Events in Stark County or the surrounding areas that are worth checking out!
All are FAMILY-FRIENDLY!  Some events do not set dates far in advance.

January

Bird in Hand at Beech Creek Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve.  Feed wild birds, mostly chickadees, from your hand. (Saturdays and Sundays 12pm – 3pm). Link

February
Bird of Prey Weekend at Rocky River Nature Center in North Olmsted ~ Cleveland Metro Parks.  Talks on falconry and waterbirds, ice carvings of birds of prey, hikes to find the pair of eagles, live hawks, owls and falcons, bird banding and more.  Free.

Great  Backyard Bird Count  involves everyone!  Count the birds in your yard, neighborhood or park for at least 15 minutes and submit the data online to Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Many local organizations have formal dates.  Link

Bird in Hand at Beech Creek Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve.  Feed wild birds, mostly chickadees, from your hand. (Saturdays and Sundays 12pm – 3pm) Link

Ohio Bluebird Society’s Annual Conference.  This conference is a free educational conference ($10pp or $25 per family ~ $8 lunches are available upon registration.)   Link 

March
Shreve Migration Sensation in Shreve, Ohio.  Bird festival featuring speakers, workshops, kid’s activities, self-guided field trips at local birding hot spots and vendors market. The draw for non-birders are the spot scopes and helpful people with them that can guide you in what you are seeing on the self-tour. Fee for lectures, but not needed if doing self-guided tour.  $15.00 admission ($20.00 per immediate family) includes any or all events and six workshops. Link

Blue Herons, Bath Road in Akron. From February through May, blue herons are courting, mating, sitting on eggs and raising young and all this can be viewed from a pullout on Bath Road. Link

Hinkley Buzzard Sunday. See turkey vultures come home to roost in the rock cliffs and ledges in Hinckley.  This annual family fun day celebration dates back to 1957.  Events include: crafts, photos, contests, hikes and birds of prey program. See link for information about the Pancake Breakfast that precedes the festival time. Link

April
Mohican Wildlife Weekend. This annual event has a schedule for each day with activities like hikes, boat tours, 5k run/walk, talks, bird of prey shows and much more!  Very family friendly and has so much diversity in participating locations, topics and activities.  Link

Live Birds of Prey Program at Mohican State Park Lodge.  Informal program on Raptors each Saturday night from April thru November.  Link

Ohio Ornithological Society (OOS) Spring Birding. Shawnee National Forest/Shawnee State Park Lodge.  Link

New River Birding and Nature Festival (not Ohio, but WV is close!) Takes place in and around the New River Gorge National River. Administrated by the National Park Service, this area is the heart of the upland, hardwood forests that Cornell Lab of Ornithology has identified as a crucial stopover habitat for the continued survival of species such as Golden-winged, Blue-winged, and Swainson’s Warbler, as well as the Scarlet Tanager. This bird watching festival highlights more than 100 bird species on a variety of birding tours.”  Link

May
The Biggest Week in American Birding at Black Swamp Bird Observatory. Warblers and migrants, guided bird walks, guided Lake Erie Island trips, workshops, songbird banding, Woodcock walks, and much more!  (The most intense birding, in our opinion). No registration needed if just going up to bird, but registration is a MUST for the talk and trips associated to this festival.  Spots fill up fast!  Link

Nest with the Birds on Kelleys Island.  Bird-banding program, bird census, guided bird walks, potluck and migratory songbird banding with Master Bird Bander Tom Bartlett.  Link 

June
Buckeye MartinFest in Portage Lakes.  Feed Martins scrambled eggs and observe Purple Martin house inspections.  Link 

Bobolink Festival at Byers Woods. Link

Time and Optics Fling. Link

August
Purple Martin Pre-Migratory Roost.  Portage Lakes Purple Martin Association ~ Nimisila Resevoir boat rides to see purple martins at the pre-migratory roost.  Link

New River Hummingbird Festival, Hawks Nest State Park, West Virginia.  Birding banding, presentations and demonstrations with master banding and hummingbird expert, Dr. Bill Hilton Jr., local gardening specialist Terri Johnson and new River Birding and Nature Center staff. Learn about the Ruby-throated hummingbirds, their feeding, nesting, migration and behavior. Also learn how to design a hummingbird habitat. Information also includes native plants, butterflies and birds of the Gorge. Link

September
Lake Erie Wing Watch Family Weekend. Field trips and activities for all levels of birders. Link 

Midwest Birding Symposium, Not currently taking place  Link

Annual OOS (Ohio Ornithological Society) Conference. Link

October
American Birding Expo in Columbus, Ohio. Not currently taking place. Link

November
Ohio Young Birders Club Conference. The OYBC is an organization for kids ages 12-18 interested in birding.  But you don’t have to be a member to attend the conference and adults are welcomed too.  There will be student presentations, field trips, Kenn Kaufmann’s Bird ID Quiz, prizes, lunch & more.  (Previous fees: Students $10, Adults $20.)  To register and for more information…  Link

December
National Audubon Christmas Bird Counts cover all of North America.  Counts are held in the course of a day and record all species that are present that day.  The results have been compiled into a database going back over a hundred years, so your participation helps!  To find the CBC nearest you clickhere. For more detailed information click Here.  There are three locations under Stark County: Canton, Quail Hollow and Wilmot.