From Janet Papinaw, Planning Committee Chair, 2010 Big “O” Birding Festival

The 2010 Big “O” Birding Extravaganza was a huge success!  This event was hosted at the Clewiston Inn March 25th through the 28th.  We visited 16 different sites in Hendry and Glades Counties and during the four day festival, over 126 different bird species were seen, some “life list” birds, and a few exotics.

Our attendance exceeded last year’s attendance and about one-third came from outside of Florida, just for the event.  On behalf of the planning committee, I’d like to express our extreme gratitude to the following people who led the many birding tours throughout Hendry and Glades Counties:  Margaret England, Gene McAvoy, Dr. Paul Gray from Florida Audubon, archeologist Chris Davenport, Mark & Selena Kiser from Florida’s Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Ken Burgenor, Capt. James Erskine, Deen Mountain, Kim Willis from DuPuis Management Area, local author Mark Renz, Lynda White from Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, and our photography expert, John J. Lopinot.

Our volunteers from the Hendry Glades Audubon Society were Terri Lazar and Ellen Boles.  These ladies helped us keep it all together at the registration table and they did a great job!

We’d also like to thank John & Gretchen Ward from J-Seven Ranch, and Doug Zipperer from Zipperer Farms for their generous hospitality and outstanding birding adventures, Gatorama for the terrific meal and wildlife program, Larry Luckey and Smiley J Hendry for their now Famous Owl Hoot!, the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, Billie Swamp Safari, Carl Manning from Witherspoon Mine, and Timmy Potts for providing a swamp buggy at Dinner Island Ranch.  And, a very special thank you goes out to James Currie, host of Birding Adventures TV, who provided the entertaining and informative Keynote program for us on Saturday evening.

The winners of the Big “O” Birding Extravaganza Photo Contest were Dr. Alan Fisher from Boca Raton, FL (first and second place) and John Young from Bradenton FL.

The event was sponsored by South Florida Water Management District, the Seminole Tribe of Florida Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, Hendry County TDC, Glades County EDC/TDC, Hendry Glades Audubon Society, Florida’s Freshwater Frontier, Collier County Audubon Society, Audubon of Southwest Florida, Representative Denise Grimsley, Family Eye Care, Caloosahatchee River Citizens Association, Clewiston Chamber of Commerce, LaBelle Chamber of Commerce, the Port LaBelle Inn, Sanibel Captiva Audubon, Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, and the Historic Clewiston Inn. 

Next year’s event will be held March 23rd through the 26th, 2011 at the Historic Clewiston Inn