Reprinted from the Audubon AdvocateBudget Bills Update – Senate Improves, House Numbers are BetterThe House and Senate voted out appropriations bills this week. The Senate had a rousing debate on a proposed amendment by Senator Thad Altman (R-Cape Canaveral) to use proceeds from Amendment 1 to bond $335 million for Florida Forever. The amendment was opposed by Senate leaders but Senator Rob Bradley (R-Orange Park) offered an alternative that was approved on voice vote. We hope Senator Altman and Senator Bradley continue advancing the Senate’s position.The House bill is much more generous to land acquisition. HB 5001 House Appropriations BillThe House uses Florida Forever bonding authority to generate $205 million for water resource development (may include purchase of land), easements on agricultural lands, springs land acquisition and restoration projects, water quality projects of Kissimmee River restoration. Of the funds, the House budget announcement suggested that $10 million could be used for projects on the Florida Forever list. The House water bill specifically appropriates the $205 million for:
SB 2500 Improved But Still Falls ShortThe Senate does not use bonding and as a result of the Altman/Bradley amendments now provides $37 million for land acquisition plus the $20 million for Kissimmee River. Your calls to Senators Urging More Amendment 1 Funds for Florida Forever did make a difference.Thank you Senators Thad Altman, Rob Bradely, Arthenia Joyner, Darren Soto and Oscar Braynon for standing up for Amendment 1 and Florida Forever If you have not yet called your State Senator, please click here to find his or her contact information. Then call their Tallahassee office and say:
“I am one of 4.2 million voters
who voted yes for Amendment 1. I believed when voting for the amendment
that it would increase funding for Florida Forever, land conservation,
springs, and the Everglades. Please support amendments on the Senate
floor to use Amendment 1 funds for land conservation.”
Below is a list of some of the Florida Forever projects that could be
completed with Amendment 1 dollars. If a project is in your Senator's
district, please mention the project by name and tell the person on the
phone that you want to see this land protected.
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Friday, April 10, 2015
It Gets Better - Rousing Debate on Senate Floor Shows Your Calls Were Heard
Take Action: Lend Your Voice to Defend Florida Black Bears
Reprinted from the Audubon Advocate
Two opportunities to make your voice heard. See below for more information.
In the wake of attacks by black bears
in the last two years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission (FWC) advanced a proposal in February to open a black bear
hunt this
fall, despite their own biologists’ testimony that bear hunting will not
meaningfully address the public safety issue. Agency staff are now in rule
development for a bear hunt this October, with a draft rule planned for
presentation to the commissioners at their April
15 commission meeting in Tallahassee.
At the February meeting in Jacksonville, many citizens and conservation groups voiced their opposition to the proposed hunt. Audubon called the discussion of a hunt a “dangerous distraction” from the real work that needs to be undertaken to make Florida safer for people and bears alike.
All the bears associated with recent attacks were in areas where they were being fed—either intentionally (which is against Florida law), or negligently because of unsecured trash and other human food sources.
“In Florida, when you build a home on the coast, you have to build to withstand certain windspeeds. When you build in flood-prone areas, you have to elevate your home,” said Julie Wraithmell, Audubon Florida's Director of Wildlife Conservation. “Why is it that when people build homes in bear country, they are not required to buy a $250 bear-proof trash can?”
Meaningful efforts to improve safety in bear country should include:
The Florida Black Bear was removed from the Florida Threatened species list three years ago, when Florida adopted a new process for gauging species imperilment.
A unique subspecies, Florida black bears once roamed much of Florida but now occupy only 18% of their historic range, in 7 relatively isolated subpopulations (described by FWC as bear management units). Their decline has largely been attributed to large-scale habitat loss—a threat which has not abated. Today, roadkill also takes a significant toll on the species.
You can watch the February FWC meeting on YouTube. The video is presented in two parts:
If you cannot attend the meeting in Tallahassee, you can still make your voice heard by using Audubon's Advocacy portal to send an email to FWC. Click the red button below for more information.
