| October Meeting:
Sparrow Identification and Banding
Don't miss Marianne Korosy of Florida Audubon, who will talk about the ecology of Florida's migrant and breeding populations of sparrows. Hope you can join us, .
Date: Monday, October 11, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: First Congregational Church Fellowship Hall, 1031 S. Euclid Avenue
Cost: FREE |
Get Out in October for These Great Activities
Want details and maps to meeting locations? click here.
- Oscar Scherer State Park Birding
Thursdays, October 7, 14, 21 & 28 at 8:30 a.m.
- Robinson Preserve
Wednesday, October 6 at 8:00 a.m.
- Celery Fields Walk
Saturday, October 9 at 8:00 a.m.
- Pinecraft Park
Saturday, October 16 at 9:00 a.m.
- Siesta Key Shorebirds
Saturday, October 30 at 7:30 a.m.
(Meet at SK public beach parking lot near pavilion)
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Exciting Celery Fields News
We did it! We have finally secured a lease with Sarasota County for the long-awaited one-acre site at the Celery Fields. This exciting step will allow us to plan for a visitor/learning center there which in turn will enable us to offer more programs to you, to the community, and to the many visitors who come to beautiful Sarasota County each year. How wonderful it will be to have a place to call home, while sharing the manynatural wonders of the Celery Fields and of Sarasota.
Our next step is to launch a capital campaign for a building, which we estimate to be about $350,000- $400,000. As you know, through your donations over the past 6 years, we have managed to squirrel away $75,00, so we have a jump start. The building will contain a reception area, sales area, a small office, a place to show wildlife and information videos, and an outside area with tables and chairs for educational events and also for just sitting and watching the bird and butterfly garden.
Financially, SAS is in good shape. At our year end (May 31), we turned a profit of $8,211 from our regular operations (our donations this year were $14,850; we keep those separate from operating funds.) The board of directors is ever mindful of its responsibility for providing great programs and services while carefully managing our assets.
This year promises to be exciting and challenging.
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Don't Miss These Getaway Trips
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO:
Jan 3-10: Seven nights in this birders paradise just off the coast of Venezuela. Trip leader Karen Jensen (924-2446).
GAINESVILLE AREA:
Feb 10-12: A 2-night bus trip to this central Florida city, home to some great parks and museums. Sparrow hunting will be the highlight. Leaders Karen Jensen, 924-2446; karensarasota@yahoo.com and Jeanne Dubi. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
ARIZONA:
April 16-23 : Seven-night trip to southeastern Arizona, one of the very best birding locations in the U.S. Madera Canyon, Sierra Vista, including all its canyons, and Portal in the Chiricahua Mountains. Trip leaders: Jeanne Dubi, Karen Jensen, Kathryn Young. Limit of 15 people, so register early. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
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Thank You, Lido Beach Volunteers
As part of our contract with the City of Sarasota to monitor the renourished area on Lido Key through the end of August, the following Auduboners participated. This allowed Sarasota Audubon to retain the funds we would have had to pay for outside monitoring. Thanks to: Kathy Alexis, Chuck Coombs, Jeanne Dubi, Mary Heinlen, Stu Hills, Lynn Jakubowicz, Barbara LeSueur, Judi Linell, Maria-Elisabeth Mantius, Penney Rist, Jack Shapiro, Martha Straub, Kathryn Young. |
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Welcome New Members!
