Annual Bird Festival returns to Fairchild Garden

Make friends with owls, parrots and more avian creatures when Fairchild teams up with the Tropical Audubon Society (TAS), for the annual Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Bird Festival.  The event features bird walks, a photo contest, lectures by birding experts, and the 76th Annual Members' Day Plant Sale all at

Two days of off-site TAS-led birding field trips are on October 2-3, and the on-site festival is at Fairchild on October 4-5 from 7:30 am - 4:30 pm. October 3 is actually sold out, but there is still room for October 2nd - $50 for members / $60 for non-members for full day and half day adventures is $30 for members and $40 for non-members. Register here.

Meet colorful macaws and parrots from Zoo Miami and amazing owls and raptors from the Falcon Batchelor Bird of Prey Center. Several bird watching walks will be held throughout the weekend, including early morning walks at 7:30 am. and a special walk for children and families in the afternoon. "Birds of Fairchild," a stunning new book written by Dr. James A. Kushlan with photography by Kirsten Hines, will be on sale and available for signing. The book contains more than 200 pages of images highlighting the diversity of birds found in the garden.

The event welcomes two James A. Kushlan Keynote Speakers - James Currie and Dr. Cagan Sekercioglu. Currie has traveled all over the world conducting birding tours. He created the television series "Birding Adventures TV" and hosted National Geographic's "Aerial Assassins" show. Dr. Sekercioglu is an award-winning ornithologist and researcher from Turkey who investigates the factors that cause bird extinctions. He is a professor at the University of Utah Department of Biology, where he teaches conservation biology.

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

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