There are lots to choose from! Look for event descriptions with a Beginner or All Skill Level. Some suggestions: Birding the Unexpected Places, Coastal Birding Workshop & Field Trip, Birding Clear Creek on the Mainland, Armand Bayou Rookery Tour, Birding Armand Bayou by Boat, Galveston Birding Samplers, East Beach Birding with Glenn Olsen, North Deer Island Rookery & Environs by Boat, and From Backyard to Beachfront: Birding Basics for Beginners! If you are interested in pollinator gardens, you might want to attend our Creating a Pollinator Paradise at Home workshop & field trip!

Look for event descriptions with a Beginner or All Skill Level, for example, Armand Bayou Photography Pontoon Boat Trip, Resoft Rookery & More, San Luis Pass Photography, Focus on Bolivar Photography and Wildlife Photography from a Car at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.

We are excited to be welcoming Virginia Rose with Birdability to lead accessible activities this year. Click here to read about Virginia and the two field trips and workshops she is leading.

In addition, we have easy paces field trips by car and by bus. These are designed for folks using canes and walkers or those just wanting a slower pace.

For photography, the Resoft Park Rookery & More #1 and #2, are accessible trips with paved trails suitable for wheelchairs, walkers, etc. Wildlife Photography by Car at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge is a trip where you actually drive your own vehicle in a caravan. The photo guide communicates via walkie talkie with the participants in each car. (Walkie talkies provided.)

Please also note that on all of our field trips, the activity level is listed for each trip. You may also do a filter search in the Events by Day section of this website for the activities that are listed as “Easy”.

Activity Levels Definitions: 

Easy Activity: Walking at relaxed pace on well-maintained trail for up to 1 mile. Suitable for person with basic fitness condition.

Medium Activity:  Walking at moderate pace on unpaved or uneven trail for 1-2 miles. Suitable for person with basic fitness condition.

Hard Activity: Hiking on unpaved or uneven trail for 1-3 miles. Suitable for person in good physical condition with stamina.

Check out our FledglingFest activities HERE. We have two free raptor shows open to all ages. The other activities are each only $10/per person with a minimum age of 6 year old.

For our regular field trips, registrants should be at least 16 years old. As birders understand, some of the trips can be long and tiring. Many outings require birders to proceed stealthily and be able to listen to quiet whisperings of the leader. For these reasons, we have set a minimum age of 16.

To see which field trips or workshops a specific leader is leading or co-leading, just click on that leader’s name in the Our Leaders list that appears in the right column of each activity list. Keep in mind that Galveston FeatherFest organizers reserve the right to substitute qualified trip leaders when necessary.

When considering leaders, we have nationally known birding guides for 2025 – Jon Dunn, Greg Miller, Cedar Stanistreet, Christina Baal, Jennifer Bristol in addition to our many expert local guides. Think about the length of the trip, whether or not it’s focused on a specific area like the West or East end of the island, or a Sampler that could go anywhere on the island. You’ll also want to consider what types of birds you’d like to see, for example, shorebirds or migrant songbirds. The trip descriptions will be helpful in your decision making.

Review the length of the outing and time of day. Do you prefer to ride on a bus, or would you like to drive yourself? At the bottom of each trip description, it indicates transportation by bus or meet-at-site. You’ll also see the skill and activity levels for each trip which might be helpful when making your itinerary. Consider the location of the trip – is it one destination or multiple? Do you want to stay on the island or venture out to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, High Island, etc.? The trip descriptions include where the trip leaders plan on going. Do you prefer a guide who is nationally known or one of our local guides who bird the area routinely? Our guides are listed in the right column of the Events by Day pages of the website. Click on any guide’s name and it will take you to their bio so that you can read about them.

Considering all the above will help you determine the best trips for you!

Easy Activity: Walking at relaxed pace on well-maintained trail for up to 1 mile. Suitable for person with basic fitness condition.

Medium Activity:  Walking at moderate pace on unpaved or uneven trail for 1-2 miles. Suitable for person with basic fitness condition.

Hard Activity: Hiking on unpaved or uneven trail for 1-3 miles. Suitable for person in good physical condition with stamina.

The fee for each activity is listed in its description. All activities are priced separately.

Yes, a $25 registration fee is automatically applied to each registration to help us cover overhead expenses. The $25 registration fee is non-refundable with no exceptions.

Yes, Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council, (GINTC) members receive 10% off most festival fees. The Council supports nature tourism and education, promotes the value of area natural habitat and organizes FeatherFest. Membership fees are $35 for individual membership and $70 for family membership. We invite you to join GINTC by clicking on the GINTC Membership Join/Renew button when registering.

Please be advised that we do monitor all discounted registrations to confirm memberships.

The start and end times for all activities are noted with each description. If your field trip is by bus, the bus leaves festival HQ at the start time. For meet at site trips, plan on arriving at the designated meeting site 10 minutes before the trip start time to ensure you do not get left behind. Driving directions will be emailed approximately one week prior to the festival.

We suggest that you bring water, snacks and lunch if needed. We do not provide any food or beverages unless your trip description indicates so.

