Canton Audubon Society

Here is a list of events in Stark County or the surrounding areas that are worth checking out!  All of them are FAMILY-FRIENDLY!

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
Great  Backyard Bird Count (Feb 15-18th) 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.  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)

The Owls of North America Symposium (Feb 15-17, 2013) at Mohican State Park in Loudonville, OH and will be presented by OOS and the Greater Mohican Audubon Society. Must register. Fee.  Link

OBS Mysteries of Nature and How They Relate to Bluebirds. Ohio Bluebird Society’s Annual Conference is a free educational conference (free if pre-registered, $5 at the door ~ $10 lunches are available if pre-registering.) February 23rd 8am-4pm, 2013.  Link 

March
Shreve MIgration Sensation, 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.   March 16th, 2013.  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 (March 17th 9am-2:30pm). 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. Link

April

Mohican Wildlife Weekend (April 26th-28th, 2013) 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.  Link

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

New River Birding and Nature Festival (not Ohio, but close!) (April 29th-May4th, 2013)  ”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 at the entrance of Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. Warblers and migrants, guided bird walks, guided Lake Erie Island trips, Workshops, songbird banding, Woodcock walks, and much more!  (The most intense, in our opinion) May 3rd – May 12th, 2013.  Link

Nest with the Birds on Kelleys Island.  Bird-banding program, bird census, potluck and migrating songbirds. Woodcock walks every night.  May 16-18th, 2013 Link 

June
Buckeye MartinFest in Portage Lakes.  Feed Martins scrambled eggs and observe Purple Martin house inspections. June 29th, 2013, 2pm-4pm.  Link 

Bobolink Festival at Byers Woods (June 22nd, 2013 9am-1pm)  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.  Must have reservations. $20 per person.  Call Larry Hunter at 330-644-1540

September
Lake Erie Wing Watch Family Weekend. No 2013 info yet. Link  

8th Annual OOS (Ohio Ornithological Society) Conference. Lakeside, Ohio. No 2013 info yet.

November
Ohio Young Birders Club Conference, Grange Insurance Audubon Center, Columbus, OH.
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.  Students $10, Adults $20.  To register and for more information…no 2013 info yet.  Link

December
National Audubon Christmas Bird Counts cover all of North America (and more).  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 click here.  There are three locations under Stark County: Quail Hollow, Stark Parks and Wilmot.