I used to fume when passing a small store up north whose name was “For Birds Only – and Fish Too.”

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Which was it? Birds only or not? If fish were included at that store, why not call it that — Birds and Fish Only? The probably is that they secretly sold gerbils or ferrets too.

There. I feel better now, having vented about that old pet peeve. It frees me up to use term “hog heaven for bird lovers” to tell you about the Fourth Annual Southwest Florida Birding & Wildlife Festival.

It’s this coming weekend, with headquarters at the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. This three-day event is not for bird nerds only. Note the word “wildlife” in the title. That reflects the expansion of the festival to include other creatures in our area, not all with wings.

“We’re really aiming for quality, not quantity experiences for the participants,” says Renee Wilson, a researcher at Rookery Bay. “We have more field trips this year.

“We have a gopher tortoise excursion, bike and canoe tours to get people out into the natural areas to see birds, dolphins, manatee, otters, gators and so forth.

The festival will have 40 excursions around Collier County, including Everglades National Park, swamp buggy rides and back country truck tours. Popular sites to be visited include the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Shark Valley, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Tigertail Beach and a sunset bird cruise in Rookery Bay.

“We’ll also have a butterfly workshop and a wildflower walk and a sale of native plants,” Renee explains. “Visitors can get plants that are drought resistant, salt tolerant and provide food and cover for birds, butterflies and other wildlife.”

One activity probably will be a big hit with pre-adolescent boys who tend to laugh hysterically at any mention or reference to biology, especially bodily functions.

Explains Renee: “It’s called an owl pellet dissection and it’s very interesting. When you look up close, there’s a lot too learn about the owls’ diets by what they eliminate.”

Festival workers expect a record turnout for this year’s three-days of events. So why do people come? What’s their primary motive?

“The festival is designed to help people appreciate wildlife and to increase their awareness of the valuable habitat here,” Renee says. “This time of year we have the most birds, including migrating snowbirds. We also have birds of prey that were injured and can’t fly, including a bald eagle, and a barred owl.”

People already are making reservations, so if you’re interested: Festival runs Friday through Sunday. Adults 3-day pass $20 or $10 single day admission. Kids 12 and under are free. Field trips are paid individually.

Phone: Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve at 239-417-6310. Website: www.rookerybay.org. Address: 300 Tower Rd.

Speaking of birds, not everyone who lives here or visits her knows about bird etiquette — how humans should behave around the bird on and around our beaches:

– If birds get agitated or fly around rapidly when you approach, you are too close. Always walk around shorebirds at rest, never through them. If you walk through flocks of shorebirds, they take flight, losing precious fat reserves needed for migration. If they are disturbed often at rest, they may die before getting to their destination.

– Don’t enter posted areas of the Critical Wildlife Area on the north of our beach.

– Do not feed the birds. What you offer won’t be nutritious for their thousands of miles of migratory flight.

– Please leave only your footprints on the beach, no trash.

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Email: chris@chriscurle.com.