BAZETTA — For those who love watching our feathered friends, the weekend of May 15 to 17 at Mosquito Lake State Park will be just the place for the fourth annual Big Birding Weekend.

Amanda Sloan, one of the committee members planning the event and also one of the bird hike organizers, said there will be a wide variety of events and programs over the three days, which is peak migration season for many bird species.

“I hope those who attend the free weekend events will gain an appreciation for birds of the area. There will be activities for families. We have added kayaking,” she said.

Sloan said this is the fourth year for the event, with the past three years very successful.

“We have had more people attend each year. We have had people from other states like California, Indiana and Pennsylvania,” Sloan said.

Sloan said opening night events will begin at 6 p.m. May 15 with a program, “More Than Feathers: The Hidden Value of Birds,” at the Lakeview High School auditorium.

The program presenter is Jamey Emmert, avian education coordinator for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, who will discuss the many ways birds benefit people and the planet without people knowing.

Following Emmert’s presentation there will be a special screening at 7 p.m. of “A Bird in the Hand,” a documentary that follows Tom and Paula Bartlett in northwest Ohio as they pursue their goal of banding 100,000 birds. Following the screening will be a question-and-answer session with film directors Chrissy Frank and Alex Goetz, along with the Bartletts.

Park naturalist Jason Lee said he will be speaking at 8 p.m. Friday with a presentation on “Eyes of the Hunter: Meet a Red-Tailed Hawk.”

Lee said the event has become very popular with those who enjoy hiking and looking for the local birds at Mosquito Lake.

He said families are drawn to Big Birding Weekend because of the wide variety of activities and programs.

Sloan said on May 16, the day will include a variety of hikes, talks and birding adventures for the “Big Day of Birding.” There will be different bird hikes throughout the day at multiple locations and also different speakers discussing a variety of bird topics.

Sloan said there will be an all-day informational pavilion and social hub at the beach from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. She said there will be displays, local vendors and conservation staff. The Warren-Trumbull County Public Library pop-up library also will be at the beach pavilion.

Sloan said there will be guided bird hikes at the Lakeview Recreation Area with Loyd Marshall, Steve Craiger, Cindy Woodward and Lee; at Turkey Run Trail with Lee and Debbi Schuster; along Hoagland Blackstub Road with Amanda and Matt Sloan and Larry Richardson; and at the beach with Kathleen Wallace, Martin Cain and Woodward.

Also to be held will be two-hour pontoon boat birding excursions with registration; kayaking birding excursions with the Army Corps of Engineers; interactive birding stations with different activities at the Trumbull County Agricultural and Family Education Center, including bird feeders; guided bird hikes; a first aid program at the amphitheater; bluebird conservation at the nature center with Cathy and Chuck Poponak, who are bluebird nesting program volunteers; bluebird house building at the amphitheater with Heather Harris of the Ohio Bluebird Society Board of Trustees; a program on prothonotary warblers at the campground boat launch parking lot; an ecology exploration lab with environmental researcher Rachel Carson; a scavenger hunt at Storybook Trail by Imagination Station; and a purple martin program.

Salon said to conclude the day there will be a birder social at 7:30 p.m. at Country Porch Winery to give people a chance to unwind, share some laughs and talk about the birds and experiences of the day before heading back out for more birding.

There will also be a program on owls at 8 p.m.

On May 17, Sloan said there will be birding at the Shenango Wildlife area at 8 a.m., with people to meet at the Milligan Road parking area, with presenters from the ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserve and the Division of Wildlife.

She said there will also be guided bird hikes along Hoagland Blackstub Road and a feeder watch party at the nature center.

“The event has grown each year. We will offer a lot for people to get involved with. I feel that the speakers we have will bring in more experienced birders who are interested in what we will have. We are getting bigger and better every year,” Sloan said.