The 13th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival was out of this world! I'm going to go ahead and declare today "honesty Tuesday" and confess that I've never been to a serious birding event, so I was completely floored when I saw the show floor. It was a birding and wildlife bonanza! 

In attendance were representatives from birding tour operators, artists, nature centers, conservation groups and a ton of other nature-related groups. One of the big draws to the event was the Raptor Project, the world's largest traveling group of birds of prey. Jonathon and Susan Wood put on an excellent presentation, and you can even get a photo taken with a raptor of your choosing. Since I was just there for the day, I didn't attend any of the field trips or classes, and I'm kind of kicking myself for not giving myself more time for those activities, but it gives me a good excuse to attend next year.

Also attending the festival was Emmanuel Tormes, Special Assistant to the Governor, who read the proclamation designating Jan. 25-Jan. 31 as Florida Birding & Wildlife Watching and National Resource Education Week. Check out the video for some highlights of the event and the proclamation presentation!