In less than a month, the Midwest Birding Symposium will be underway at Lakeside, Ohio.

In early 2009, if you had asked me about going to a birding festival, I would have laughed. Me, in the middle of all those people who really know birds? No way! How could I possible keep up? I’d feel stupid. No one will want to go birding with someone as unskilled and unknowledgeable as me. I won’t know anyone. It will all be over my head anyway.

Lucky for me, I went to the New River Birding and Nature Festival despite my doubts. I found out I couldn’t have been more wrong about all of the above concerns. I met great people who also happened to be great birders. They really knew birds, and they were more than willing to share what they knew. They were delighted to go birding with me and a few dozen other people who knew, and didn’t know, birds. I wasn’t allowed to feel stupid. I effortlessly learned a lot just from being there, and with a little effort and question-asking, learned a lot more. And I made a lot of new friends.

Since then I’ve gone to Potholes & Prairies which was a similar great experience and now I’m going to the Midwest Birding Symposium. A lot of the same people are involved in all three efforts, so I’m confident that MBS going to be another winner. So much so that I want to share it with you. Won’t you join me there? Here’s the registration link:
Midwest Birding Symposium Registration

Still not convinced? Go read Ten Reasons to Attend the Midwest Birding Symposium! by Bill Thompson III. It will give you an idea of how funny this guy is. He’s also one of the nicest people you’ll meet, and he can’t wait to show you birds.

A slightly more serious take comes from Julie Zickefoose (Midwest Birding Symposium-Come With Me!). Writer, artist, and NPR commentator, she’s another too-nice-to-be-true person who’s a super birder and who couldn’t be more open, welcome, friendly, and willing to share what she knows.

There’s not enough time to list everyone who’ll be there and make the experience, but the symposium website can tell you more. And for great fun with and without binoculars, there’s a fantastic group of bird bloggers headed there as well. Check the links to the right, and go read the posts about the flock that I linked above to get an idea of the wonderful people you can meet and become friends with in just one weekend.

It’s time to plan to be at the Midwest Birding Symposium. It’s time to register. You know you want to.

See you there!