Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival

One of the largest birding and wildlife festivals in the United States!

Discover why Florida’s Space Coast is your launch pad to incredible nature-based experiences. The Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival features world class photographers, field trips, workshops and presentations.

Field Trips, Workshops, and More »

Comprehensive Festival Guide »

Helpful Information »

Meet Our Keynote Speakers

Denver Holt

Adaptations in Owls

Jan. 23, 6:00pm-9:00pm; $60, Dinner Included

Denver Holt has been a leader in owl research, education, and conservation for over 30 years. While much of today’s research is conducted remotely, or builds on existing data, Holt has been unwavering in his commitment to boots-on-the-ground data collection. A classic, hardcore field researcher, he has spent a lifetime in the field with wild owls – observing, recording, measuring, and enjoying the natural world. The resulting body of work, and its implications to conservation, is an incredible gift and legacy. He is responsible for some of the longest running studies of their kind in the world.
Iain Campbell

Are Birders Having An Identity Crisis? What Birding Has Been, What It Is Now, and Where It Is Going

Jan. 24, 6:00pm-7:00pm; AUD; $20

Originally (kind of ) Australian, Iain ended his career as a geochemist in West Africa when it dawned on him that chasing birds was far more important than looking for gold. He packed up his G-pick, said goodbye to fufu, and headed to South America, which better suited his style, where he built Tandayapa Bird Lodge. He lived for many years in Ecuador, but now resides in the US. Besides being one of the original guides of Tropical Birding, Iain is near fanatical about getting more people into birding and wildlife photography. He used to be a passionate lister, but now much prefers to photograph the world’s specialties. He has written a few Australian field guides but promises not to plug them during this talk.
Scott Weidensaul

Caught in the SNOWstorm

Jan. 25, 6:00pm-7:00pm; AUD; $25

Scott Weidensaul is the author of more than two dozen books on natural history, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist “Living on the Wind,” about bird migration, Return to Wild America, The First Frontier: The Forgotten History of Struggle, Savagery and Endurance in Early America, and his latest book, The Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North America and the Caribbean. Weidensaul is a contributing editor for Audubon, a columnist for Bird Watcher’s Digest and regular contributor to Living Bird; he lives in the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, and studies the migration of owls and hummingbirds.
Mac Stone

Everglades: America's Wetland

Jan. 26, 6:30pm-7:30pm; AUD $30 Includes Taco Bar

Mac Stone is an acclaimed photographer, speaker and author from Gainesville, Florida. Growing up exploring the springs, swamps, and hammocks of North Central Florida, he developed a passion for photography at a young age. His images and stories have appeared in BBC, National Geographic, CNN, NPR, Audubon, WWF and many others. Through photography, Stone strives to start new conversations and expose the dynamic relationship between mankind and the natural world. After spending five years living and working in the Everglades watershed, he released a 304-page coffee table book about the heralded River of Grass. Everglades: America’s Wetland, has won a silver medal with the Florida Book Awards and is in its second printing.

Meet Our Spotlight Speakers

Daily Schedules

Keynotes and Spotlight Presentations

Keynote: Adaptations of Owls by Denver Holt
6:00pm-9:00pm, $60, dinner included

Owls of North America
3:30pm-5:00pm; AUD; $10

Field Trips

T. M. Goodwin WMA – Broadmoor Unit
5:00am-3:00pm; Limit 24 Registrants; $95
David Simpson (Birding with David Simpson)

Lake Apopka Northshore
5:00am-4:00pm, Limit 19 Registrants; $115
Rosi Mulholland (SJRWMD), Jim Peterson (SJRWMD) & Maria Zondervan (SJRWMD) with Jim Eager (Obsessive Compulsive Birding) and David Goodwin

Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area
6:15am-11:30am; Limit 18 Registrants; $40
Lynn Proenza (FWC) & Casey Dorsch (FWC)

Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands at Viera
6:30am-11:30am; Limit 17 Registrants; $65
Tom Ledford

Beginning Birding Field Trip at MINWR
8:00am-11:30m; Limit 12 Registrants; $30
Jeff Gordon (ABA), Liz Gordon (ABA) & Betty Salter

