In Person: Social with coffee and snacks at 6:30 PM | Announcements at 7:00 PM
Program at 7:15 PM

Zoom Registration Link: https://bit.ly/45woHJZ

Presentation on the latest explorations of the Underwater Caves of the Woodville Karst Plain.

Dr. Christopher Werner is an explorer, researcher, and filmmaker. He has served as the Science Director for the Woodville Karst Plain Project since 1999. He has explored underwater caves and conducted scientific hydrogeologic research in the Woodville Karst Plain for more than 25 years.

Dr. Werner is President of Praeter Saepe, a media creation company and content provider, and Black Abyss Productions, a production and post-production company. Both organizations work to chronicle exploration efforts and scientific research to provide insightful and thought-provoking documentary films. He is a former Vice-President of Shell Exploration & Production Company, where he led multidisciplinary teams exploring for petroleum resources and evaluation of corporate M&A targets. Dr. Werner has a Ph.D. in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics and M.S. in Geology from Florida State University and a B.S. in Earth and Planetary Science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Banner Photo by Lauren Fanning

In Person: Social with coffee and snacks at 6:30 PM | Announcements at 7:00 PM
Program at 7:15 PM

Zoom Registration Link: https://bit.ly/45woHJZ

Julie Wraithmell will give advice about how individuals and organizations can influence decision makers at the Local, State, and Federal Levels.

Julie Wraithmell serves as the Executive Director of Audubon Florida, the state’s leading voice in conservation. Julie joined Audubon in 2005 and has successfully led statewide conservation and wildlife policy initiatives, built Audubon Florida’s robust coastal conservation program, coordinated Audubon’s response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and helped secure millions in funding for protecting Florida’s land and water resources. In 2018, 2019, and again in 2020, Julie was selected as one of Miami Herald’s Top 50 Influencers.

Before joining Audubon in 2005, Julie worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission where she created the Great Florida Birding Trail. In 2015, she was recognized with National Audubon Society’s highest staff honor, the Charles H. Callison Award. Julie has a Bachelor of Science in biology from Duke University and a Master of Science from Florida State University. An avid birder, Julie also served as President of Apalachee Audubon, and on the board of the Florida Ornithological Society.

Banner photo: Roseate Spoonbills at Bottoms Road, St. Marks NWR. Photo by Kathleen Carr.

Join us for our 16th Annual Wildlife-Friendly Yards Tour and fundraiser to benefit the Apalachee Audubon Society. We invite you to take a self-guided tour of four local yards that are wildlife havens. Still only $10, tickets are on sale at Native Nurseries and Wild Birds Unlimited through the day of the event, which will take place RAIN OR SHINE.

If you decide to not purchase a ticket because of inclement weather, you can still support AAS. Visit our donation page to donate online or get information about where to mail a check.

Read about and see photos from the 2023 yard tour.

Native Nurseries

1661 Centerville Road
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850)386-8882

Wild Birds Unlimited

2098 Thomasville Road
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850) 576-0002

Each yard has unique features to attract a variety of birds and other wildlife such as wintering hummingbirds, orioles, tanagers, finches, and pine siskins, as well as our year-round residents. This year, we have our usual wide variety of sizes and features from our yard hosts, plus some new ideas for inspiration for your own wildlife-friendly yard.

For more information contact: Tammy Brown, tcbrown798@aol.com, or 850-933-8154.

In Person: Social with coffee and snacks at 6:30 PM | Announcements at 7:00 PM
Program at 7:15 PM

Zoom Registration Link: https://bit.ly/45woHJZ

Four women are working together to restore and protect 700 acres of privately owned sandhills and steephead ravines in Gadsden county Florida. Jean Huffman, Helen Roth, Susan Carr, and Annie Schmidt will talk about their efforts.

Jean Huffman, PhD

Jean Huffman is a fire ecologist, dendrochronologist and land manager. She is the director of the Tall Timbers Tree-ring Lab at Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy. Her current work focuses on fire history research and promoting the preservation and best management of Florida Natural Areas. Her Ph.D., from Louisiana State University, is on tree-ring based fire histories of the Florida Panhandle, and her M.Sc., on pine lilies and flatwoods and dry prairie restoration, is from the University of Florida. She has worked for decades with on-the-ground fire and land management in Florida, most recently as the manager of the St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve, and previously as biologist at Myakka River State Park. She is honored to serve as the manager for Susan Carr’s land and to continue to work and learn about land management and restoration with this rewarding restoration project.

Helen Roth

Helen has lived in Tallahassee since 1979 where she and her husband raised their four children. She purchased 100 acres in Gadsden County in 2008 and quickly realized that her background in education, real estate, and information technology did not fully prepare her for what she needed to know to properly manage the property. There were beautiful steephead ravines, endangered plants, and old-growth longleaf pines, but the upland forest was suffering from a long period of fire exclusion. In 2011 she began restoring the uplands to an open canopy longleaf pine and wiregrass savanna through the use of prescribed fire and brush management. In 2020 she placed the property under a conservation easement with Tall Timbers.

Susan Carr

Born in Gainesville Florida, Susan spent most of her life living in and studying the natural areas of North Florida. More recently, Susan is trying to protect remaining natural and rural parts of North Florida through her work with the Alachua Conservation Trust, where she supports land conservation by matching conservation opportunities with conservation-minded landowners. Susan’s professional history is long and varied, including previous positions with nonprofit environmental organizations, academia and the Federal government. Susan has a B.S. in Botany from the University of Florida, a M.S. in Plant Biology from Louisiana State University, then later a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from UF. Her graduate research focused on floristic diversity of fire-maintained pinelands across Florida, and fostered her deep appreciation for Florida’s natural landscapes. In recent years, Susan is trying to restore and protect a piece of natural Florida in Gadsden county, along with her Crooked Creek Conservation comrades.

