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Headlands Birding Festival 2026

September 18 @ 3:00 pm – September 20 @ 4:00 pm

The annual Headlands Birding Festival will take place September 18 – 20, 2026, at Headlands Beach State Park. The event will celebrate the fall migration of bird species as they travel to their wintering grounds as far away as South America. The Headlands/Mentor Marsh region hosts some of the highest diversity and volume of migratory birds in the state, with 356 species documented in Lake County.

Bird experts will lead field trips to some of the region’s best migratory bird hotspots as well as a boating ‘pelagic’ on Lake Erie. There will be presentations on bird identification, migrations, and related topics.

Tickets are on sale starting July 1 @ 5:00 PM, and throughout the festival.

Registration is still open!
We’re happy to welcome registrations right through festival weekend. Because attendee materials are prepared in advance by volunteers, registrations received after September 1 @ 5:00 PM are not guaranteed a festival welcome bag and will receive a handwritten name badge without a personalized schedule on the back.

You’ll still have full access to everything included with your registration.

Need Help?

We’ve updated our registration process. These short videos will help you navigate our schedule and registration process.

How to Read the Festival Schedule (6 min)

Learn how to use the schedule-at-a-glance image, interactive tabs, and event descriptions.

How to Register for the Festival (10 min)

Step-by-step instructions for purchasing registration tickets and selecting events.

No PayPal account? No problem!

You do NOT need a PayPal account to register for the festival. Simply move the slider to the left for “Save info & create your PayPal account” and then click Pay Now to enter your credit card information.

Your payment is processed securely through PayPal.

No PayPal account is required.

 

Questions? Watch our 10-minute registration video or contact us if you need assistance.

Toggle OFF “Save info & create your PayPal account”

Click “Pay Now” and then enter your credit card information

If you pay by credit card your statement will show a charge from PAYPAL *FRIENDSHEAD 402-935-7733 CA

Tickets

The numbers below include tickets for this event already in your cart. Clicking “Get Tickets” will allow you to edit any existing attendee information as well as change ticket quantities.
General Registration – Late
$20.00
Unlimited
Birds and Butterflies Pre-Keynote Walk
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Midafternoon Migrants
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Sunset Bird Hike at Chagrin River Park
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Evening Walk with Queer Birders of Cuyahoga County
$0.00
0 available
Sold Out
Keynote – Peter Kaestner
$20.00
52 available
Sunset at Mentor Marsh and Mentor Lagoons
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Holden Arboretum Accessible Tram Rides – Saturday
$10.00
2 available
Headlands Beach Walk – Saturday
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Intermediate/ Advanced Bird Walk at the Lagoons
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Birding Western Headlands – Saturday
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Searching for Fall Migrants Behind Locked Gates
$0.00
0 available
Sold Out
Lake Metroparks Slow Birding at the Bluffs
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Lake Erie Boating Trip
$95.00
0 available
Sold Out
Lake Metroparks Lakefront Birding
$5.00
10 available
Kayak the Mentor Marsh and Lagoons
*includes kayak rental
$20.00
0 available
Sold Out
Beginner Birding with Anna Goes Outside
$5.00
10 available
Headlands Naturalist Walk
$5.00
2 available
Holden Arboretum Guided Bird Walk – Saturday
$10.00
1 available
Headlands Beginner Bird Walk – Saturday
$5.00
6 available
Restoration is for the Birds
$0.00
62 available
Birding Photography for Beginners
$0.00
64 available
Birding: The comic book we get to live
$0.00
80 available
Afternoon Slow Birding at Chagrin River Park
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Headlands Evening Bird Walk
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
HBF Birds, Bistro, and Brews
$20.00
28 available
Mentor Lagoons Evening Bird Walk
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Morning Flight Watch at Lake Erie Bluffs Tower
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Birding Western Headlands – Sunday
$5.00
4 available
Bird Banding Demonstration – Session 1
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Lake Metroparks Slow Birding Chagrin River Park
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Holden Arboretum Accessible Tram Rides – Sunday
$10.00
1 available
Grand River Birding at Beaty Landing
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Fall Warblers with Connor Fox
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Nature Journaling at Hidden Lake
$5.00
5 available
Headlands Young Birders Walk
$0.00
16 available
Bird Banding Demonstration – Session 2
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Holden Arboretum Guided Bird Walk – Sunday
$10.00
1 available
Headlands Beginner Bird Walk – Sunday
$5.00
4 available
West End Walkabout
$5.00
1 available
Lake Metroparks Bird Outing at Veterans Park
$5.00
1 available
Beginners Bird Walk at Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve
$5.00
0 available
Sold Out
Return of the Eastern Bluebird
$0.00
80 available
Fall Warbler Identification
$0.00
30 available
How to Find an Owl
$0.00
24 available
eBirding: an In-Depth Look
$0.00
70 available
Quantity: 0
Total: $0.00