Two opportunities to make your voice heard. See below for more information.
 |
| Florida Black Bears |
At the February meeting in Jacksonville, many citizens and conservation groups voiced their opposition to the proposed hunt. Audubon called the discussion of a hunt a “dangerous distraction” from the real work that needs to be undertaken to make Florida safer for people and bears alike.
All the bears associated with recent attacks were in areas where they were being fed—either intentionally (which is against Florida law), or negligently because of unsecured trash and other human food sources.
“In Florida, when you build a home on the coast, you have to build to withstand certain windspeeds. When you build in flood-prone areas, you have to elevate your home,” said Julie Wraithmell, Audubon Florida's Director of Wildlife Conservation. “Why is it that when people build homes in bear country, they are not required to buy a $250 bear-proof trash can?”
Meaningful efforts to improve safety in bear country should include:
- Enforcement of Florida’s prohibition on feeding bears
- Advocacy with local governments to require bear proof trash cans in bear country, and subsidies to help low-income residents with compliance.
The Florida Black Bear was removed from the Florida Threatened species list three years ago, when Florida adopted a new process for gauging species imperilment.
A unique subspecies, Florida black bears once roamed much of Florida but now occupy only 18% of their historic range, in 7 relatively isolated subpopulations (described by FWC as bear management units). Their decline has largely been attributed to large-scale habitat loss—a threat which has not abated. Today, roadkill also takes a significant toll on the species.
You can watch the February FWC meeting on YouTube. The video is presented in two parts:
- Click here for Part 1
- Click here for Part 2 (Audubon testifies at 18:40)
Two Opportunities to Make Your Voice Heard
The FWC will consider the draft rule proposal for fall bear hunt at their April 15 meeting in Tallahassee. Please consider attending and speaking at this hearing. You can view the PowerPoint presentation FWC staff plan to present to the Commission by clicking here.If you cannot attend the meeting in Tallahassee, you can still make your voice heard by using Audubon's Advocacy portal to send an email to FWC. Click the red button below for more information.
| April 15 - Public Hearing | Send a Letter |
|
Wednesday, April 15 8:30am Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center Florida A&M University 1800 Wahnish Way, Tallahassee, FL 32307 Click here for map. Click here for parking pass. |
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So You Think You Can Dance—Like an Albatross
Reprinted from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Newsletter
This delightful video features four subadult Laysan Albatrosses
practicing their courtship moves. The birds' antics are funny, but the
video explains how it all comes together for a serious purpose. All
those bill snaps, head tucks, and "sky moos" help establish and
strengthen pair bonds. All the footage and albatross sounds were
recorded on our albatross cam streaming live from Kauai, Hawaii. Watch the video—then check out the live cam.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Viera Nature Festival
Come by the Space Coast Audubon booth at the Viera Nature Festival on Saturday April 11th. http://spacecoastdaily.com/…/viera-nature-festival-to-high…/. Being held at Viera Wetlands, 10001 N Wickham Rd on April 11, 2015 from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
Jim Eager
Space Coast Audubon Society
Vice President
Program/Publicity Chair
Jim Eager
Space Coast Audubon Society
Vice President
Program/Publicity Chair
Sunday, April 5, 2015
April 17, 2015 Space Coast Audubon meeting
Join Space Coast Audubon Society for our
April 17th Meeting
“The
Importance of Prescribed Fire to the Ecology of Florida and to Public Safety”
WHO: Space Coast Audubon
Society (SCAS)
WHERE: Rockledge
Presbyterian Church, 921 Rockledge Dr, Rockledge, FL.
