I'm waking up around 3:30 am tomorrow to catch a plane to Orlando Florida. The whole situation has it's pros and cons of course. On one hand, I could do without the early departure time. On the other hand, we reached a high temperature of -7 degrees today here in Wisconsin, so I'm willing to fore go the beauty rest for temperatures above freezing.
After spending the month of December at home, this is the beginning of my winter travel season. I'm starting things off with a trip to the SHOT show. This is different from my usual work away from home for two major reasons.First is that there is very little interest in birds among the attendees at this event, with the exception of those birds which you can shoot. Primarily a hunting and shooting sports event, SHOT a big deal in the world of optics and the place where many manufacturers unveil their latest and greatest offerings to the optics marketplace.
The second reason it is such a different type of event for me is that at this show, I am the customer. It's nice to be on the other side of the trade show booth once in a while.
After Sunday however, the birding begins.
I'll be sticking around Florida for a few days before attending the Space Coast Birding and Nature Festival in Titusville. There I will be leading courses on birding optics and digiscoping, as well as manning a booth for Eagle Optics. Between these two events, I plan on making a run down to the Everglades to do a little birding and digiscoping. It will be a nice break after SHOT and before the hectic schedule of Space Coast. The Space Coast Birding Festival is likely the largest birding show that we do and it is a sight to behold. There are more activities and trips going on here than at any other venue I attend. If you are in the area or are looking for an excuse to escape those colder northern climates, I would encourage you to check it out. More updates on the festival as well as the everglades trip later.....
