Celebrity birders Don & Lillian Stokes to lead Refuge birding tours

Longtime winter residents of Sanibel Island and nationally acclaimed bird authors and TV personalities Don and Lillian Stokes will contribute their time and expertise to lead two fundraising birders tram tours of “Ding” Darling Refuge on Friday, Feb. 24.

Wildlife Drive is normally closed on Fridays, meaning tour participants will have the birds and Stokes to themselves. Lillian Stokes will speak about and demonstrate bird photography on one of the trams, while her husband, on a second tram, focuses on the principles of bird identification.

Tarpon Bay Explorers, the refuge’s official recreation concession, will be donating the use of two trams. Together, they accommodate only 80 passengers, so interested persons are encouraged to make reservations as soon as possible, because the Stokes’ past tram tours filled up quickly.

The Stokes have authored 32 books in their Stokes Field Guides series, including their new best-seller, The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America, and have hosted a birding television show for PBS.

“The Stokes are veteran birding experts recognized throughout the country, and they have quite a following,” said Birgie Vertesch, Executive Director of the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge, which is organizing the tours.

“Thanks to their generosity and our partnership with Tarpon Bay Explorers, 100 percent of the proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit wildlife and education programs at the Refuge.”

Cost for tickets are $75 each for a half-day tour that includes coffee and pastries in the Refuge Education Center and use of spotting scopes on the drive. To make your reservation, contact Vertesch at 239-292-0566 or director@dingdarlingsociety.org.