Anne C. Schmidt

Annie Schmidt received her M.S. in Conservation Biology at USF. She has worked as a volunteer and professionally, throughout Florida’s diverse ecosystems, for over 30 years, as a conservation field biologist for public and private organizations. She has been a FDOF Certified Prescribed Burn Manager since 2004. In 2016, Annie and her husband, Jack Stites, acquired 153 acres of cut sand pine plantation surrounded by slope forests and steephead ravines. They immediately started restoring the uplands back to longleaf pine/wiregrass habitat. The property was then put under conservation easement with Tall Timbers in 2019. Annie acquired 155 more acres in 2020, contiguous to the original property, which she is in the process of restoring and will be putting into conservation easement, as well.

In Person: Social with coffee and snacks at 6:30 PM | Announcements at 7:00 PM
Program at 7:15 PM

Zoom Registration Link: https://bit.ly/45woHJZ

Learn how to convert a traditional landscape to one that has ecological function, using primarily native plants. Maintenance considerations will also be discussed.

Jody Walthall co-founded Native Nurseries in Tallahassee in 1980. He and his wife, Donna Legare, combined their passions for native plants, nature study, planting for wildlife and organic gardening to model their store after a nature center rather than a traditional garden center. Jody graduated from the University of Florida’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation with a major in Wildlife Ecology. He worked as landscape designer at Native Nurseries until his retirement after 40 years, passing his knowledge to the younger generation who now run the business. In his spare time, he loves “messing about in boats” – canoeing, sailing and motoring – exploring the rivers and Gulf coast of North Florida.

Banner Photo: The secret garden at Native Nurseries.

In Person: Social with coffee and snacks at 6:30 PM | Announcements at 7:00 PM
Program at 7:15 PM

Zoom Registration Link: https://bit.ly/45woHJZ

Dana will recount his birding adventures, with lots of photos, during a recent trip to Costa Rica. The travelers were a small group of friends, some of whom had traveled together to Cuba for a similar birding trip. The group was arranged and guided by a local bird expert, and traveled a large loop through central Costa Rica, visiting national parks, wildlife refuges, and private reserves

Dana served for 30 years in the Florida Park Service, for most of that time as the state park system’s chief biologist.  He earned an MS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from FSU studying the Limpkin, and is an authority on the snail-eating wading bird, about which he has authored several accounts, including the Cornell Lab’s online Birds of the World.  Dana was active in the leadership of Apalachee Audubon Society in the 1980s and 90s, and served on the board of Florida Audubon Society for 11 years.  He was on the founding boards of Birdsong Nature Center and the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge Association, and for several years has compiled the St. Marks circle of the national Christmas Bird Count.

Banner photo: White-throated Mountain-gem in the Savegre Valley of Costa Rica, by Dana C. Bryan.

In Person: Social with coffee and snacks at 6:30 PM | Announcements at 7:00 PM
Program at 7:15 PM

(See important information about parking below.)

Zoom Registration Link: https://bit.ly/45woHJZ

Plants can provide for wildlife and support the local ecosystem even when they’re dead! Learn how you can help wildlife in your yard by providing areas of dead vegetation, including tree snags, brush piles, and leaves. Leon County Extension Agent Mark Tancig will explain how we can help in our own yards.

Mark has been the Commercial & Residential Horticulture Extension Agent at the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension Office since 2016. In this role, Mark shares research-based best practices for sustainable landscape management with green-industry professionals and residential homeowners. Mark also coordinates the Leon County Master Gardener Volunteer Program.

Mark has lived in Tallahassee since 2003 and is originally from West Palm Beach. He enjoys living in Tallahassee with his wife, two kids, dogs, flock of chickens, and herd of worms. Prior to joining UF/IFAS, Mark worked for Leon County’s Public Works Department for six years and Growth and Environmental Management Department for three years. His first job in Tallahassee was a Field Biologist with Florida Natural Areas Inventory.

Mark graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Botany in 2002 and is currently working on a master’s degree in Soil and Water Science at UF.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: This year we have been assigned parking in the Stadium Drive parking garage, off of Spirit Way. Please park on the second floor or above. We will have people outside directing program attendees to the appropriate areas.

4:00 PM, Informal birding & socializing (Bring your binoculars!)
5:30 PM, Dinner
6:15 PM, Presentation

Here are the logistics:

GATHER at Tall Timbers as early as 4:00 PM for informal birding and socializing. Do bring your binoculars!

SUPPER will be served at 5:30 PM so please have your covered dish, one per person or family, there by that time. Please bring a serving spoon. Label your serving dishes and spoons. Please also bring an index card with the name of your covered dish. Mention on the card whether it is vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or if it has nuts in it. AAS will supply ice cold minted water, sparkling water and beer.

LET’S SEE HOW LITTLE WASTE WE GENERATE Each person should bring their own plate, bowl, utensils and cup or water bottle. If you forget, we will have extras on hand. We also recommend bringing a cloth napkin and a washable cloth bag in which to stow your used dishes. Sustainability starts with us. We’re looking forward to seeing you there.

The presentation will begin at 6:15 PM and you are welcome to join us for that if you can’t make it to the dinner.