WHEN: April 17, 2015 at 7:30
pm
Tim Kuzusko will be our speaker and
will be presenting The
Importance of Prescribed Fire to the Ecology of Florida and to Public Safety
Tim Kozusko is a native of Brevard
County. He has a master’s degree in biology from UCF and is a doctoral
candidate at FIT. He works at Kennedy Space Center in NASA's Ecological Program
and has more than ten years experience in application of prescribed fire with
Audubon of Florida, The Florida Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
Tim’s presentation will feature
adaptations of plants and animals to fire, and how those adaptations tell us
most of Florida's habitats require frequent, small, low-intensity fire. He will
also discuss how development has upset the natural fire cycle, and coming
challenges to prescribed fire from climate change.
Visit the Space Coast Audubon Society
website at www.spacecoastaudubon.org
We look forward to another great
turnout.
Jim Eager
Space Coast Audubon Society
Vice President
Program/Publicity Chair
Thursday, March 19, 2015
EXOTIC PET AMNESTY DAY
EXOTIC PET AMNESTY DAY & EFSC
Melbourne Wildlife Club Festival
Saturday, April 11th 2015
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Wickham Park Pavilion
3845 N Wickham Rd., Melbourne
Surrender exotic pets that can no longer be kept.
No penalties for unlicensed or illegal exotic pets.
Surrendered pets will be adopted out the same day.
Adopters must pre-register at MyFWC.com/Nonnatives
See live examples of native, domestic and exotic animals up close.
Talk to experts about being a responsible pet owner.
Learn about invasive species and why they are a problem.
For more information visit:
MyFWC.com/Nonnatives
Or call 1-888-Ive-Got1 (1-888-483-4681)
Jim Eager
Space Coast Audubon Society
Vice President
Program/Publicity Chair
2016 IRL Calendar Photo Contest
ATTENTION PHOTOGRAPHERS
The Indian River Lagoon Program 2016 Calendar Photo Contest has begun.
Entries due by May 31, 2015.
Entry forms and rules: itsyourlagoon.com
For more information contact:
Stefanie Jansson, Lagoon Program
Jim Eager
Space Coast Audubon Society
Vice President
Program/Publicity Chair
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Great Backyard Bird Count Sets New Species Record
Nearly half the world's species identified in four days
The information gathered by tens of thousands of volunteers helps track the health of bird populations at a scale made possible by using the eBird online checklist program. A sampling of species found by intrepid counters include Ibisbill in India, Bornean Bistlehead in Malaysia, and Magellanic Plover in Chile, complete with amazing photos. GBBC participants even reported two species, Millpo Tapaculo and Santa Marta Screech-Owl that have not yet been described in the official scientific literature.
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| Northern Flicker by Linda Izer, Arkansas, 2015 GBBC. Click to download a high resolution version of the image for print. |
Bitter Weather
The bitter cold, snowy weather in much of the northeastern United States and much of Canada was a major factor in this year's count. In much of the Northeast, Sunday was particularly frigid and windy, and the number of reports showed an obvious dip as some counters were forced indoors. As one participant in Quebec noted, watching birds came with a price as wind chill temperatures rarely topped -20 degrees Celsius (zero degrees Fahrenheit).
For those who did brave the cold, the GBBC data will help to better understand the impact of the cold on birds and bird populations. For example, scientists will be able to compare the abundance of some so-called “half-hardy” species, such as Carolina Wren and Yellow-rumped Warbler, to see if this cold winter has affected their populations.
Snowy Owl Echo
Snowy Owls are one of the most charismatic and emblematic birds of winter. They breed in Arctic regions worldwide and drop south in some winters ("irrupt"), depending on food supplies and their breeding success in the previous summer. The winter of 2013-14 was a huge year for these owls which appeared in amazing numbers across the Great Lakes states, Northeastern U.S., Atlantic Coast, and southern Canada. GBBC reports for 2015 also show a surge in Snowy Owl sightings across the same range, though the frequency of reports is about half of last winter's. This is a well-known phenomenon with Snowy Owls, with the year after a very large invasion often being referred to as an “echo flight.”
