Join Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve for the Festival of Birds. Formerly known as the Southwest Florida Nature Festival, this event invites guests to explore the local environment through almost 40 guided field trips to wildlife hot spots around Southwest Florida and also features programs at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center Jan. 12-14, 2018. Dozens of field trips, including birding walks, buggy rides and boat tours will be offered by area partners. Trips range in price from $20 - $150. Registration for field trips is required and opens Dec. 1 Some highlights include: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Buggy Excursion Twelve Island Kayak Tour Harns Marsh Birding Walk Big Cypress National Preserve Red Cockaded Woodpecker Tour On Friday, Jan. 12, the Environmental Learning Center is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with buy-one/get-one FREE $5 admission. On Saturday, Jan. 13, the Environmental Learning Center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 and includes three featured lectures: "Birding as a Treasure Hunt: My Collier Big Year," "A (Stuffed) Bird in the Hand: The Importance of Modern Natural History Collections" and "The Recipe for Saving Beach Birds: Education, Monitoring and Nice Legs." Saturday's Keynote Presentation by Dr. Ken Meyer, with the Avian Research Conservation Institute, takes place at 5:30 p.m. Admission is $25 and includes light refreshments. His presentation is entitled "Data-driven Conservation for Florida’s Imperiled Raptors and Water Birds: 20 Years of Discovery Through ARCI’s Remote Tracking Studies."