Included in your 2024 CFWBF weekend (registration is $200.00)

• Meet & Greet (snacks provided)
• Welcome Kit
• Name Badge
• Panel Discussion (Big Year 2023)
• Saturday morning excursion (your choice - see below)
• Saturday afternoon excursion (your choice - see below)
• Saturday Dinner
• Sunday morning excursion (your choice - see below)
• Sunday brunch
• Local birding locations guide
  
  

Cape Fear Women's Birding Festival Itinerary:

• Day 1 – Meet & Greet reception - 
  Panel Discussion (2023 Big Year NC) – Shell Island Resort, Wrightsville Beach, NC
  Light snacks provided
  
  
• Day 2 – Morning Field Trip / Workshop – Afternoon Field Trip / Workshop
  Dinner provided at Shell Island Resort
  
  
• Day 3 – Morning Field Trip / Workshop
  Brunch provided at Shell Island Resort
  

Note: Transportation is the sole responsibility of attendees.

 
Hotel Info:
If you are looking for hotel accommodations, the Shell Island Resort has special rates for confirmed participants of the Cape Fear Women’s Birding Festival ($119 plus tax per night). Once you have registered for the event you will be provided with a code to activate this special rate.
All rooms are Oceanfront Suites with a bedroom (either 2 Double beds or 1 King), 1 and a half baths, living room with kitchenette, sleeper sofa, dining room table and private oceanfront balcony.

WORKSHOPS AND FIELD TRIPS

Below are descriptions of the various workshops and field trips on offer at the 2025 Cape Fear Women's Birding Festival.
Choose the workshops and field trips you want to attend on the registration page

Register

Keynote Panel:
Michelle Kent Forte & Ann Stinley

Our keynote panel is made up of two women who birded their way to the top of the 2023 NC eBirder chart. Coming in at first and third, Michelle Kent Forte and Ann Stinley will be sharing their experiences as women and birders. They will address safety issues, the commitment required to pursue their goals, and the companionship of other women birders. We look forward to sharing their stories from the field and celebrating their amazing year.  

2025 Festival Workshops

Beginner Bird Photography
Karen Cooper - Instructor
Aimed at beginner, novice and intermediate photographers this content will cover the fundamentals of bird photography. A discussion of equipment and camera settings will include bird related settings for a variety of situations from birds at rest to capturing birds in flight. Further dialogue will cover bird habitats, activities and favorable lighting conditions. Additionally tips and extras that can benefit the photographer out in the field.

"Beyond Basics"
Advanced bird Photography
Karla Schmidt - Instructor
In this presentation, we will discuss tips and tricks for improving your wildlife photography. We will delve into such topics as the type of gear needed for successful shoots, how preparation and prior research can make the difference and consider composition and the use of light. Finally, we will examine what is considered proper ethical wildlife photography.

2025 Festival Field Trips

Airlie Gardens

Airlie Gardens is a private garden with public access. An individual day fee is $9. Volunteer opportunities exist as well. The gardens are built around an enclosed tidal creek, thereby offering salt water habitats, fresh water habitats, dense shrub cover, open parkland lawns, and truly ancient enormous live oaks, all within nearly one 360 degree view. Rarities are regularly found in the many thickets throughout the gardens and somewhat site specific birds such as Red-headed Woodpeckers can be found reliably. Paths are asphalt for the most part and the gardens can be enjoyed even shortly after the sometimes torrential rains of the Southeast. A visitor center, gift shop, and restrooms are beautifully maintained. The holiday season provides occasion for delightful decorations and evening events. This is an excellent place for birders with young children to safely introduce their youngsters to the art and science of the outdoors.

Greenfield Lake

Greenfield Lake is a birding oasis in the middle of Wilmington, NC. Due to its location near the historic district, restaurants, and popular residential areas, it can be birded for a full day or for a few hours. There is a continuous five mile trail around the entire lake but not all of it is equally productive for birding. It is, however, a pleasant and community oriented pathway, shared by joggers, birders, and dog-walkers alike. In winter the lake is often host to ducks, geese, errant terns, anhingas, and gulls. Small passerines are legion in the tangled azaleas, both winter and summer. Overwintering Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Black and White Warblers are occasional throughout winter, along with Orange-crowned Warblers. Birding from the parking area near the pickle ball courts and the restrooms to the corner of Lakeshore Dr. and 11th St. gives great views of the water and loads of habitat for smaller birds to be seen. Parking on the far side of the lake along Lakeshore Dr. can be tight but there are over views of the water worth exploring there as well.

Mason Inlet Waterfowl Management Area

The northern tip of Wrightsville Beach and the inlet between Wrightsville beach and Figure Eight Island is rich in avian fauna. Shorebirds abound, both in the breeding season and in winter. Tern nesting colonies are present and sightings of the endangered Piping Plover are not uncommon. Black Skimmers, Brown Pelicans, as well as many species of terns and gulls loaf on the spit and across the inlet. Depending on the season, the inlet waters themselves can be entertaining, loons, grebes, and sometimes alcids can be seen at fairly close range. While this experience is enhanced by the use of a scope, it’s a mile hike to the point and most birds are well within the range of binoculars. Alongside the hike are dunes, behind which are marshes, featuring the sparrows unique to seaside marshes, rails and wading birds. Ospreys can be seen hunting over the tidal waters. With easy access from Shell Resort, this is a favorite spot for birders and photographers, especially in winter.
 

Ft. Fisher

The Ft Fisher area combines multiple habitats in a small area. A new visitor center will soon offer an expanded educational opportunity for those interested in the military history of the point, as well as restroom accommodations. Surrounded by old live oaks the wooded area around the visitor center is an open, accessible space to bird for small passerines. Directly through the trees a path extends from the Coquina Rocks to the parking lot overlooking the ocean at the Monument. The only area of North Carolina with a rocky shoreline this is a great area to scope for ocean birds. Further south is 4W drive access to the beach front and shore or dune dwelling birds. This parking lot is also adjacent to the Basin Trail, a combination of woodland, dune, and marsh access to a wide variety of birds, from Painted Buntings to Clapper Rails. Next, one of NC’s marvelous awesome Aquariums offers birders the use of their grounds and feeders for some feeder watch type birding. Don’t forget to look up though, Swallowtail Kites and Magificent Frigatebirds have been known to drift overhead. Around the curves from the Aquarium are the last features of this area. The NC Ferry to the town of Southport leaves from docks to the right, while at the very terminus of the highway is a boat launch area. The Ferry terminal is often good for sparrows, some uncommon in the state elsewhere, and rarities are always possible as this is the end of the mainland. The boat launch is a good place to scope The Rocks, a unique structure that runs from the mainland to an island off the point. Once covered in asphalt it is only minimally passable to humans at this point but remains the refuge of many shorebirds. Depending on the season and the tide, The Rocks may be covered in resting or feeding birds from Brown Pelicans to American Oyster Catchers. This area requires at least a few hours to do it justice and our field trips allow for that, with three guided hours and the opportunity to continue on your own afterwards.