Fire in the Hills: How Butterflies Evolved with Fire in the Red Hills Region

The biodiversity in the Red Hills Region is known as a global biodiversity hotspot and much of that diversity is due to fire. Butterflies, like most of our endemic species, have found ways of living with the fires that maintain this ecosystem. But unlike other animals, butterflies have complex life stages that each interact with fire in different ways. Using the frosted elfin and the king's hairstreak butterflies as examples, we'll see just how varied those mechanisms of survival can be.

Bios:

Rob Meyer: Originally from Buffalo New York, Rob Meyer is a wildlife scientist who has spent the last eight years studying various species in the southeast. Rob received his bachelor's degree from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York before moving to the south to research rodents and woodpeckers. He was happily surprised to hear people would pay money for him to do so. His studies continued at Mississippi State University where he received his Masters in Wildlife working with the interaction of flying squirrels and Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Having now worked at Tall Timbers for several years he researches ecology as it relates to endangered and threatened species. He now studies everything from the squirrels and woodpeckers, to bats and butterflies. If it has wings, he will study it.

This program will be in person and live-streamed via Zoom. Please register using the link below to view online.

Zoom Registration Link: https://bit.ly/3Lm7U2S

With headwaters in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Apalachicola River is Florida’s largest river in volume of flow. Its floodplain is also Florida’s largest forested floodplain and the region is internationally recognized for its biodiversity. Join Georgia Ackerman, Riverkeeper and Executive Director of Apalachicola Riverkeeper, to learn more about the connected Apalachicola River and Bay system. Apalachicola Riverkeeper is celebrating a 25-year anniversary soon. You’ll also hear highlights and challenges of the organization’s work to protect and restore the Apalachicola River and Bay.

Georgia Ackerman joined the Apalachicola Riverkeeper team in 2017. She was involved with Apalachicola Riverkeeper for over a decade as a business sponsor, outings program volunteer and board member.

Georgia is an avid outdoor enthusiast. A former kayak instructor and river guide, she ran a north Florida ecotourism company for nearly a decade where she spent time learning about the Apalachicola River system and began volunteering with Apalachicola Riverkeeper. After selling her business in 2013, she was recruited to lead a regional conservation awareness initiative at Tall Timbers in Tallahassee. Georgia has also worked with the Red Hills Small Farm Alliance to help promote local, sustainable farming. Prior to moving back to Florida in 2001, she worked in children’s advocacy and taught at Arizona State University.

Georgia believes outside play and wild places are fundamental to both the health of humans and the planet. She says, “People will protect what they love. Also, people depend on this river system for their livelihoods. I’m constantly reminded by people’s actions that so many people deeply care about the Apalachicola River–and the Bay that it nourishes. It deserves our long term protection and restoration efforts.”

This program is scheduled as a Zoom only event. Please register (for free) to attend.

Zoom Registration Link: https://bit.ly/3Lm7U2S

This Zoom program will feature a panel discussion about how land conservation proceeds in Florida and what that means for our bird populations in the state. The discussion will be moderated by Peter Kleinhenz. The audience will have a chance to ask questions about land conservation, the respective organizations the panelists represent, and ways forward to help our feathered friends in our state.The panelists are:

• Kent L. Wimmer, AICP
  Coordinator, Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape and Senior Northwest Florida Representative, Defenders of Wildlife

• Neil Fleckenstein - Tall Timbers Planning Coordinator

• Susan Carr - Strategic Conservation Manager, Alachua Conservation Trust

Moderator Bio

Peter is a Past President of Apalachee Audubon and a conservation committee member. When he's not involved with Audubon, he works as the Partnership Programs Coordinator for Tall Timbers Research Station after several years as an interpretive writer for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Although his background is in herpetology, he is a birding convert. His current U.S. bird species tally sits at 580, and he has birded internationally in ten other countries.

Panelist Bios

Susan Carr, PhD
Strategic Conservation Manager, Alachua Conservation Trust, Gainesville Florida

Born in Gainesville Florida, Susan spent most of her life living in and studying the natural areas of North Florida. More recently, Susan is trying to protect natural North Florida through her work with the Alachua Conservation Trust, where she builds conservation programs and tries to match conservation-minded landowners with opportunities. Susan’s professional history varied, including previous positions with nonprofit environmental organizations, academia and the Federal government. Her educational history molded Susan’s conservation interests. She has a B.S. in Botany from the University of Florida, a M.S. in Plant Biology from Louisiana State University, then later a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from UF.  Her graduate research focused on floristic diversity of fire-maintained pinelands across Florida, and fostered her deep appreciation for Florida’s natural landscapes. Susan serves on several nonprofit Boards of Directors, including the Florida Native Plant Society and Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens.

Neil Fleckenstein
Tall Timbers Planning Coordinator
Tallahassee, Florida

Neil Fleckenstein is the Tall Timbers Planning Coordinator. For the last 20 years, Neil has been responsible for community planning activities and issue-based advocacy efforts to ensure the sustainability of the Red Hills region of north Florida and southwest Georgia. He has worked in partnership with local and state agencies, non-profit partners, and landowners to conserve working rural landscapes and achieve smarter growth that benefits communities and the environment. Recently, Neil began focusing on legislative affairs in Florida and Georgia in the context of Tall Timbers strategic interests. Neil has also served as a manager for a number of projects including the Red Hills and Albany Quail Lands Economic Impact Analysis projects, the Red Hills Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services project, and the Red Hills Cost of Community Services project.