Please plan ahead for snacks and meals. There is a restaurant and a coffee shop in the Moody Gardens Hotel.

FREE coffee at festival HQ will be provided by Visit Port Arthur!

In addition, we have many wonderful restaurants and fast-food places on the island. There are several grocery stores – Arlan’s at 513 Market St (77550), Kroger at 5730 Seawall Blvd (77551), Wal-Mart at 6702 Seawall Blvd (77551) and Randalls at 2931 Central City Blvd (77551). The grocery stores have options for food on the go.

Sure!  But ALL attendees must be registered in advance.  Only registered participants can attend field trips – no exceptions. The trip liaison will have a list of registrants for each trip.

Click on the Register Now button.  Please begin your 2025 registration by selecting your registration type and entering your personal information.  Then you will be able to select your desired field trips and workshops.  When you have completed your registration you will receive a confirmation email that contains your specific confirmation number.  This confirmation number will be required should you choose to make any online changes to your registration.

You can register another person by clicking on the “Add a Guest” button at the bottom of your registration page.  Group leaders will receive a confirmation email with schedule information about the entire party.  This confirmation email will contain the confirmation number that is required should any online changes need to be made for the group.

All information concerning any registration is emailed to the email address you enter when completing a registration. If you want the people in your group to receive their own registration confirmation email, you will need to enter their email address when you register them. If you prefer to receive everyone’s information yourself, then you may use the same email address for everyone.

The online system operates in “real time”, and spots are reserved for you as soon as you complete your registration. The online registration system will not hold your itinerary without payment.

You can add another session by logging back into your account and updating your registration.  Your confirmation number is required.  That number is listed on the confirmation email you received when you first completed your registration.  When adding another session make sure you do NOT remove/cancel any field trip or workshop that you do plan to attend.

Please note: ONLY the group leader can make changes to a group registration.   If you are a group leader and need to make schedule changes for someone in your group, you will need the confirmation number you received when you registered your group.  If you need assistance, send a detailed email to FeatherFest@gintc.org OR call us at 832-459-5533 and leave a detailed message. We will reply to your request within 24 hours.

Yes!  We encourage you to register as soon as possible to secure a spot in your favorite trips.  Many popular events fill quickly, so act soon.  In the event that an opportunity is filled, you may select the waitlist button for that session.  Should a spot open up, you will receive a Waitlist Notification email with additional instructions.

Payment may be made by Visa, MasterCard, or Discover

Sunday, April 20, at 6:00pm.

We hope you don’t have to cancel your registration, but if you do, Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council will refund 100% of the ticket price (less the registration fee) through Thursday, April 3rd. 50% of the ticket price (less registration fee) will be refunded through Thursday, April 10th.  There will be NO REFUNDS after this date, however we hope you will contact us if you are unable to attend.  Cancellations may be made by emailing FeatherFest@gintc.org or by telephone at 832-459-5533.

Every effort will be made to place participants in an alternate event, in which case refunds will not be given.  If an alternate trip is not available, the trip fee will be refunded upon request made prior to the end of the festival.  Water-based field trips are more affected by weather conditions than others. If a trip has been cancelled by the Festival organizers due to weather safety concerns we will have that information on our FeatherFest voice mail at 832-459-5533. RAIN alone is not a reason for cancelling a trip.

Parking suggestions are included in the meeting site directions as needed. For FeatherFest Headquarters, you will want to park in the Moody Gardens Convention Center parking garage. If the garage is full, there are multiple surface lots around the Moody Gardens Hotel. See map here.

Each field trip is designated as by bus at FeatherFest HQ or as a meet at site trip. If by bus, you’ll meet the bus near the Vietnam Memorial just outside of festival headquarters. (Registrants’ personal vehicles may not follow the bus.)  For meet at site trips, driving directions will be emailed approximately one week prior to the festival.  To ensure you do not get left behind, please report to the designated meeting site 10 minutes before the time your field trip is scheduled to start.

Workshops will be held at festival headquarters unless otherwise noted.

Please plan ahead for snacks and meals. There is a restaurant and a coffee shop in the Moody Gardens Hotel. The festival does not provide meals, snacks or drinks unless the trip description specifies so. There will be FREE coffee at festival HQ provided by Visit Port Arthur!

In addition, we have many wonderful restaurants (some of which are within walking distance of festival HQ) and fast-food places on the island. There are several grocery stores – Arlan’s at 513 Market St (77550), Kroger at 5730 Seawall Blvd (77551), Wal-Mart at 6702 Seawall Blvd (77551) and Randalls at 2931 Central City Blvd (77551). The grocery stores have options for food on the go.

The Galveston-Port Bolivar ferry is the bridge between two segments of State Highway 87. South of IH-10, State Highway 87 is the only highway around Galveston Bay. The free ferry service provided by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is the only way motorists can cross the waterway between Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island. To check on the wait time, call 409-795-2230.

For more information, visit TxDOT’s ferry information page.

Please consider the ferry wait time when you plan your crossing.