Time:  7:30 am - 10:30 am 
Trip Leaders: Big Cypress National Preserve Ranger
Field trip cost: $10 with Festival registration
Field trip maximum: 20
Additional Info: Wheelchair accessible

Big Cypress National Preserve - Turner River Canoe Trip

Paddle the Turner River past towering cypress, through mangrove tunnels and across sawgrass prairies to view some of South Florida’s most spectacular scenery and wildlife. Canoes, paddles, and life vests provided.

Focus: Specialty/Canoeing – This field trip will focus on the activity, incorporating education on the wildlife, habitat and ecology of the area visited and is NOT primarily a birding field trip.

Big Cypress National Preserve – Wildflower Walk

Take a walk on the wild side and experience the amazing wildflowers of Big Cypress National Preserve by joining National Park Staff on a walk into this special region of Florida. While exploring the trails through cypress domes, pinelands and prairies you will discover the kaleidoscope of colors displayed by the many wildflower species found there.

Focus: Specialty/Botany – This field trip will focus on the plants, habitat and ecology of the area visited and is NOT primarily a birding field trip.

Clam Pass Park – Birding Walk

We’ll walk through a mangrove forest along the three-quarter-mile boardwalk which runs to the bridge that spans Clam Bay. From here we should see a variety of wading birds and often an Osprey or two. Next we’ll head directly to Clam Pass to view an early morning assortment of coastal waterbirds, both on the beach and fishing along the inlet. During our leisurely return trip we’ll discuss the ecology of the area, talk about shells and visit the Gopher Tortoise area.

Focus: Birding – This field trip will focus on the identification and biology of birds. Please bring binoculars and a bird field guide (if you have one).

Conservancy of Southwest Florida - Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Tour

Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic. Each year more than 2,500 animals are treated at the clinic and nearly 50 percent are released back into the wild. Learn about causes of injuries, treatment protocols and what you can do to help injured and orphaned wildlife. This is a fascinating program and space is extremely limited.

Focus: Specialty/Wildlife Rehabilitation – This field trip will focus on work done at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary – Morning Backcountry Swamp Buggy Trip

Rise and shine. Board a swamp buggy to explore the “off-limits” back country of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary’s north end. We will traverse several habitat types and will be on the lookout for the many birds of the back country, including hawks, warblers, ducks, sandhill cranes, wading birds, and more! We will also keep a lookout for other wildlife and learn about the management of this 13,000 acre sanctuary.

Focus: Wildlife – This field trip will focus on the wildlife, habitat and ecology of the area visited and is NOT primarily a birding field trip.   

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary – Sundown Backcountry Swamp Buggy Trip

Board a swamp buggy to explore the “off-limits” back country of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary’s north end. We will traverse several habitat types and will be on the lookout for the many birds of the back country, including hawks, warblers, ducks, sandhill cranes, wading birds, and more! We will also keep a lookout for other wildlife and learn about the management of this 13,000 acre sanctuary.

Focus: Wildlife – This field trip will focus on the wildlife, habitat and ecology of the area visited and is NOT primarily a birding field trip.

Eagle Lakes Community Park – Birding for Beginners

Just starting out as a birder? Not sure what that big white bird in your back yard is? Then join us for an easy walk at a great birding spot. This trip provides an introduction to birding and tips on how to identify the most common birds in the area.

Focus: Birding – This field trip will focus on the identification and biology of birds. Please bring binoculars and a bird field guide (if you have one).

Everglades National Park - Shark Valley Birding Walk

When many people think about Everglades National Park, they picture Shark Valley. It is the classic “river of grass”-- a sawgrass marsh full of life and fantastic birding opportunities. Participants on this morning walk may encounter anhingas, limpkins, purple gallinules, wood storks, red-shouldered hawks, snail kites, warblers and gnatcatchers as well as a wide variety of nesting herons and egrets. Alligators, turtles, otters, and deer may also be seen.

Focus: Birding – This field trip will focus on the identification and biology of birds. Please bring binoculars and a bird field guide (if you have one).

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park – Swamp Walk

Explore a unique swamp forest with Park Biologist Mike Owen. The interior of the Fakahatchee Strand supports a rich growth of tropical plants. Many birds and animals inhabit the swamp; Red-shouldered Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Barred Owl, Common Ground Dove, Great Egret, White Ibis, Limpkin, Florida black bear, river otter, Everglades mink and the endangered Florida Panther. Since there is no path, participants wade through cypress forest and popash-pondapple sloughs in water from 1 to 3 feet deep!

Focus: Wildlife – This field trip will focus on the wildlife, habitat and ecology of the area visited and is NOT primarily a birding field trip.

Big Cypress National Preserve – Bear Island Bike Trip

Bike through a variety of Florida habitats while searching for signs of wildlife such as panther and bear. Catch a glimpse of a gator or an otter and watch for wading and songbirds. This 12 mile round trip on hard rock roads is an easy and quiet way to view many wildlife species in the preserve.

Focus: Specialty/Bicycling – This field trip will focus on the activity, incorporating education on the wildlife, habitat and ecology of the area visited and is NOT primarily a birding field trip.

Big Cypress National Preserve - Kirby Storter Boardwalk

The Kirby Storter Boardwalk is a fantastic way to get off the highway and enjoy the fascinating flora and fauna of the Big Cypress National Preserve without getting your feet wet. Join a ranger to learn more about this incredible resource.

Focus: Wildlife – This field trip will focus on the wildlife, habitat and ecology of the area visited and is NOT primarily a birding field trip.

