More than 50 exhibits for birding, wildlife, and nature enthusiasts create an exciting Expo Center. Destination tour companies, wildlife and birding organizations, nature-based businesses, authors, photographers, and painters showcase their talents to help you increase your fun. Examine and explore an outstanding array of camera and optic equipment. Swarovski Optik offers to clean and inspect your optics equipment (any brand) free of charge, so bring your binoculars and scopes to the Expo Center!

The Expo Center is open each afternoon so you can visit as soon as your field trip returns. Check the Bird Updates first for real-time information on the latest sightings!

Afternoon workshops and presentations are on site so you can easily pop in and out of the Expo Center before and after sessions to see what’s available and say hello to the festival sponsors.

Schedule of Events:

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

St. Sebastian River Preserve SP and Fellsmere Grade - 5:00 – 11:00 a.m

This trip features some of the best birding sites in southern Brevard and Indian River Counties. With an early start at St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park we’ll see Red-cockaded Woodpeckers emerge from their roost cavities, see Brown-headed Nuthatches, hopefully see and hear Bachman’s Sparrows singing. Learn about RCWO and BHNU relocation efforts and other management projects while seeing these very special birds. After we get our fill of pinewoods inhabitants, we will cross over to the Fellsmere Grade Recreation Area to see the nesting Roseate Spoonbills and other possible species.

Price: $95 includes a box lunch & snack.

Offshore Birding and Wildlife Pelagic Adventure - 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The Canaveral Princess is an 85-foot, single-hull boat with excellent observation areas on the upper deck, bow and stern. We will first visit working shrimp boats for the birds that follow them. Our chumming behind the boat will result in a crowd of gulls, terns, pelicans and gannets to watch from amazingly close quarters. Once we’ve collected some birds to follow our boat, if the weather permits, we’ll set out for the Gulf Stream. Our destination will be an undersea formation known as “The Steeples,” a productive setting of cliffs and seamounts that create upwellings and current edges along the western edge of the Gulf Stream. Birds likely to be seen include Northern Gannet; Pomarine and Parasitic Jaeger and several species of gulls and terns. Birds we hope to see include Audubon’s, Cory’s, Great and Manx Shearwater; Band-rumped Storm Petrel; Bridled and Sooty Tern; Brown Booby; Red Phalarope; Black-legged Kittiwake and Sabine’s Gull.

Price: $195 includes a box lunch & snack.

Beginning Birding Field Trip at MINWR - 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Join Kim for an intimate morning of instruction and observation along the highly acclaimed Black Point Wildlife Drive where there will be birds galore. She will provide helpful hints for beginners such as where to find birds, interesting behaviors, and identification tricks of the birding trade. We will see how the reddish egret dances for its food while the Little Blue Heron simply stalks its food. The large flocks of white birds will become familiar to you as Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, White Ibis, Woodstorks and White Pelicans. Shallow impoundments filled with wading birds will offer opportunities to differentiate between egrets and herons. Birding is far more than a hobby. It is an open door to the world of nature, a touch point that connects people to the outdoors.

Price: $35

Learn Wildlife Photography at Orlando Wetlands Park - 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Orlando Wetlands Park: Orlando Wetlands Park is an ideal spot for bird photography, boasting a wide variety of bird species such as herons, egrets, and ibises. Our main Focus in this class will be how configure your camera to the right setting for stunning photographs.

Note: To ensure that you get the most from this trip, the field trip leader will contact you at the email address that you used to register for the festival to discuss what type of camera you will be bringing and your current level of photography experience.

Price: $65

Flora & Fauna of Merritt Island NWR - 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

On this trip we will start with a hardwood hammock trail seeing oaks, maples, elms, palms, sub-tropical shrubs and the expected native species of woodland birds. Years ago a Townsends warbler spent the entire winter basically in a single large live oak. Then we will drive a short distance to a scrub/pine flatwoods habitat that borders a large marsh. There will be scrub oaks, lyonias and various scrub species. Florida Scrub-Jays are probable and Roseate Spoonbills, egrets, shorebirds and eagles are possible.

