Blackwater's annual Eagle Festival celebrates birds of prey with live animal programs, refuge tours, kids' activities, and more!
Tentative schedule as follows (updated 3/7/24):
Download a copy of the schedule here.
8:00am - Guided Birding Tour for early birds. Meet at Education Building, near the entrance of Wildlife Drive.
10:00 & 11:30am, 1:00 & 2:30pm - Eagle Prowls and Wildlife Drive Tours. Get free tickets by registering at the Visitor Center beginning 9:30am on March 16. No pre-registration. Tickets go fast, so plan accordingly!
10:30am - Raptors Rule! Mike Callahan of Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center will present an interactive live birds of prey program with fun information about the exciting lives of bald eagles and other native raptors of Maryland!
11:30pm - Egg Crush Demo: Learn about the effects of DDT on the bald eagle population with an interactive demonstration, and how we came together as a nation to save our national symbol.
12:30pm - Birds in Action: Join us for an exciting and educational free-flight bird encounter featuring species from around the world. Meet a silvery-cheeked hornbill, the colorful sun conure, the clever black-throated magpie jay and the intelligent cockatoo as they exhibit natural behaviors. The thirty minute program will educate and connect family of all ages to conservation action. Program is provided by Animal Behavior & Conservation Connections.
2:00pm - Egg Crush Demo: Learn about the effects of DDT on the bald eagle population with an interactive demonstration, and how we came together as a nation to save our national symbol.
2:30pm - Raptors Rule! A second chance to see Mike Callahan of Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center present a live birds of prey program with fun information about the exciting lives of bald eagles and other native raptors of Maryland!
Exhibitors All Day - View live birds of prey with exhibitors from the Salisbury Zoo, and Nanjemoy Creek Education Center. Exhibits from the Friends of Blackwater, Pickering Creek Audubon Center, Maryland Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, USFWS Wildlife Inspectors, and Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research. Decoy carving demonstrations by Warren Saunders.
11 am – 3 pm Kids’ face painting
10 am – 3 pm Live reptiles from Maryland Park Service’s “Scales and Tales”
Kids' Activities All Day (while supplies last) - Build a wren nesting box, owl pellet exploration, archery and BB gun ranges, make-and-take wildlife buttons, bookmarks, and eagles. Storywalk on the Woods Trail featuring the book "Over in the Forest" by Marianne Berkes.
Food will be available from Boy Scout Troop 532
Wildlife Drive FREE all day!