CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – We’re in the middle of a birding boom, and one of the biggest bird-watching festivals in the country happens here in Central Florida every year.
The Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival brings in tourists from around the country, and they fill hotel rooms during a traditionally slow part of the season.
But that success may be in jeopardy. Studies show there are fewer birds to watch.
Now in its 27th year, the festival continues to be a premier event for bird enthusiasts, drawing more than 700 participants from across the country.
The festival offers a rich mix of field trips, educational workshops, vendor expos, and evening talks by naturalists and authors.
Those field trips happen all across the region. News 6 was there as about a dozen hobbyists gathered before sunrise to tour Shiloh Marsh in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Guides, Mitchell Harris and Josh Covill, pointed out birds of interest as we made our way through knee-high grass along the Indian River.
“I think it’s a peaceful part of the human experience,” Harris said, a scope and tripod resting on his shoulder. “It gives us a chance to reconnect with nature.”
“It’s like the ultimate scavenger hunt,” Covill added. “And it’s also a gateway to the natural world. You can go out for the day, pick through all the bushes and the marshes and look for cool and exciting wildlife. It’s an excuse to get out.”
An excuse to get out is partly responsible for a surge in interest.
“It seems to be growing. We got a bump during COVID,” Harris explained. “People wanted to be out-of-doors which I promote because it keeps you away from some of the alternatives in life. I think experience like this, if you’re able to connect with it, you’ll love it and you’ll want to save it and that’s what it’s about.”
Linda McMahan, president of the festival’s board of directors, emphasized the festival’s broad appeal and commitment to conservation.
[VIDEO BELOW: Birding tips for beginners]
“We’re just working very hard to try to open doors and ideas and thoughts to people on so many different levels,” she said. The festival features not only birding trips but also discovery areas and workshops, including photography sessions for those wanting to capture the beauty of birds.
A November 2024 report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) says there are nearly 96 million birders in the United States. That’s more than a third of U.S. adults who together spent more than $107 billion in 2022.
Those hobbyists spent more than $107 billion in 2022 on things like binoculars, feeders, cameras and hobby-related trips.
But another study tempers that enthusiasm. In Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology 2025 State of the Birds report, researchers report steady declines in bird populations.
The findings echo studies going back for years.
One of the festival’s unique features is its pavilion dedicated to conservation initiatives and education. Attendees can learn about the 7 simple things you can do to help:
1. Make Windows Safer, Day and Night
Simple adjustments to your windows can save birds’ lives.
2. Keep Cats Indoors
Indoor cats live longer, healthier lives. Outdoor cats kill more birds than any other non-native threat.
3. Reduce Lawn by Planting Native Species
The U.S. has 63 million acres of lawn. That’s a huge potential for supporting wildlife.
4. Avoid Pesticides
Look for organic food choices and cut out some of the 1 billion pounds of pesticides used in the U.S. each year.
5. Drink Coffee That’s Good for Birds
Shade-grown coffees are delicious, economically beneficial to farmers, and help more than 42 species of North American songbirds.
6. Protect Our Planet From Plastics
91% of plastics are not recycled, and they take 400 years to degrade.
7. Watch Birds, Share What You See
Bird watchers are one of science’s most vital sources of data on how the ecological world is faring.
“Not to sugarcoat it, the birds need help,” Covill said. “But luckily, there’s places like this that are huge protected areas and we’re getting more and more people interested in bird watching. You won’t protect what you don’t love and you can’t love something until you know it. So, just getting out and knowing birds, knowing wild places is the first step.”
Interested in birding? Here is an interview with Clay Taylor, Naturalist Market Manager for Swarovski Optik. He offers some tips for beginners.