Presentations

All presentations are free with registration. Since we are adding presentations currently, feel free to select when you pick up your badge or, since space is limited, save your confirmation number and log in again to select.

Wednesday
- Coming Soon
Thursday
- Birds & Culture in Southern Portugal
Friday
- Restoring the Balance of the Indian River Lagoon
- The Plastic Diet
Saturday
- eBird Tips and Tricks: Maximizing Your Use of the World’s Largest Citizen Science Database
- Discover Panama: A Birdwatcher’s and Nature Lover’s Paradise

Wednesday, January 22

Coming Soon

Thursday, January 23

Birds & Culture in Southern Portugal

Southern Portugal offers a fantastic diversity of habitats and a large variety of birds, in a relatively small territory. All this, besides an excellent infrastructure and a rich cultural heritage, with winding streets, historic plazas and squares, an array of castles, cathedrals, museums, Roman ruins, promenades, culinary delights and great wines. Joao will talk about some of the practical aspects, should you plan a visit.

Date: Thursday, January 23
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Location: Radisson Resort at the Port, Martinique Room
Cost: Free with festival registration

About the Speaker: João was born in Lisbon and studied Biology at the Faculdade de Ciências de Lisboa, from where he developed his professional career in the pharmaceutical industry, as senior manager and director of various multinational companies. With some 40 years of field experience, he has an intimate knowledge of the birds and birding in Portugal. He has travelled extensively in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas with birding as the main objective. João was a member of the national board of SPEA (BirdlLife International partner in Portugal) and was a voting member of the Portuguese Rarities Committee from 2005 until 2011 and chairman of the committee from 2007 until 2011. Author and co-author of articles about birds, João is also co-author of the book Where to Watch Birds in Southern Portugal. In 2008, he launched the first Portuguese company totally dedicated to the organization of birdwatching tours, Birds & Nature Tours Portugal, which he manages and guides many of its tours, as well as presenting bird identification courses. Besides birds, he has an active special interest in amphibians, reptiles and fish.

Friday, January 24

Restoring the Balance of the Indian River Lagoon

The current condition of the IRL didn’t change overnight – there was a recent defining moment that tipped the Lagoon from a more natural seagrass dominated system to a less natural algae dominated system. When we understand our roles in what ails the lagoon, we can better understand how to bring it back to a healthier balance.

Date: Friday, January 24
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Location: Radisson Resort at the Port, Martinique Room
Cost: Free with festival registration

About the Speaker: Heather Stapleton graduated from Indiana University with triple majors in Environmental Studies, Political Science and French with an area concentration Public Affairs. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin, West Africa for three years. Previously, Heather was the Education Director at the Environmental Learning Center for 16 years. Currently a community engagement coordinator for the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, she channels her passion for the environment into fostering community connections and helping people live more lagoon-friendly. She started her plastic free diet in February 2024 and for the most part, has stuck to it!

The Plastic Diet

Single-stream recycling aimed to boost recycling rates, but less is being recycled now. Most plastic is downcycled or not recycled at all, often becoming litter through curbside spills, wind, or wildlife. This litter harms birds, who ingest plastic, mistaking it for food, leading to malnutrition, poisoning, and death. Birds also use plastic in nests, which can harm chicks. Reducing single-use plastics can help. Heather Stapleton shares her journey of significantly reducing plastic use, finding empowerment in each successful change. One attendee to this talk will win a sustainable gift basket that will help you on your way to a plastic-free future!

Date: Friday, January 24
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Location: Radisson Resort at the Port, Martinique Room
Cost: Free with festival registration

Saturday, January 25

eBird Tips and Tricks: Maximizing Your Use of the World’s Largest Citizen Science Database

Join Will Johnson, regional eBird reviewer for Brevard, Volusia, and Indian River counties, for an interactive and wide-ranging discussion on how to make the most of eBird for reporting and tracking your bird observations, exploring the birdlife in your area, and contributing to impactful citizen science. In this session we will place particular emphasis on demystifying the eBird review process and learning best practices for documenting your sightings so that you can become a more skilled and intentional (e)birder in the field. Whether you’re a veteran eBird user or completely new to the program, this session is designed so that everybody will take away valuable lessons they can apply during the festival’s many fantastic field trips.

Date: Saturday, January 25
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Location: Radisson Resort at the Port, Martinique Room
Cost: Free with festival registration

About the Speaker: Will Johnson serves as the regional eBird reviewer for Brevard, Volusia, and Indian River counties and contributes to local environmental organizations as a frequent guest speaker and tour leader. A lifelong resident and avid birder of east-central Florida, Will has developed a thorough expertise of local birdlife and is particularly knowledgeable about this area’s migration patterns, vagrancy trends, and biogeography. In addition to spending extensive time in the field, Will enjoys expressing his love of birds through art and illustration and has had his artwork featured in multiple local and national publications. Will recently graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, and he currently works remotely from Vero Beach, FL for a climate tech startup supporting nature-based carbon removal projects.

Discover Panama: A Birdwatcher’s and Nature Lover’s Paradise

Nestled between North and South America, Panama may be compact, but it rivals the natural splendor of much larger nations. This biodiversity hotspot, no bigger than South Carolina, is a treasure trove for nature enthusiasts. With over 1,015 bird species, along with diverse mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and more than 10,000 plant species, Panama’s ecological richness is nothing short of extraordinary.

Join Carlos Bethancourt, a seasoned guide with the Canopy Family, on a captivating photographic journey. Explore lush habitats, from the historic Canal Zone to the foothills of western Panama and the untamed beauty of the Darién lowlands in the east. Along the way, encounter everything from majestic toucans and vibrant hummingbirds to the elusive Panamanian Night Monkey and playful Kinkajous. Carlos’s engaging stories and vivid imagery will transport you right into the heart of Panama’s wilderness.

Prepare to immerse yourself in an adventure where each turn reveals why Panama is a paradise for birding and nature exploration.

Date: Saturday, January 25
Time: 1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Location: Radisson Resort at the Port, Martinique Room
Cost: Free with festival registration

About the Speaker: Carlos Bethancourt was born in Panama City in 1978 and grew up surrounded by the natural beauty of Huile, a rural village near the Canal Zone. Influenced by his family’s deep connection to nature, he developed a passion for conservation and birdwatching from an early age. After high school, Carlos earned a scholarship to study natural resources and ornithology at Mt. Hood Community College in Oregon. He began his career at the Canopy Tower in 2000, quickly establishing himself as a leading figure in the birdwatching community. Over the years, he has led tours, workshops, and presented at major birding events across the United States, Great Britain, and Germany, sharing his expertise with bird enthusiasts around the world. In 2018, Carlos was recognized as ‘Best Nature Tour Guide’ by EcoTripMatch. Today, he remains deeply involved in marketing and conservation projects for the Canopy Family, working to promote ecotourism and protect Panama’s natural treasures.