Spring. Birding.
Greater Zion.
Where the beauty of the birds
is matched only by the beauty of the scenery.
Save the Date: April 25 - 27, 2024
This website for the 2024 Red Cliffs Bird Festival will go live on January 1, 2024 at 9:00am.
We look forward to our 2024 festival and hope you can join us as we plan even more birding and nature trips! Registration for the 2024 Festival will begin on February 1, 2024. Information will be added to this site as it becomes available. Be sure to book your hotel room now for this amazing bird festival (see link at bottom of this page).
2024 Keynote Speaker: Ted Floyd
We are excited to announce that our keynote speaker for our Friday evening program is Ted Floyd. Mr. Floyd is the Editor of Birding magazine, the award-winning flagship publication of the American Birding Association. He has written five bird books, including the Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America (HarperCollins, 2008) and How to Know the Birds (National Geographic, 2019). Ted is also the author of more than 200 popular articles, technical papers, and book chapters on birds and nature. He is especially interested in analyzing bird vocalizations, in interpreting birds and nature for children and beginners, and in applying new media and emerging technologies toward the appreciation of nature. A graduate of Princeton University (A.B., 1990) and Penn State University (Ph.D., 1995), Ted has taught biology, math, and statistics to everyone from second graders to advanced graduate students. He and his family live in Lafayette, Colorado.
Habitat of the Red Cliffs Bird Festival
Mojave Desert
Colorado Plateau
High Elevation
City Parks
Water
Riparian
Lytle Ranch is the northernmost stretch of the Mojave Desert and a bird oasis. Many of the lower elevation tours also contain species unique to the Mojave Desert. The Big Day will take a dip into the Mojave too!
Zion National Park is the crown jewel of the Colorado Plateau, but Snow Canyon rivals it in beauty. Grafton puts you right at the base of the Plateau and provides a bounty of birds along with the history.of a preserved ghost town.
While just short drives away from town, Pine Valley (6,800′) and Zion High Elevation (8,000′) are a world away in habitat. Ponderosas and aspens bring cooler temperatures and completely different birds.
The City Parks tour will bring in a mix of many habitats and the birds that come with them. Many parks are along the Virgin River where the Southwest Willow Flycatchers breed and surprises can be around any corner.
Water is life in the desert and wherever there is water, there are birds. One of the most unique ways to get up close to waterfowl is on kayak with our Birds and Boats tour. Grebes, gulls, ducks, and even loons are common.
The La Verkin Confluence Park is a prime example of riparian habitat featured in our Cliffs and Creeks tour. Or, you can also see signs of past cultures on our Birds and Petroglyphs tour in the Santa Clara Gorge.
Featured Festival Tour:
Condors of the Vermillion Cliffs
This tour is always a highlight of the festival as we travel via bus to the Vermillion Cliffs viewing area and Navajo Bridge where California Condors roost. We meet with and learn from biologists from the Peregrine Fund who are leading the important restoration efforts of these critically threatened birds. Plan now to attend the 2024 festival so you have the chance to see these birds in the wild. Check out this video below of the most recent condor release, the 2nd chick hatched in Zion National Park:
2024 Bird of the Year
Can you Guess??
Be sure to check our website on January 1, 2024 as we release the clues for our 2024 Bird of the Year (BOY). Instructions will be provided on how to submit your guess. The first five people that can correctly guess the BOY will receive a prize!
Host Hotel - Hilton Garden Inn
We are excited, once again, to have the Hilton Garden Inn as our host hotel for the 2024 festival. Locating conveniently in St. George, Utah, the Hilton Garden Inn will host our registration, workshops, evening programs, and be the meeting point for the all tours requiring shuttles / buses.
As participants in the festival you can receive a discount on the hotel room by using the link below. We encourage you to book your rooms early as Spring is a very popular time in Greater Zion. Please note that you are able to edit the dates of your stay once you select the link.
Click on the link to the right to take advantage of the Red Cliffs Bird Fest rates during the festival. These reduced rates are available from Wednesday through Saturday nights. You can edit the nights of your stay by clicking the “Edit Stay” link at the top of the reservation page. And note that each room reserved through this exclusive rate receives two (2) free breakfasts.