Nature in Southwest Florida This Week: Peak Migration, Final Sea Turtle Nests, and Fall Programs

October 20 through 26 is one of the busiest weeks of the fall for nature in Southwest Florida. Fall bird migration is still at its peak, sea turtle nesting season is in its final stretch, and the area's nature centers are running their fall programs. This guide covers what is happening in nature this week and where to see it best, with locations, hours, and links to official sources. Every event and place below is one I can verify from current reporting or the managing agency's own pages.

Fall migration is still at its peak this week

Late October remains the height of fall migration in Southwest Florida. BirdCast radar still shows large numbers of birds crossing the region on October nights, and dawn brings those arrivals down into the same swamps, gardens, and shorelines you can reach in a morning. Early morning is the best time to look, when birds settle in to feed after flying all night.

Sea turtle season is in its final stretch

Florida's sea turtle nesting season runs from May through October 31, and this is the last full week of it. Nearly all new nesting has ended, but because eggs incubate for roughly 50 to 60 days, a few late nests may still be incubating or hatching on area beaches. That means the beach rules still matter this week.

The beaches to walk this week include Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in North Naples, Barefoot Beach Preserve in Bonita Springs, Tigertail Beach on Marco Island, and Lovers Key State Park on Fort Myers Beach. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida monitors nesting on Marco Island and the nearby coast, so the season's hatch numbers come from them. The same rules apply at every beach: keep your distance from nests and hatchlings, never use lights or flash on the beach at night, leave hatchlings to find the water on their own, and fill in holes and flatten sandcastles before you leave. The Conservancy's sea turtle season wrap-up explains the season.

For beach hours and parking details, our water activities guide for this week lists each beach with current water-quality and red tide status.

Manatees begin gathering at warm water

October is a transition month for manatees. They spend the warm months spread across the bays and rivers, and as the Gulf cools they drift toward warm-water refuges. The big gatherings come later, generally mid-November through March once the water drops below about 68 degrees, but this is the time of year they begin showing up in predictable places.

If you are out on the water, manatees can also show up in the Caloosahatchee River, along the Naples coast, and near Lovers Key State Park as the season progresses. Boaters are reminded to go slow in manatee zones and give them space.

"The Birds of Southwest Florida" exhibit at Edison & Ford

Fort Myers has a good birding stop this month. Edison & Ford Winter Estates is showing "The Birds of Southwest Florida," an exhibit honoring Mina Edison's bird-watching, on view through October in the Edison Caretaker's House on the historic river estate. If you would like a guided look, the estate's "Breakfast with the Birds" program is an easy morning walk of the grounds led by the garden team and an Audubon birding guide, followed by coffee and pastry. The program is about $20, or $15 for members, and books through the estate's online store.

Birding and fall exhibitions at Naples Botanical Garden

Naples Botanical Garden runs a weekly "Birding in the Garden" walk on Tuesday mornings from 8 to 10 AM, a relaxed, expert-led look around the garden's habitats and native plantings, and fall migration means the garden is full of songbirds right now. This month also brings the Ánima Botánica exhibition and "Historias del aire y del suelo," an exhibition on view through October 25. The garden is at 4820 Bayshore Drive in Naples; the Naples Botanical Garden events page lists current walk dates, exhibitions, and admission.

Rookery Bay runs Saturday nature programs

Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, on the edge of the Ten Thousand Islands, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 AM to 4 PM, and every Saturday in October and November it runs Science Saturdays and Crafty Critter Saturdays for families, included with admission. The center also hosts birding walks through the season, and its estuary exhibits are a good rainy-day stop. It is at 300 Tower Road in Naples; the Rookery Bay events page has the current schedule.

Monarchs and fall blooms are still moving through

Monarch butterflies are still on the move across Florida through most of October, and the easiest way to find them is to look for blooming goldenrod on a warm afternoon. Coastal trails and gardens where the native fall flowers are left standing, including several of the places listed above, turn up monarchs and other late butterflies week to week. The sunflowers that peaked along the Corkscrew boardwalk in the first half of October are winding down now, which makes goldenrod the most reliable fall bloom this week.

How to check conditions before you go

Nature changes week to week, and the agencies update their pages continuously. These are the official pages worth a check before you head out:

• FWC red tide status: current Karenia brevis concentrations, updated weekly. FWC's October 16, 2026 update reported only background concentrations with no bloom-level readings off Lee or Collier and no fish kills or respiratory irritation.
• DOH Healthy Beaches, Collier County: weekly bacteria sampling for Naples, Bonita Springs, and Marco Island beaches.
• DOH Healthy Beaches, Lee County: weekly bacteria sampling for Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel-area beaches.
• Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary: current program dates, hours, tickets, and the latest bird and bloom sightings.
• Edison & Ford Winter Estates: exhibit and Breakfast with the Birds times and registration.
• NWS beach forecast for Florida: daily surf zone conditions and rip current risk for Collier and Lee beaches.

If you are planning a beach day, our water activities guide for this week has current water quality and beach details. And if you missed it, last week's nature guide covered the sunflower bloom at Corkscrew, fall wildflowers, and burrowing owls in Cape Coral.

Frequently Asked Questions

A note on fair housing: every home and community in Southwest Florida is open to all qualified buyers and renters, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. The beaches, trails, and parks here are shared public places, welcome to everyone, and the viewing rules are the same for all visitors.

A note from the author: I'm Catalina Quintero, a bilingual REALTOR with The Miranda Group at Premiere Plus Realty, Co., serving Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers, and Marco Island. Every week I put this nature guide together from current, published reporting and the official pages of the agencies that manage these places, so things can shift and it always pays to confirm before you head out. If you're exploring Southwest Florida with a move in mind, email or text me any time.