Kenneth Satir
Ronda Smalley
Shelly St. Clair
S. Tessman
Richard Williams
Jay Woodland
James Andrews
Ruth Barker
John Champine
Barbara Clements
Irene Coulter
Jerry Countryman
K.R. Crist
Gerald M. Cullough
Piedad Dodson
Roger S. Dreffin
D. Dennis & Suzanne Dudley
Warren & Nell Evans
Donald Fielding
Piera Freitag
Evelyn Good
Madeline Hagen
Donald Hutchins
Janet & Stephen Kucera
Steve P. Kuzman
Ann Lieberman
Janice March
John & Sandra McCall
Gisela McGuire
Shelby Mohr
Sarah Moore
Alexander Morozov
Jery Mosely
Curtis Nagle
Maryellen Niemyer
Robert Patten
Neil Petterson
Jennie Post
Pat & John Prill
Mary Ruffin
Astri Satre
Robert Scolaro
Janet Shapiro
Robert Shure
Linda Smith
Barbara Stolzfus
Mary Thrun
Theodore Toridis
Daniel F. Walcott
Martha Wheeler
John Whitehead
Jane Blyther
Jab Brankin
Betty Burkard
Jacob & Verna Byler
Karen case
Charles Chapman
Sanford Cooper
Rena Cooper
Ruth Dachoff
Cynthia Danis
Marian Dodge
Rebecca Goff
James Harrison
Patricia Haupt
Lester Hostetler
Andrea Kass
Wilma Katz
Robert Keeley
Joe & Mary Klimasiewfski
Marian Kozlowski
William Krieg
James Larson
Jo Ann Loy
Sylvie Nathanson
Ruth Nissley
Patricia Porter
William H. Roe
Teresa Rowland
C. Singer-Johnson
Jack Wayne
Judie Bien
S.G. Brown
Lisa Colb
Mike Hecht
Sandy Hedgepeth
Carolyn S. Olson
Dawn Stahler
Donna Allman
Elizabeth Bradbury
Darrell Cascio
Bev Chiotti
Maggie Christie
Pat Cobb
Jean Cochran
Barbara Craycraft
Louise Cropsey
Amy Davis
Suzanne Decesare
Earl Dewey
Martin Evans
Charles Fuller
Cathy Graham
Geraldine Gregg
Angela Hamilton
Janice Hollister
Janet MacLean
Marina Markantonatos
Irene McCallister
Judith Molnar
Deborah Morrison
Barbara Motsinger
Lori Nugent
Ann Peek
Rick Furia
Rose Runnells
Joan Schillinger
Maria Sexton
J. Edward Singer
Florence Steinecke
Charles Steyer
Stephen Stokes
Patricia Teitsch
George Trbovich
Randall Ventresca
Elinor Weickert
Marvin Wolf
Cheryl Woljevach
George Blanchard
Frances Deason
Batia Friedman
Raphael Goodman
Marion M. Hooper
Elizabeth Horne
Nancy Kavanaugh
Phyllis Koppel
Miriam Lacher
Sydelle Paver
Martha Sweebe
Betty Thorner
Kate Tucker
Donna Yoder
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A Message from Jeanne
Here we are at the beginning of another season of birding in Sarasota and beyond. We've got lots of good stuff lined up, including numerous local bird trips and excursions, bird ID classes, and boat trips on Roberts Bay and to Egmont Key.
Farther afield, we've got a group going to Guyana in November, another group going to Trinidad in January and then a 7-night trip to Arizona next April. We've also planned a 2-night bus trip to the Gainesville area, and an overnight to Palm Beach County to take a look at their very birdy water treatment plants. And, if that isn't enough, we are planning a trip to the Galapagos and Ecuador in May 2012, which will give you all enough time to save up for that once-in-a-lifetime trip. You can find more details and registration forms in your annual pack which went out in early September. You can also log onto the website www.sarasotaaudubon.org to find contact info. On your marks, get set, go! -Jeanne Dubi, President |
Our Sarasota chapter and at least 11 other Audubon chapters around the state have endorsed Florida Constitutional Amendment No. 4 (commonly known as "Florida Hometown Democracy"). This would require voter approval as the final step to change the long-term Comprehensive Plan for development that each county and municipality is required to have and with which zoning must comply. The statewide Sierra chapter and dozens of other environmental and civic groups around the state, including the major ones in Sarasota, have also endorsed it.
Thus far, I have not found any significant Florida or local environmental or neighborhood groups that are opposing it. But developers wanting to continue bankrolling campaigns of elected officials willing to change. Read more on our blog.
-Wade Matthews, Conservation Chair
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Successful Nesting Season on Siesta Key
Thanks to a fabulous group of volunteers and organizations, we were able to help seven (7) Snowy Plover chicks and one (1) Least Tern chick to fledge this year. Several factors contributed to the success:
- Sarasota County (and the BOCC) allowed us to close the pedestrian path from the Access 7 parking lot.