Winter Finches
Winter finches—such as Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, redpolls, and crossbills—are popular among GBBC participants. These birds also "irrupt" south of their usual haunts depending on food supplies, so their numbers in a given region may change widely from year to year.
2015 was a banner year for Pine Siskins which are reported on 10.5% of GBBC checklists so far. Compare that to 1.2% of checklists in 2014 when most siskins stayed far north in Canada. Siskins will likely be hanging around through April and May, especially if the feeders are stocked with their favorite nyjer (thistle) seed.
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| Indian Golden Oriole by Sumit Sen, West Bengal, India, 2015 GBBC. Click to download a high resolution version of the image for print. |
GBBC Top 10 Lists
Surprisingly, a Eurasian species, the Brambling, appears on the Top 10 list of most reported species for the first time ever. Since November, some of these birds have been spotted on the West Coast and others strayed even farther by turning up in Montana, Wyoming, and Ontario, with one 2015 GBBC record in North America from Washington state. But the Brambling's appearance among the Top 10 can be traced to one checklist from Germany reporting a flock estimated at one million birds. Up to three million Bramblings have been known to gather at that site.
In North America, California sits atop the leader board with the most checklists submitted and the greatest number of species, followed by Pennsylvania and New York. Ontario, Canada, is in the Top 10 for the second year in a row, nudging past Ohio and Georgia.
Outside of the U.S. and Canada, India was once again a star performer, nearly doubling the number of checklists submitted to more than 6,800 and reporting the greatest number of species so far with 717.
Top 10 most frequently reported species (number of checklists reporting this species):
| Species | Number of Checklists |
| Northern Cardinal | 59,083 |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 59,074 |
| Mourning Dove | 48,313 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 45,399 |
| Blue Jay | 41,671 |
| American Goldfinch | 39,880 |
| House Finch | 39,241 |
| Tufted Titmouse | 38,191 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 36,363 |
| House Sparrow | 34,564 |
Top 10 most numerous species (sum of how many individuals were observed across all checklists):
| Species | Number of Individuals |
| Snow Goose | 1,494,937 |
| Canada Goose | 1,110,946 |
| Brambling | 1,000,047 |
| European Starling | 630,610 |
| Mallard | 579,330 |
| American Coot | 501,152 |
| American Robin | 488,063 |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 465,939 |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 432,513 |
| American Goldfinch | 364,963 |
Top 10 states/provinces by checklists submitted
| State/Province | Number of Species | Number of Checklists |
| California | 376 | 8,453 |
| Pennsylvania | 141 | 7,120 |
| New York | 163 | 6,615 |
| Florida | 309 | 5,478 |
| Texas | 366 | 5,256 |
| Virginia | 180 | 4,672 |
| North Carolina | 201 | 4,497 |
| Ontario | 137 | 4,216 |
| Ohio | 125 | 4,190 |
| Georgia | 200 | 4,017 |
Top 10 countries by checklists submitted
| Country | Number of Species | Number of Checklists |
| United States | 671 | 108,396 |
| Canada | 241 | 10,491 |
| India | 717 | 6,810 |
| Australia | 524 | 812 |
| Mexico | 653 | 425 |
| Costa Rica | 559 | 303 |
| Portugal | 197 | 193 |
| New Zealand | 126 | 161 |
| Ecuador | 784 | 138 |
| Honduras | 353 | 133 |
Explore what’s been reported on the Great Backyard Bird Count website. See what species are being reported and how many checklists are being turned in at the county, state/province, and country levels. Check out a sampling of the photos submitted for the GBBC photo contest.
The GBBC is made possible in part by sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited.
HB 7003 Passes, Falls Short on Protecting Florida's Water
Reprinted from the Audubon Advocate
House water bill falls short on springs protection, conservation, and Lake Okeechobee cleanup.
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Audubon worked to educate legislators and to improve HB 7003 before it was rushed through the House earlier this week. But the bill is favored by legislative leaders who claimed it was “modernizing”
water law. In fact, it continues the decades long practice of dumping
polluted water into the Caloosahatchee and Indian River Lagoon
estuaries.
