Trips

Why Go to the 16th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival?

December 9, 2012 by Corey 4 Comments

The end of January is a cold time for those of us who live in the northeastern United States. This past January I had the great pleasure of temporarily escaping winter by going to the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival. I had a great time and hoped to be back again in 2013 but life gets in the way sometimes and we don’t always get what we want. Fortunately for you the 16th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival promises to be every bit as good as the 15th and I highly recommend that you go check it out January 23-28, 2013.

a Red-shouldered Hawk I saw at the festival last year

Rather than bore you with a full recap of last year’s festival I thought I would share five simple reasons that you should go to the festival in 2013. Without further ado…

Five Reasons You Should Go To The 15th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival

1. Purple Gallinules. Need I say more?

Purple Gallinule at Circle B Bar Reserve

2. American Alligators! How cool is it that you will be birding in an area with a reptile that could drag you under and kill you?

American Alligator

3. Amazingly cooperative waders. Such big beautiful birds should not allow such close approach but Florida is extremely blessed with confiding herons, cranes, egrets, ibises, and Limpkins.

Little Blue Heron

4. Wildlife spectacles. Visiting Viera Wetlands or Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge’s Wildlife Drive will let you see some big flocks of birds.

American Avocets at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

5. Nate is going to be there! Neither Mike nor I can go this year so Nathan Swick will be representing 10,000 Birds at the festival and blogging away during the whole thing. Make sure to track him down and ask him everything you want to know about bird blogging.

Seriously, get yourself to Titusville, Florida, in January. Tell them 10,000 Birds sent you. And make sure to take lots of pictures!

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10,000 Birds is a Scrub Jay-level sponsor of the 16th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival.

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Written by Corey
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.