21st Annual Festival of Birds – Rookery Bay

Rookery Bay Research Reserve is hosting the 21st Annual Festival of Birds in January with bird themed activities all month long, a weekend filled with field trips to wildlife hotspots and a presentation by world renowned wildlife biologist, ornithologist and host of “With the Wild Things” radio broadcast Dr. Jerry Jackson, Professor Emeritus at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Together with WGCU Public Media, Rookery Bay is celebrating Dr. Jerry Jackson’s 25-year anniversary broadcasting “With the Wild Things” a one-minute look at a particular environmental theme on WGCU public radio. Every weekday morning at 7:19 a.m., Dr. Jackson takes listeners to Southwest Florida’s beaches, swamps and preserves to learn about “the wild things.” Dr. Jackson will give a keynote presentation on January 16 to kick off a weekend of field trips.

“We are thrilled to partner with WGCU PublicMedia and celebrate the work of Dr. Jerry Jackson,” says Athan Barkoukis, Friend of Rookery Bay’s executive director. “Dr. Jackson’s positive messages about protecting wildlife and habitats is in line with our mission to inform the public about the importance of conserving and protecting natural places like Rookery Bay Research Reserve for future generations to experience and enjoy.”

Dr. Jackson taught for 30 years at Mississippi State before coming to Florida Gulf Coast University for 14 more years. He believes variety is what makes Southwest Florida such a special place to study wildlife. “The most interesting thing is clearly the tremendous diversity of life here due in part to our subtropical climate and the diverse physical environments such as the coastal region, nearby Everglades and the pine, bald cypress and grassland habitats,” said Dr. Jackson.

21st Annual Festival of Birds

Field Trip Locations, January 16 – 20, 2025

Registration is required.

Field trips to wildlife hotspots including Big Cypress National Preserve, Bunche Beach Preserve, Clam Pass Park, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Donna Fiala Eagle Lakes Community Park, Rookery Bay Research Reserve, FL Panther Refuge, Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, CREW Land & Water Trust, Six Mile Cypress Slough Refuge and Tigertail Beach.

Keynote Presentation and Reception

January 16, 2025, 5 – 8 p.m.

Registration is required.

Dr. Jerry Jackson, Professor Emeritus Florida Gulf Coast University and host of “With the Wild Things” on WGCU radio Reception with appetizers and drinks.

Other January Bird Activities

Forest Bathing, an alternative wellness practice focused on the senses, will be led by a certified guide on Jan. 4 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Learn Birding Basics with Rookery Bay’s Birding with Biologists class on Jan. 10, from 8 to 10 a.m. Artist Jan Deswick conducts two watercolors and wildlife painting classes, one on Jan. 14 from 12:30 to 3 p.m. and another on Jan. 23 from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

Instructor Sonny Saunders teaches how to get the best digital photographs of nature and other subjects on Jan. 18 at9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Lunch & Learn lecture on Jan. 23 at noon features a hot meal from Carrabba’s Italian Grill. Megan Hatten from Audubon Florida will discuss breeding homes of wintering shorebirds.