Birding Festival of the South

Birding Festival of the South The Birding Festival of the South, presented by Oaklawn, takes flight in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas October 8 - 10, 2026! 🐦

Happy Field Guide Friday! 🐦🌳 Each week we celebrate the amazing birds that make the Natural State a premier birding dest...
06/05/2026

Happy Field Guide Friday! 🐦🌳 Each week we celebrate the amazing birds that make the Natural State a premier birding destination, highlighting different species to help you sharpen your ID skills.

Today we are stepping into the deep, shady understory to find a real hidden gem of the forest: the Kentucky Warbler. 💛 This heavy-bodied warbler looks like it ready for an elegant masquerade, sporting a rich olive-green back, a brilliant yellow belly, and a striking black "mask" that loops around its eyes like a pair of dramatic sideburns.

Early June is the absolute peak of their nesting season here in Arkansas! These Neotropical migrants arrived from Central America back in April and have now settled deep into their breeding territories. Because they nest on or very close to the ground, the parents are currently highly active, foraging through the leaf litter for insects to feed their newly hatched chicks.

In Arkansas, look for them in moist, dense deciduous woods - especially in rich bottomlands, ravines, and the shaded slopes of the Ouachita and Ozark mountains. They can be incredibly shy and love to hide in thick patches of ferns but they will give away their location with their song. Listen for a loud, rolling, musical chant that sounds like churry-churry-churry, closely resembling a Carolina Wren but echoing with a richer, more ringing tone.

📸 Tim Kauffman

🐤 Happy - our weekly series where we celebrate the incredible birds that make the Natural State a premier destination ...
05/29/2026

🐤 Happy - our weekly series where we celebrate the incredible birds that make the Natural State a premier destination for birders!

If you’ve visited any Arkansas marsh, pond, or roadside ditch lately, you’ve likely been greeted by the bold king of the cattails; the Red-winged Blackbird. While the males are unmistakable with their glossy black feathers and fiery red-and-yellow shoulder patches (called epaulets), the females are masters of disguise, looking more like large, heavily streaked brown sparrows.

As we head into late May, Red-winged Blackbirds are in the absolute height of their breeding season across Arkansas! These birds are famously territorial and high-energy right now. You’ll see males perched precariously on tall reeds or fence posts, puffing out their brilliant red shoulders and leaning forward to belt out their iconic conk-la-ree! song.

Because they are currently defending nests and feeding hungry chicks, they are incredibly active and easy to spot. Keep an eye out for their impressive aerial displays as they chase off much larger crows or hawks that get too close to their territory!

📸 Tim Kauffman

🐦👂🏻 The Birding Festival of the South, presented by Oaklawn Hot Springs, is thrilled to welcome internationally acclaime...
05/24/2026

🐦👂🏻 The Birding Festival of the South, presented by Oaklawn Hot Springs, is thrilled to welcome internationally acclaimed bird-sounds expert Alison Kondler of Birding By Ear!

Kondler will lead a field trip at Hot Springs’ Northwoods Trails lakes as part of the inaugural Birding Festival of the South, happening October 8 -10 in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas.

Kondler is an Audubon Master Birder, keynote speaker, and creator of the social media platform . Through bird sound mimicry, creative mnemonics, and storytelling, she teaches people how to identify birds by ear using techniques that connect with different learning styles. Her talks make bird sounds approachable, memorable, and fun.

She will give one of the festival’s keynote talks Saturday, October 10, at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

Attendance is included as part of the festival pass, which costs $35. On Friday, October 9, Kondler will lead a field trip to the city’s Northwoods lakes region around Lakes Dillon and Bethel. 📍 Please note, participation in that field trip will require a separate registration.

🎟 Passes available at: hotsprings.org/events/birding-festival-of-the-south/

Her keynote at The Birding Festival of the South will be "Birds Heard in Words - A Creative Approach to Learning Bird Sounds." The field trip to the Northwoods will include a two-mile walk around Lakes Dillon and Bethel. The walk is easy to moderate and will last about two hours.

Kondler’s talk and field trip schedule below! ⬇️

🐦 Friday, October 9
8 a.m. - 11 a.m. - Northwoods Trails field trip with Alison Kondler
Approximately 2 mile hike, approximately 2 hours
Taking attendees around Lake Dillon and along Lake Bethel
Difficulty: easy to moderate
300 Pineland Drive Hot Springs National Park, AR 71901

🐦 Saturday, October 10
4 p.m. - Keynote - Hot Springs Convention Center

It's Field Guide Friday! ✨🐦 Each week we celebrate the incredible birds that make Arkansas a premier destination for bir...
05/22/2026

It's Field Guide Friday! ✨🐦 Each week we celebrate the incredible birds that make Arkansas a premier destination for birders, highlighting a local species to help you sharpen your ID skills and find the best spots to see them in action.

If you see a bird that looks like a glowing ember drifting through the green leaves, you’ve found the Scarlet Tanager! 🔥 The adult males are famous for their almost impossibly bright red plumage, which contrasts sharply with their jet-black wings and tails. The females are just as elegant but far more subtle, dressed in a soft olive-yellow that helps them disappear into the canopy while nesting.

Why is right now the perfect time to look? ❤️🖤 It's mid-May and Scarlet Tanagers have officially returned to the Arkansas highlands! Having just completed a marathon migration from the Andean foothills of South America, they are now busy establishing territories in our mature oak and hickory forests. Because the trees aren't yet at their densest, the males' brilliant red feathers are much easier to spot against the fresh spring green.

