Minnesota Zoo Adult Birding & Nature Walks and Workshops

Adult Birding & Nature Walks*

Join a Zoo naturalist for an exclusive opportunity to look and listen for local birds and signs of other wildlife before or after the Zoo's open hours. Stroll the Treetop Trail, other Zoo trails, and/or staff-only trails and wooded areas in a small-group setting. Learn what’s been spotted at the Zoo, help add to our wildlife species lists, and find out how the Zoo supports birds, both locally and globally.

All levels of birders and nature enthusiasts are welcome. Basic binoculars and bird guides available to borrow or bring your own if you’d like.

Time: 7:45 a.m.-9:45 a.m. (unless otherwise noted)
Fee:
• $18 for Zoo members; $22 for Non-Members (2-hour walks)
• **$22 for Zoo members; $26 for Non-Members (3-hour walks)
Meeting location: Main (lower south) entrance
Program maximum: 12 participants
Accessibility: Participants may travel up to 2 miles, typically exploring the Treetop Trail &/or the Zoo’s wooded areas with uneven & hilly unpaved trails. For mobility or other accessibility questions/concerns, please email [email protected] to chat about the specific program(s) you would like to attend.

Birding and Nature Workshop: Pollinators

Saturday, June 5, 2027 from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Join experts from the University of Minnesota’s Native Bee Lab, along with some of the Minnesota Zoo’s Naturalists and Pollinator Conservation Team, for an in-depth, hands-on exploration of pollinators and other floral visitors. Explore key characteristics and basic biology of different pollinator groups and how their adaptations influence their ecosystem connections.

Highlights include:
• both high-level and detailed overviews of pollinator group traits, including bumble and solitary bees, flies, moths, and more.
• small-group learning with preserved insect specimen sets.
• an up-close look at imperiled prairie butterfly caterpillars with leaders in their conservation.
• visiting other animal pollinators around the Zoo.

Recommended pre-learning content will be available before the training to help ensure a baseline understanding of pollinators and pollination so we can discuss more in-depth about pollinator groups in the workshop.