Mark your calendars for the upcoming extravaganza known as the American Birding Expo! It takes place from October 2 thru 4, right here in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. The venue is the beautiful Grange Insurance Audubon Center, which is sited right along the banks of the mighty Scioto River, just a stone's throw from downtown. All of the expo details are RIGHT HERE.
Admission is free. Your free pass grants you access to what certainly must be the most amazing array of birding-related gear, including optics, photography, bird feeding products and other birding and outdoor products ever assembled in the U.S.A. Tour companies will be well represented, too. Information on many of the world's most bird-rich destinations will be available, directly from the people who can take you there. In all, about 80 vendors representing nearly 30 countries will be at the American Birding Expo.
You'll have plenty of opportunity to test out your new optics and gear, too. Fall migration will be in full swing, and the grounds around the Audubon center can offer good birding. Last October, Bill Heck and I spearheaded a Big Sit on October 11 from the rooftop of the building and racked up 62 species in less than 24 hours. There are also birding hotspots nearby, such as Green Lawn Cemetery, Battelle Darby Metropark, Pickerington Ponds Metropark, the beautiful Clear Creek Valley, and more. A visit to the American Birding Expo could easily be combined with some great birding opportunities.
Hope you can make it, and CLICK HERE for the complete American Birding Expo scoop.