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 printed schedule and festival sticker.
Springbrook Gardens Evening Bird Walk
Springbrook Gardens Park
6776 Heisley Rd, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 20
Join City of Mentor staff on a stroll through Springbrook Gardens Park prior to the Keynote. Staff will talk about the restoration efforts that have been conducted in the park to provide habitat for wildlife. A great way to kick off the Headlands Birding Festival…
Arrive at 6776 Heisley Road in Mentor. The walk will begin at 4 pm. Wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. The terrain is flat and paved. The walk will end 30 minutes prior to the start of the keynote talk.
Keynote Speaker
Springbrook Gardens Park
6776 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.
Headlands Beach Walk
Headlands Beach State Park
9601 Headlands Rd, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 30
Join Friends of Headlands Beach State Park board member, Sarah Preston for a bird walk at Headlands Beach State Park and Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve. Explore diverse habitats, learn fall warbler and shorebird identification, and discover all that Headlands Beach and Dunes has to offer. This walk is perfect for birders looking to enhance their birding skills and/or birders unfamiliar with the park…
Meet at 7:30am Saturday in Parking lot 1 (east end of the park). Wear comfortable walking shoes and be prepared to walk in sand. The leader will carry a spotting scope for the group.
Searching for Fall Migrants Behind Locked Gates
Mentor Marsh Wakerobin Boardwalk
8936 Woodridge Ln, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 20
With plentiful birds utilizing the restored Mentor Marsh habitat and upland forest surrounding it, who know what we will find! Join us to search for avian treasures off the beaten path and behind locked gates at Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve…
Information for participants on meetup spot will be sent to you by email. A spotting scope is recommended, but not necessary. Long pants and sturdy footwear recommended. No bathrooms available at the site.
Lake Metroparks Slow Birding at the Bluffs
Lake Erie Bluffs Park
3301 Lane Rd, Perry Township
FREE
Max. Capacity: 20
Join Lake Metroparks staff as we slow down and take it all in on this 2.5 hour relaxing bird outing. We will focus on not only the birds we see but how they interact with the environment. Immerse yourself by experiencing birds as part of nature, without a rush to see a certain number of species. Regardless of skill level, if you just want to get in touch with nature through birds, then Slow Birding at the Bluffs is perfect…
Arrive at 3301 Lane Road in Perry Township. Meet next to the shelter. We will begin at 7:30 am. Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather. Water is recommended. Terrain is flat and trails are gravel. Flush restrooms are available on site.
Kayak the Mentor Marsh and Lagoons
Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve
8365 Harbor Dr, Mentor
$20
includes kayak rental
Max. Capacity: 15
Mentor’s Natural Resources division will lead a kayak adventure through the Mentor Lagoons and Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve where you will have the chance to see egrets, waterfowl, rails, and shorebirds up close. Kayaks included for this event…
Arrive at 8365 Harbor Dr. in Mentor where you will meet city of mentor employees at the kayak launch in the main parking lot. Bring water shoes and equipment you don’t mind getting a tad wet.
Blackbrook Audubon Big Sit
Headlands Beach State Park
9601 Headlands Rd, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: unlimited
Blackbrook Audubon will supply coffee and doughnuts as we gather to scan the nearby shrubs and trees for warblers and other fall migrants. This is a perfect outing for less mobile folks who enjoy group birding. Public restrooms are nearby and so is the entrance to the handicapped-accessible boardwalk leading to the beach. It is not necessary to register in advance to attend our Big Sit…
Meet in the picnic area near parking lot P-1 at the east end of Headlands Beach State Park in Mentor at the northern end of State Rt. 44. Bring your binoculars and a chair or blanket. Come when you can and stay as long as you like.
Headlands Beginner Bird Walk
Headlands Beach State Park
9601 Headlands Rd, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 30
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 10:00 am Saturday in Parking lot 12 (west end of the park) at Headlands Beach State Park. Wear comfortable walking shoes and be prepared to walk in sand.
Lake Metroparks Bird Outing at Chagrin River Park
Chagrin River Park
3100 Reeves Rd, Willoughby
FREE
Max. Capacity: 30
Join a Lake Metroparks Naturalist for a bird outing perfect for newbies and seasoned birders alike as we visit one of the areas best migration stopover spots. This bird outing is a slow-paced exploration of nature with birds as the focus. Chagrin River Park has a variety of habitat making it a tremendous birding location…
Arrive at the Reeves Road parking lot, located at 3100 Reeves Road in Willoughby. Entrance is off of Reeves Road. We will begin at 10 am. Dress for the weather with comfortable shoes. Terrain is flat and partially paved. The program may go off groomed trail in some spots. Flush restrooms are available on site.
Special Access – Behind Closed Gates
Mentor Marsh Wakerobin Boardwalk
8936 Woodridge Ln, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 20
Explore the wild western end of Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve on your own, open house style, to view the wide-open skies, wet meadow habitat and edges of the marsh from a utility access road vantage point, searching for migrating birds and more. Foot traffic only. No pets allowed…
Information for participants on meetup spot will be sent to you by email. A spotting scope is recommended, but not necessary. Long pants and sturdy footwear recommended. No bathrooms available at the site.
