Space Coast Flyway Festival
Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce
2000 South Washington Avenue
Titusville, Florida 32780
(321) 267-3036
August 31, 1998
This four day family festival celebrates birds and wildlife on a grand scale.Activities center around Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore. They have been ranked eleventh in the WORLD among Ecotourist destinations that "give the most enriching experience" in a survey of ecotourists by the Weissmann Travel Reports.
You'll find 24 miles of undeveloped beach for swimming, fishing, surfing, hiking, relaxing. This area is home to a remarkable variety of species: 1,045 plants, 330 birds, 117 fishes, 65 amphibians and reptiles, and 31 mammals. Of these, 16 are currently federally listed as threatened or endangered. The coastal location, scores of geological events," variety of habitats, position between the subtropic and temperate climatic zones, and location on a major flyway make this area unique and beautiful. Because of this, Brevard County has some of the finest birding in the world!
The highlight event is the international birding contest for teams of 4. Over $10,000.00 in prizes will be given out in categories ranging from expert teams to elementary school teams. The competition starts at 5:00am on Saturday and ends at 10:00am on Sunday and birding area includes all of Brevard County. Pre-registration is required. Species of special interest include the Florida scrub jay, crested caracara, burrowing owl, snail kite, reddish egret, roseate spoonbill, Southern bald eagle, plus a variety of shorebirds, migratory waterfowl, wading birds, and raptors.
Tom Hince, a member of the 1997 winning birding team from Windsor, Canada, had this to say: "Despite the lateness of the season, we found 160 species within the boundaries of Merritt Island and the many other fine birding sites in Brevard County - in just over a day of birding. The number of birds on this refuge is staggering. Literally thousands of American coots, pied-billed grebes, American wigeon, egrets, herons, ibis, and shorebirds are sure to be seen."
Daily events include seminars and field trips via kayak, horseback, vans and busses. These include wildflowers (Dr. Walter Taylor), butterflies (Buck & Linda Cooper), whooping cranes (Steve Nesbitt & Marty Folk), bats, red wolf, manatees, scrub ecosystems, prairie ecosystems, Indian River Lagoon estuary, Enchanted Forest Sanctuary, birding, and more.
Friday evening features the Birds of a Feather social and Bar-B-Q at the Ace of Hearts Ranch in Port St. John. Activities include horseback riding, hayrides, live music, and a chance to mingle with Brevard's birding experts.
Saturday is Kids & Family Edu-tainment Day with special programs and exhibits including Gopher Tortoise, Florida BobCat, and arts & crafts. It will feature live animal exhibits, including Birds of Prey (including an Eagle), Florida Panther, and Alligator. Educational programs will be taking place at Canaveral National Seashore. Sunset hayrides will take place at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The birding competition starts at 5:00am.
Sunday the birding competition ends at 10:00am. The Awards Ceremony will take place at the Brevard Community College Titusville Campus. The Grand Prize is 4 Leica Spotting Scopes for the team that spots the most number of species. Prizes worth thousands of dollars will be awarded to other qualifying teams.
Headquarters for the Festival will be at Brevard Community College, Titusville Campus, located on Route U.S. 1, north of Titusville.
Registration and information is available through the Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce at (321) 267-3036. Contestants and their families will find a great deal of helpful information on the Festival's website at http://www.nbbd.com/fly/.
The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, the Merritt Island Wildlife Association, Canaveral National Seashore, the Indian River Audubon Society, and the Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce host the Space Coast Flyway Festival.