Feathers In Flight-Bird Trips

201 W Riviera Drive, Suite A
Joplin, MO 64804
(417) 782-NATR

Featured Programs and Field Trips

FRIDAY, May 2

Welcome reception will be held from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. in the seminar hall at the Audubon Center. Light hors d'oeuvres and refreshments provided by the Ozark Gateway Audubon Society. This will be a great time to meet birding guides and other participants.
Cost: Included in registration fee.

Live Eagle program will feature a Bald and Golden Eagle. Presentation begins at 6:00 p.m.
Cost: Included in registration fee.

Nop Paothong, Missouri Department of Conservation wildlife photographer. This stimulating photography program will kick off the festival and connect us to nature in a special way. 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. Cost: Included in registration fee.

SATURDAY, May 3

Free informational booths and activities for all ages will be at the Audubon Center from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Booths include area Audubon Chapters, local artists, and hands on activity stations.

Roaring River full day field trip will offer opportunities to see both glade and forest interior species. Target birds include prairie warblers, blue grosbeaks, painted buntings, Kentucky warblers, hooded warblers, and chestnut-sided warblers. 5:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Cost: $30 per person. Includes transportation, birding guides, snacks, box lunch and drinks.

Prairie State Park field trip will offer opportunities to see birds that include Bell's vireo, upland sandpiper, scissortail flycatcher, and henslow sparrow. Experience a walk through prairie grasses that tower above your head with a chance to view bison and elk. Prairie State Park, at nearly 4,000 acres, preserves Missouri’s largest remaining tallgrass prairie. 5:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Cost: $30 per person. Includes transportation, birding guides, snacks, box lunch and drinks.

Diamond Grove Prairie Conservation Area is one of the largest tracts of tallgrass prairie remaining in extreme southwest Missouri. Target birds include scissortail flycatchers, eastern kingbirds, henslow sparrows, and grasshopper sparrows. 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon. Cost: $15 per person. Includes transportation, birding guides, snacks, and drinks.

The Local Hot Spots birding trip include stops in downtown Joplin for western kingbirds, Wildcat Park for yellow-crowned night herons, and various other destinations for birds such as Swainson's thrush, Kentucky warbler, prothonotary warbler, Mississippi kite, and yellow throated vireos.
7:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon. Cost: $15 per person. Includes transportation, birding guides, snacks, and drinks.

Nop Paothong, Missouri Department of Conservation wildlife photographer. Wildlife photography is a combination of art and science, so to speak. It takes a labor of love and understanding of both photography and wildlife. Learn from his years of practice and long time commitment and determination. Time: 1:00- 1:45 p.m. Cost: Included in registration fee.

The decline of MO Prairie Chickens is of great concern. Learn about a restoration program at El Dorado Springs, recent surveys and what steps are being done to protect these endangered birds and their habitat. Time: 2:00- 3:00 p.m. Cost: Included in registration fee.

Birding Optics. Representative from Southtown Sporting Goods will present the latest on birding optics. Time: 3:00- 4:00 p.m. Cost: Included in registration fee.

Missouri's Tropical Connection. Over half of Missouri birds spend part of their lives in the Caribbean, Central and South America. It is no easy trip for them and homelife is not bed of roses either. Come learn about the life styles of our migrants and some of the challenges they face. Time: 4:00- 5:00 p.m. Cost: Included in registration fee.

The Live Owl Program and Owl Prowl is an informative program with live owls and time indoors learning about their unique features. We will also head outdoors in hopes to hear these feathered predators of the night. Time: 7:30- 10:00 p.m. Cost: Included in registration fee.

SUNDAY, May 4

Roaring River glade emphasis will target birds such as Summer Tanagers, Yellow-breasted Chats, Prairie Warblers, Blue Grosbeaks, Orchard Orioles, and Painted buntings. The 2075 acres of Roaring River Hills Wild Area provides a superb example of the White River hills landscape.
7:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon Cost: $10 per person. Includes birding guides, snacks, and drinks. Must provide your own transportation to Roaring River.

Sarah Driver in Ozark, MO will present a program on hummingbirds and demonstrate hummingbird banding. Time: 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. Cost: $10 per person.