Kent L. Wimmer, AICP
Senior Representative and Coordinator for the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape and Senior Northwest Florida Representative, Defenders of Wildlife
Tallahassee, Florida

Kent Wimmer is the coordinator of the newly designated Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape and the Senior Northwest Florida Representative for Defenders of Wildlife. Through his work, Kent advocates for protecting landscapes and wildlife habitats in northwestern Florida. His work focuses on protecting habitat for species at—risk such as sea turtles, gopher tortoises, manatees, red—cockaded woodpeckers and looking toward the return of the Florida panther.

Mr. Wimmer joined Defenders of Wildlife in 2014 and has been involved in planning, advocating and protecting greenways and conservation lands in Florida for over 30 years. Formerly, he was the Outreach Director for the Florida Water and Land Legacy Campaign and was the Florida Trail Association’s Interim Executive Director and Program and Policy Director of its Florida National Scenic Trail program. Mr. Wimmer has served as a greenways planner for the Florida Office of Greenways and Trails, 1000 Friends of Florida, National Park Service and USDA Forest Service. His volunteer service includes being President, Vice President and Secretary for the Partnership for the National Trails System, and Chair and Vice Chair of the Florida Greenways and Trails Council.

Kent is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and he earned a M.S. in Environmental Planning from Florida State University and a B.S. in Natural Resources from Ball State University.

Thank you for a great 2023 Wildlife-Friendly Yards Tour!

by Tammy Brown

The weather was sunny and cool, which was perfect for another wonderful tour this year. We sold a total of 137 tickets, which made for a constant stream of visitors throughout the day. We had so many wonderful people working behind the scenes for months to bring it all together. Everyone’s contributions and outstanding efforts are very much appreciated.

Special thanks to Native Nurseries and Wild Birds Unlimited. Once again, they have graciously acted as our ticket outlets as well as promoted the event, and we couldn’t pull this off without them!

My heartfelt thanks go to all our wonderful yard volunteers, too! They certainly helped the visitors have a friendly and informative visit, and we couldn’t do it without you. Our yard volunteers this year were Chris Grossman, Mike Gwiazdowski, Fred and Judi Fergus, Amelia Fussaro, Donna Legare and Jody Walthall, Fran Rutkovsky, Judy Goldman, Mike Tucker, Ann and Charles Robshaw, and Dee Wilder. We also had a few new volunteers join us this year from FSU: Brooke McAbee, Katherine Velardo, Kaya Simmons and Gabby, Skyler Johnson, Corey Hart and Joseph Jones.

Our deep appreciation goes to our four outstanding yard hosts this year, who shared their homes and knowledge with friends and strangers. I have received many compliments on what wonderful and gracious hosts they all were. They truly went above and beyond!

All four yards were so enjoyable and offered much inspiration as well. With all the fun and success, we are already thinking about next year’s tour, so please keep it in mind if you know anyone who would be a good yard host or volunteer to be a part of this wonderful experience.

Again, my deepest thanks to all for your contributions, each one of you was a vital part to the enjoyment and success of this year’s tour!

Join us for our 15th Annual Wildlife-Friendly Yards Tour and fundraiser to benefit the Apalachee Audubon Society. We invite you to take a self-guided tour of four local yards that are wildlife havens. Tickets are still only $10 per person and will go on sale January 28 at the following locations:

Native Nurseries
1661 Centerville Road
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850)386-8882

Wild Birds Unlimited
2098 Thomasville Road
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850) 576-0002

Each yard has unique features to attract a variety of birds and other wildlife such as wintering hummingbirds, orioles, tanagers, finches, and pine siskins, as well as our year-round residents. This year, we have our usual wide variety of sizes and features from our yard hosts, plus some new ideas for inspiration for your own wildlife-friendly yard.

For more information contact:  Tammy Brown, tcbrown798@aol.com, or 850-933-8154.

Florida Young Birders Club Takes Flight

This program is scheduled as a Zoom only event. Please register (for free) to attend.

YouTube recording of this presentation: https://youtu.be/Pi5kU6rLxyw

When was the last time you saw a birder under the age of 18 on one of the birding outings that you have been on? Most Audubon chapters around the country are interested in attracting younger birders to help keep the chapter (and hobby) going into the future. But they seem to have limited success attracting and retaining young birders into their group. Following the model set forth by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory with the Ohio Young Birders Club, Jim McGinity started up the Florida Young Birders Club - Tampa Bay. In 2020, this exciting new club for birders ages 9 - 17 began to take shape in the Tampa Bay Area. Within the next year, he connected with two other chapter leaders in the Orlando and St. Augustine areas that were starting up similar programs. The group has now grown to have three chapters, created a youth advisory group and aligned itself with the Florida Ornithological Society. Come hear about the beginning of an exciting, new venture to serve young birders throughout Florida from the founder and one of the young birders.

Speaker Bios

Jim McGinity

Florida Avian Conservation & Tampa Audubon Society

Mr. McGinity is a biologist and environmental educator with a life-long passion for birds.  He started bird watching at the age of seven and has shared his love of birds with people of all ages while working at nature/environmental centers in four different states (Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida).  He began a migratory bird banding station in Milwaukee and has participated in a number of research and citizen science projects involving birds.   In 2011, he began a migratory bird banding station in west central Florida (Dunedin) where he bands for 6 weeks every spring and fall.  He is very interested in communicating the importance of native plants and healthy ecosystems to resident and migratory birds.  A native of Indiana, Mr. McGinity has lived in Dunedin for 18 years where he enjoys exploring Florida's natural areas including paddling rivers/streams and bird watching on our beautiful beaches and in Hammock Park.  