The bill also has springs provisions that fall short of a better bill (SB 918) in the Senate.
Audubon will work in the Senate to fix the problems listed below:
HB 7003 Weakens and Delays Lake Okeechobee and Estuary Cleanup
Florida’s largest lake suffers from decades of pollution and
neglect. The lake also discharges polluted water to the Everglades and
to coastal estuaries. State agencies committed 2000 to clean up Lake
Okeechobee by 2015, but little has been done little to meet water
quality standards. The bill:
- Deletes an existing 2015 deadline for meeting water quality standards and offers no deadline for meeting the cleanup goal.
- Repeals and existing law that requires that discharge into the Lake Okeechobee at 35 different points including from sugarcane farms meet water quality standards.
- Sets aside an existing rule that allows state agencies to require that discharges meet water quality standards and adopts an ineffective plan.
- Adopts a phosphorous pollution control program that relies on activities (BMPs) that have not been shown to meet water quality standards.
HB 7003 Does Not Advance Real Springs Restoration
Many of Florida’s world class springs are suffering from reduced flows and excess nutrients. This bill:
- Lacks deadlines for the adoption of minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for Priority Florida Springs. Without MFLs water management districts lack the ability to gauge the cumulative impact of water withdrawals.
- May delay adoption of MFLs by requiring that recovery or prevention strategies be adopted at the same time.
- Lacks deadlines for achieving water quality goals for impaired springs.
- Lacks deadlines for restoring spring flows that have fallen below MFLs.
- Allows pollution to continue to be introduced in springsheds from sewage sludge, hazardous wastes, new septic systems and wastewater disposal facilities which only treat effluent to minimum standards and animal feedlots.
Please stay tuned next week for opportunites on how you can take action.
Merritt Island NWR Christmas Bird Count Results
| Species/Number
Seen |
Species/Number
Seen |
| Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 115 Muscovy Duck 6 Wood Duck 1 Gadwall 2 Eurasian Wigeon 1 American Wigeon 180 Mottled Duck 5 Blue-winged Teal 280 Northern Shoveler 35 Northern Pintail 25 Canvasback 3 Redhead 2,100 Ring-necked Duck 16 Greater Scaup 6 Lesser Scaup 5,300 Black Scoter 11 Bufflehead 3 Hooded Merganser 60 Red-breasted Merganser 25 Ruddy Duck 4 Northern Bobwhite 1 Common Loon 25 Pied-billed Grebe 300 Horned Grebe 75 Northern Gannet 95 American White Pelican 200 Brown Pelican 320 Double-crested Cormorant 1,030 Anhinga 110 Great Blue Heron (Blue form) 180 Great Egret 285 Snowy Egret 290 Little Blue Heron 80 Tricolored Heron 200 Reddish Egret 13 Cattle Egret 70 Green Heron 30 Black-crowned Night-Heron 10 Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 1 White Ibis 1,250 Glossy Ibis 410 Roseate Spoonbill 130 Wood Stork 60 Black Vulture 365 Turkey Vulture 275 Osprey 167 Bald Eagle 28 Northern Harrier 15 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Cooper's Hawk 6 Red-shouldered Hawk 48 Red-tailed Hawk 3 American Kestrel 35 Merlin 3 Peregrine Falcon 3 Black Rail 1 Clapper Rail 1 King Rail 2 Virginia Rail 1 Sora 8 Common Gallinule 92 American Coot 4,900 Sandhill Crane 1 Black-bellied Plover 65 Piping Plover 25 Killdeer 150 Black-necked Stilt 1 American Avocet 4 Spotted Sandpiper 2 Greater Yellowlegs 20 Willet 75 Lesser Yellowlegs 33 Ruddy Turnstone 85 Red Knot 12 Sanderling 31 Western Sandpiper 3 Least Sandpiper 32 Dunlin 355 |
