Migfest is one of the highlights of the birding calendar with lots of walks, talks and much more all centered around enjoying bird migration!
Having run several guided events for small groups, they were pleasantly surprised by how much the participants got out of them, even on mediocre days. This sowed a seed in their minds. Could they hold a much bigger event, a Migration Festival? They set about convincing others of their idea and working out how on earth they could pull it off.
They kicked the idea around for nearly a year, but in early 2013 they hit on the idea of using Westmere Farm to host the whole festival. Martin and Andy broached the idea with Sue and Andrew Wells, the owners of Westmere, and despite some raised eyebrows and plenty of questions they agreed, and the rest, as they say, is history.
From the first festival held in September 2013, it has continued to grow year on year and has become one of the most popular events on the birding calendar. Bird migration is one of the great wonders of the natural world, and Spurn is arguably the best place in Britain to witness this spectacle.
The festival is now staged jointly by the Spurn Bird Observatory Trust (SBOT) and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). This partnership has helped the festival continue to grow and become more professional, while still keeping the friendly and welcoming feel that has always been at its heart.
The festival has something for everyone: guided walks, lunchtime talks, exhibitor stalls with optics, books, artists and holidays, the famous Spurn Ladies providing food throughout the weekend, and a headline guest speaker delivering the Andy Roadhouse Memorial Lecture, named in his honour. And hopefully there will be plenty of birds to see across the weekend.
There are many walks taking place, including migration walks, bird identification walks, a bat walk on Friday evening and even a plant walk. From early morning on Saturday and Sunday there will also be migration watches and bird ringing demonstrations. Art classes will run on both days with renowned artist Darren Woodhead, alongside photography classes led by Martin Standley.
As part of the festival, Spurn Bird Observatory and the British Trust for Ornithology run a competition to find the Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder of the Year, named in Martin’s honour. This prestigious contest is open to young birders up to the age of 16. There are two categories, Under 13s and Under 16s. The winner of the Under 16s category receives a brand new pair of Swarovski binoculars very kindly donated by Swarovski Optik, and the winner of the Under 13s category receives a brand new pair of Opticron binoculars very kindly donated by Opticron.
From the first festival held in September 2013, it has continued to grow year on year and become one of the most popular events on the birding calendar. Bird migration is one of the great wonders of the natural world and Spurn is arguably the best place in Britain to witness this spectacle.
The Festival is now staged jointly by the Spurn Bird Observatory Trust (SBOT) and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). This partnership has helped the festival continue to grow and become much more professional, while at the same time keeping the friendly, welcoming feel.
There are many walks taking place over the weekend - migration walks, bird identification walks, a bat walk on Friday evening and even a plant walk. From early morning Saturday and Sunday there are migration watches and bird ringing demonstrations taking place. There are also art classes on both days run by renowned artist Darren Woodhead and photography classes run by Martin Standley. Food is available throughout the festival weekend and is served by the now legendary Spurn Ladies!
As part of the Festival, the Observatory, and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) run a competition to find the Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder of The Year - the competition named in Martin’s honour. This prestigious contest is open to all young British birders up to the age of 16, with two age categories, U14 and 14-16. The winner of the competition receives either a brand new pair of Swarovski or Opticron binoculars very kindly donated by Swarovski Optik or Opticron.
The 2026 Migration Festival will take place from 11th to 13th September. Tickets will go on sale on Friday 24th April.
Buy tickets here