After an over 25-year career as an environmental educator in the non-formal world at nature/environmental centers in four states, he now is working in formal education at an environmental charter school (K – 8).   After having a few of his 3rd grade students show a passion for learning about birds, he made a commitment to start up a young birders club to help bring together young birders from all over the state of Florida.

Alex DeBear

Florida Young Birders Club Advisory Panel Member

Alexander DeBear is a 17 year old high school student living in Orange County, Florida. He has been birding for 2 years and he has always been interested in nature and science. His goal is to become an environmental consultant in the state of Illinois. He would like to work to restore native prairies and wetlands.

Dancing birds, choosy mates, and how combining tropical fieldwork with mathematical modeling might change the world.

YouTube recording of this presentation: https://youtu.be/LPfGF3IVTNk

About the DuVal Lab Manakin Research

The Lance-tailed Manakins on Isla Boca Brava have been monitored by Emily DuVal and colleagues since 1999 as part of a long-term study of cooperation and mate choice.

This project is conducted on a 46 hectare area of secondary growth dry tropical forest at the eastern end of Isla Boca Brava, Chiriquí Province, Panamá. The dry tropical forest ecosystem has a long dry season and is predominated by deciduous trees that leaf out dramatically as the rains start in April and May each year. Lance-tailed Manakins, Chiroxiphia lanceolata, thrive in the thick underbrush that grows beneath the canopy and are abundant on the study site.

Read more and watch video recordings at the manakin live cam website, posted at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

About Emily DuVal

Emily DuVal’s primary area of interest is behavioral ecology. Her research program, The DuVal Lab, explores the evolution of social behavior in animals, particularly birds, with an emphasis on cooperation, sexual selection, and reproductive strategies. She combines field studies of behavior, demography, and morphology with genetic analyses of the relationships between individuals to test hypotheses about the forces that create and maintain social complexity.

Her current projects investigate (1) the adaptive basis of female mate choice in the absence of direct benefits (i.e. territory quality or paternal care); (2) the effects of complex mating strategies on temporal and spatial genetic variation at the population level; (3) the mechanisms of mate choice from both male and female perspectives; and (4) the balance between male competition and female mate choice in determining the opportunity for sexual selection to occur. Her present research uses lance-tailed manakins as a model system.

Banner photo — Lance-tailed Manakin by Greg Kanies, courtesy of Wikimedia

Conserving the Endangered Parrots of the Lesser Antilles

with Peter Kleinhenz and Heather Levy

This is a hybrid event, in person and Zoom. If you’re coming in person, please join us at 6:30 PM for refreshments and socializing. Also, James Huffstodt will be selling and signing his book, The Man Who Loved Birds. Read more.

The Lesser Antilles, a series of islands in the Southern Caribbean, host four species of island-endemic parrots. The four species are widely considered to be some of the most beautiful parrot species on Earth, yet are also some of the most endangered. Peter Kleinhenz and Heather Levy, who searched for each species with local conservationists earlier this year, will explain what makes these birds so incredible, what threatens them with extinction, and the creative approaches being implemented to save them.

Read Peter’s article about this trip, published in Mongabay:
Parrots of the Caribbean: Birding tourism offers hope for threatened species

When he's not involved with Audubon, Peter works as the Partnership Programs Coordinator for Tall Timbers after several years as an interpretive writer for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Although his background is in herpetology, he is a birding convert. His current U.S. bird species tally sits at 580, and he has birded internationally in ten other countries.

Heather is an avid birder and an avian biologist at Tall Timbers Research Station working on endangered and endemic birds from the coasts of the panhandle to the upland pines of the Red Hills. She began her work with Apalachee Audubon during her undergraduate career at Florida State University. She received her masters from the University of Georgia in 2020, where her work focused on cavity-nesting birds in old-growth longleaf pine forests. When not working, you can find her photographing and chasing birds..

Top Banner Photo: Widespread Forester

Winged Wonders of Ghana

with Dean and Sally Jue

YouTube recording of this presentation: https://youtu.be/xjytxbKsUqk

The West African country of Ghana is a nature lover’s delight. With a stable government, peaceful society, and amazing biodiversity, it is a popular destination for birders.  Ghana also harbors some of the most beautiful butterflies in the world.  After a friend shared his spectacular photographs of Ghanaian butterflies with us, we decided to visit the country ourselves!  It was three years before we could go, but in April 2022 we flew to Accra (the capital) and spent 20 days birding and butterfly watching with our excellent guide and driver from Ashanti African Tours.  Our program will introduce you to a sample of the fabulous creatures that inhabit the rainforests of southern Ghana.

Dean and Sally Jue have watched birds together ever since they met 49 years ago as Zoology graduate students at the University of Michigan.  After moving to Tallahassee in 1987, they became active in Apalachee Audubon and the Florida Ornithological Society (FOS), serving as officers and committee members of both.  In 2002, while attending an FOS meeting in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, their friends Linda and Buck Cooper introduced them to butterfly watching.  Since then, Dean and Sally have spent as much time as possible photographing and studying butterflies where ever they go.  After retiring in 2016 from FSU’s Institute of Science and Public Affairs and the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, they have enjoyed traveling to faraway places.  Still avid birders, on these foreign trips Dean and Sally strive to experience as much biodiversity of the new country as possible. This past year took them in December to the Amazon rainforest of Peru and in April to the African country of Ghana.

For a detailed map to the in person program at FSU, scroll to the bottom of this page.
This program will also be live-streamed via the following link. No registration required.

