Sarasota Audubon | Sarasota, Florida

Second Monday Celery Field Walk
2026-03-09 08:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Raymond Road Boardwalk, 1550 Raymond Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240, United States
Explore the Raymond Road boardwalk and surrounding wetlands.

Chasing the North America 2025 Big Year Record
2026-03-09 19:00 - 20:30
David & Tammy McQuade, renowned Florida-based national champion birders, take us on their latest birding adventure Chasing the North America 2025 Big Year Record.

Birding 101
2026-03-10 14:00 - 15:30 | Sarasota Audubon Nature Center, 999 Center Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240
A Beginner’s Guide to Birding, 1.5 hours – SAS Nature Center, garden, and Celery Fields boardwalk. This comprehensive course covers essential birdwatching skills.
This class is FREE – Registration Required

Members Meet & Greet - *MEMBERS ONLY EVENT
2026-03-11 14:00 - 15:30 | Sarasota Audubon Nature Center, 999 Center Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240
Meet your fellow members face to face! Greet your board members and enjoy a short presentation by a local environmentalist. Light refreshments.

Wingspan, Oceana Edition - Experienced only - *MEMBERS ONLY
2026-03-12 18:00 - 20:30, 2026-03-19 18:00 - 20:30, 2026-03-26 18:00 - 20:30, 2026-04-02 18:00 - 20:30 | Sarasota Audubon Nature Center, 999 Center Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240
Wingspan is a card-driven, resource-building board game in which players compete to attract birds to their wildlife reserves. RSVP so we know how many tables to set up.
Click here to RSVP to Stacy

Beginning Bird Photography
2026-03-14 08:30 - 10:00 | Sarasota Audubon Nature Center, 999 Center Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240
Beginning Bird Photograpy with Forrest Rowland

Saturday, Mar. 14
9:00 AM – 10:30 PM

A Beginner’s Guide to Bird Photography, 1.5 hours – SAS Nature Center, garden, and Celery Fields boardwalk. This comprehensive course covers essential bird photography skills.

Registration Required

Florida Native Plant Workshop Part 3
2026-03-14 09:00 - 11:00 | Sarasota Audubon Nature Center, 999 Center Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240
Native Plant Landscape Designer and Eco Artist Pam Callender will teach us why native plant gardening is so vital to our local landscape and how everyone can incorporate natives into their yards. Each month adds to information from the month before, beginning with a recap.

The talks will last 2 hours, they will cover:

Creating and Maintaining Native Plant Landscapes
Common Gardening Myths
Mitigating HOA Concerns

This final presentation ends with a planting day at the SE Quad starting at 11am.

Please email Pamela to RSVP HERE

Pollinator Garden Planting
2026-03-14 10:00 - 12:00 | Celery Fields, 6893 Palmer Blvd, Sarasota, FL, 34240, United States
Join Pam Callender at the SE Quad to plant pollinator plants!
This is a construction site and usually off-limits. It will be open today for this family-friendly event.
Bring your gloves and planting tools (shovel and trowel) if you have them.
All are welcome!

Third Sunday Celery Field Walk
2026-03-15 08:00 - 10:00 | Raymond Road Boardwalk, 1550 Raymond Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240, United States
Join Kathryn and other guest trip leaders to learn how to find birds by song, calls, ID, and habitats

Third Wednesday Celery Field Walk
2026-03-18 09:00 - 10:30 | Sarasota Audubon Nature Center, 999 Center Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240
Explore birds in our native gardens and Palmer Road boardwalk

Oscar Scherer State Park Third Thursday Birdwalk
2026-03-19 08:30 - 10:00 | Oscar Scherer State Park, 1843 S Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL, 34229, United States
Strive to find the endangered Florida Scrub Jay and other resident birds. 1.5 mile walk on sandy trails – mainly in the sun.

Myakka Bridge and Crowley Nature Center
2026-03-20 07:30 - 10:00 | Crowley Nature Center, 16405 Myakka Rd, Sarasota, FL, 34240, United States
“After using the spotting scope at the bridge, we will go to Crowley Nature Center to find resident red headed woodpeckers, bluebirds, and loggerhead shrikes. 1.5 mile walk in woods and dirt road. Restrooms at Crowley.”