Short-billed Dowitcher 1 Long-billed Dowitcher 2 Wilson's Snipe 7 Laughing Gull 630 Bonaparte's Gull 2 Ring-billed Gull 1,070 Herring Gull 32 Great Black-backed Gull 15 Caspian Tern 45 Forster's Tern 75 Royal Tern 185 Sandwich Tern 3 Black Skimmer 170 Rock Pigeon 130 Eurasian Collared-Dove 5 White-winged Dove 5 Mourning Dove 65 Common Ground-Dove 57 Eastern Screech-Owl 7 Great Horned Owl 3 Barred Owl 2 Belted Kingfisher 120 Red-bellied Woodpecker 61 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 11 Downy Woodpecker 12 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker 24 Pileated Woodpecker 15 Eastern Phoebe 62 Loggerhead Shrike 18 White-eyed Vireo 47 Blue-headed Vireo 14 Blue Jay 15 Florida Scrub-Jay 60 Fish Crow 180 Tree Swallow 75 Tufted Titmouse 6 Carolina Wren 120 House Wren 37 Sedge Wren 7 Marsh Wren 5 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 16 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 23 Hermit Thrush 4 American Robin 420 Gray Catbird 220 Northern Mockingbird 55 European Starling 160 American Pipit 2 Cedar Waxwing 50 Orange-crowned Warbler 7 Northern Parula 2 Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler 830 Black-throated Green Warbler 2 Yellow-throated Warbler 3 Pine Warbler 12 Prairie Warbler 3 Palm Warbler 370 Black-and-white Warbler 2 Ovenbird 1 Northern Waterthrush 2 Common Yellowthroat 275 Eastern Towhee 32 Chipping Sparrow 14 Savannah Sparrow 150 Swamp Sparrow 70 White-throated Sparrow 1 Northern Cardinal 72 Painted Bunting 7 Red-winged Blackbird 165 Eastern Meadowlark 7 Common Grackle 170 Boat-tailed Grackle 570 Brown-headed Cowbird 6 Pine Siskin 38 American Goldfinch 20 House Sparrow 35 |
Cocoa CBC Results
| Species/Number
Seen |
Species/Number
Seen |
| Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 200 Greylag Goose 1 Muscovy Duck 20 Mallard 50 Mottled Duck 110 Blue-winged Teal 90 Northern Shoveler 5 American Green-winged Teal 4 Redhead 6 Ring-necked Duck 25 Greater Scaup 3 Lesser Scaup 70,000 Black Scoter 175 Bufflehead 12 Hooded Merganser 15 Red-breasted Merganser 25 Ruddy Duck 1 Mallard X Mottled Duck (hybrid) 10 Common Peafowl 75 Common Loon 45 Pied-billed Grebe 65 Horned Grebe 90 Northern Gannet 15 American White Pelican 200 Brown Pelican 750 Double-crested Cormorant 1,600 Anhinga 185 Magnificent Frigatebird 2 Least Bittern 3 Great Blue Heron (Blue form) 165 Great Egret 700 Snowy Egret 950 Little Blue Heron 140 Tricolored Heron 630 Reddish Egret 1 Cattle Egret 375 Green Heron 10 Black-crowned Night-Heron 15 Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 1 White Ibis 1,700 Glossy Ibis 825 Roseate Spoonbill 85 Wood Stork 500 Black Vulture 750 Turkey Vulture 2,200 Osprey 170 Northern Harrier 4 Cooper's Hawk 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 60 Broad-winged Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk 6 Crested Caracara 4 American Kestrel 35 Merlin 1 Peregrine Falcon 1 Clapper Rail 2 King Rail 30 Virginia Rail 8 Sora 35 Common Gallinule 90 American Coot 1,300 Limpkin 4 Sandhill Crane 45 Black-bellied Plover 28 Killdeer 120 Spotted Sandpiper 5 Greater Yellowlegs 6 Willet 2 Lesser Yellowlegs 1 Ruddy Turnstone 45 Red Knot 1 Sanderling 60 Least Sandpiper 7 Wilson's Snipe 5 |
