It's about the birds at Fairchild Garden

Ibis's at Fairchild, photo by Gaby Orihuela

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and the Tropical Audubon Society (TAS) are presenting the four-day Bird Festival on October 10 to 13. Two days of off-site birding tours on October 10 and 11 will take amateur and expert birders on engaging half-day or full-day walks through birding hot spots like Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and a hawk watch at Curry Hammock State Park. The fun continues at Fairchild on October 12 and 13 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm with expert-led lectures on birding, talks from James A. Kushlan Keynote Speaker Ted Floyd, editor of the American Birding Association’s Birding magazine, music, food, and a performance by Miami City Ballet. 

At the on-site Bird Festival celebration at Fairchild, visitors can listen to lectures about birding presented by leading ornithological experts, take bird walks led by TAS birding pros, and buy bird attracting plants for their gardens while enjoying food, fun and performances. Keynote Speaker Ted Floyd will present “My Favorite Bird” on Saturday at 1:00 pm, a talk on why our favorite birds say a lot about ourselves. On Sunday at 1:00 pm, he will talk about the fascinating warbler migration in his lecture “Warbler Identification.” 

Visitors will be treated to a very special 30-minute performance by Miami City Ballet on Saturday, October 12 at 2:30 pm on a stage overlooking Fairchild’s beautiful Bailey Palm Glade vista. The 26 dancers will present a preview of Serenade, a ballet that is part of the 2013-2014 season’s Program I: First Ventures opening at the Adrienne Arsht Center on Friday, October 18. Serenade is set to composer Tchaikovsky’s Serenade in C Major and is the first masterpiece that famed choreographer George Balanchine created in America. Guests can visit the Miami City Ballet booth at the Bird Festival to purchase discounted tickets for this program. 

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is located at 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables. Admission is free for Fairchild members, Tropical Audubon Society members, and children 5 and under; $25 for adults, $18 for seniors 65 and up and $12 for children 6-17. Discounts are available for military personnel and anyone who walks, bikes or takes public transportation to the festival. 

For more info and a complete schedule, please call 305-667-1651 or visit the Bird Festival webpage.