Birding Enthusiasts Flocking to Lakeside, Ohio

One of the world's largest gatherings of bird watchers soon will congregate along the Ohio shores of Lake Erie. The lure that's drawing over 800 birding enthusiasts is the biennial Midwest Birding Symposium (MBS), an event that rotates between Midwestern states. The inaugural MBS was launched in Michigan in 1993, and since has been held in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Ohio hosted it in 1997 and 1999, and attracted record crowds.

MBS 2009 will be held in the quaint, Chautauqua-style town of Lakeside, on the waters of our greatest lake. Shake off your commitments for September 17th through 20th - or any one of those days - and come on over. You'll meet lots of new friends, learn major amounts of information about birds and birding, and hear some of the best speakers in the business.

The MBS marketplace will be brimming with vendors of birding paraphernalia. Scope out the top optics - binoculars and telescopes - from Eagle, Kowa, Leica, and Zeiss will be available. Want to learn more about your feathered friends? Literature will abound, with book peddlers such as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Time & Optics, and Black Swamp Bird Observatory hawking their wares. If you want to put your newfound knowledge to use, talk to reps from tour companies that organize expeditions from Guatemala to Africa to Ecuador.

A staple of the MBS are the programs and speakers. One of the stars of the show will be the incomparable David Sibley, author of the ground-breaking Sibley Guide to Birds. His newest book, theSibley Guide to Trees, is hot off the press and this is your chance to have the man himself sign your copies.

Jane Alexander may be a familiar face. This legendary actress has had roles in Kramer vs. Kramer, Brubaker, All The President's Men, and the latest in the "Terminator" series, Terminator Salvation, to name a very few. She doesn't only act; Ms. Alexander is a veteran birder and will deliver a fascinating program on Saturday night. In all, 23 speakers will deliver programs on wide-ranging topics during the course of the symposium.

Of course, there will be birds and birding galore. Event organizers have mapped out 15 of the most productive local hotspots, and will have experts posted at most. Mid-September is a great time to catch waves of southbound migrants - warblers, thrushes, flycatchers, sparrows, and the like - and Lake Erie's south shore offers fantastic birding opportunities. The town of Lakeside is shrouded with stately trees, and offers outstanding views of the lake, so one need only step outside one of the buildings to find birds.

Whether you can come for one day, or the entire event, you'll have a great time. For all of the details, visit: https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/mwb/main.php or call 1-800-879-2473 ext. 314.

Contact:
Midwest Birding (800) 879-2473 ext. 314