October Florida Birding and Nature Festival Speakers and Events


Best-selling author and world-renowned conservationist Carl Safina and woodpecker expert Stephen Shunk will be the keynote speakers at this year's Florida Birding and Nature Festival Oct. 20-23. 
The festival will be headquartered at the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center, 6650 Dickman Road in Apollo Beach. The annual event coincides with the peak migration of more than 180 species and features expert-led field and boating trips to the best wildlife sites in West Central Florida. 
Trips include the Cross Bar Ranch in Spring Hill; Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County; Egmont Key and Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve in Hillsborough County; and Honeymoon Island and Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County. A cross-Florida bus trip will offer participants the chance to see a wide variety of birds, including rarities such as the Crested Caracara and the Florida Scrub Jay. One outing will identify butterflies. 
Some of the trips are to areas normally not open to the public. 
Space is limited, so early registration is advised. 
The festival also will offer two days of seminars, where experts will cover topics such as anhingas, alligators, short-tailed hawks, tarpon, black skimmers, and dragonflies. The sessions also will be available on Zoom. 
A Nature Expo on Friday, Oct. 21, and Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Conservation Center, which is adjacent to TECO's Manatee Viewing Center, will feature displays from numerous environmental organizations, nature-related businesses, and artists. Exhibitors will have artwork, binoculars, bird boxes and other products for nature lovers. A silent auction will be held each of the Nature Expo. 
Safina, the winner of a MacArthur "genius" prize, is the author of numerous award-winning books, including the classic, "Song for The Blue Ocean." His latest is "Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty and Achieve Peace." He hosted the PBS Series "Saving the Ocean with Carl Safina." He will speak Saturday evening.
Shunk, a founder of the Oregon Birding Trails Program, is the author of the "Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America." He has studied woodpeckers for more than 20 years and leads birding and natural history tours throughout the Americas, as well as destinations in Asia and Europe. 
Prior to both keynote presentations, there will be a dinner buffet, including delicious hors d'oeuvres, and a beer and wine cash bar. 
Both keynotes will be at the Suncoast Youth Conservation, an education facility established through a collaboration of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tampa Electric Co., and The Florida Aquarium. For more information and to register, go to www.fbnfestival.org.
 
 
 

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