MAS October Big Day Trip 4 - World Equestrian Center - FREE Public Event

Join Marion Audubon’s President, Max Weakley, on a guided birding excursion to the World Equestrian Center as we continue the October 2026 Big Day! This day, the second Saturday of October, is when birders from around the world try to find as many species as possible within a 24-hour period. This is very similar to the Global or May Big Day, but allows us to observe our fall migratory birds.
The World Equestrian Center, or WEC, is another seemingly odd place to look for birds, but it holds significant potential. If the water levels are decent in the retention ponds, we have a chance to see several different species of resident and migratory ducks, shorebirds, and wading birds.

We’ll meet in the parking lot at the far northwest corner of the World Equestrian Center (29.208840, -82.267632) at 2:00 PM and begin from there. Please enter the coordinates into your GPS app, as this exact location does not have an address.
Please keep in mind that all times for these events are flexible, depending on the activity and sightings at the previous location. If we are running early or late, we will post updates to the comments of this MeetUp listing.

Bring binoculars and a camera if you have them. We may have extra binoculars to lend for the walk. We will be walking mostly on even surfaces, but please wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes, as there may be areas of loose sand, dirt, and grass. If you plan to join multiple trips during the Big Day, please bring a packed lunch, plenty of water, bug repellent, sunscreen, and whatever else you might need for your health and comfort.

This is a FREE PUBLIC event, so bring a friend! The more eyes we have out during the October Big Day, the better! You can join or renew your membership with the Marion Audubon Society on our website to access this or other future events.
https://marionaudubon.org/

This is a beginner-to-intermediate birding level event. We should have a nice array of easy-to-spot birds, as well as some more challenging sightings, because this location has a variety of habitats that offer a good mix of species. As a mid-level event, expect to walk 1 to 2 miles at most on predominantly even trails but with the potential of sand, dirt, or grass sections. As always, please refer to the details in this MeetUp description above for the exact date, time, and location for this event.

Photo credit: Maxfield Weakley - Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) - https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/624894893