January 2026 Newsletter

REMEMBERING JUDY JEFFAS, by Carol Bailey-White, Editor

Some very sad news to share this month: former Duval Audubon Society president and longtime volunteer Judy Jeffas passed away in December after a long illness. Judy was an active member of our chapter, volunteering for many years and serving as chapter president for two years between 2015 and 2017.

Judy enjoyed her 40-year career as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist for Baptist Health, but also dedicated so much of her time to our chapter, sharing the beauty and fascination of birds with everyone she met. She was involved with Audubon Florida’s EagleWatch program, participated in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count for many years, and worked tirelessly for the passage of Florida’s Amendment 1 (also known as the Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative), which was overwhelmingly approved by Florida voters in 2014.

Those of us who knew her will always remember her kind heart, fun-loving personality, and dedication to nature and the birds we all love. Our hearts go out to her husband Ed and son Scott at this sad time.

An obituary for Judy is available online.

CONSERVATION UPDATE: LIGHTS OUT NORTHEAST FLORIDA, by Elizabeth Filippelli, Vice President, Conservation Director, & LONF Co-Lead

As we welcome 2026, we want to start out by saying thank you to our LONF Collision Monitors, supporters, partners, and bird ambassadors. Year after year, the community support for our LONF program has gone beyond all our goals and expectations.

This fall migration 31 Collision Monitors walked our downtown Jacksonville routes 132 times, with a total of 281 birds recorded. 71 (25%) birds were found alive, and 210 (75%) birds were found dead. We found birds at more new buildings and unassigned buildings than we did last fall. Of the 281 birds found, the most commonly identified species is…no surprise…the Common Yellowthroat, with 107 individuals being found. This continues to be the trend across previous seasons as well. All data and findings are used when we begin our Spring Migration route planning.

Our Fall Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon was a huge success, with VIP attendees Tiffany Bess, COJ Sustainability Office and our very first City Council Assistant Jamey Crozier. UNF Sustainability Director Will McMahon, UNF Horticulturist Director Rhonda Graci, and Alana Anderson, our first UNF Collision Monitor, presented their first UNF Fall Migration Bird Collision Report. UNF is the first local university to organize its own Collision Monitor Program — a groundbreaking effort and a first-rate example of our growing ladder of engagement. We thank our partner the Jacksonville Zoo & Botanical Gardens for hosting and providing a delicious lunch in their Samburu Room.

Common Yellowthroat by Lisa Patria

Now it’s time to share how we have grown this year thanks to COJ Mayor Donna Deegan and the “Lights Out Northeast Florida Nights” proclamation. Since Mayor Deegan signed the proclamation last March, we have seen a steady climb of residents joining the pledge to turn off their non-essential lights at night during spring and fall migration. We now proudly count 173 pledgers, and—with the Jacksonville Jaguars leading the way—commercial business participation has grown as well.

This month we will kick off our very first DIY Acopian Bird Savers Train the Trainer Pilot Project. As we have mentioned previously, Acopian Bird Savers (paracords hung 4 inches apart on the outside of reflective windows) are very effective at preventing window strikes. And they are extremely economical. The Wild Birds Unlimited store in Orange Park will host the first training workshop. Currently we have 10 “Guardians of Flight Ambassadors” signed up for the workshop. LONF Co-Lead Mike Taylor, Curator of Herps, Birds and Others at the Jacksonville Zoo, will be teaching our ambassadors how to make bird savers, and each attendee will leave with their very own bird saver for a window at their house! According to the latest information from American Bird Conservancy, 44% of bird deaths due to window collisions happen at residences. This new pilot will be directly focused on saving birds’ lives right here in Northeast Florida, and we are so excited! We are planning more workshops in the future to give more residents an opportunity to save birds’ lives and contribute to bird conservation right in your own home. Please reach out to me at Elizabeth.filippelli@duvalaudubon.org if you are interested in attending a future workshop.

CONSERVATION UPDATE: RIVERSIDE PARK PILOT, by Elizabeth Filippelli, VP and Conservation Director for Duval County

Our Riverside Park Kind Outreach and Rescue Pilot continues to gain support even with nesting season concluded for this year. In early December, Jax Parks Preserve and Waterfront Manager Lauren Chappell coordinated a volunteer workday to pull invasive plants in and around the nesting area of the park. We had 21 volunteers and 43 bags of invasive plant material collected! Thank you, NAI Hallmark, for your stewardship. This work is in preparation for our planned spring native plant project. Lauren and the COJ Tree Commission will also be planting some native trees in and around the nesting area. If you visit the park look for the orange flags.

