2026 Spring Bluebird Festival

      Saturday, March 28, 2026

              Morris Lawrence Building at Washtenaw Community College

Ann Arbor,  Michigan 

The Michigan Bluebird Society is proud and pleased to announce the 2026 Spring Bluebird Festival! This annual all day event will be a day of fun and education with the focus on Eastern Bluebirds and other cavity-nesting birds in the state of Michigan.  We will be returning to the Morris Lawrence Building at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor for this event. The event is geared toward any individual, family or group who is interested in learning how to use nest boxes, feeders, plantings and land management to encourage nesting birds such as Bluebirds. Start off your nesting season on the right path by attending this fun, educational and informational event. Just a few things you can expect at the festival are:

      • Informative programs on bluebirds and other native birds

• A Bluebird Expert Panel Discussion - Get all of your Bluebird questions answered

• A Bluebird/Nature Expo -  filled with educational exhibits, local environmental groups, and vendors where you can learn things like how to use native plantings to attract more birds and other wildlife

• The MBS Store where you can purchase nest boxes, hardware, and other things necessary to attract nesting bluebirds

• Talk to experienced Bluebirders one-on-one

• New in 2026 - We will have 3 Chirp & Chat Sessions each discussing a different subject giving you vital information to be a bluebird landlord

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Cost to Attend: General admission is FREE!  Parking is FREE!  Box lunches will be offered at a cost of $22 each.  Lunch must be ordered in advance.  Ordering details are being finalized.

Location:  The Morris Lawrence Building at Washtenaw Community College -4800 E Huron River Dr - Ann Arbor,  MI    Website:  WCC Campus Maps

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PRELIMINARY AGENDA 

 Saturday

9:00-9:45 AM – Registration, Meet and Greet, Coffee or Tea - Chat with old friends, meet new blue birders, visit the MBS Store and/or The Bluebird/Nature Expond, enjoy a cup of coffee or tea.  

9:45-10:15 AM -  Chirp & Chat Session 1 -This session will focus on how to set up a conduit/rebar mounting system with baffle. (Questions will be taken as time permits.)

10:15-10:45 AM -  Chirp & Chat Session 2 - This session will focus on how to properly mount nest boxes and why monitoring is so important.  (Questions will be taken as time permits.)

10:45-11:00  AM - BREAK - Stretch your legs, visit the Bluebird/Nature Expo and the MBS Store

11:00 AM-12:00 PM - Gonna Find Me A Bluebird by guest speaker Al Batt - Writer, speaker, story teller and humorist.  Al writes humor and nature columns for many newspapers and does regular radio shows about nature.

12:00-1:00 PM - Lunch - If you purchased lunch in advance, join us for lunch. Or leave the building and purchase lunch from one of the many establishments in the area. Also another chnace to visit the Bluebird/Nature Expo and the MBS store

1:00-2:15 PM - Have You Ever Wondered? What I've Learned in 40 Years of Bluebirding by guest speaker Julie Zickerfoose - Artist, writer, and Advising Editor of BWD Magazine.  Odd, arcane, and occasionally astonishing, this session is for those who faithfully monitor and manage nestboxes for bluebirds. Julie has learned much of what she knows about bluebirds by doing experiments, and by doing things wrong, before she figures out the right way to do them.

2:15-2:30 PM –BREAK -  Stretch your legs, visit the Bluebird/Nature Expo, MBS Store, exhibitors and informational displays

2:30-3:00 PM - Chirp & Chat Session 3  -  Our final Chirp & Chat Session will discuss how to control House Sparrows and why House Sparrow control is vital for successful bluebird nesting and survival. (Questions will be taken as time permits.)