View program recording on the AAS YouTube Channel

Migrating birds have been streaming across the Florida Panhandle since early July, but we’ll be seeing many more over the upcoming weeks. Find out where and when you can find these short-term visitors to our area. Karen Willes will share her experiences and photos of migrants at St. Marks NWR and Juli deGrummond will do likewise for sites around the Tallahassee area. This will be a collaborative meeting where we can share information. Join in the discussion and let’s go find those birds at Bald Point State Park on our September 18 field trip!

Registration link: https://bit.ly/3Ii0MBU

Dr. Bob Cooper will talk about research on bird-insect interactions that he and his students have conducted over a 30-plus year career; they have looked at the relationship between trees, insects and birds, exploring the ecology and threats to insectivorous forest birds.

Recently, a report in the journal Science estimated that there are approximately 3 billion fewer birds in North America than there were 50 years ago. A closer look at the data suggests that declines were largest among birds that are insectivorous at least during the breeding season.

Alarming reports of drastic declines in insect populations also were published, although mostly from Europe, suggesting an additional link not mentioned in the Science article.

Results from Bob’s UGA research and that of others show (1) the importance of caterpillars in the diets of most forest-dwelling songbirds, (2) significant effects on songbird populations when caterpillar abundance was reduced with pesticides, and (3) declines in songbird populations were correlated with lower caterpillar abundance in lower elevation sites in the Southern Appalachians, suggesting that climate change is also affecting both insects and birds.

Conservation actions aimed at insectivorous forest birds include (1) broad-scale conservation planning and habitat restoration, (2) a monitoring program for insect populations comparable to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, and (3) research that assesses the relationships between insect and bird long-term population dynamics. He will make recommendations for meeting those needs.

Bio: Robert J. Cooper, Ph.D.

Bob obtained Bachelors and Masters degrees in forest resources with a wildlife concentration from the University of Georgia, a second Masters in statistics from the University of Wyoming, and a Ph.D. from West Virginia University in wildlife biology.  He joined the faculty of the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at UGA in 1997 after serving on the faculty at Humboldt State University and the University of Memphis. Bob retired from UGA in 2021 but holds Emeritus status. He now lives on St Simons Island.

At UGA, Bob’s main courses were ornithology, experimental design, and conservation decision making. 

Broadly, his research addresses how human activities influence ecological systems and the services they provide and then how to apply that understanding to conservation.  His focal organisms have usually been birds because they serve such important ecological roles, often are good ecological indicators, and are just so interesting. His research has taken him to iconic ecosystems throughout Georgia, including deciduous forests of the Appalachian Mountains, floodplain ecosystems of major river systems, longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystems in the Coastal Plan, tidal marshes of the coast, and beaches of the barrier islands.

His conservation work has been recognized by awards from the Audubon Society, Partners in Flight and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He is a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society and serves on the Board of Directors of Georgia Audubon and the Georgia Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

Park in the Spirit Way parking garage or open lot and follow the signs to the auditorium, which is accessed from the back entrance of the building.

At 6 PM, we will have a book signing. Bring your own Noah Strycker books or buy a copy of Birding Without Borders at the event, on sale for $15 (tax included). NOTE: We will be unable to process credit card payments at the talk, so please bring cash or a check. See below for more information.

This program is free, but donations to cover expenses are greatly appreciated. There will be a donation box at the door, or you can make a donation via PayPal.

We are pleased to be able to offer this presentation as a Zoom webinar as well as an in person event! This will be livestreamed at the time of the talk and will NOT be recorded. Click the link below to register for the webinar.

https://bit.ly/36ixc1O

In 2015, bird nerd Noah Strycker of Oregon became the first human to see more than half of the planet’s bird species in a single, year-long, round-the-world birding trip. Anything could have happened, and a lot did. He was scourged by blood-sucking leeches, suffered fevers and sleep deprivation, survived airline snafus and car breakdowns and mudslides and torrential floods, skirted war zones, and had the time of his life. Birding on seven continents and carrying only a pack on his back, Strycker enlisted the enthusiastic support of local birders to tick more than 6,000 species, including Adelie Penguins in Antarctica, a Harpy Eagle in Brazil, a Spoon-billed Sandpiper in Thailand, and a Green-breasted Pitta in Uganda. He shared the adventure in real time on his daily blog (audubon.org/noah), and now he reveals the inside story. This humorous and inspiring presentation about Strycker’s epic World Big Year will leave you with a new appreciation for the birds and birders of the world.

We will have copies of Birding Without Borders: An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World for sale before the event and we will have a book signing before the program. If you already have one of his books, you’re welcome to bring it for him to sign! NOTE: We will be unable to process credit card payments at the talk, so please bring cash or a check. Also, these books are being donated by one of our board members, so 100% of your purchase (except for tax) will go to the Apalachee Audubon!

This presentation is free (we will cheerfully accept donations). As of Sunday morning, April 3, there are still seats available but to make sure that you get a seat, please email a reservation request by 9 AM with the number of seats you’re requesting to ApalacheeAudubon@gmail.com. If you show up 2:30-3:00 PM, EDT it’s likely but not guaranteed that you will be seated.

This presentation is intended for children

We are pleased to be able to offer this presentation as a Zoom webinar as well as an in person event! This will be livestreamed at the time of the talk and will NOT be recorded. Click the link below to register for the webinar.

bit.ly/38euPhi

What is it like to spend three months in a colony of 300,000 penguins—with no fresh food or shower, living in a tiny tent in Antarctica?

