At yesterday's tourism meeting, it was said that last year in Minnesota we had 8 bird festivals. This year we have 14 going on throughout the year. Here's a new one I just learned about called the Southwest Minnesota Prairie Birding Festival going on April 20 - 21.
It's based out of Luverne, Minnesota and the trips are to Blue Mound State Park and Touch the Sky Prairie. Here's a link to a photo essay by Jim Brandenburg of Touch the Sky Prairie.

Alas, this is a new festival and in a tiny town so there's not much information online. In order to find out more information or book your space you need to contact the Luverne Chamber of Commerce. The upside of these new tiny festivals is that the field trips aren't too crowded and you get a lot of individual attention from the guides. This should be a great festival with breath taking prairie landscapes and really sweet birds--prairie bird songs are some of the best!

I love prairie birding and really want to do this one, but Non Birding Bill and I are performing Play on Birds at the North Coast Nature Festival the following weekend and we will be rehearsing.