December 2025 Newsletter

LIGHTS OUT NORTHEAST FLORIDA NEWS, by Elizabeth Filippelli, Vice President, Conservation Director for Duval County, and LONF Co-Lead

Fall Migration is wrapping up, and we want to extend our deepest thanks to our incredible Lights Out Northeast Florida collision monitors. From September 15 – November 15, our team of dedicated volunteers has been up before dawn, heading downtown to collect, rescue, and survey birds injured or killed by window strikes. Please join me in offering them a huge thank you for their commitment to science, their compassion, and their hard work. Their hearts are truly enormous — and because of them, our program has received wonderful recognition at both the state and local levels.

At the state level, LONF was honored to receive the Outstanding Conservation Project Award for Large Chapters in October from Audubon Florida! What an incredible honor. There are so many outstanding Audubon chapters across the state doing inspiring conservation work, and we’re humbled to be recognized among the best of the best. I was deeply moved to accept the award on behalf of our program at this year’s Audubon Assembly at Howie-in-the-Hills. LONF founding members Carol Baily-White, past chapter President, and Carolyn Antman, past Conservation Director, were both present, making the day even more special. A heartfelt thank-you to Audubon Florida Executive Director Julie Wraithmell, and her amazing team for the recognition and their continued support.

At the local level, the Jacksonville Environmental Protection Board honored LONF with this year’s Community/Civic Award for our Lights Out Northeast Florida Nights Proclamation and community science achievements. We’re proud to share this award with our City of Jacksonville partners — Mayor Donna Deegan, Sustainability Director Ashantae Green, and her staff, Carly Smith and Tiffany Bess, JaxParks, and the Timucuan Parks Foundation. The awards ceremony was held on November 21st, and Duval Audubon members, Jacksonville Zoo & Botanical Gardens leaders, and our wonderful supporters were there to celebrate with us. WOOHOO!

We’ll wrap up our season with our Fall Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon in early December, and we’re thrilled to welcome Will McMahon, Assistant Director of Campus Sustainability at UNF, and Alana Anderson, our first UNF Collision Monitor, as our keynote speakers. As far as we know, UNF is the first local college to organize its own Collision Monitoring Program — a groundbreaking effort and a beautiful example of our growing ladder of engagement.

2026 looks to be a breakout year of action. We are partnering with the COJ Sustainability Office and applying for our first ever Audubon in Action Grant. We are requesting $15,000, and the funds will be dedicated to mitigating the deadliest windows in three City-owned buildings. The project will fund bird-friendly visual markers, installation costs, educational signage, and fun community events to raise awareness. While we know these funds won’t solve every challenge, we’re committed to steady progress — walking before we run.

We’re also beginning work on a proposed City-Owned Outdoor Light Ordinance, modeled after Dark Sky guidelines and successful examples from other cities that have saved countless birds (and plenty of energy, too!). Continuing to partner and fortify our relationship of trust with the City of Jacksonville is a gift and we are grateful.

Saving birds from unnecessary deaths caused by artificial light pollution and reflective glass isn’t glamorous or glitzy work. We have found it’s a journey built on hard work, grit, community partnerships, amazing volunteers, and steadfast determination. And truly, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Many are not aware of the problem or the magical and perilous migration journey that birds take twice a year. And for me, this isn’t just conservation — it’s a calling. It’s stewardship. It’s deeply personal. We’re here for the long haul, and I’m endlessly grateful to be walking this path with all of you.

RIVERSIDE PARK KIND OUTREACH AND RESCUE PILOT, by Elizabeth Filippelli

As promised, here is the latest update on our Riverside Park Kind Outreach and Rescue Pilot Project. We are calling it a success, and park bird stewards Cindy Corey and her daughter Calder get full credit for starting this cohort of goodness. Thanks to Cindy, we learned about the tragic plight of the approximately 200 nesting birds (mostly Black-crowned Night Herons) that were in dire straits last year at this beautiful urban park due to habitat disturbance and lack of community awareness. Alas, I could not “unsee” the problem, and the pilot was born.

