Take Flight With The Bishop’s Newest Special Exhibition

Florida’s native birds offer a beautiful array of color and fascination. Yet for many species, survival is a delicate balance between nature’s habitat and our constant human change. On May 2, The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature opens its newest special exhibition, Florida Feathers: Birds in Peril, which highlights the plight many of Florida’s native bird species face through the breathtaking images captured by photographer Grant Jefferies.

Jefferies, who grew up in Palmetto and enjoyed a successful career as a photojournalist at the Bradenton Herald,  is now teaching photography and has turned his focus to nature photography. Florida Feathers: Birds in Peril focuses on some of the most precious jewels that our paradise has to offer: strikingly pink roseate spoonbills, fierce ospreys and eagles, majestic herons and skittering shorebirds. As these Florida favorites struggle to survive loss of habitat and are listed as threatened and endangered species, Jefferies brings them to life through the beauty of his images.

“Florida Feathers, along with the National Geographic Photo Ark already on exhibit, showcases the spectacular and singular appeal of the animals that make our natural world so special,” said Matthew D. Woodside, Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions at The Bishop. “They also help us gain an emotional connection to these species, which can help spur their conservation. At The Bishop, we strive to offer new special exhibitions that connect our visitors to science and nature, and the wonder in the world around us. These exhibitions do all of those things with beauty and grace.”

·     Florida Feathers: Birds in Peril will be presented in The Bishop’s second floor Rincon Gallery through Aug. 25.

The National Geographic Photo Ark, a showcase of world-renowned National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore’s most compelling animal portraits, is open in the East Gallery through July 14.

Viewing these special exhibitions is included in the cost of admission. Adults, $19 | Seniors (65+), $17 | Students (with ID), $14 | Youths (12-17), $14 | Kids (5-11), $10 | Age 4, free (with paying adult). Free Admission for eligible Discovery Society Members | Florida Teachers and Active Duty military (with ID).