Wildflowers, Plants, & Other Things of the North Brevard Area
8:45am-3:30pm; Limit 16 Registrants; $20
Jim Stahl

Beginning Bird Walk at Chain of Lakes
1:30pm-3:30pm; Limit 10 Registrants; $20
Selena Kiser

Black Rails at the St. Johns NWR
4:00pm-7:00pm; Limit 14 Registrants; $60
David Simpson (Birding with David Simpson), Kimberly King-Wrenn (USFWS)

Boat Trips

Port Canaveral/Lagoon Boat Tour
2:00pm-4:30pm; Limit 47 Registrants; $35
Mark & Michelle Anderson

Workshops

Gull ID at the Brevard County Landfill
7:30am-11:30am; Limit 10 Registrants; $25
Amar Ayyash & Michael Brothers with Joel Reynolds & Rita Perini

Learning Gull ID – Intermediate and Advanced Topics
3:30pm-5:00pm; 4-119; Limit 40 Registrants; $
Amar Ayyash (Blogger/Speaker)

Classrooms

Coming soon

Photography and Digiscoping

Coming soon

Keynotes and Spotlight Presentations

Keynote: Are Birders Having an Identity Crisis? By Iain Campbell
6:00pm-7:00pm, $20

Birds of Prey of the Southeastern U.S.
Kevin T. Karlsen
1:00pm-2:30pm; AUD; $10

Birding South Texas – Adding to your North America List!
Clay Taylor (Swarovski Optik)
2:45pm-3:45pm; AUD; $10

Long-eared Owls: Indicators of Grassland Health
Denver Holt (Owl Research Institute)
Jan. 24, 4:00pm-5:00pm; AUD; $10

Field Trips

St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park
4:30am-12:00pm; limit 16 Registrants, $75
Samantha McGee (Florida State Parks) & David Simpson (Birding with David Simpson)

Central Florida Specialties
5:00am-4:00pm; Limit 24 Registrants; $115
Jim Eager (Obsessive Compulsive Birding) and David Goodwin

Lake Apopka Northshore
5:00am-4:00pm, Limit 19 Registrants; $115
Rosi Mulholland (SJRWMD), Jim Peterson (SJRWMD) & Maria Zondervan (SJRWMD) with Adam Kent (FOS), Gina Kent (Avian Research & Conservation Institute)

Shiloh’s Sharptails, Marshbirds and More
6:15am-11:00am; Limit 16 Registrants; $60
Mitchell Harris

Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area
6:15am-11:30am; Limit 18 Registrants; $40
Lynn Proenza (FWC) & Casey Dorsch (FWC)

Learning to Look
7:00am-10:30am; Orlando Wetlands Park; Limit 14 Registrants; $55
Richard Crossley

Celebrity Walk with Denver Holt and Kevin Karlson
7:45am-11:30am; Limit 18 Registrants; $65

Florida Wildlife Hospital Tour
9:00am-11:00am; Limit 20 Registrants; $15

Beginning Bird Walk at Chain of Lakes
1:30pm-3:30pm; Limit 10 Registrants; $20
Selena Kiser

Historic Pritchard House and Gardens Tour
2:30pm-4:30pm; Limit 16 Registrants; $20
North Brevard Heritage Foundation, Inc.

Gull Fly-In at Daytona Beach Shores
3:30pm-6:00pm; Limit 30 Registrants; $40
Amar Ayyash & Michael Brothers

Black Rails at the St. Johns NWR
4:00pm-7:00pm; Limit 14 Registrants; $60
David Simpson (Birding with David Simpson), Kimberly King-Wrenn (USFWS)

Boat Trips

Manatees at Blue Spring State Park
7:15am-2:15pm; Limit 34 Registrants
Madison Hall (University of Central Florida) and Tiffany Barrineau

Barrier Island Center and Pelican Island Sunset Fly-In
9:30am-7:30pm; Limit 25 Registrants
Anne Birch (The Nature Conservancy) & Ross Hinkle (University of Central Florida)

Port Canaveral/Lagoon Boat Tour
2:00pm-4:30pm; Limit 47 Registrants; $35
Mark & Michelle Anderson

