Join us for a weekend of walks and talks about sparrow ID, sounds, and conservation.

We'll have guest speakers, a "Sparrow Feed" luncheon, a "Birds & Brunch" event, a sketching sparrows art workshop, a sparrow bird banding demonstration, and a special "Sparrows & Schoolkids" fest for kids and families.

Tickets will be available for purchase on this webpage beginning Friday, October 3. And for a $25 donation, receive a SparrowFest t-shirt!

Registration is now open. Here is the list of activities (all activities with a cost require pre-registration):

Friday, October 24

• 7:00 pm - SPARROWS: From Saskatchewan to the Southwest ($5/person, online presentation or in-person). Join Jason "The Birdnerd" and Stephen Prager, Director of Audubon's Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch in southeastern Arizona, to learn about sparrows in both areas, the importance of connecting habitat across the hemisphere, and tracking these species with Motus and Audubon's Bird Migration Explorer.

Saturday, October 25

• 8:00 am - Bird Banding Demo ($5/person; space limited). Join Audubon Great Plains Avian Biologist Stephen Brenner to see and learn about live bird banding and his Harris's Sparrow project here in Nebraska.
• 9:30 - Sparrow Sit or Stroll (Free, no registration). Everyone is welcome to come look for sparrows on a guided walk with experts or an accessible Sparrow Sit with Birdability Captain Cassandra Dean.
• 11:00 - Sparrow ID: The Good, The Bad, & the Brown ($5/person; in-person). Jason "the Birdnerd" and local expert Thane Disdale will help you learn how to tell all those little brown birds apart.
• 12:30 pm - Sparrow Feed & Science ($10/person - snacks and presentation). Bring a sandwich, we'll have the sparrow snacks (fruit and nut treat cups from Grazing Gouda) and enjoy lunch and a great talk about Harris's Sparrow & Towhee research by Avian Biologist Stephen Brenner.
• 3:00-6:00 - Sparrows & Schoolkids! (Free, no registration) - Free family fun with live birds, crafts, games. Free family fun with live birds, crafts, and games. LIVE bird show with "sparrowhawks"/American Kestrels from Raptor Conservation Alliance at 4:00 pm.
• 7:00 - Sparrows, Sounds, & Sips ($10/person) - Birds 'N' Brews fun. Join us for this fun adults only event that comes with local brews and tons of bird sounds and trivia.

Sunday, October 26

• 8:00 am - Bird Banding Demo ($5/person; space limited). See Saturday description of same program above.
• 9:30 - Sparrow Sit or Stroll (Free, no registration). See Saturday description of same program above.
• 11:00 - Birds & Brunch w/Wagon Ride ($20/person; space limited). This special program will have limited space to join us on our prairie wagon ride to look for special sparrows and enjoy a delicious brunch from Rutabagas afterwards.
• 2:00 pm - Sketching Sparrows ($10/person; space limited) - Art workshop with Katie Nieland. Learn how to make observational drawings by paying close attention to the nature all around us. We'll focus on drawing what we see, not necessarily what we think an object looks like. We'll look especially at the sparrows, but also the leaves, sky, bugs, and more. You do not need to have any drawing experience for this workshop, all supplies included, but if you have a favorite journal or pencil(s), bring them along.