But wait, there’s more! We are thrilled to share that with the partnership of Timucuan Parks Foundation, we have applied for a grant to install more native plants at Riverside Park. We are crossing fingers and toes that we will be approved. Native plants are beneficial for many reasons, including biodiversity, food for pollinators, and providing insects and other food sources for nestlings. These native plants will also provide shelter for the baby birds to protect them from predators. We thank our community partners Timucuan Parks Foundation, the Ixia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, Sierra Club Northeast Florida Group, Riverside Avondale Preservation, and of course Jax Parks and Recreation for all their support and expertise. Please check out our Meetup page to get engaged or contact me at Elizabeth.Filippelli@duvalaudubon.org if you are interested in joining this amazing team. If you would like to donate to a specific project or our general fund, please click here. Every dollar donated helps our mission to protect birds in the urban environment.

BIRDING RESOURCE: BIRDING HOTSPOTS WEBSITE, by James Wheat, Guest Contributor and Jacksonville CBC Compiler

Have you ever thought about visiting a birding hotspot but didn’t know anything about the property? Does it have paved trails, bathrooms, signposts? What birds can I see there and when? Are there any special access details or permissions required? Importantly, have you ever wished you could provide other birders such detailed information about your favorite birding location?

The Birding Hotspots website is designed to provide birders accurate, on-the-ground information about every eBird hotspot, provided by local birders like you. This crowd-sourced site is free and contains no ads, pop-ups, or commercial content! Please check it out, bookmark it, and look especially at your favorite birding locations.

If you’d like to contribute to the site, click the Suggest Content link on any hotspot page to open a form to provide your experienced advice about that location. Your contribution will be reviewed by one of the Regional Editors and added to the published pages. This can include links to trail maps, website links, and more.

The Birding Hotspots website is now in partnership with eBird to provide birding information for every eBird hotspot. You can see the beginning of that partnership with eBird today; at one point in the US, there were only eBird pages for states and their counties, but now there are pages for every hotspot. And soon you will see detailed birding information on those eBird hotspot pages!

Please peruse the Clay, Duval, or Nassau County pages and click into the hotspots that you know. This is the kind of data that will be moving into eBird. For now, the flow of that information will continue via the Birding Hotspots website.

Photographs of hotspot habitat and experiences can only be added via eBird checklist submissions with “checklist media” attached. But other data such as accessibility, birding strategies for the location, special considerations such as private property warnings, trail conditions, bathrooms, and other relevant data, for regular birders or visitors from afar, are added via a suggestion form. Please give it a try, preferably on your favorite hotspot page that doesn’t yet have any details!

Here’s an example of the top birding hotspot, for species and checklists, in Duval County:

This winter, the information from the latter will be displayed directly in eBird (the website, not the smart phone app). Try it out today! Use it to plan a trip to a place you’ve always wanted to visit! Pay it forward with your first-hand experience!

INTRODUCING THE FLORIDA YOUNG BIRDERS CLUB, by Johnna Bellen, President

We’re excited to announce the launch of the Northeast Florida Chapter of the Florida Young Birders Club! This exciting new collaboration is off to a fantastic start, thanks to the efforts of our Youth and Education Outreach Director, David Doran, and Youth Representative, Will Misner, who successfully organized and led two birding walks — one in November and another in December.

The Florida Young Birders Club is open to youth ages 9-17 who have an interest in birds and birdwatching. Members can enjoy a variety of activities, including field trips, virtual guest speaker events, and the opportunity to connect with other young birders in a safe and supportive environment.

In addition, members can take advantage of special discounts on Vortex Optics.

If you know a young birder who would love to join, or if you’re interested in learning more, please reach out to David or Will at:

We’re looking forward to more birding adventures this spring!

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: DAVID DORAN, by Johnna Bellen, President

Meet David Doran, one of our dedicated Education & Youth Outreach Directors. David is a passionate high school teacher at a Duval charter school, where he teaches AICE Environmental Management, Biology, and Forensic Science. Outside of the classroom, he actively leads the Student Government Association, Fishing Club, Academic Research Club, and a Charity Club that crochets scarves and beanies for donation to local organizations. With three years of teaching experience, David loves every aspect of his role and is committed to making a positive impact in his students’ lives.

David’s love for birds began in childhood, but it wasn’t until he moved to Florida that his passion for birding truly blossomed. The incredible diversity of bird species here—many of which can be spotted right from his backyard—captivates him. As a biologist, he is fascinated by the evolutionary features of birds and the unique species that have adapted to various environments. Beyond their scientific significance, David believes birds are some of the most beautiful creatures found in nature.

In his role as an Education & Youth Outreach Director, David is thrilled to combine two of his passions: teaching and birding. Working with the Audubon Society allows him to inspire young minds to explore their own interests while teaching them about the vital importance of conservation and the natural world.

Bonus Fact: David’s favorite bird is the Blue Jay. He’s always been drawn to corvids and their remarkable intelligence. Prior to moving to Florida from Colorado, he would have considered the Black-billed Magpie his favorite bird. However, since settling in Florida, the Blue Jay has claimed the top spot, with the Steller’s Jay coming in as a close second. Be sure to say hello to David at one of our upcoming Education & Youth Outreach events!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Here’s what’s happening 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.