Price: $30

Mullet Head Island Kayak Trip at MINWR – Wed Trip 1 - 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Join Rebecca Chapman from Springs to Sea Old Florida Eco Tours for a 2 hour kayak trip to the protected rookery known as Mullet Head Island (also known as “Bird Island”.) Paddle to an uninhabited island or through a maze of twisted mangrove forests in the Coastal Wildlife Kayak Tour. As you glide through the shallow lagoon of a wildlife refuge, keep your eyes peeled for playful dolphins, gentle manatees, colorful flamingos, and a whole cast of slippery stingrays and wading birds. This is your chance to get up close and personal with the wildest coastal critters! Our stops along this tour may include Bird Island (wind-dependent), a mangrove forest, known manatee observation areas, or shallow flats teeming with rays, hermit crabs, and mullet!

Note: No children under 4 years old are allowed on this trip.

Price: $60.00

Tour of Veterans Memorial Park “Smart” Rain Garden – Wednesday - 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Discover the newly enhanced Veterans Memorial Park, a cherished community space that harmoniously blends natural beauty with innovative technology improving resilience for the City of Cape Canaveral. The park recently underwent a transformative upgrade made possible by a $1 million National Science Foundation CIVIC Challenge grant.

The focus of this tour will be the new “Smart” Rain Garden, a sophisticated bioswale system monitored by a network of remote sensors and capable of holding 150,000 gallons of stormwater filtered by nearly 1,000 Florida-friendly and native plants which create a thriving habitat for local pollinators.

Join us under majestic oak trees, including one unique specimen over 250 years old, to observe butterflies and bees while learning more about this example of green stormwater infrastructure. Veterans Memorial Park provides a model for how urban spaces can mitigate flood risks and protect water quality, while also providing vital natural areas for community members – wildlife and humans alike.

Price: $ 10.00

Airboat birding along the St. Johns – Wed Trip 1 - 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 

You will enjoy the exclusive combination of Captain Mike, a fifth generation Floridian who grew up here on the river, and a professional birding tour guide and other birders on this exclusive small personal tour. You will glide along marshes and into a secluded cypress swamp to view an abundance of wading birds, waterfowl and raptors on this special adventure. This is optimal habitat for Snail Kites, Crested Caracaras, and Bald Eagles. In fact, 25 Bald Eagles were observed on just one trip in 2020. The St Johns River floodplain is only accessible by airboat due to the shallow depth. Your guides will point out the habitats and ongoing activity of the many species that are found here. Other wildlife, including alligators, may be encountered. This is a great opportunity for birders who prefer to avoid strenuous walking or hiking. Airboat Tours are hosted by A St. Johns River Airboat Tours LLC in Titusville, FL

Price: $90

Mullet Head Island Kayak Trip at MINWR – Wed Trip 2

Join Rebecca Chapman from Springs to Sea Old Florida Eco Tours for a 2 hour kayak trip to the protected rookery known as Mullet Head Island (also known as “Bird Island”.) Paddle to an uninhabited island or through a maze of twisted mangrove forests in the Coastal Wildlife Kayak Tour. As you glide through the shallow lagoon of a wildlife refuge, keep your eyes peeled for playful dolphins, gentle manatees, colorful flamingos, and a whole cast of slippery stingrays and wading birds. This is your chance to get up close and personal with the wildest coastal critters! Our stops along this tour may include Bird Island (wind-dependent), a mangrove forest, known manatee observation areas, or shallow flats teeming with rays, hermit crabs, and mullet!

Note: No children under 4 years old are allowed on this trip.