In Arkansas, look for them in the higher elevations of the Ozarks and Ouachitas. They tend to stay high in the treetops, so your best bet is to listen for their song, it sounds like a robin with a sore throat, a series of hoarse, burry whistles. Once you hear that raspy robin tune, scan the upper branches for that unmistakable flash of red. Have you been lucky enough to spot a "forest fire" Scarlet Tanager in the treetops this week, or are you still listening for that raspy song? 👀🎶

📸 Tim Kauffman

🐦 Oaklawn Hot Springs will be the presenting sponsor and the official festival host hotel for the Birding Festival of th...
05/15/2026

🐦 Oaklawn Hot Springs will be the presenting sponsor and the official festival host hotel for the Birding Festival of the South, happening October 8 - 10, in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas!

“Oaklawn Hot Springs is proud to partner with the Birding Festival of the South as its sponsor and host hotel,” said Wayne Smith, General Manager of Oaklawn Hot Springs. “We trust our guests will enjoy our hotel and amenities before and after a fun day of birding in Hot Springs National Park.”

“It’s such an honor for us to have Oaklawn Hot Springs come forward to be our presenting sponsor and host hotel as we complete arrangements for what we believe will become another major attraction for our city,” Visit Hot Springs Marketing Director Bill Solleder said. “Oaklawn is just coming off a tremendous live racing season, solidifying its long-held status as Hot Springs’ Number One tourism attraction, and we know their sponsorship of the Birding Festival will help guarantee that it, too, is a tremendous success.”

Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison said, “Oaklawn Hot Springs’ contribution to our city’s position as Arkansas’s No. 1 Tourism Destination stretches back more than 125 years. No one can imagine Hot Springs without Oaklawn, and its sponsorship of this inaugural Birding Festival of the South continues this role of leadership. We welcome Oaklawn’s latest affirmation of this stewardship.”

🎟 Passes are available now at: hotsprings.org/events/birding-festival-of-the-south/

The Birding Festival of the South, presented by Oaklawn, will take place at the Hot Springs Convention Center and surrounding Hot Springs area - designed around the interests of beginner, novice and serious birders alongside cultural arts events that will be inspired by birding. The timing of the event will coincide with the annual Fall Migration, opening the exciting opportunity to see birds not native to Hot Springs.

It's Field Guide Friday! Our weekly series where we celebrate the incredible birds that make the Natural State a premier...
05/15/2026

It's Field Guide Friday! Our weekly series where we celebrate the incredible birds that make the Natural State a premier destination for birders. 🐦💛 Each week, we highlight specific species to help you sharpen your ID skills and find the best spots to see them in action in Arkansas.

Today we're featuring the "spectacled" singer of the treetops: the Yellow-throated Vireo. This bird is a master of color coordination, sporting a bright yellow throat and chest that contrasts perfectly with its olive-green back and crisp white underbelly. The easiest way to identify them? 🕶 Look for their "spectacles!" A distinct yellow line that wraps from their bill around their eyes!

Why is right now the perfect time to look? 👀 We are currently in mid-May, which is the heart of their breeding season here in Arkansas. While many warblers are just passing through, these Vireos are settling in to stay. They’ve arrived from their wintering grounds in Central America and the Caribbean and are now very vocal as they defend their territories and build their hanging, cup-shaped nests.

In the Natural State, you’ll find them in mature deciduous forests, often near water like the Ouachita River or our many mountain streams. Unlike the fast-flitting warblers, Yellow-throated Vireos move with a slow, deliberate pace as they search for insects among the leaves. 🐛 Listen for their song, a series of buzzy, two-parted phrases that sound like a conversation with lots of pauses.

📸 Tim Kauffman

05/13/2026

Oh no! You’ve found a baby bird on the ground, apparently alone and in distress. 🐥 Its tiny chirps may pull at your heartstrings, and it can be tempting to spring into action—but, not all baby birds need rescuing. That's why it's so important to stop and assess the situation.

If they do need your help, how to help them depends on a few factors: does this bird need immediate medical attention? And is it a nestling or a fledgling? Take a look at this graphic to determine how and when to assist baby birds—then click the link in our comments to learn more!

🖌️: Julie Rossman/Audubon

Passes are on sale now for the Birding Festival of the South, presented by Oaklawn! 🌳🐦 The inaugural festival will be he...
05/10/2026

Passes are on sale now for the Birding Festival of the South, presented by Oaklawn! 🌳🐦 The inaugural festival will be held October 8 - 10 in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

🎟 Passes are $35 for the full weekend of birding activities and may be found at: hotsprings.org/events/birding-festival-of-the-south/

Register by August 8 and you'll receive a Festival Pass Package including: official festival laminate, tote bag, metal tumbler, Birding Festival of the South Field Guide, access to the vendor hall, workshops, panels, keynote speakers, kids’ activities and meet-you-there-field trips.

🦉 Please note, registration is required for the field trips and capacities may vary. The festival pass does not include participation in exclusive field trips where transportation is provided.

The Birding Festival of the South will include field trips, live music, keynote speakers, workshops, panels, kids’ activities, arts and crafts, vendors and more!

05/09/2026

Happy Big Day!!! Today marks the peak day for spring migration in North America. A lot of Arkansas Audubon Society members have been out birding and seeing how many birds they can see. One of the highlight birds from Lake Fayetteville in Washington County this morning was this Blackburnian Warbler photographed by Josh Matlock.

What is your favorite bird you've seen today?

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