Shorebird ID with Forrest Rowland
2026-03-21 08:00 - 10:00 | Siesta Key Beach, 948 Beach Road, Siesta Key, FL, 34231, United States
We will walk the beach taking time to learn Shorebird Identification, giving some time for Gulls and Terns as we work through the birds present. Not only will we discuss finer points of identifcation, but we will include some pointers on shorebird photography.
Participants are encouraged to bring Field Guides or Field Guide Apps on their personal devices.
REGISTER HERE.
Be sure to log in before registration if you are a member, to receive your discount.

Butterflies of the Sarasota Audubon Nature Center
2026-03-21 09:00 - 10:30 | Sarasota Audubon Nature Center, 999 Center Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240
A Beginner’s Guide to Butterflies, 1.5 hours – SAS Nature Center and Native Gardens.
This comprehensive course covers

SAS Plants-Nectar and Host
Butterflies they attract
Life Stages of Butterflies
Mating and Reproduction
Annual cycle and survival
Attracting butterflies to your garden
Tips for Breeding with a cage/hutch
Citizen Science Contributions

Learn how native plants host these remarkable creatures.
Cost $10 members, $20 non-members. Registration Required

Carefree Learner - March 24, 2026
2026-03-24 11:15 - 13:15 | Marina Jack Boat Docks, 2 Marina Plaza, Sarasota, FL, 34236, United States
Boat tours to Roberts Bay Rookery inVenice on the Carefree Learner. See hundreds of nesting herons, egrets, spoonbills and more.
The boat is docked near downtown Sarasota, south of Marina Jack’s restaurant. Take Ringling Blvd., off 41/Tamiami Trail, toward the water and into the parking lot. Our boat, the Carefree Learner, is docked next to La Barge, the big boat with mermaids and palm trees. This is near O’Leary’s Tiki Bar and Grill. There is a public restroom next to O’Leary’s. There are no facilities on the boat!
Reservations are required for this event. Please click here to register.

Birds & Brews
2026-03-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Big Top Brewing, 3045 Fruitville Commons Blvd, Sarasota, FL, 34240, United States
Join us at Big Top Brewery for a fun evening talking birds over local brews.

Oscar Scherer State Park Fourth Thursday Birdwalk
2026-03-26 08:30 - 10:00 | Oscar Scherer State Park, 1843 S Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL, 34229, United States

Fourth Saturday Celery Field Walk
2026-03-28 09:00 - 11:00 | Sarasota Audubon Nature Center, 999 Center Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240

Beginning Nature Journaling with Jenny Cherry
2026-03-28 11:00 - 13:00 | Sarasota Audubon Nature Center, 999 Center Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240
A nature journal is a lens that focuses your attention, enriches your experiences, and develops your skills as a naturalist. This practice also enhances your observations, curiosity, and joy. Nature Journaling can consist of field notes, field sketches, observations, thoughts, feelings, or anything that captures your curiosity.
For this Beginner’s art class, Jenny will review the basics, starting with leaf and floral patterns, names of leaf and petal shapes, how to draw them and then use her favorite media, Watercolor, to show students how to make basic brushstrokes of what we drew. Jenny will also provide interesting information on the leaf and flower choices.
Jenny Cherry was a featured artist at the Nature Center in May 2023. She is a graduate of the Ringling College of Art and Design and an avid illustrator of portraits and landscapes.
Registration Required CLICK HERE

Evolution of Birds & Taxonomy
2026-03-28 15:30 - 17:00 | Sarasota Audubon Nature Center, 999 Center Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240
Learn about the early ancestors of birds, how geology both prehistoric and contemporary has affected bird evolution, and come full circle to today’s accepted Taxonomy with a nod to the research and techniques that have brought us to this understanding.
Register Here

Duette Preserve with Forrest Rowland - Early Birds *MEMBERS ONLY
2026-04-01 06:15 - 11:30 | Duette Bear Bay, Bear Bay Road, Myakka City, FL, 34251, United States
For those early risers interesting in trying for a few nocturnal species like Barred Owl, Chuck-will’s-widow & Eastern Whip-poor-will, now’s your chance! We will meet early, plan to arrive at 6 a.m. for 6:15 a.m. start time, at the Bear Bay Road Entrance to Duette Preserve.

