by Dave Freeland
One of Florida's premier attractions the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival drew a record turnout of more than 2000 participants in November 2003. They were treated to a dazzling array of the state's unique bird life as well as workshops, special events, kayaking adventures, features for children and nationally renowned keynote speakers.
Coming up on November 17-21, 2004 will be the eighth annual Space Coast Festival, sure to challenge last year's attendance record once again.
Centered in Brevard County, the Festival has grown in popularity on an international scale as visitors from 26 states and three foreign countries outnumber local citizens during the five days of field trips and other events. More than 70 percent of 2003's participants were from outside of Brevard County.
The Festival, the most popular of 13 similar wildlife events held annually in Florida from the Panhandle to the Keys, draws its appeal from the many regional refuges and other birding sites as well as proximity to national tourist attractions such as Disney World and the Kennedy Space Center, making a fall trip to Brevard County a family magnet for many citizens.
Last year's Festival included 47 different field trips within Brevard and surrounding counties, 14 workshops for natural history learning experiences, 35 seminars, 28 photography sessions, 31 kayaking adventures and for no charge keynote speakers such as noted author Kenn Kaufman, birding innovator Jim Davis, kayaking expert David Gluckman and historian Dr. Walter Kingsley Taylor.
Already signed on for the 2004 Festival as keynoters are Pete Dunne, author and head of New Jersey's Cape May Bird Observatory; Kevin Karlson, noted birder and photographer; and skilled photographer Arthur Morris. Other keynoters will be added in upcoming weeks.
Birders accumulated a Festival list of 183 species in 2003, including Florida specialties like Limpkin, Reddish Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Snail Kite, Short-tailed Hawk, White-winged Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Florida Scrub-Jay, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Painted Bunting and Bachman's Sparrow.
More unexpected were rarities such as Eared Grebe, American Golden-Plover, Purple Sandpiper, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Rufous Hummingbird.
Over the Festival's seven-year history, birding field trips have recorded 238 species, including unexpected finds like Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, Greater White-fronted Goose, Common Eider, Franklin's Gull, Western Kingbird, Cave Swallow, Clay-colored Sparrow and Yellow-headed Blackbird.
In 2002, one day after the Festival ended, a Mangrove Swallow was found at the Viera Wetlands in Central Brevard County, the first record ever for that Central and South American species in North America. It's little wonder that the Space Coast Festival has made a powerful name for itself across the country and abroad.
Among the popular sites visited by Festival field trips are Merritt Island and Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuges, Port Canaveral, Viera Wetlands, Tosohatchee State Reserve & Orlando Wetlands Park, Little Big Econ State Forest, Blue Spring State Park, Lake Monroe Conservation Area, Smyrna Dunes & Turtle Mound in Canaveral National Seashore, Hal Scott Preserve, Enchanted Forest, Blue Heron Wetlands and birding hot spots of North & South Brevard, Indian River, Orlando, Volusia and Seminole Counties. A planned boat trip into the Atlantic Ocean for seabirds last fall was cancelled due to rough seas and replaced with a visit to Osceola County's birding hot spots.
The Festival, created under the auspices of the Brevard Nature Alliance and a talented volunteer steering committee, has 56 sponsors and partners. Dozens of active volunteers contribute time and energy to making participants feel both welcome and satisfied with their experiences here.
Laurilee Thompson, who owns Titusville's popular Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant, chairs the Festival's steering committee. She is the driving force behind the Festival's growing success.
Sponsors of the 2003 Festival were Amtrak, Avis, Bird Watcher's Digest, Boeing, Brevard Community College, Brunton, Canaveral Port Authority, City of Titusville, Canon USA, Delta Airlines, Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant, Dynamac International, Eagle Optics, FLAUSA, FLORIDA TODAY, Florida Power & Light, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Melbourne International Airport, National Audubon Society, Ocean Club Cruises, Pentax, Pepsi/Aquafina, Reliant Energy, Space Coast Office of Tourism, US Foods and Waste Management.
Partners were Audubon of Florida, Brevard County Parks & Recreation, Brevard Nature Alliance, Brevard Zoo, Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Program, Carslward Transportation, Chamberlin Lacey Studio, Clear Channel Outdoor, Florida State Parks, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Professional Paddlers Association, Florida Trails Association, Hubbs Seaworld Research Institute, Indian River Audubon Society, Lyons Media Group, McDonald's, Merritt Island Wildlife Association, NASA, Kennedy Space Center, National Park Service (Canaveral National Seashore), Space Coast Paddlers Club, St. Johns River Water Management District, Travelynx, The Florida Companies, Titusville Art League, Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce (Titusville Area Visitors Council), University of Central Florida, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Merritt Island, Archie Carr & Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuges), www.VisitTitusville.com.
For further information on the 2004 Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival, contact Neta Harris at Brevard Nature Alliance, email neta@natureandspace.com or telephone 321-268-5224.
