hole Birding Festival, Jackson, Wyoming; see About the festival — Jackson Hole Birding Festival
May 28 and 31 – Maine – Acadia Birding Festival, Acadia National Park, Southwest Harbor, Maine; see Acadia Birding Festival + acadiabirdingfestival.com/schedule.php
May 29 and 31 – New York – Great Adirondack Birding Celebration, Northern New York Audubon, Paul Smith's, New York; see Great Adirondack Birding Celebration — Northern NY Audubon
May 29 and 31 – Minnesota – Northern Landscapes Festival, Grand Marais, Minnesota; see Northern Landscapes Festival 2026
And throughout the month of May, there is: Migration Magic – The Connecticut Audubon Society, Fairfield, Connecticut; see Migration Magic 2026 | The Connecticut Audubon Society