This year, after the successful rescue of more than 70 birds, numerous community outreach events, lots of driving, heartache, joy, and engaging new partners, we can claim a small victory! Many of the birds were rehabbed and released by Nature World Wildlife Rescue in Homosassa. The Ark Wildlife Rescue in St. Augustine helped greatly with rescue advice and rehabbing our first set of nesting birds. We thank both of our hard-working licensed rescue teams; please consider donating to them to ensure they can continue this important work. We also thank our volunteer rescue transporters Lisa Williams, Deborah Harper, Sabrina Lehman and William Hoeck. Cindy and Calder undertook a total of 15 lengthy trips to save the birds. That is a lot of driving and heart, and they are at the core of our success. I did one rescue run with Cindy down to Nature World and it was an amazing trip.

This year’s nesting season is over now, but our Core Team is rocking and rolling forward. We are so excited that this project has grown exponentially with kind people and partners working together to do better for our urban parks and birds. Our coalition of partners, COJ, JaxParks, Friends of Riverside Park, Sierra Club Northeast Florida, the Ixia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, and FWC are all engaged together with us to noodle a better park for humans and wildlife. This phase is focused on restoring certain portions of the park to support the nesting birds and includes native trees, bushes and plants! COJ has already installed new educational signage and is starting to plant native trees this month, and we are thrilled. WOOHOO!

But wait there’s more! The next community event is on Thursday December 4th, from 9:00 am – noon. We know that one of the first steps in restoration is removing non-native, invasive plants so native plants can be planted that provide insects and other food sources for nestlings. These native plants also provide shelter for the baby birds to protect them from predators. We thank Jody Willis and Walter Bryant of the Ixia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society for their expertise in cultivating the list of native trees, bushes and plants. The event is sponsored by JaxParks and is supported by both Sierra Club of Northeast Florida and Duval Audubon Society.

We thank all our many partners and community friends who have made this happen, and at the top of the list is Lauren Chappell, Preserve and Waterfront Manager at Jax Parks and Recreation. Lauren has been an outstanding partner as she guides, connects, and navigates us on the project. Thank you, Lauren, from the whole gang!

If you are interested in any of our programs please reach out to Elizabeth.Filippelli@duvalaudubon.org. If you would like to donate to a specific project or our general funds, please click here. Every dollar donated helps our mission to protect birds in the urban environment.

THE MAGIC OF HOG ISLAND AUDUBON CAMP, by Kate Zeray, Board Member At Large

Hog Island Audubon Camp is a birder’s paradise and I’m so grateful for my five wonderful days there in September. A huge thank you to Team Audubon for selecting me as an ambassador and for the opportunity to represent Duval Audubon. During the Birds of Maine Islands session, our group learned about seabird conservation, completed service projects on two seabird islands, and enjoyed group birding and hikes. Hog Island is a pristine 330 acres of spruce-fir forest with a remarkable history and amazing bird habitats. I enjoyed so many lovely conversations and making new friends in the birding community. Our session was led by a dream team of instructors and naturalists, including Dr. Steve Kress of the innovative Project Puffin, and director extraordinaire Maggie Dewane.

My experiences at Hog Island align with our chapter’s mission to connect people with nature and conserve ecosystems. Our initial service projects included building a bird blind that will be used by local research teams, and painting bird decoys with the phenomenal “Seabird Sue” Schubel at the Seabird Institute. We also birded by boat around sunny Muscongus Bay and observed resident birds like Black Guillemots, Common Eiders, Surf Scoters, and Common Loons, along with gregarious Harbor seals and Gray seals. I added 9 ‘lifer’ birds to my species list! Shout-out to our instructor, Maddie Fernandez, for keeping our daily bird lists! To fuel our days, we enjoyed delicious family style meals prepared by Chef Blythe and her incredible team–a gratitude shout-out to the Friends of Hog Island (known as FOHI) volunteers, too! After dinner, we had fascinating lectures on topics like Project Puffin’s trailblazing use of social attraction methods, and Katie Stoner’s research work in Alaska tracking Tufted Puffins and Horned Puffins.