Workshops

Gull ID at the Brevard County Landfill
7:30am-11:30am; Limit 10 Registrants; $25
Amar Ayyash & Michael Brothers with Joel Reynolds & Rita Perini

Gull Fly-In at Daytona Beach Shores
3:30pm-6:00pm; Limit 30 Registrants; $45
Amar Ayyash & Michael Brothers with additional Leaders TBD

Classrooms

Coming soon

Photography and Digiscoping

Coming soon

Keynotes and Spotlight Presentations

Keynote: Caught in the SNOWstorm by Scott Weidensaul
6:00pm-7:00pm, $25

Owl All Over the Place
Kevin Loughlin (Wildside Nature Tours)
Jan. 25, 1:00pm-2:30pm; AUD; $10

Great Horned Owls
Gina Kent (Avian Research & Conservation Institute)
Jan. 25, 2:30pm-3:30pm; AUD; $10

Barn Owls: Nature’s Mousetrap
Dr. Richard Raid (University of Florida)
Jan. 25, 4:00pm-5:00pm; AUD; $10

Field Trips

T. M. Goodwin WMA – Broadmoor Unit
5:00am-3:00pm; Limit 24 Registrants; $95
David Simpson (Birding with David Simpson)

Central Florida Specialties
5:00am-4:00pm; Limit 24 Registrants; $115
Jim Eager (Obsessive Compulsive Birding) and David Goodwin

Red-cockaded Woodpeckers & More at Hal Scott
5:00am-11:30am; Limit 16 Registrants; $55
Maria Zondervan (SJRWMD) & Lorne Malo (FWC)

Shiloh’s Sharptails, Marshbirds and More
6:15am-11:00am; Limit 16 Registrants; $60
Mitchell Harris

Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area
6:15am-11:30am; Limit 18 Registrants; $40
Lynn Proenza (FWC) & Casey Dorsch (FWC)

Orlando Wetlands Park Tram Tour
6:30am-11:30am; Limit 18; $65
Simon Thompson (Ventures Birding Tours)

River to the Sea Rundown (Formerly North Brevard Hotspots)
6:30am-3:30pm; Limit 24 Registrants; $85
Lorne Malo (FWC) & Sarah Linney

Salt Lake Wildlife Management Area
6:45am-11:30am; Limit 24 Registrants; $20
Dave Turner (FWC) & Bryan Ames (FWC)

Turkey Creek Tract – Charles H. Bronson State Forest
6:45am-11:00am; Limit 8 Registrants; $60
Stephen Stipkovits (Florida Forestry Service) & David Hartgrove

Blowing Rocks Preserve and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
7:00am-6:00pm; 13 Registrants
Anne Birch (The Nature Conservancy)

Learning to Look
7:00am-10:30am; Orlando Wetlands Park; Limit 14 Registrants; $55
Richard Crossley

A Walk at Blue Heron Wetlands
7:20am-10:30am; Limit 16 Registrants; $35
Lora Losi and Matt Heyden

Beginning Birding Field Trip at MINWR
8:00am-11:30m; Limit 12 Registrants; $30
Jeff Gordon (ABA), Liz Gordon (ABA) & Betty Salter

Celebrity Walk with Scott Weidensaul and Alex Lamoreaux
8:00am-11:30am; Limit 18 Registrants; $65

Florida Scrub-Jay & Scrub Fire Ecology
8:30am-12:30pm; Limit 40 Registrants; $15
David Breininger, PhD. and Paul Schmalzer, PhD.

Wildflowers, Plants, & Other Things of the North Brevard Area
9:45am-4:30pm; Limit 16 Registrants; $20
Jim Stahl

Beginning Bird Walk at Chain of Lakes
1:30pm-3:30pm; Limit 10 Registrants; $20
Selena Kiser

Historic Pritchard House and Gardens Tour
2:30pm-4:30pm; Limit 16 Registrants; $20
North Brevard Heritage Foundation, Inc.

