Welcome to Duval Audubon Society

The end of May marks the end of our scheduled activities for the season, and what a wonderful season it has been! Since this season officially began in July 2018, we have hosted more than 50 field trips to great birding spots in the Jacksonville area and beyond. Several hundred nature lovers joined us throughout the year, many of whom were repeat attendees - we love seeing familiar faces! AND new ones - EVERYONE is welcome to participate in any of our activites!

We also hosted nine excellent speakers at our monthly program meetings, including native gardening expert Ginny Stibolt, local artist and parks advocate Kathy Stark, avian wildlife specialist Mary Ellen Petraska from White Oak Conservation, and our very own Field Trips and Programs Chair Deborah Kainauskas, who gave an outstanding presentation on the White Birds of the Coastal South, featuring many of her own beautiful photographs!

Duval Audubon board members also presented programs about birds and conservation at local schools, libraries, and garden clubs, and shared our love of nature and the outdoors at environmental festivals throughout the year.

2018/2019 was also an amazing season for volunteering. We hosted cleanups at three different parks in the Jacksonville area, with over 50 community-minded volunteers helping to pick up trash and keep it from harming the wildlife we love. At our Crosby Sanctuary conservation property in Orange Park, we hosted monthly work days where more than 40 volunteers, many from the Ridgeview High School Earth Club, helped us to beautify and maintain this incredible nature sanctuary by installing and weeding our new native plant garden, marking and maintaining trails, and picking up trash.

Next year promises to be just as busy! We will continue our monthly Beginning Bird Walks at Fort Caroline National Memorial as well as our regular schedule of field trips and programs so we can share our love of nature and birds with all who want to learn more about the natural world around us. During the summer months, we'll be planning our activities for the upcoming season, so if you are an Audubon member and live in Clay, Duval, or Nassau counties, look for your 2019/2020 calendar in the mail at the end of the summer.

Starting with our September 16, 2019 program, our monthly program meetings will be held at Lakewood Presbyterian Church, 2001 University Blvd W, Jacksonville, FL.

We will continue to hold our monthly program meetings on the third Monday each month. Meetings will start with refreshments and networking at 6:30 pm, with program presentations starting at 7 pm.

Many thanks to Community Hospice & Palliative Care for allowing us to use their lovely meeting rooms for the past two years. And a special shoutout to board member Deborah Kainauskas for all her hard work facilitating the meetings for us. Thanks, Deb!

Love nature? Want to help share that love of nature with others? Consider applying to join Duval Audubon Society’s Board of Directors.

Founded in 1939, Duval Audubon Society is a chapter of Audubon Florida and the National Audubon Society. We currently have approximately 1,100 members in Clay, Duval and Nassau counties and are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Our chapter is dedicated to the enjoyment of birds and other wildlife. We have a primary focus on the preservation of a diversity of species and habitats through education, conservation, environmental leadership and community involvement. We offer a variety of field trips, programs, and volunteer opportunities that are open for anyone to attend.

We are an all-volunteer chapter governed by a Board of Directors who work together to determine the activities offered by the organization to further our mission, “Connecting people with nature, conserving and restoring natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife.”

Currently there are three Board vacancies and we encourage anyone interested in serving as a Board member to apply. Board members are expected to attend monthly meetings and participate in chapter activities on a regular basis. Board Officers are appointed for a one-year term, and Directors serve for two years.

Here is a brief description of the current and upcoming Board openings:

• The Clay County Conservation Chair (a Director position) works on conservation issues in the Clay County area. This position serves a two-year term but may continue if willing and approved by the Board.
• The Education Chair (a Director position) works with the President and Vice President to present educational outreach programs to school groups and other organizations in Clay, Duval, and Nassau Counties. The Education Chair serves a two-year term but may continue if willing and approved by the Board.
• The Volunteer Chair (a Director position) helps with recruiting volunteers from the chapter membership and the community for chapter projects and activities such as leading field trips, representing the chapter at outreach events, helping with monthly cleanups, and other projects as determined by the Board. The Volunteer Chair serves a two-year term but may continue if willing and approved by the Board.

If you are committed to helping to connect people with nature, please consider applying to join us in managing our chapter. You don’t have to be a great birder but having a love for nature and a passion for protecting and conserving birds and other wildlife would make you a wonderful addition to our team!

Send your completed application to Duval Audubon Society President Jody Willis: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or PO Box 16304, Jacksonville, FL 32245.

Questions? Please feel free to contact Jody or any current Board member.

Thank you!

This time of year, beachgoers, fishermen, and boaters are enjoying our coastal areas in northeast Florida.

It's also the time of year when shorebirds undertake some of the most spectacular of long-distance migrations of any North American birds. Nearly two-thirds of the species that breed in North America journey to their arctic nesting grounds in the spring after wintering in Central and South America. Many species traverse more than 15,000 miles in this annual circuit. Red Knots fly 9,300 miles from the southern tip of South America to the Arctic, stopping along the way to rest and feed before resuming their arduous journey. It's critical for them to be allowed to feed without being disturbed - for some, it may make the difference between life and death! Please, keep your distance and don't allow children or pets to run and cause the bird to "flush."

In addition, shorebirds like Royal Terns, Least Terns and American Oystercatchers are beginning their nesting season on our Northeast Florida beaches. Some shallow beach nests and eggs are well-camouflaged. Even small chicks can be easily overlooked and stepped on. We have a decreasing population of several species so awareness can be critical to their reproductive success. Please take care and say well away from nesting areas to avoid disturbing the birds. Eggs and chicks become vulnerable to our hot sun and predators when a parent is forced to leave their nest from disturbance.

One way to help Florida's beach-nesting birds is to become a Bird Stewardat a beach or rooftop site. At beach-nesting sites, stewards who volunteer help ensure beachgoers do not enter fragile nesting areas and help educate visitors about the remarkable species that rely on Florida's shores for survival. Audubon will train you on the bird protections and biology you will need to be successful. Interested individuals should like spending time on the beach and interacting with the public.

There are several volunteer shorebird monitoring programs in our area - doing bird surveys, monitoring Least tern rooftop nests, bird stewarding and beach-nesting bird monitoring. All are an important step for shorebird awareness and protection in our area! It is also a good opportunity for folks to learn more about shorebirds and contribute to our community and our citizen science effort. Please contact Chris Farrel of Audubon Florida (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) to learn how you can participate!

From Audubon's Action Center:

"Millions of birds are killed every year by colliding with buildings, especially during migration. In fact, studies estimate that between 300 million and one billion birds are killed each year from these collisions, making it one of the top causes of bird deaths.

We have the solutions that can reduce these needless deaths. From turning off building lights at night, to using bird-friendly glass or other materials, or limiting the use of glass, these simple and cost-effective practices can drastically cut down bird deaths.

The Bird-Safe Buildings Act, led by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), will ensure that new or renovated federal buildings adopt bird-friendly guidelines. It will not only make public buildings safer for birds, but would also create a strong model to help inspire further action in states and cities across the country.

Birds need to navigate countless modern hazards while they undertake their incredible migrations. We need to do everything we can to make sure they get to their nesting grounds safely every spring."

Click here to take action now and urge your Member of Congress to support the bipartisan Bird-Safe Buildings Act!