Welcome to Duval Audubon Society

Serving Clay, Duval and Nassau Counties

Our mission:

Connecting people with nature, conserving and restoring natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife.

We are a chapter of the National Audubon Society and have about 1,100 members in Clay, Duval, and Nassau Counties in Northeast Florida. We host monthly online informational meetings throughout the year and also offer special events, volunteer opportunities, and other activities. Please check our calendar of events for a current listing of our upcoming activities. We hope you'll join us!

2021 EVENTS UPDATE: Although the news of an effective coronavirus vaccine is encouraging, it looks like it will still be some months before the spread of the virus slows down. With the pandemic still surging, our Board of Directors has decided that we will continue to limit hosted in-person activities this year (at least for the first few months) to ensure the health and safety of our members and volunteers. Registration will be limited and participants and volunteers will be required to observe COVID-19 safety measures including masks and social distancing for most in-person activities.

Please Donate to Duval Audubon!

As a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit, we are grateful for your support. Every contribution helps us continue our work in Northeast Florida!

A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION (#CH4724) AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR DUVAL AUDUBON SOCIETY, A FLORIDA-BASED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE OR VISITING WWW.FLORIDACONSUMERHELP.COM. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.

  • Duval County's "Mister Bluebird"

    202105 Ken Godwin Duffy Kopriva Emil Kotik 201911 IMG 0016First, let me say that I will miss my good friend at Audubon, Emil Kotik. He helped me by building nest boxes for my bluebird trail.

    I’m Ken Godwin, and I first learned of bluebirds’ plight when I worked on a multi-state AT&T bluebird conservation project in 1982, but I was personally trained by Duval Audubon Society's Mildred Dixon (also a member of the North American Bluebird Society) in the late 1980s. Since then I’ve built over a thousand bluebird nesting boxes over the years. I gave hundreds in the late 80’s to Southern Bell “Pioneer” employees with homes in rural communities around Jacksonville like Callahan, Bryson City, Keystone, MacClenny, and Middleburg. By using my large trail in Dunwoody, GA, that began in 1996 along a high-tension power line corridor, experimentation spreading into the neighborhoods taught me that bluebirds will accept nest boxes in suburban residential settings.

    (Read more...)

     

  • Many Voices for Conservation and the Environment: Corina Newsome

    202105 Corina Newson by Katherine ArntzenContinuing our series focusing on the contributions of historically under-recognized groups to conservation and environmental advocacy, this month we are featuring ornithologist Corina Newsome, whose work as a co-founder of Black Birders Week brought her to national attention in the summer of 2020. She and several other Black scientists organized the event in response to an incident in New York’s Central Park in which a Black birder’s confrontation with a white woman who refused to put her dog on a leash as required by park rules went viral. Black Birders Week was conceived as a way to not only highlight Black contributions to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), but also normalize the fact that Black people ARE birders, scientists, and naturalists. Presentations addressed the Black experience in nature, noting in particular the lack of representation in the birding community that has often made Black people feel uncomfortable and less willing to enjoy the outdoors and nature.

    (Read more...)

     

  • LightsOut Northeast Logo Primary ColorHere is an update on our Lights Out Northeast Florida (LONF) partnership with St. Johns County Audubon Society and The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens: Volunteers have been out every week since mid-March looking for birds that have been injured or killed by building strikes in downtown Jacksonville. This is the initial data collection phase of the LONF program that hopes to encourage businesses and residents to turn off their lights at night during the spring and fall migration seasons to help save the lives of migrating birds.

    Starting at dawn, volunteers walk pre-established routes in downtown Jacksonville. They record and collect any dead birds they find, and record and monitor/assist any injured birds they find. So far, the routes have been walked a total of 70 times, collecting 37 dead birds and assisting 18 stunned or injured birds. We hope that these findings will help encourage businesses and homeowners to turn their “lights out” to help migrating birds survive their arduous journey.

    It has been an amazing effort by a very dedicated group of volunteers. They will finish at the end of May, but we expect to return to the routes in the fall to collect data on fall migration. Thank you, volunteers!

    For additional information on our Lights Out initiative, check out this extraordinary documentary video created by University of North Florida student Ryan Nugent.

    ~ Carolyn Antman, Lights Out Northeast Florida Volunteer Coordinator

     

  • Upcoming Events

    Here's what's happening in April:

     

    We look forward to seeing you soon!