Highlights of my time in Maine were the field trips to Jenny Island and Eastern Egg Rock, where we balanced project work with delightful exploration. I loved hiking around the islands’ granite boulders, as we cleaned up marine debris like buoys, rope, lobster cages and the largest chunk of styrofoam I’ve ever seen. Two unexpected, late season Atlantic Puffins in flight were a delightful surprise! We also cleaned up nesting site areas by pulling invasive plants and making room for the native grasses to flourish. We got to tour the research station dubbed the “Egg Rock Hilton” and hear stories from our instructors about this remarkable island. Just when I thought the day couldn’t get any better, we joined our instructors, Keenan Yakola and Maggie Dewane, as they banded and measured a Leach’s Storm-Petrel chick as part of a permitted research project. I had a chance to hold the 2-week-old gray ball of avian fluff, and it was as adorable as you can imagine.

My first experience at Hog Island deepened my appreciation for conservation work and the value of our birding community. I joined Duval Audubon to support the positive impact on birds through membership. While serving on the Board of Directors, I’ve enjoyed connecting with you all at our community walks and events. This Fall, I helped organize a Bird Trivia Night, group walks, and my first Mindful Birding outing–delightful times and I’m excited for more in 2026!

Have you been to Hog Island (or now dream about going)? You can check out the 2026 camp schedule here! Want to connect with the Duval Audubon community? Here are a few ways you can support our mission and connect with us: join or renew your Audubon membership, find a volunteer opportunity you enjoy, join our “Best of Us” celebration on December 15th, and share our work with your friends and family. Joyful birding!

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: COREY JONES, by Johnna Bellen, Chapter President

Meet Corey Jones, Education & Youth Outreach Board Member!

Corey Jones serves as the VP, Senior SBA Business Development Officer for Climate First Bank. He first discovered birding during a time when he needed a mental reset—life was busy, work was nonstop, and he was looking for something that would encourage him and his family to slow down and spend more time outdoors. Around that same time, he read Christian Cooper’s book Better Living Through Birding, which inspired him to finally give birding a try.

Today, Corey loves birding for its accessibility. You don’t need fancy equipment or a remote destination—great birding moments can happen right in your own backyard. One species that especially fascinated him early on was the American Crow, which visited his yard daily for peanuts. Corey also enjoys sharing the hobby with family, friends, students, and coworkers by teaching them the basics—and he loves seeing that moment when something clicks for them.

Corey joined the Duval Audubon Society because he wanted to be part of the larger mission behind the hobby. He values the opportunity to educate the community, help people connect with nature, and support meaningful conservation work throughout Northeast Florida. Serving on the board allows him to contribute to efforts that make it easy for people to care about the environment right where they live.

Bonus fact: Corey’s favorite bird is the Osprey! Be sure to say hello to Corey at one of our upcoming Education & Youth Outreach events!

AUDUBON CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT, by Carol Bailey-White, Editor

Audubon’s long-running Christmas Bird Count is coming up this month, and our chapter is again hosting the Jacksonville CBC, scheduled this year on Saturday, December 27, 2025. Count volunteers follow specified routes through the designated count circle, counting every bird they see or hear all day, and reporting their findings to their team leader, who reports them to the count organizer, who then compiles the results and submits them to Audubon.

If you have volunteered for the Jacksonville CBC in the past, you have probably already been contacted by your team leader, but if you are new to the CBC and interested in participating this year, please reach out to 2025 Jacksonville CBC count organizer James Wheat at james.a.wheat@gmail.com. New volunteers are welcome!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Here’s what’s coming up this month:

Events may be added after the publication of this newsletter, so be sure to check our Calendar of Events for the most up-to-date listing of our activities.