Registration Link Will go to external site SignUp Genius
Registration Information for First-time Attendees
The NORTH SHORE BIRDING FESTIVAL (NSBF) offers highly affordable field trips with no additional festival registration fee!
With so many local birders crazy about the Lake Apopka North Shore, the festival always attracts many great leaders resulting in a fantastic ratio of leaders to trip participants.
Orange Audubon Society is fund-raising toward the Orange Audubon Nature Center at the Apopka Birding Park, and this festival each year has been a significant fund-raiser, thanks to expenses kept low by organizers and trip leaders volunteering their time.
There is still no overall festival registration fee, but trip prices have been increased incrementally this year to better contribute to fund-raising toward the nature center. We thank all the registrants for contributing in this way, and by next year's festival, we hope to show off the new nature center.
Field Trip gathering at McDonald Canal area before taking off in carpools or own cars, 2019 festival. This was pre-pandemic. Trips have been smaller in recent festivals. Photo: Deborah Green
Trip Start Location
There is no central registration site or exhibit hall -- yet! You will meet your trip leaders at the field trip start sites. Your trip leader or a volunteer will check you in at the trip start time. The address of your field trip start location is included in the registration email and on the Locations and Lodging page. Use your GPS, unless the directions indicate otherwise.
There is no central registration site or exhibit hall -- yet! You will meet your trip leaders at the field trip start sites. Your trip leader or a volunteer will check you in at the trip start time. The address of your field trip start location is included in the registration email and on the Locations and Lodging page. Use your GPS, unless the directions indicate otherwise.
The McDonald Canal Boat Ramp area (photo above) will be a starting place for about half the trips offered. Lake County provides access to bathrooms at that facility. Participants should bring their own personal supply of sanitizer and disinfectant.
This year Wekiwa Springs State Park Youth Camp was not available to us, so our Friday night and Saturday night dinner keynotes are held at two different locations near the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive (listed on schedule and under Keynote Dinners below).
Completing Registration
After selecting available trips and paying through our SignUp Genius registration program, to reserve your slot you must fill in a short survey (a Google questionnaire) providing your emergency contact number and some information for our ecotourism impact analysis. Included in the questionnaire is a liability waiver that you are required to sign. If you have any questions, email festival@orangeaudubonfl.org or call (407) 637-2525.
After selecting available trips and paying through our SignUp Genius registration program, to reserve your slot you must fill in a short survey (a Google questionnaire) providing your emergency contact number and some information for our ecotourism impact analysis. Included in the questionnaire is a liability waiver that you are required to sign. If you have any questions, email festival@orangeaudubonfl.org or call (407) 637-2525.
Things to note:
Our festival uses no buses. We will be driving unpaved back roads and parking alongside the road to get out and bird. For the three Big Day trips on Saturday that last year used rented vans, this year these trips will just require carpooling. If you prefer not to carpool, please choose another trip.
Our festival uses no buses. We will be driving unpaved back roads and parking alongside the road to get out and bird. For the three Big Day trips on Saturday that last year used rented vans, this year these trips will just require carpooling. If you prefer not to carpool, please choose another trip.
David Simpson leading trip, 2018 festival. Photo: Joyce Stefancic
In the past, to facilitate caravanning and reduce parking burden, we formed carpools. However, in the COVID-19 era, please follow your own current safe practices regarding any carpooling. Very important!
You cannot leave a trip early because that would require one of the leaders to escort you to an entrance gate, which would be a detriment to the trip for all the participants. Choose trips that fit your schedule. Also get there 5-10 minutes prior to the start time to check in. If you are more than 5 minutes late, you will be left behind. Please plan your route to be on time.
Accessibility and Bathrooms
Thursday Trip 4 to Neighborhood Lakes Scenic Trail & Trailhead is wheelchair accessible.
The amount of walking for each trip is indicated in the trip description under the Schedule tab. If you are unable to do any walking, we recommend that you visit the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive— which can be done entirely by car—on your own. The 11-mile one-way Drive is open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and most federal holidays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with exit by 5 p.m. The address is 2850 Lust Road, Apopka, FL 32703.Bathroom availability is indicated on the detailed trip description to the extent that we have the information from our trip leaders. Most of our field trip sites are remote, and all may not have facilities.
Cancellation policy
If a trip leader decides that a trip must be cancelled due to safety concerns, the trip fee will be refunded, or participants may transfer to an alternate field trip depending on space availability. Participants may also opt to donate their refunds to support the Festival.
If a trip leader decides that a trip must be cancelled due to safety concerns, the trip fee will be refunded, or participants may transfer to an alternate field trip depending on space availability. Participants may also opt to donate their refunds to support the Festival.
If you have your own reason to cancel, you can receive a full refund, minus a $5 per trip handling fee, if your request is received by email on or before November 21st (a week before Thanksgiving).
For requests from Nov 22-Nov 28 (through Thanksgiving), a registrant can receive a refund of 50% of the cost of the trip. After Thanksgiving, no refunds will be made. Thank you for understanding.
Most refunds will be made after the festival. Please consider if your fees can remain a donation to Orange Audubon Society and the festival (fund-raising toward a nature center and related educational programs). Address cancellation requests to festival@orangeaudubonfl.org.
Health Precautions
Following the pandemic, most field trips remain small and carpooling is optional. As part of registration each individual registrant, leader and/or volunteer (participant) will fill out the required Google questionnaire which includes signing a Participant Release and Waiver of Liability form (Release).
Following the pandemic, most field trips remain small and carpooling is optional. As part of registration each individual registrant, leader and/or volunteer (participant) will fill out the required Google questionnaire which includes signing a Participant Release and Waiver of Liability form (Release).
