About Us
© Jeremy Cushman
“Since 1986, Minnesota Birding Weekends (MBW) has been presenting unique, modestly priced weekend (and weekday) birding tours throughout Minnesota…”
In 2026, Kim Eckert, the founder of MBW, decided that his 40th year would be his last. For some of us, this was viewed as a significant loss for the birding community. We asked Kim if it would be okay to continue the weekends if we organized, planned, and led all the trips. He agreed., provided we kept the core values of MBW the same. We agreed. Our 2026/27 season honors both the history of MBW’s and the wandering spirit of any good birder.
© Jeremy Cushman
Core Values
To provide birding opportunities for novice to experienced county and life listers. We encourage everyone to join a trip or to look below in the useful links for other field trips. Novice birders are welcome. We have patient and experienced leaders who enjoy helping you learn. We do recommend that you have an interest in birds, have some modest experience in the field, and have invested in a good pair of binoculars (Visit National Camera Exchange in person to try them out), downloaded the eBird & Merlin apps, and considered joining the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. For experienced birders we offer experienced guide(s) with years of birding experience. We actively pursue a wide species list on every trip depending on the season. Our leader(s) have birded in every Minnesota county. They have intimate knowledge of places besides "eBird Hotspots", and plan every trip with attention to seeing more birds and unique or hard to find species.
To have fun, enjoy the company of like minded people, and the outdoors.
To uphold the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union standards for scientific reporting and record keeping.
To bird and encourage others to bird parts of Minnesota not birded often enough. There are 87 counties in Minnesota, divided into three unique biomes that provide opportunities to discover over 400 species of birds over four unique seasons. Get out there.
To continue the work of advocating for birds and other flora and fauna to have places to thrive alongside a growing human population.
Meet the Team
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Kim Eckert
Tour Leader Emeritus
Kim Eckert, the founder of MBWbirds, decided that his 40th season (2025/26) would be the last year he would offer organized trips. For some of us, this is viewed as a significant loss for the birding community. We asked Kim if it would be okay to continue the weekends if we organized, planned, and led all the trips. He would be welcome to join at any time as Tour Leader Emeritus. He agreed, provided we kept the core values of MBW the same. We agreed. Our 2026/27 season honors Kim as “Tour Leader Emeritus”, the history of MBW, and the wandering spirit of any good birder.
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Craig Mandel
Craig Mandel has provided leadership, expert bird identification (as well as many other flora and fauna fun facts) while working with Kim on MBW’s over the past twenty-five years. He has also guided MRVAC and international birding trips for many years. He will be our Subject Matter Expert (aka Proper Adult Supervision) on all our trips.
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John Quinn
John Quinn began birding as a teenager. Learning waterfowl and upland game birds as a hunter provided the early interest in correct identification. Only recently has he become a “group” birder, as semi-retirement from business ownership required something else to occupy his relentless acquisitiveness. MBWs were the answer. Hired (and fired) multiple times by Kim in his short career as JTL (Junior Tour Leader), he nevertheless persevered. John (and Frank) will support Craig with trip planning, trip leadership – including timekeeping and restroom locations – while continuing to deny he is a county lister.
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Frank Forsberg
Frank Forsberg is an avid birder who enjoys meeting new people and helping others find birds. He has good bird-spotting skills, even if occasionally his bird identification is “It is drop-dead gorgeous.” Frank found “his people” a few years ago on an MRVAC trip before being introduced to MBWs. He’s also a Master Naturalist. His organizational skills and extensive non-profit consulting experience will provide solid behind-the-scenes coordination as he oversees MBW administration.
Useful Links
The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union (MOUMN) www.moumn.org – Minnesota’s original birding site with both practical and scientific information (publisher of the Loon) related to birding in Minnesota. This is also the county and state listers record keeper. Join today and see what it takes to join the Roberts Club. History of Total Species Seen
Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter (MRVAC) Field Trips: https://mrvac.org/trips-events/
Minnesota Ornithologists' Union Field Trips: MOU Field Trips
MYBirdClub (www.MyBirdClub.org) – provides free, guided field trips and activities that connect youth and families to birds, birding and nature. They are also our Fiscal Sponsor as a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit.
MBWbirds.com www.mbwbirds.com – The original Minnesota Birding Weekend website. Kim Eckert will continue to manage this site. Important information will remain available here, including:
Sewage Ponds (Waste Treatment Facilities) information mbwbirds.com/sewage-ponds.html . Note: Not all are open to the public or viewable from outside the fences and gates. However, excellent birding can occur when water is otherwise hard to come by; especially for shorebirds, gulls, and waterfowl.
A Birder’s Guide to Minnesota mbwbirds.com/birders-guide-to-mn.html. The authoritative and often amusing guide to birding in Minnesota. Written and updated by Kim Eckert over his 40-year birding career. Encourages you to get out and explore places not birded by others while not taking yourself too seriously.
Minnesota Birding Checklist
Other bird clubs and organization can be found here: M.O.U. - Affiliated Clubs
© Jeremy Cushman