Noah spins tales from the end of the world, delving into the things you don’t typically see on nature documentaries: thousand-year-old penguin mummies, how to catch a baby penguin, and the wonders of the pee bottle. Months after graduating with his undergraduate degree, In early November 2008, Noah was helicoptered into a remote Antarctic field camp as part of a long-term research study on Adélie Penguins. He soon found himself caught by the great allure of Antarctica—where life is distilled into necessities and incredible moments.

Bio: Noah Strycker

Noah Strycker, 36 (dob: 2-9-86), is Associate Editor of Birding magazine, the author of six well-regarded books about birds, a penguin scientist, and a regular contributor of photography and articles to all major bird magazines as well as other media. In 2021, he earned a master’s degree with honors from New York’s Stony Brook University, focusing his research on Chinstrap Penguins. In 2015, Strycker set a world Big Year record, and his 2017 book, Birding Without Borders, relates the experience. His other books are Among Penguins (Oregon State University Press, 2011), The Thing with Feathers (Riverhead Books, 2014), Birds of the Photo Ark (National Geographic, 2018), National Geographic Guide to the Backyard Birds of North America (National Geographic, 2019), and Birding Basics (National Geographic, 2022). Strycker has studied birds on six continents with field seasons in Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Australia, Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands, and the Farallon Islands. He also works as a naturalist guide on expedition cruises to Antarctica and Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, literally spreading the inspiration of birds from pole to pole. Strycker is a competitive tennis player, has run five marathons, and hiked the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. He is based in Creswell, Oregon, where his backyard has hosted more than 100 species of birds. Visit his website at: www.noahstrycker.com

Gina Kent has been working with ARCI since 2000. She has conducted bird surveys from small planes, boated around the Florida Keys, and climbing 100-foot tall trees, working with many Florida specialty birds including Great White Herons, Magnificent Frigatebirds, Snail Kites, Reddish Egrets, White-crowned Pigeons and others. She is based in Florida but travels throughout the Southeast US and internationally to research birds. Gina received an undergraduate degree in wildlife from University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, and a Master's degree from Georgia Southern University. Her graduate thesis was on Swallow-tailed Kite migration and stopover sites from the SE US through Cuba and the Yucatan.

Registration link: https://bit.ly/3tA3ZsB

The yard tour is back! Join us for our 13th Annual Wildlife-Friendly Yards Tour and fundraiser to benefit the Apalachee Audubon Society. We invite you to take a self-guided tour of five local yards that are wildlife havens. Tickets are still only $10 per person and are now on sale at Native Nurseries and Wild Birds Unlimited.

Each yard has unique features to attract a variety of birds and other wildlife such as wintering hummingbirds, orioles, tanagers, finches, and pine siskins, as well as our year-round residents. This year, we have our usual wide variety of sizes and features from our yard hosts, plus some new ideas for inspiration for your own wildlife-friendly yard.

For more information contact:  Tammy Brown, tcbrown798@aol.com, or 850-933-8154.

CANCELLED: Conservation Lands in Florida and Benefits to Birds: A Panel Discussion

Due to circumstances beyond our control, this program has been cancelled.

Our February program consists of a panel discussion about how land conservation proceeds in Florida and what that means for our bird populations in the state. The panelists are:

Kent Wimmer - Senior Representative with Defenders of Wildlife
Jason Lauritsen - Executive Director of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Coalition
Melissa Hill - Operations Manager of National Wildlife Federation's Gulf Program

The panel discussion on zoom will be moderated by Peter Kleinhenz, Apalachee Audubon conservation committee chair, and the audience will have a chance to ask questions about land conservation, the respective organizations the panelists represent, and ways forward to help our feathered friends in our state.

THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Birding by ear! This talk will give tips on how to get started, recording equipment recommendations, and stories on how I got started listening to nature and recording birds. 

There will also be stories of great recording experiences & total flops!

Natasza’s 8th grade science fair project was titled “The Aerodynamics of a Birds Wings".  Ever since she could remember, she was interested in birds, conservation, and art.  After taking a detour into the creative world, she decided it was time to get back to her other passion, nature.  She volunteered at several conservation organizations, including NYC Audubon, and eventually obtained a position in the Herbarium department at the New York Botanical Garden.  In 2015 she was introduced to recording birds as an assistant at the Lahti Lab, at CUNY Queens College.

In 2017, she had the amazing opportunity to attend the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Sound Recording workshop and since then, when out birding, makes recording bird calls and songs a priority.  Currently, she is an MS student at FSU in the biology department and Shorebird Stewart for Florida Audubon.  Besides birding, she spends her free time illustrating birds and plants.  In addition to working in conservation, she hopes to one day be a part of the international group of conservation artists, “Artist for Conservation". 

Visit the Apalachee Audubon YouTube Channel to view a recording of this program.

Located in Thomas County, Georgia, Lost Creek Forest is a remnant example of old growth, climax hardwood forests and wetlands. For thousands of years such forests sloped down to the blackwater creeks in the coastal plains, while longleaf dominated the upland sandhills and flatwoods.  Saved from industrial development by a grassroots movement in 2008, Lost Creek Forest remains intact, protecting its many ecosystems of plants and animals and provides recreation, education, and research about our natural heritage.

Beth Grant is a retired mental health counselor and educator who has enjoyed many retirement years volunteering in numerous nature activities. She led the Save Our Forest movement in 2008 and served as President of Friends of Lost Creek Forest until spring of 2021.