Inviting participants to look through a spotting scope shall be the prerogative of the trip leader and participant. Some leaders may be able to use cleaning wipes to use between shares. In general, we will avoid sharing of optics.
Lunch at the McDonald Canal, 2019 NORTH SHORE BIRDING FESTIVAL. Photos: Deborah Green
Lunches
Since many of our trip locations are remote from restaurants, box lunches are included with registration for Saturday and Sunday all-day or morning trips leaving from the McDonald Canal.
This year we will not be including lunches for Friday trips or for trips leaving from other locations, and ask that you plan ahead and bring your own provisions.
For Saturday and Sunday trips that include lunches (listed in trip description), participants will indicate their lunch preference (non-vegetarian, vegetarian, or vegan) on the Google questionnaire. For more restrictive diets, please bring your own.
If possible, participants should bring their own folding chair for the Saturday and Sunday lunches.
The lunches in the past have been a social event and opportunity for Orange Audubon Society to sell its festival merchandise. Currently the festival has no optics vendors. Once our nature center is open, we look forward to hosting optics vendors.
Keynote Dinners
Keynotes with dinners are an opportunity for a gathering of participants. The two locations (both close to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive) are:
Keynotes with dinners are an opportunity for a gathering of participants. The two locations (both close to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive) are:
-Friday: the University of Florida's Mid-Florida Research and Education Center, 2725 S Binion Rd, Apopka, FL 32703, 2.6 miles south of the entrance to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive.
-Saturday: St. Johns River Water Management District: Apopka Service Center, 2501 S Binion Rd, Apopka, FL 32703 in the conference room, 1.6 miles south of the entrance to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive.
Dinner/keynote prices are $30 regular. ($20 college student, $10 youth up to 18.) There are vegetarian and vegan options. 4:30 p.m. - 6:30p.m. Dinner service starts at 5 p.m. Talk at 5:30 p.m.
Orange Audubon Society volunteers do a beautiful job presenting dinners, catered by delicious local restaurants. We hope you join us on Friday or Saturday!
Registration for a keynote dinner only is affordable, since there is no overall festival registration fee. Registration through the regular festival sign up procedures is required or contact the festival chair for payment arrangements at festival@orangeaudubonfl.org. Particularly the Saturday flamingo speaker will be of interest to those not normally able to take field trips.
Trip Fees
The North Shore Birding Festival is run entirely by Orange Audubon Society volunteers. All proceeds from the festival benefit Orange Audubon Society's Nature Center fund.
The North Shore Birding Festival is run entirely by Orange Audubon Society volunteers. All proceeds from the festival benefit Orange Audubon Society's Nature Center fund.
With no additional overall festival registration fee, here are trip fees:
$85-90 for all-day trips with box lunch included
$60 for most morning half-day trips with box lunch included
$50 for most morning half-day trips without lunch included
$45 for most afternoon half-day trips (lunch not included)
Select morning and afternoon trips have lower prices.
College students and Young Birders (ages 8 to 17) can register for half price for select trips (not including Big Day, Black Rail or boat trips). Since our registration program does not allow variable pricing anymore, this year you must contact the festival committee chair at festival@orangeaudubonfl.org to make payment arrangements.
Young Birders will be registered by their parent or guardian, who must sign the liability waiver.
For out-of-town college students, a few scholarships of up to $100 are still available on a reimbursement basis, to help defray costs of lodging and travel. These scholarships are thanks to the generosity of Orange Audubon Society members and other festival participants and are very limited. To apply, follow procedures outlined at this link.
Registration Step-by-Step
Step 1 - Figure out which events interest you
Under the Schedule tab are details about the Field Trip Locations, fees, maximum participants, and the Possible Sightings for each trip. The downloadable at-a-glance pdf contain the schedule listing.
Read about your Trip Leaders under the Speakers & Leaders tab.
Step 2 - Go to the registration site
Use the orange button on the home page to go to an external link (SignUpGenius). To return to this festival website, use the back button or History tab on your browser.
On the SignUpGenius site, go to new member registration, and simply enter your name and email address and create a password. After registering for trips, you can later add additional trips. Past participants can use their same login credentials.
Up to two participants can register in a transaction. If you are the one paying, please make sure both you and your fellow registrant fill out the Google questionnaire.
Step 3 - Pay and register
Payment must be made through SignUpGenius, which will redirect you to pay securely by a credit card. You will automatically receive an email from SignUpGenius confirming that you have successfully registered.
Step 4 - Confirm
To confirm reservations, participants must:
Fill out the Google Questionnaire providing emergency contact information and other information. A liability and photo permissions waiver is part of the form.
Online registration for field trips closes at the end of Thanksgiving weekend Sunday, December 1, 2024. Note that many field trips will fill up quickly, so early registration is encouraged.
Step 5 - Book your lodging
Out-of-town participants should be sure to book your lodging early, since winter is "High Season" in Central Florida. Hotel and camping suggestions are on the Locations & Lodging tab.
Thank you for joining Orange Audubon Society in celebrating the Lake Apopka North Shore, an Important Bird Area! And for exploring other Central Florida birding hotspots. We look forward to meeting you soon!
Sign up for festival updates at this link
Donations to Orange Audubon Society, Inc., a Florida nonprofit [501(c)(3)] organization, are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Orange Audubon Society, Inc. is a Florida not-for-profit organization, tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE, 1-800-435-7352, WITHIN THE STATE. VISIT WWW.FDACS.GOV FOR HELP. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. REGISTRATION NO. CH2330
Orange Audubon Society, Inc. is a Florida not-for-profit organization, tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE, 1-800-435-7352, WITHIN THE STATE. VISIT WWW.FDACS.GOV FOR HELP. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. REGISTRATION NO. CH2330