Headlands Birding Festival
Schedule of Festival Events
September 19 – 21, 2025
General Registration
$20
A General Registration ticket is required to allow you to register for any of the festival programs. While the parks are still open to the public during the festival, the small registration fee helps cover the cost of the festival and nets you a welcome bag that includes a festival t-shirt and sticker.
Keynote Speaker
Springbrook Gardens Park
6708-6730 Heisley Rd., Mentor
$20
Max. Capacity: 200
The keynote speaker will be Julie Zickefoose, a writer, artist and naturalist at home in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio.
Read more about Julie on her website.
The keynote address will take place at the Springbrook Gardens Gatehouse. A selection of local wineries will be onsite for drinks afterwards.
Mentor Lagoons After Dark Bird Walk
Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve & Marina
8365 Harbor Dr., Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 15
Join us at Mentor Lagoons State Nature Preserve for a nocturnal bird hike, to listen for owls, etc.
We will walk down the path toward the lake and listen for night birds like owls. You can bring flashlights, but please make sure to keep them on the path rather than shining them through the woods. We may ask you to turn them off at various stops along the way.
Beginner Bird Walk 1
Headlands Beach State Park
9601 Headlands Rd, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 20
Join Headlands Beach State Park manager, Gary Gerrone and Buster Banish’s “Bird Nerds” for a beginner bird walk at Headlands Beach State Park.
Explore the park’s diverse habitats, learn the basics of bird identification, and discover all that Headlands Beach has to offer. This walk is perfect for novice birders looking to enhance their birding skills and/or birders unfamiliar with the park. Meet at 7:30am Saturday in Parking lot 12 (west end of the park). Wear comfortable walking shoes and be prepared to walk in sand.
Mentor Lagoons Kayak Excursion
Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve & Marina
8365 Harbor Dr., Mentor
$20
includes kayak rental
Max. Capacity: 15
Join the city of Mentor Natural Resources on a morning paddle through the Mentor Lagoons and Mentor Marsh where you will have the chance to see egrets, waterfowl, rails, and shorebirds up close.
Kayak rental is included for this event. Meet in the main parking lot near the kayak launch at Mentor Lagoons.
Beginner Bird Walk 2
Headlands Beach State Park
9601 Headlands Rd, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 20
Join Headlands Beach State Park manager, Gary Gerrone and Buster Banish’s “Bird Nerds” for a beginner bird walk at Headlands Beach State Park.
Explore the park’s diverse habitats, learn the basics of bird identification, and discover all that Headlands Beach has to offer. This walk is perfect for novice birders looking to enhance their birding skills and/or birders unfamiliar with the park. Meet at 7:30am Saturday in Parking lot 12 (west end of the park). Wear comfortable walking shoes and be prepared to walk in sand.
Headlands Birding Festival
© 2024 Friends of Headlands Beach State Park