Gull Fly-In at Daytona Beach Shores
3:30pm-6:00pm; Limit 30 Registrants; $40
Amar Ayyash & Michael Brothers

Boat Trips

Manatees at Blue Spring State Park
7:15am-2:15pm; Limit 34 Registrants
Madison Hall (University of Central Florida) and Tiffany Barrineau

Port Canaveral/Lagoon Boat Tour
2:00pm-4:30pm; Limit 47 Registrants; $35
Mark & Michelle Anderson

Workshops

Gull ID at the Brevard County Landfill
7:30am-11:30am; Limit 10 Registrants; $25
Amar Ayyash & Michael Brothers with Joel Reynolds & Rita Perini

Birding by Impression
Jan. 25, 7:30am-11:30am; Limit 18 Registrants; $60
Kevin T. Karlson and Joao Jara (Birds and Nature Tours Portugal)

Shorebirds Simplified: A Different Approach to Field ID
1:00pm-2:30pm; 4-119; Limit 40 Registrants; $
Kevin T. Karlson

Gull Fly-In at Daytona Beach Shores
3:30pm-6:00pm; Limit 30 Registrants; $45
Amar Ayyash & Michael Brothers with additional Leaders TBD

Sparrow ID Indoor Workshop
3:30pm-5:00pm; 4-119; Limit 40 Registrants; $
Adam Kent (Florida Ornithological Society)

Classrooms

Coming soon

Photography and Digiscoping

Coming soon

Keynotes and Spotlight Presentations

Keynote: Mac Stone
6:30pm-7:30pm, $30, includes taco bar

Field Trips

St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park
4:30am-12:00pm; limit 16 Registrants, $75
Samantha McGee (Florida State Parks) & David Simpson (Birding with David Simpson)

Central Florida Specialties
5:00am-4:00pm; Limit 24 Registrants; $115
Jim Eager (Obsessive Compulsive Birding) and David Goodwin

Lake Woodruff NWR
5:00am-12:30pm; 24 Registrants; $75
David Hartgrove

Birding by Ear and Habitat
6:30am-12:30pm; Limit 12 Registrants; $50
Paddy Cunningham (Birding Adventures)

Orlando Wetlands Park Tram Tour
6:30am-11:30am; Limit 18; $65
Simon Thompson (Ventures Birding Tours)

Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands at Viera
6:30am-11:30am; Limit 17 Registrants; $65
Tom Ledford

Playalinda Beach: Sea-birding from Shore
7:15am-10:00am; Limit 12 Registrants; $45
Mitchell Harris

A Drive at Blue Heron Wetlands
7:20am-10:30am; Limit 16 Registrants; $35
Lora Losi and Matt Heyden

Florida Scrub-Jay & Scrub Fire Ecology
8:30am-12:30pm; Limit 40 Registrants; $15
David Breininger, PhD. and Paul Schmalzer, PhD.

Historic Sites of Canaveral National Seashore
8:30am-4:30pm; Limit 12 Registrants; $75
John & Edie Stiner

Beginning Bird Walk at Chain of Lakes
10:00am-12:00pm; Limit 10 Registrants; $20
Selena Kiser

Historic Pritchard House and Gardens Tour
10:30am-12:30pm; Limit 16 registrants; $20
North Brevard Heritage Foundation, Inc.

Boat Trips

Beach Birds Intro & Field Trip
7:00am-8:30am Classroom Intro
then 9:30am-4:00pm Field Trip; Limit 36 Registrants; $90
Adam Kent (FOS), Gina Kent (Avian Research & Conservation Institute), Michael Brothers, and Jim Danzenbaker

Port Canaveral/Lagoon Boat Tour
2:00pm-4:30pm; Limit 47 Registrants; $35
Mark & Michelle Anderson

Workshops

Birding by Ear and Habitat
6:30am-12:30pm; Limit 12 Registrants; $55
Paddy Cunningham (Birding Adventures)

Gulls and More at Jetty Park
7:30am-11:30am; Limit 18 Registrants; $30
Amar Ayyash & TBD

Shorebird ID Workshop
7:30am-11:30am; Limit 18 Registrants; $60
Kevin T. Karlson & Raymond VanBuskirk (BRANT)

Eastern Warblers – A Comparative Interactive Workshop
1:00pm-2:30pm; 4-119; Limit 40 Registrants; $
Kevin T. Karlson