Third Annual Big Birding Weekend to take place at Mosquito Lake May 23-25

Bird enthusiasts in Trumbull County can flock to Mosquito Lake May 23-25 for the Third Annual Big Birding Weekend.

The event will kick off Friday, May 23 at 5:45 p.m. in the Champion High School auditorium and will feature presentations from keynote speaker Greg Miller, as well as Becky Donaldson with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Dr. Sean Williams of Cuyahoga County Community College.

Registration for the kickoff event is not required, but encouraged. You can register by clicking here.

Saturday, May 24 will be the "Big Day of Birding" with several events going on all throughout the park kicking off at 7:30 a.m.

Folks can stop by Hoagland Blackstub Road and settle in for a "Big Sit" where they can join seasoned birdwatchers Larry Richardson and Amanda and Matt Sloan as they look to see how many different bird species they can observe from a single location.

Guests can also go on guided bird hikes on Mosquito Lake State Park's various trails. These tours will be led by some of the area's most passionate birdwatches. You can register for specific time slots here.

Starting at 8 a.m. at the Mosquito Lake Beach Pavilion, here will be an information table, displays from local vendors and conservation partners and food trucks.

Guests can also enter raffles sponsored by the Friends of Mosquito Lake. The proceeds from these raffles go towards keeping this event free for guests for years to come.

Other events include tips on how to attract birds into your own back yard, a bird-themed scavenger hunt, a pop-up library from the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library System, meet-and-greets with birders, tour guides and festival presenters, birdhouse building, a live bird show, a movie under the stars and so much more.

Folks who prefer a more self-guided birdwatching experience can stop by some of the area's top birdwatching spots on Sunday.

This event will result in a road closure in the area. Hoagland Blackstub Road will be closed between Gardner Barclay and Mahan Denam Road beginning Friday, May 23 at 8 a.m. and will remain closed until Monday, May 26 at 8 p.m.

The detour will be SR-88 to North Park Avenue to SR-87 to Chaffee Dodgeville to Gardner Barclay.