Rookery Bay 2023 Festival of Birds – Birds Connect Us to the Rest of the World!

COST:      $8 includes access to three lectures, decoy workshop and admission to the                    Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center.
                  $25 for keynote presentation and reception with drinks and appetizers.
                  Varied costs for field trips and other activities.

Join Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and partners in January for the 2023 Festival of Birds. Festival participants can enjoy in-person field trips to wildlife hotspots all over Southwest Florida, expert nature lectures, and a keynote speaker presentation and reception. Throughout January, guests can also take part in birding workshops and other bird-themed activities at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center including watercolor painting class, decoy making workshop and photography class.

Nature field trips include birding walks, car caravans, boat trips, kayaking adventures and swamp buggy excursions to locations such as Big Cypress National Preserve, Bunche Beach, Clam Pass, Corkscrew Swamp, Eagle Lakes Park, Fakahatchee Strand, Rookery Bay Reserve and Tigertail Beach in Marco Island. Trip fees range from free to $160. Advance registration is required.

Lectures & Keynote Presentation – January 14, 2023

Saturday, Jan. 14
2 – 2:45 p.m.
Drone measurement of habitat structure to discern habitat selection of Florida scrub-jays
Meredith Heather, Research Assistant, Archbold Biological Station

Saturday, Jan. 14
3 – 3:45 p.m.
Chasing Migration
Collette Lauzau, Avian Ecologist, Rookery Bay Research Reserve

Saturday, Jan. 14
4 – 4:45 p.m.
Beach Nesting Birds: Strategies for Uncertain Times
Rochelle Streker, Southwest Florida Shorebird Manager, Audubon Florida

Saturday, Jan. 14 – Keynote Presentation and Reception
5 – 7 p.m.
Saving Petrels and People: The EPIC Story of Conservation
Tabitha Stadler, Executive Director at Environmental Protection in the Caribbean.
5 p.m. – Appetizers and refreshments while exploring the exhibits and art gallery of the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center.
5:30 – 7 p.m. – Keynote presentation.