We will reconvene back at the entrance at 7:30 a.m. with participants interested in only the diurnal species and go for a few short walks from the parking area in search of the Florida subspecies of Grasshopper Sparrow, habitat specialist Bachman’s Sparrow, and hope for perhaps running into other rarities like Vesper, White-throated, or White-crowned Sparrows. Pine specialists such as Brown-headed Nuthatch reside here, as do scarcer Northern Bobwhite, Wild Turkey, and many other fun birds. The open habitats today offer good photo ops, as well.

There is no fee to visit the park, nor is there infrastructure beyond dirt roads (translated: No Restrooms).
This is a Members Only Event – Registration HERE is required.

Duette Preserve with Forrest Rowland - *MEMBERS ONLY
2026-04-01 07:30 - 11:30 | Duette Bear Bay, Bear Bay Road, Myakka City, FL, 34251, United States
This guided walk begins at 7:30 a.m. The “Early Bird” walk will return to the gate by 7:30 a.m. to join this walk. Participants interested in starting later than that early 6am walk will go for a few short walks from the parking area in search of the Florida subspecies of Grasshopper Sparrow, habitat specialist Bachman’s Sparrow, and hope for perhaps running into other rarities like Vesper, White-throated, or White-crowned Sparrows. Pine specialists such as Brown-headed Nuthatch reside here, as do scarcer Northern Bobwhite, Wild Turkey, and many other fun birds. The open habitats today offer good photo ops, as well.

Note there is an “Early Bird” optional tour that begins at 6:15am.
There is no fee to visit the park, nor is there infrastructure beyond dirt roads (translated: No Restrooms).
This is a Members Only Event – Registration HERE is required for the 7:30 am walk.

Wingspan, The Game - Beginners Welcome - *MEMBERS ONLY
2026-04-01 12:30 - 15:30
Learn about birds and their habitats, food, nests, etc. while playing a competitive game. Wingspan is a card-driven, resource-building board game in which players compete to attract birds to their wildlife reserves. Players spend food resources to add birds, which are represented by 170 individually illustrated cards, to the forest, prairie, and wetland habitats on their player boards. RSVP so we know how many tables to set up.
Click here to RSVP to Lynn

First Thursday Celery Field Walk
2026-04-02 09:00 - 10:30 | Sarasota Audubon Nature Center, 999 Center Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240

Jean Blackburn's Gardens and Feeders - *MEMBERS ONLY
2026-04-03 09:00 - 12:00 | Jean Blackburn’s Garden, 700 Myakka Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240, United States
NEW DATE Friday, April 3, 2026
A renowned local artist, Jean has developed a bird and butterfly friendly yard with many fruit trees over the past 35 years. In addition, she has hundreds of native plants on her 14 acre property. Walk the property and see the busy feeders. Mainly shade. Restroom available.
This is a Member’s Only Event – Limited to 20 participants.
Register HERE April 3, 9am

First Saturday Celery Field Walk
2026-04-04 09:00 - 11:00 | Sarasota Audubon Nature Center, 999 Center Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240
Explore birds throughout the Celery Fields with Sarasota County Naturalist Kylie Wilson email or cell phone 941-724-9629.

Birding 305: Warblers & Similar Species
2026-04-04 17:30 - 18:30 | Sarasota Audubon Nature Center, 999 Center Road, Sarasota, FL, 34240
Birding 305 Warblers and Similar Species ID with John Groskopf

Saturday, April 4
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Advanced Bird ID focused on Warblers and similar species with John Groskopf. In this comprehensive classroom course you will discover the key identification markers for various warblers and similar species.
Meet inside the Nature Center at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday April 4 for this classrom presentation.

Registration Required