Airboat birding along the St. Johns – Wed Trip 2 - 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 

You will enjoy the exclusive combination of Captain Mike, a fifth generation Floridian who grew up here on the river, and a professional birding tour guide and other birders on this exclusive small personal tour. You will glide along marshes and into a secluded cypress swamp to view an abundance of wading birds, waterfowl and raptors on this special adventure. This is optimal habitat for Snail Kites, Crested Caracaras, and Bald Eagles. In fact, 25 Bald Eagles were observed on just one trip in 2020. The St Johns River floodplain is only accessible by airboat due to the shallow depth. Your guides will point out the habitats and ongoing activity of the many species that are found here. Other wildlife, including alligators, may be encountered. This is a great opportunity for birders who prefer to avoid strenuous walking or hiking. Airboat Tours are hosted by A St. Johns River Airboat Tours LLC in Titusville, FL

Price: $90

Airboat Birding Along the St. Johns – Wed Trip 3 - 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. 

You will enjoy the exclusive combination of Captain Mike, a fifth generation Floridian who grew up here on the river, and a professional birding tour guide and other birders on this exclusive small personal tour. You will glide along marshes and into a secluded cypress swamp to view an abundance of wading birds, waterfowl and raptors on this special adventure. This is optimal habitat for Snail Kites, Crested Caracaras, and Bald Eagles. In fact, 25 Bald Eagles were observed on just one trip in 2020. The St Johns River floodplain is only accessible by airboat due to the shallow depth. Your guides will point out the habitats and ongoing activity of the many species that are found here. Other wildlife, including alligators, may be encountered. This is a great opportunity for birders who prefer to avoid strenuous walking or hiking. Airboat Tours are hosted by A St. Johns River Airboat Tours LLC in Titusville, FL

Price: $90

Blue Dolphin Ultimate Boat Birding - 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The Blue Dolphin is a 49-passenger Coast Guard approved pontoon boat operated by Mark and Michele Anderson. This four-hour adventure will start at Kelly Park East, which is just 6 minutes from the Radisson Resort. We will cross the Banana River, pass through the Canaveral Locks and into Port Canaveral where you may see the Space X fleet of rocket recovery ships and plenty of birds! In addition, you are likely to see dolphins. A flock of American White Pelicans is normally seen at the entrance to the locks and during the cruise you will see Ospreys and other raptors, Wood Storks, Northern Gannets, pelicans, cormorants, gulls, terns and lots of egrets and herons. Past trips have produced such uncommon visitors as Common Eider, Magnificent Frigatebird Sabine’s Gull and Common Loon. We are looking forward to seeing you aboard the Blue Dolphin.

Price: $100 includes snack, water, and boxed lunch.

Mullet Head Island Kayak Trip at MINWR – Wed Trip 3

Join Rebecca Chapman from Springs to Sea Old Florida Eco Tours for a 2 hour kayak trip to the protected rookery known as Mullet Head Island (also known as “Bird Island”.) Paddle to an uninhabited island or through a maze of twisted mangrove forests in the Coastal Wildlife Kayak Tour. As you glide through the shallow lagoon of a wildlife refuge, keep your eyes peeled for playful dolphins, gentle manatees, colorful flamingos, and a whole cast of slippery stingrays and wading birds. This is your chance to get up close and personal with the wildest coastal critters! Our stops along this tour may include Bird Island (wind-dependent), a mangrove forest, known manatee observation areas, or shallow flats teeming with rays, hermit crabs, and mullet!

Note: No children under 4 years old are allowed on this trip.

Price: $60.00

Marsh Birding at the St. Johns NWR – Wed - 4:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.

A caravan of USFWS trucks will carry attendees into the St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge which is a restricted access property. This preserve was the last home of the now-extinct Dusky Seaside Sparrow. These marshes west of Titusville are unique because saline water seeps to the surface from a layer of salty water that lies above the Floridan Aquifer, creating marine-type habitats in the middle of a huge freshwater floodplain – perfect for secretive marsh birds. The Black Rail is one of the most elusive wetland birds and is on the state and federal endangered and threatened species lists. King Rails and Virginia Rails are also possible. As the sun sets on the marsh horizon and wading birds flock to their roosts, we will make stops and listen for elusive rail calls.

Price: $65 Includes a snack.

Date: January 22 - 26, 2025