Festival Of Hawks At Holiday Beach Conservation Area

Local birders and nature lovers are getting ready ti take in one of North America’s greatest migration at Holiday Beach Conservation Area: tens of thousands of hawks and raptors flying overhead on their annual journey to nesting grounds in the south.

Essex Region Conservation together with the Holiday Beach Migration Observatory will host the 2024 Festival of Hawks on September 14th and 15th. It’s HBMO’s 50th Anniversary of the great Hawk Count, and experts will conduct raptor and hummingbird banding and adoptions in support of their important species and populations monitoring efforts each year. On Saturday at 2:00pm, this milestone anniversary will be celebrated with cake at the outdoor classroom! Free educational programs will complement the ongoing banding and live hawk display throughout the event. Local experts will share information on a wide range of birding and nature-related topics.

“Holiday Beach Conservation Area has been identified as one of the 10 best sites in all of North America to experience the raptor migration,” notes Danielle Breault Stuebing, ERCA’s Director of Communications & Outreach. “Whether an expert birder or nature-loving family, there’s something for everyone at the annual Festival of Hawks.” On Saturday evening, tickets are available for a special evening Owl Prowl to learn about the owls of Ontario, their adaptations, calls, and behaviours. At this intimate experience, participants will take a guided walk through the woods, looking and listening for owls.

“When circumstances are just right and we’re able to call in an owl, it’s really an extraordinary experience,” Breault Stuebing adds. Tickets for this special experience must be pre-purchased at https://essexregionconservation.ca/owlprowl .

The Festival takes place 9:00am to 3:00pm on September 14th and 15th.  All daytime programs are free with the festival admission fee of $20 per vehicle.

The final list of programs is available at https://essexregionconservation.ca/hawkfest .