From the Lost Creek Forest website:

“The forest is an intact climax hardwood forest. No other forests of this size with similar characteristics are known to exist in South Georgia. Lost Creek Forest is a wonderful combination of slope forest, seeps, floodplain, creeks, and several different ecosystems--all within walking distance of each other.

In the heart of the forest the canopy consists of mature hardwoods such as oaks and beech--some more than 100 years old and measuring 10 feet or more in circumference. Spruce pines tower well over 100 feet high. Magnolias, hickories, hop hornbeam, holly, sourwood, cherry, and other varieties of trees are found in abundance.

The under story of small trees and shrubs, as well as the smaller herbaceous plants and ground cover, are all representative of what would have been found in the forest for thousands of years. There is even one of the best populations anywhere of the endangered Florida Milkvine. Native wildlife find shelter and home there.”

Visit the Apalachee Audubon YouTube Channel to view a recording of this program.

Imagine gliding along a clear watercourse beneath a leafy canopy of maple, cypress, and gum. The current swirls eelgrass in undulating patterns as schools of silvery mullet shoot past. Ahead, a manatee’s snout breaks the surface in a loud whoosh, its gray body lumbering slowly along and showing little fear as you pass by. A red-shouldered hawk cries and soars over treetops while a black anhinga stretches long wings to dry while perched on a cypress knee.

Florida’s rivers are steeped in natural and cultural history. They are avenues through time, and they are showcases for natural beauty, birds, and other wildlife. In this program, author Doug Alderson will show photos and share stories from his latest all-color book, Florida’s Rivers: A Celebration of Over 40 of the Sunshine State’s Dynamic Waterways, emphasizing why our rivers are to be enjoyed, protected, and restored.

Doug Alderson is the author of several books, including America’s Alligator, Wild Florida Waters, Waters Less Traveled, New Dawn for the Kissimmee River, Encounters with Florida’s Endangered Wildlife and A New Guide to Old Florida Attractions, which the Florida Writers Association placed in the top five of published books for 2017. He has won four first place Royal Palm Literary awards for travel books and several other state and national writing and photography awards. Additionally, his articles and photographs have been featured in numerous magazines.

Doug received the inaugural Environmental Service Award by Paddle Florida in 2015 “for conspicuous commitment, unflagging dedication and love of Florida’s natural environment.” For several years, he coordinated Florida’s designated paddling trail system and helped to establish the 1,515-mile Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail. He is currently the Outreach and Advocacy Director for Apalachicola Riverkeeper.

Visit the Apalachee Audubon YouTube Channel to view a recording of this program.

Our gulf and bay coastlines are home to an incredibly diverse bird assemblage or in some cases attract unique bird species.  We will take a tour of various sites along the Florida Panhandle coastline to visit some of these special places along with their avian inhabitants. We will also look at conservation efforts Audubon Florida is implementing to protect birds and their habitat in the area.  Although it is a challenging endeavor, conservation of bird habitats along our coast can be incredibly rewarding when you see successful nesting during the summer or birds returning to foraging sites during the winter.

Dr. Caroline Stahala is Audubon Florida's Coastal Bird Program Manager for the Florida Panhandle. Her focus is on helping local municipalities and property owners implement seabird conservation measures, educating locals, and garnering support for local nesting and wintering seabirds. Caroline has been involved in various bird conservation programs for over 20 years. She earned her Ph.D. from Florida State University in Ecology and Evolution where she focused on the behavioral ecology of the Bahama Parrot. Caroline also has experience working for national and international government organizations on bird related issues. She has worked on conservation issues for a broad range of bird species including, grassland sparrows, woodpecker species, parrots, seabirds, and shorebirds.

Visit the Apalachee Audubon YouTube Channel to view a recording of this program.

Jeff VanderMeer’s New York Times-bestselling Southern Reach trilogy has been translated into over 35 languages. The first novel, Annihilation, won the Nebula Award and Shirley Jackson Award, and was made into a movie by Paramount in 2018. Recent works include Dead Astronauts, Borne (a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award), The Strange Bird. These novels, set in the Borne universe, are being developed for TV by AMC and continue to explore themes related to the environment, animals, and our future. Current work includes A Peculiar Peril (FSG Kids) and Hummingbird Salamander (MCD/FSG), which has been optioned by Netflix and Michael Sugar (Anonymous Content). Called “the weird Thoreau” by The New Yorker, VanderMeer frequently speaks about issues related to climate change and storytelling. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his wife Ann, cat Neo, and a yard full of native plants.

Zoom, please register - May Program link: https://bit.ly/2LAhX9W

Visit the Apalachee Audubon YouTube Channel to view a recording of this program.

A nature enthusiast, avid bird watcher and Cleveland, Ohio native, Nicole is an alumna of the School of Environment and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University. There she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Education and Interpretation (2011). She is an environmental educator who has worked for various non-profits implementing programs across for the past decade in Central Ohio focused on conservation, gardening, green jobs, and outdoor recreation

Her main goal as an educator is to help people of color find access to local resources that connect them to fun nature experiences and become environmental stewards. Nicole is always looking for opportunities to learn something new and help others see the brilliance and lessons of the natural world around them.

Some of her recent roles include Natural Leader of the Children & Nature Network, a member of the National Parks Conservation Association's Next Generation Advisory Council, co-organizer of Black Birders Week and founder of Black in National Parks Week. During this presentation, Nicole will highlight the work she is doing to inspire environmental educators and professionals to think outside of the box so they can create a more inclusive environment and better connect diverse audiences to the natural world around them.

Zoom registration: https://bit.ly/3sgpGuk