Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center to host Driftless Birding Fest November 12-13

The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center will host the Driftless Birding Fest November 12 and 13. The Driftless Birding Fest will include speakers, exhibits, and guided and self-guided field trips to area birding hotspots.

The self-guided field trips will include the Brownsville, MN overlook, Stoddard, WI overlook, New Albin’s Army Road, Red Oak Road near Harpers Ferry, and the Ferryville, WI overlook.

Friday, November 12 from 6-8 p.m. “Raptors of Iowa” will be presented at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center.  Following the presentation, from 8-10 p.m., there will be an “Owl Prowl” to find and hear owls on the bluffs surrounding the nature center.

Saturday, November 13, a guided field trip and bird hike will leave the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center by vehicle at 6 a.m. to travel to the Red Oak Road and Lock and Dam 9 area. The field trip will return around 9:30 a.m. Binoculars, spotting scopes and bird identification guidance will be provided during the guided field trip. Transportation to the overlook will not be provided in order to practice social distancing, it is asked that groups or families follow the guide in their personal vehicle.

A presentation on the “Shorebirds of Iowa” will be also held at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Self-guided field trips are available any time during the weekend.

From 9-11 a.m. at the Ferryville Fall Migration Days, area birders will be at the Ferryville Riverview Park answering questions and helping visitors with spotting scopes and binoculars. Maps and directions to each site will be available from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday the week prior to the Driftless Birding Festival at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center. Maps will also be available November 13 at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center from 12-4 p.m.

The presentations at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center and the guided field trip will be conducted by Kelly McKay from BioEco Research and Monitoring Center. He will be assisted by Mark Roberts from the Clinton County Conservation Board and Brian Ritter from Nahant Marsh Education Center.  Funding for the speakers has been provided by the Resource Enhancement and Protection-Conservation Education Program (REAP-CEP).

The Driftless Birding Festival is free of charge to attend but for those who are planning on attending, preregistration would be appreciated. Attendees may preregister for any of or all of the presentations and guided field trip by calling 563-538-0403.

The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center is located at 1944 Columbus Road, Lansing. It is operated by the Allamakee County Conservation Board. For more information on this program or any program, contact the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center at 563-538-0403 or follow the Allamakee County Conservation on Facebook.