McFarland Bird Festival

04/22/2026

Thank you to Warm Belly Farm for donating a gift basket to our prize raffle. Basket includes 2 Sibley Bird Guides, Suet & Suet Holder, Warm Belly Apple Berry Hard Cider, and a gift card to store in Cottage Grove. Raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. Tickets will be available during the event on May 9th, 9-12 @ the Lewis Park Shelter - bring cash, check, or Venmo!

04/17/2026

Local Watercolor Artist Anne Urso will be joining us at the Bird Festival as an exhibitor and has generously donated some items to the raffle. Raffle prizes are featured below: a 6 pc collection of greeting cards and a take-home watercolor do-it-yourself kit. During the Bird Festival, Anne will be doing a watercolor demonstration. She will also have cards, watercolor kits, and small prints available for sale. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. Tickets will be available during the event on May 9th, 9-12 @ the Lewis Park Shelter - bring cash, check, or Venmo!

04/16/2026

Next up in our prize raffle is a gift basket from Vitruvian Farms. The basket features a $25 gift card to shop their retail store and a sampling of locally produced treats - including Dalla Terra rainbow pasta, Sacred Blossom Farm herbal tea blend, Doudlah Farms sunflower kernels, an Olympia Granola trail bar and a Vitruvian sticker! Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. Tickets will be available during the event on May 9th, 9-12 @ the Lewis Park Shelter - bring cash, check or Venmo!

04/14/2026

The McFarland Bird Festival is just a few weeks away, so we're starting to feature our raffle prizes. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. Tickets will be available during the event on May 9th, 9-12 @ the Lewis Park Shelter - bring cash, check or Venmo! Featured below are two decorative bird houses donated by local artist Gary Schneider. Gary will also have bird houses on sale during the event, these make an awesome Mother's Day gift!

04/11/2026

Peak birding season is almost upon us. Join McFarland birder, Shawn Miller, for an upcoming bird walk. Visit the Google Form to sign up and meet up details. Walks will be the week prior to the Bird Festival on Friday May 1st and Friday May 8th.

Join Shawn Miller for guided bird walks on Friday May 1st and/or Friday May 8th. Walks will start at 7 am. The terrain is uneven, so please wear good walking shoes and bring a hiking stick/trekking pole and dress for the weather. Please bring your own binoculars! If you have any questions prior to t...

04/01/2026

Shawn Miller & Alex Arnold are getting ready for The Great Wisconsin Birdathon 2026. Our favorite birders will be completing their Birdathon on Saturday May 9th as part of this year's McFarland Bird Festival. Be a part of the Birdathon and join Shawn & Alex for a guided bird walk at 9:30 during the festival. We are raising funds for an installation of interpretive signage at Orchard Hill Park featuring the American Woodcock. For more info, check out Shawn's Birdathon site.

Hello everyone, happy spring! Based on the smashing success of our McFarland Bird Festival Birdathons the last several years, we are back again in 2026 with another Birdathon! Myself and fellow birdathoner Alex Arnold are conducting a Birdathon on Saturday May 9th, 2026 to raise funds for an AMERICA...

05/18/2025

WOW! Shawn finished up the Birdathon by viewing 108 species on May 17! Check out the stats at

17 May, 2025. Created by Shawn Miller

05/17/2025

Check out Shawn’s Birdathon Progress at

17 May, 2025. Created by Shawn Miller

05/11/2025

Thank you to everyone that came out to the McFarland Bird Festival yesterday. Shawn Miller will be participating in the Great Wisconsin Birdathon next Saturday May 17th. Shawn and Alex will be out dawn until dusk searching McFarland for as many species as they can find in one day. If you'd like to support the Birdathon, check out Shawn's fundraising page.

Hello everyone, happy spring! Based on the smashing success of our McFarland Bird Festival Birdathons the last several years, we are back again in 2025 with another Birdathon! Myself and fellow birdathoner Alex Arnold are conducting a Birdathon on Saturday May 17th, 2024 to raise funds for a PURPLE....

05/10/2025

McFarland Bird is underway. Stop by Lewis Park until noon. We’ve got art from local artists Gary Schneider and Gail Juszczak, educational stations, face painting, raffle prizes, library prize wheel and live snakes. Guided bird walks start at 9:30 and 11.

05/08/2025

A big Thank You to Kwik Trip for donating donuts, cookies, coffee and lemonade to the McFarland Bird Festival! Grab a treat before or after taking a guided bird walk at 9:30 or 11 on Saturday morning May 10th.