Headlands Evening Bird Walk
Headlands Beach State Park
9601 Headlands Rd, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 30
You don’t have to be an early bird to enjoy birding! Explore what birding in the evening has to offer at Headlands Beach State Park and Headlands Dunes Nature Preserve. Evening birding can be just a rewarding as birding in the early morning hours as birds become active prior to night descending. Perfect for beginners and more advanced birders…
Meet at 6 pm at Parking lot 1 by the Headlands Dunes Nature Preserve sign (east end of the park). Wear apropriate shoes and clothing. Be prepared to walk in sand.
Mentor Lagoons Evening Bird Walk
Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve
8365 Harbor Dr, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 15
Join us for a guided evening walk through the woodlands of Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve as we search for native owls. Learn about these fascinating nocturnal hunters, their calls, habitats, and behaviors. With a little luck and a keen ear, we may spot or hear Eastern Screech-Owls, Great Horned Owls, or Barred Owls in their natural environment. Dress for the weather. Flashlights are optional only for the walk back in order to avoid alarming owls…
Arrive at the Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve parking lot at 8365 Harbor Drive in Mentor. Dress for the weather. Flashlights are optional for the walk back to the parking lot.
Lake Erie Bluffs Lake Watch
Lake Erie Bluffs Park
2901 Clark Rd, Perry Township
FREE
Max. Capacity: 20
Experience the excitement of morning flight on the Lake Erie Bluffs tower. From this vantage point, you have a great view of birds moving along the lake. At this location, you have the chance to see movement of waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, raptors, passerines, and more. Learn techniques for lake watching and new identification techniques…
Arrive at 2901 Clark Rd in Perry Township at 7:00 am near the parking lot. Be sure to bring comfortable shoes and water. Dress for the weather. This event requires climbing steps to the top of a 50 foot tall tower.
Headlands Beach Bird Walk
Headlands Beach State Park
9601 Headlands Rd, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 30
Join Friends of Headlands Beach State Park board member, Sarah Preston for a bird walk at Headlands Beach State Park and Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve. Explore diverse habitats, learn fall warbler and shorebird identification, and discover all that Headlands Beach and Dunes has to offer. This walk is perfect for birders looking to enhance their birding skills and/or birders unfamiliar with the park…
Meet at 7:30am Saturday in Parking lot 1 (east end of the park). Wear comfortable walking shoes and be prepared to walk in sand. The leader will carry a spotting scope for the group.
Bird Banding Demonstration
Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve
8365 Harbor Dr, Mentor
$5
Max. Capacity: 15
Join the city of Mentor on a leisurely walk through upland forest to the edge of Lake Erie where you will visit the city’s Bird Banding Station. Biologists will discuss the research, trends, and show you how birds are captured, banded and released. You never know what species will be caught at these demonstrations!!…
Arrive at 8365 Harbor Dr. in Mentor where you will meet city of mentor employees near the purple martin stands in the main parking lot. Bring hiking shoes and water for a half mile walk each way.
Lake Metroparks Lakefront Birding
Painesville Township Park
1025 Hardy Rd, Painesville Township
FREE
Max. Capacity: 30
Experience what the lakefront has to offer. From migrating raptors to shorebirds to sparrows, the Lakefront Trail is a great way to explore the birds that live along the southern shores of Lake Erie…
Arrive at 1025 Hardy Rd. in Painesville Township. Meet on the lake side of the Community Center. We will begin at 8 am. Dress for the weather with comfortable shoes and bring water. Terrain is paved, with some hills. The Lakefront Trail is wheelchair accessible. There are flush restrooms on site. The walk will be around a mile total.
Bird Banding Demonstration
Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve
8365 Harbor Dr, Mentor
$5
Max. Capacity: 15
Join the city of Mentor on a leisurely walk through upland forest to the edge of Lake Erie where you will visit the city’s Bird Banding Station. Biologists will discuss the research, trends, and show you how birds are captured, banded and released. You never know what species will be caught at these demonstrations!!…
Arrive at 8365 Harbor Dr. in Mentor where you will meet city of mentor employees near the purple martin stands in the main parking lot. Bring hiking shoes and water for a half mile walk each way.
Headlands Beginner Bird Walk
Headlands Beach State Park
9601 Headlands Rd, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 30
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 10:00 am Saturday in Parking lot 12 (west end of the park) at Headlands Beach State Park. Wear comfortable walking shoes and be prepared to walk in sand.
Lake Metroparks Bird Outing at Veterans Park
Veterans Park
5730 Hopkins Rd, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 30
Join a Lake Metroparks Naturalist for a bird outing perfect for newbies and seasoned birders alike as we visit one of the areas best migration stopover spots. This bird outing is a slow-paced exploration of nature with birds as the focus. Veterans Park is a tremendous birding location featuring a large lake and wet forest…
Arrive at 5730 Hopkins Rd. in Mentor. Meet at the park parking lot near the picnic shelter. We will begin at 10 am. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. The terrain is flat and partially paved. Flush restrooms are available on site.
Mentor Marsh Guided Nature Hike: Migration Madness
Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve
5185 Corduroy Rd, Mentor
FREE
Max. Capacity: 20
On this afternoon bird walk, we’ll search for early-fall migrating birds (and maybe monarchs, too). The marsh’s diversity of native plants and habitat provides food and shelter for both migratory and resident bird species. How many can we find? Birders of all experience levels are welcome—group birding is a great way to learn!…
Registration for this hike is at CMNH.org. Long pants and sturdy footwear recommended. Bring binoculars. We’ll have several pairs to lend and a spotting scope as well.
Headlands Birding Festival
© 2024 Friends of Headlands Beach State Park