As of this printing, the 2025 Harney County Migratory Bird Festival is on schedule for April 10 through 13. Flooding remains a high concern, and the event could be canceled with short notice. If able to carry on, we’ll be set up at Geno’s Youth Center for the first time and are looking forward to being near Washington Park and Broadway. Open your schedule and plan for some fun! Here are some highlights: 

Tours: We are offering the full gamut of tours – van-guided; we-lead-you-drive caravans; and self-guided – and you can enjoy touring by a variety of means, like walking, hiking, biking, riding, or driving! New in 2025, check out the family and youth focused “Tracks & Signs of Wildlife” tour, the “eBird & Community Science” and “Birding by Ear” workshop/tour combos, and the Malheur Refuge Birding & Dunn Dam tour. And don’t forget about some annual favorites like the Bird Crawl and local Working Ranch tour.  

Activities and other programs: There are many non-tour activities to enjoy throughout festival weekend. Some features include Harney Nights in downtown Burns, readings and workshops with Oregon Poet Laureate, Ellen Waterston, live programs like the “eTour of Harney County History & Archaeology” with retired Bureau of Land Management Archaeologist, Scott Thomas, and social events including Wetlands Happy Hour, Bird Trivia Night, and the pinnacle Saturday Swoop, honoring Bob Sallinger. We’re also excited to host another Malheur Refuge Stewardship Work Party at the close of festival activities on Sunday, April 13. 

Specifics for kids and families: Enjoy free-family-Saturday with a day out and about in Harney County. Stop by the Harney County Library for their StoryWalk experience, then stroll downtown look in business windows for over 600 pieces of student artwork. This art is the product of our festival Artist in Residence program! Next, come to Geno’s Youth Center for the Kids’ Fair in the Field, supported by the High Desert Partnership, and the Kids’ Birdhouse Building Workshop, sponsored by the local Lions Club. Don’t forget to pop into the festival Art Show & Sale where our youth art contest submissions will be on display and ready for your winning public vote! 

Art show and sale: This year, the Art Show and Sale has 24 artists bringing their unique works for your shopping experience. We’ve got everything from fine art, metalworks, and optics to photography, woodworks, and jewelry. There are new and returning creators, local and regional entrepreneurs, and affordable, one-of-a-kind works for everyone to enjoy. 

Did you know? The Bird Festival began in 1981 as a Kiwanis sponsored event to highlight spring birding in Harney County. The Harney Basin is very-nearly the halfway point for birds from Coastal Texas, the Mexican Highlands and Central California traveling to their breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska and even eastern Siberia.  The annual spring migration along the Pacific Flyway passes right through our area, bringing over 100 migrant bird species for the watchful eye! 

Over the past 43 years, the Bird Festival has evolved to include organized, expert-led tours; family and youth activities in and out of the classroom; virtual programs and workshops; and numerous commerce opportunities. The festival is orchestrated by multiple partners with the main purposes of 1) bringing people to Harney County, and 2) supporting opportunities for people to connect with natural resources.  

Dozens of local people, businesses and organizations are either supported by or directly contribute to the Migratory Bird Festival. The Festival Planning Team cares about our community and does as much as possible to pour benefits into our people and places. And so many of you do, too. Thank you! 

Get out and about during festival weekend and enjoy this opportunity. And rest assured…we’re working hard to educate visitors on birding from the curb – not from the middle of the highway! 

For all the event details, go online to www.migratorybirdfestival.com.