Since 2002, the annual New River Birding & Nature Spring Festival highlights more than 100 bird species on a variety of birding tours in and around the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, in the heart of the upland, hardwood forests that Cornell Lab of Ornithology has identified as a crucial stopover habitat for the continued survival of species such as Golden-winged, Blue-winged, and Swainson's Warblers, as well as the Scarlet Tanager.
2027 Celebrates 25 Consecutive Years of Birding, Learning, & Community!
Reaching a quarter-century is rare for a multi-day nature festival, but keeping that streak unbroken is rarer still. When global challenges paused in-person gatherings in 2020 and people needed connection, we were the first major birding event in North America to pivot to a virtual format. Thanks to our adaptable and dedicated community, our run has remained unbroken for 25 years of connecting people, birds, and conservation. As one of North America's longest-running multi-day nature events, that unbroken history is a testament to the community that gathers here each spring.
A friendly birding and nature vacation for everyone, the week-long event features guided birding and nature excursions, world-class speakers, the finest collection of guides, tasty food and a back-porch atmosphere unmatched by any other birding and nature festival. Signature guided bird watching experiences include opportunities to visit a wide range of habitats with world class instruction for beginners as well as those wanting to enhance their skills.
Part of the Appalachian Migration Corridor, frequently called the Appalachian Flyway, our field trip destinations lie within the broader Atlantic Flyway zone. A crucial stopover habitat, biologists and tracking data confirm that Fayette County, WV’s unbroken forest canopy and dramatic elevation changes provide essential refueling stations for migrating warblers, thrushes, vireos, and other bird species traveling between Central/South America and Canada. Here, the north-south orientation of the Appalachian ridges and river valleys act as a natural highway, guiding neotropical migrants along continuous ridgelines and river corridors.
The New River Birding & Nature Festival continues to shine as a favorite stopover for the amazing people who appreciate vibrant biodiversity, the spectacle of migration, and a community built on a shared connection of exploring wild places, from ancient rock formations, aquatic ecosystems, riparian and Appalachian flatrock communities, mixed mesophytic and cove forests, oak-hickory and dry upland forests, cliff and rimrock pine-oak woodlands, high-elevation boreal bog, to red spruce boreal high peaks.
Let's go birding!
Located in the picturesque Appalachian mountains and valleys in Fayette County, West Virginia we explore meadows, wetlands, successional and old growth forests, from river-level to ridge tops in and beyond the New River Gorge National Park & River. Our venue at Opossum Creek Retreat is just a hop-skip-and-a-jump (or within 500 miles) of 66% of the U.S. population and 33% of the Canadian population - we're easy to find... if you know where to look.
Those who attend the New River Birding & Nature Festival quickly discover the key components at the very root of the experience we strive to provide: hospitality to meet the interests and needs of our guests; promoting our area as a great place to live, learn, work and play; and being proactive in efforts to conserve the resources that bring colorful migrant birds our way each spring.
Birder Chatter
The Festival is our favorite week of the year. We may be biased, but we're not alone!
"NRBNF is a wonderful event. The week just flies by for me. Everyday there is something new to see and learn. The guides are so knowledgeable and so willing to share what they know. The team that puts the event together does an excellent job. It is very well organized. Since so many of us come back every year or every other year, we get to renew old acquaintances like a class reunion, and we are able to make more new friends as well. I would be ready to start the whole week over again on Monday. It was that much fun." - Mary Ellen Heisey, PA
Meet the Festival's culinary teams who create the tastiest parts of the week!
Chef Joy Marr of Gourmet on the Gorge starts our mornings with breakfast and coffee!
"I believe in healthy diet specific meals and the feeling it gives me!" Chef Rezan Lale Nese
