Festival of Birds – Rookery Bay

January 12 – 14, 2018

Field trip registration opens to Friends of Rookery Bay members on November 25, 2017. Join the Friends Group today to have the first pick of field trips. Registration opens to the general public on December 1, 2017.

Mark your calendar for field trips and lectures during the Festival of Birds! Formerly known as the Southwest Florida Nature Festival, this event still invites you to explore the local environment through almost 40 guided field trips to 20 wildlife hotspots around Southwest Florida and lectures at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center. This year we have a new emphasis on birds.

Field trips, including birding walks, buggy rides and boat tours, are still being offered in conjunction with local partners. Field trip prices range from $20 -$140, and registration is required. This year, field trip registration includes admission to the Environmental Learning Center on Saturday.

Event Schedule

Friday: Field trips all day

Environmental Learning Center – Buy One Get One Admission

Saturday: Field trips all day

Environmental Learning Center – $10 Admission/FREE for Field trip participants 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.- Includes Featured Lectures

Evening Keynote Presentation admission is $25- Friends of Rookery Bay members enjoy 10% discount

Sunday: Field trips take place off-site

Environmental Learning Center CLOSED

FIELD TRIP DETAILS

Featured Lectures on Saturday1 p.m. Birding as a Treasure Hunt: My Collier Big Year. Keith Laakkonen, Rookery Bay Research Reserve director, will give a light-hearted talk on how awesome birding can be, the amazing finds in Collier County over the past few years, and the insanity that can happen with a small Big Year.

2 p.m. A (Stuffed) Bird in the Hand: The Importance of Modern Natural History Collections. Alli Smith and Kim Savides will tell you that what you see on display at a museum is just the tip of the iceberg: behind the scenes, millions of specimens are meticulously stored and organized for use by researchers. From artists and students to paleontologists and veterinarians, ornithology collections are studied by a variety of people. In this talk, two young biologists share their perspectives of working with specimens and highlight current research using collections worldwide.

3 p.m. The Recipe for Saving Beach Birds: Education, Monitoring, and Nice Legs. Adam DiNuovo, Shorebird Stewardship Program Manager with Audubon Florida at Rookery Bay, will discuss how Audubon Florida’s Coastal Team is using education, monitoring and research to help save the beach birds of Florida.

Saturday Evening Keynote Presentation

6 p.m. Data-driven Conservation for Florida’s Imperiled Raptors and Water Birds: 20 Years of Discovery Through ARCI’s Remote Tracking Studies Dr. Meyer will touch on highlights of the research he and his team at the Avian Research Conservation Institute have conducted over the last two decades, including some of the lessons learned, secrets revealed, and stories they hope will compel us all to conserve and sustain our natural treasures. The stars of the show will be the birds ARCI has tracked hundreds of thousands of miles – species that keep enriching our lives as they struggle to endure: Swallow-tailed Kites, Reddish Egrets, Shorttailed Hawks, White-crowned Pigeons, Snail Kites, Roseate and Common Terns, Crested Caracaras, Great White Herons, Magnificent Frigatebirds…