2026 Feathery Festival 5 – 11 September
Posted on 2 September, 2026 by Hadley Cole
September is here and that means the 2026 Feathery Festival kicks off this Saturday 5 September! In recognition of National Threatened species day held annually on 7 September, Connecting Country is teaming up with Birdlife Castlemaine and Castlemaine Filed Naturalist Club to celebrate our local woodland birds and highlight the importance of their conservation. The biannual Feathery Festival had it’s debut in 2024, hosting a variety of wonderful events across the Mount Alexander Shire in honour of our local birds. This years’ program is full of exciting events offering a diversity of opportunities to learn about our local woodland birds.
Hopefully you already have the four events saved in your calendar, but in case you’ve missed them here’s a quick run down of what’s happening where.
Saturday 5 September: Bird Walk and Plant sale
Join Birdlife Castlemaine for a guided bird walk along the Campbells Creek trail followed by morning tea at Staks Cafe. A plant sale, offering bird habitat species from Newstead Natives will take place in foyer at the Good Op Shop from 10am-1pm alongside free information about Landcare in the region. For more info on this event – click here
When: 9am – 10.30am bird walk. 10am-1pm plant sale.
Where: Lewis Dr. Campbells Creek VIC
What to Bring: Appropriate foot wear for walking, clothing appropriate for the weather and a drink bottle.
Sunday 6 September: Sticky Beak Property Tour & Nature Journaling
Come along and for a sticky beak at a local property being restored for wildlife. While you visit, why not stay a while and try your hand at Nature Journaling! For more info. on this event – click here
Where: Happy Valley Road, Moonlight Creek VIC
When: Nature Journaling: 9.30 – 11.20am, Sticky Beak Property Tour: 11.30am – 3.00pm
What to Bring: sturdy foot wear, water bottle, snacks and appropriate clothing for the weather
Thursday 10 September: In the Company of Birds
An evening of art and conversation celebrating the birds in our lives facilitated by Weekend Birder: Kirsty Costa, (podcaster, and science educator) with special guest nature artists Kate Gorringe-Smith and Jane Rusden. Also featuring Nature Art Soundscapes weaving beautiful live art making with evocative musical soundscapes. For more info. on this event – click here
When: Doors open at 6.00pm – 8.30pm
Where: Castlemaine Goods Shed, 21 Kennedy St. Castlemaine VIC
Tickets – click here
Friday 11 September: Impact of litter on Birds, talk with Hannah Faraone
Anthropogenic litter poses a significant global threat to birds for example by ingestion and entanglement. Hannah Farone, researcher with Federation University, will tell us about her project to better understand bird–litter interactions through a citizen-science based image collection study. She found some unexpected interactions, revealing a broader range of interactions than previously anticipated. The observed patterns between interactions, bird species, and litter characteristics provide management organisations with the first step to developing targeted strategies to mitigate the risks of anthropogenic litter to birdlife.
When: 7.30pm
Where: Castlemaine Uniting Church, 24 Lyttleton St. Castlemaine VIC
The Feathery Festival is a collaboration involving partnerships between Connecting Country, Birdlife Castlemaine District, Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club and representatives from Landcare Groups in the Mount Alexander Region. It would not be possible without the valuable support from sponsors Brian D Newman Foundation and The Good Op Shop.
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