Laughing Gull 33,000 Bonaparte's Gull 2 Ring-billed Gull 17,500 Herring Gull 2,200 Lesser Black-backed Gull 360 Great Black-backed Gull 35 Caspian Tern 2 Forster's Tern 35 Royal Tern 500 Sandwich Tern 230Black Skimmer 165 Pomarine Jaeger 1 Parasitic Jaeger 2 Rock Pigeon 500 Eurasian Collared-Dove 225 White-winged Dove 1 Mourning Dove 300 Common Ground-Dove 20 Eastern Screech-Owl 8 Great Horned Owl 9 Barred Owl 3 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 Belted Kingfisher 55 Red-bellied Woodpecker 120 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 10 Downy Woodpecker 12 Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker 3 Pileated Woodpecker 17 Eastern Phoebe 70 Western Kingbird 5 Loggerhead Shrike 57 White-eyed Vireo 15 Blue-headed Vireo 5 Blue Jay 155 Florida Scrub-Jay 27 Fish Crow 3,500 Tree Swallow 250 Tufted Titmouse 9 Carolina Wren 30 House Wren 40 Sedge Wren 4 Marsh Wren 14 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 10 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 20 Hermit Thrush 1 American Robin 230 Gray Catbird 140 Northern Mockingbird 175 Brown Thrasher 5 European Starling 300 Orange-crowned Warbler 11 Northern Parula 1 Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler 1,300 Yellow-throated Warbler 11 Pine Warbler 35 Prairie Warbler 6 Palm Warbler 480 Black-and-white Warbler 7 Ovenbird 1 Northern Waterthrush 4 Common Yellowthroat 80 Eastern Towhee 6 Chipping Sparrow 70 Savannah Sparrow 55 Swamp Sparrow 30 Northern Cardinal 120 Painted Bunting 11 Red-winged Blackbird 185 Eastern Meadowlark 2 Common Grackle 1,400 Boat-tailed Grackle 1,700 Brown-headed Cowbird 150 House Finch 1 American Goldfinch 10 House Sparrow 70 |
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
March 20, 2015 Meeting
Join Space Coast Audubon Society for our
March 20th Meeting
“Central Florida Butterflies”
WHO: Space Coast Audubon
Society (SCAS)
WHERE: Rockledge
Presbyterian Church, 921 Rockledge Dr, Rockledge, FL.
WHEN: March 20, 2015 at 7:30
pm
Space Coast Audubon board member Jim
Stahl will be our speaker and will be presenting Central Florida Butterflies
Jim Stahl is the retired natural areas
manager from the Columbus, Ohio park system of over 20,000 acres and a retired
adjunct professor/senior lecturer at Otterbein College and Capital University. He is an eco-tourism guide taking cruise ship
passengers on nature outings, an active volunteer at the Merritt Island
National Wildlife Refuge and the Enchanted Forest. Those of you that attend the Space Coast
Birding & Wildlife Festival hopefully have joined Jim on his guided field
trips showcasing the flora at Dicerandra Scrub Sanctuary and the North Brevard
Area.
Butterfly watching, scientifically
known as Lepidoptry, is a rapidly growing hobby among nature lovers. On sunny days around noon when birds are least
active, butterflies are most active; providing birders a good alternative. Over 185 species of these winged jewels occur
in Florida. We'll look at some of the more common species from around Central
Florida along with their caterpillars and host plants. Those wanting to attract butterflies to their
yard will definitely get some great ideas from Jim on what the best plants
would be.
Visit the Space Coast Audubon Society
website at www.spacecoastaudubon.org
We look forward to another great
turnout.
Jim Eager
Space Coast Audubon Society
Vice President
Program/Publicity Chair
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