- Nighttime security guard on duty at Accesses 7 & 8 to limit after-hours shenanigans, funded by Parks & Rec
- Volunteers in the parking lot spoke to many folks, handed out brochures and did a fab PR job for the birds.
- Many volunteers located the chicks in the morning and then trailed the chicks on the beach (an exceedingly hot and arduous task, especially on holiday weekends) to keep folks away from them, also educating them in the process-another fab PR job.
- Success in limiting beach raking in the nursery area.
- Buffering nesting zones, some on private property (with permission).
Read more on the blog. |
Successful Least Tern Colony on Carlton Rooftop
Many thanks to Ellen McLean, along with Frank Desteno and Nancy Edmondson, the Carlton water treatment plant roof had a hugely successful season with about 100 chicks fledging. These folks inspected the roof each week and Ellen reported the progress to us with such pride-like a new mom.
Since our beaches were unproductive for nesting Least Terns and Black Skimmers, this was a ray of hope in a gloomy outlook. No colonies on either South or North Lido, but a miracle occurred on Siesta Key: One Least Tern nested on the beach near Access 7, the first tern nesting on Siesta Key in more than 30 years! |
Urfer Family Park and Audubon, Plus Wildlife Bingo!
Urfer Family Park is one of the newest Sarasota County Parks. This 55 acre property is located at the corner of Honore and Bee Ridge Road. In addition to picnic areas, play grounds and an exercise trail, the park offers some good birding opportunities. Sarasota Audubon has established and will maintain a bulletin board displaying meetings, events and some photographs of local birds, thanks to Rick Greenspun. A checklist of birds is posted and will be updated monthly. This is a great opportunity to promote the Audubon Society as well as provide some valuable information about birds in this area. -Matt Holman
Join us for educational fun at Urfer Park. Kids will be given wildlife bingo cards and sent out to hunt for various plants, birds & critters. Meet in pavilion at 9 a.m. November 12. Repeated in January and May!
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Birding Classes are Back!
Meet at Argosy University, 17th Street and Honore, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. REGISTRATION REQUIRED Cost $50. Log onto www.pierianspringacademy.org to register.
Oct 27, Nov 3, Nov 10, Nov 17
Sarasota Audubon with Pierian Spring Academy. Learn about Florida birds and their habitat. Identification skills; 2 classrooms; 2 field trips. Instructors: Jeanne Dubi and Rick Greenspun.
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Watching Wildlife is Big Business
More people travel to Florida each year to view wildlife than any other state, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. That spells big business for the state, with wildlife viewing generating more than $3 billion and supporting 19,000 retail jobs in Florida annually.
In addition, one in every six Florida residents participates in some kind of wildife viewing activity. Whether at home, in parks and preserves, or along the state's scenic waterways.
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Meet a Board Member: Edith Miller
"My interest in being a bird watcher began in the 5th grade when our school class went to Myakka River State Park on a field trip. There in the museum Allen Crowley showed us the "rare" Pileated Woodpecker mounted on a palm tree. I later saw a live one in Pinecraft Park and was estatic!
Not until 1955 did I note some western birds on our family trip to Oregon. In 1962 I began to make more lists and nature notes. It has become a daily routine now.
In 1970 I joined SAS and participated in the Myakka Christmas Bird Count in Myakka State Park.
In 1980 I took the Bird Recorder job but by 1989 I had "burn out." By 2001 I was asked to be Recorder again. After 18 years total at this job, it's time to hand it over to the next person."
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Joy of Birding at Hog Island, Maine
As a neophyte to birding I was very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to attend a course over five days at the Audubon Camp in Hog Island Maine. The Course as the title of this essay is called is "Joy of Birding."
All the campers arrived on Sunday afternoon in June of this year, and were taken with all their gear by boat to the island.
An orientation was held and we were introduced to the staff, and we introduced ourselves to all assembled, including where we were from, our experience in birding and if we had been to Hog Island before and quite a few had been. We then were given our building and room assignments, got acquainted with our roommate(s) and headed for dinner. That night the evening's program was on the history of Hog Island and Project Puffin.Read more on the blog. |
Subscribe to Bird Alerts!
Need the latest birding info for our area? To subscribe, just send an e-mail. Thanks to Peter Rice for providing this service.
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