APOLLO BEACH, Fla. – The Florida Birding and Nature Festival is bringing the sky to the ground on Saturday, April 11, with two free-flying bird of prey demonstrations in Apollo Beach. Hosted by Earthquest Inc., these live sessions are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Suncoast Youth Conservation Center.
The event is a centerpiece of the festival’s Nature Expo and is open to the public at no cost, thanks to funding from TECO’s Manatee Viewing Center. While the expo itself runs Friday and Saturday, April 10 and 11, the Earthquest performances are exclusive to the Saturday schedule. Families are the primary target for the day, as the expo will also feature a variety of other educational activities designed specifically for children.
The demonstration features a lineup of diverse raptors, including an African Black Eagle, a Harris Hawk, a Great Horned Owl, and an Aplomado Falcon. Each bird is trained by Steve Hoddy, a veteran wildlife educator and Earthquest’s Staff Bird Exhibitor. These birds are non-releasable, meaning they cannot survive in the wild and instead serve as ambassadors for their species…