Bunche Beach Preserve (San Carlos Bay) – Birding Walk

We will spend the morning walking along Bunche Beach, the mainland side of San Carlos Bay, which is a part of the Lee County Conservation 20/20 program. Shorebirds are the big draw here, but wintering gulls, terns, and wading birds should also be in abundance. Shorebirds likely to be seen include Western and Least Sandpipers, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone, Willet, and up to 4 species of plover including Black-bellied, Wilson’s, Semipalmated, and Piping. Additional shorebird possibilities include Red Knot, Long-billed Curlew, and Marbled Godwit. Roosting flocks of Black Skimmers may also be present.

Focus: Birding – This field trip will focus on the identification and biology of birds. Please bring binoculars and a bird field guide (if you have one).

Clam Pass Park – Nature Walk

We’ll walk through a mangrove forest along the three-quarter-mile boardwalk which runs to the bridge that spans Clam Bay. From here we should see a variety of wading birds and often an Osprey or two. Next we’ll head directly to Clam Pass to view an early morning assortment of coastal waterbirds, both on the beach and fishing along the inlet. During our leisurely return trip we’ll discuss the ecology of the area, talk about shells and visit the Gopher Tortoise area.

Focus: Wildlife – This field trip will focus on the wildlife, habitat and ecology of the area visited and is NOT primarily a birding field trip.

Collier-Seminole State Park – Birding Walk

We will spend the morning exploring the extensive tropical hardwood hammock vegetation in Collier-Seminole State Park for wintering landbirds such as warblers, vireos, and thrushes. Birds we hope to see or hear include Pileated Woodpecker, Great-Crested Flycatcher, and Carolina Wren. Past trips have located winter rarities such as White-crowned Pigeon, Yellow-throated Vireo, Summer Tanager, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Focus: Birding – This field trip will focus on the identification and biology of birds. Please bring binoculars and a bird field guide (if you have one).  

Conservancy of Southwest Florida - Rookery Bay Sunset Roost Cruise

Cast off for some great birding and cruise Rookery Bay on the Conservancy’s Good Fortune pontoon boat. Join us for a beautiful sunset cruise in search of nesting Bald Eagle and Osprey, terns, gulls, shorebirds and waders. Dusk brings thousands of Fish Crows, Brown Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, herons, ibis and other wading birds in to roost on a few mangrove islands in Rookery Bay. This is a true southwest Florida treat and a very popular outing.

Focus: Birding – This field trip will focus on the identification and biology of birds. Please bring binoculars and a bird field guide (if you have one).

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary – Boardwalk Tour

Experience the sights and sounds of the awakening swamp. A 2.25-mile raised boardwalk takes visitors through several distinct habitats found within the 13,000-acre Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, including the largest remaining virgin bald cypress forest in North America. Participants will learn about the upland and freshwater wetland ecosystems that are found at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and why these ecosystems are so important to the birds that live there. We may see barred owls, wading birds, alligators, turtles, otters, deer, and more.

Focus: Wildlife – This field trip will focus on the wildlife, habitat and ecology of the area visited and is NOT primarily a birding field trip.

Eagle Lakes Community Park – Birding Walk

We will spend the morning walking the berms of the created wetlands at Eagle Lakes Park. The impoundments act as water percolation ponds for treated effluent from Collier County’s Wastewater plant and serve as an oasis for wildlife amid urban development. We will search the ponds and surrounding area for herons, egrets, ducks, raptors, woodpeckers and warblers.

Focus: Birding – This field trip will focus on the identification and biology of birds. Please bring binoculars and a bird field guide (if you have one).

Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge – Birding Walk

We will be hiking along a 1.3 mile long trail that meanders through several natural community types including hardwood hammock, pine flatwood, wet prairie, and mixed pine hardwood forest. Bird species expected to be seen include a wide range of resident and wintering landbirds including up to five species of woodpeckers, warblers, and with just a little late season water, egrets, White Ibis, and Wood Storks. There is also a good chance to see other wildlife including whitetail deer, raccoons, armadillos, and perhaps a Florida panther track!

Focus: Birding – This field trip will focus on the identification and biology of birds. Please bring binoculars and a bird field guide (if you have one).

Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge – Oil Pad Road Birding Walk

We will spend the morning walking along the Oil Pad Road (2 miles roundtrip) which is the only road access into the Ten Thousand Islands NWR. Wading birds such as Great Egret, Snowy Egret, and White Ibis should be plentiful and there is a good chance we will see Wood Storks and Roseate Spoonbills. We will also attempt to draw out secretive marshbirds such as rails and bitterns and search for landbirds wintering in the tropical hardwoods along the road. If time permits, we will look for Snail Kites on the way back.

Focus: Birding – This field trip will focus on the identification and biology of birds. Please bring binoculars and a bird field guide (if you have one).

Tigertail Beach/Sand Dollar Lagoon – Birding Walk for Beginners

Can’t tell a gull from a tern? Do you think all shorebirds look alike? This trip for beginners is an introduction on how to identify and appreciate the most common birds found on our local beaches. This natural area is the second most valuable resting and feeding site for coastal waterbirds on the west coast of Florida and among the species we hope to see are Great, Snowy and Reddish Egrets, five species of plover (including Snowy and Piping), plus other shorebirds, gulls and terns.

Focus: Birding – This field trip will focus on the identification and biology of birds. Please bring binoculars and a bird field guide (if you have one).