Join Rookery Bay Research Reserve January 1 – 31, 2022

The Festival of Birds

The 18th Annual Festival of Birds is a hybrid event, so anyone interested in birds from anywhere in the country can join Rookery Bay Research Reserve and partners in January for an entire month
devoted to birds. Participants can enjoy virtual presentations, in person birding field trips and other activities both online and on-site at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center.

A Festival Pass is required to attend. It gives access to more than 24 guided field trips at birding hotspots in the area, nine virtual expert lectures and a keynote presentation. It includes free admission to the Environmental Learning Center all month long as well! Festival goers also receive 15% off guided boat and kayak ecotours from Rookery Bay’s exclusive ecotour partner, Rising Tide Explorers throughout the month of January!

Types of Field Trips to choose from:
Boardwalk Tours Kayak Trips
Sunset Cruises Swamp Buggy Rides
Birding Walks Car Caravans

Rookery Bay Celebrates Completion of Ten Thousand Islands Research Facility and Dormitory

Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research recently celebrated the completion of the new Ten Thousand Islands Research Facility and Dormitory on Goodland Bay in Marco Island with a ribbon cutting and reception. The facility is the only one of its kind in Collier County. It includes a boat dock, dormitory and space for scientific research – all with easy access to the remote Ten
Thousand Islands. The location enables reserve staff, interns and partnering scientists to conduct research within the otherwise difficult to access eastern section of the 110,000-acre reserve that borders the Everglades.

At the ribbon cutting event, attendees met reserve staff to learn about the scientific studies currently occurring at Rookery Bay including sea turtle nest conservation, juvenile shark research and shorebird monitoring.

The eight-person dormitory offers convenient lodging for visiting scientists who come from all over the world to work in this remote section of the reserve. The dormitory gives student interns an immersive learning experience near their area of study. Student interns are already scheduled to use the facility in the coming summer to assist with sea turtle nest monitoring and avian research on distant barrier island beaches.

Field Trips -Activities-Virtual Expert Presentations

Presentations Include:
• Birding Coast to Coast
• Brown Pelicans
• Bird Tracking and Banding
• Burrowing Owls of Washington State
• Bird Rooftop Nesting Program
• Climate Solutions for Birds
• The Battle of Burrowing Owls & Gopher Tortoises in Southwest Florida
• The Race to Save Seabirds Around the Globe
• Red Knot Migration and Monitoring
• Feeders and Birdbaths:

Register Now:
RookeryBay.org/events/festival-of-birds
For More Information Call 239-530-5972