The Audubon Observer, June 2024
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SUMMER PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Our chapter has been through some ups and downs since last summer. We started out with a new president, but he couldn’t stay for long. I stepped in as acting president and am now going to continue as president through the 2024-2025 season. I have a very busy life between working full time and helping run Duval Audubon. I say helping because our board is a dedicated team of volunteers who pull together to run the chapter and organize field trips, programs, newsletters, social media, tabling at events, educational activities for students and much more. We’re excited to have two new board members coming on for 2024-2025, James Taylor as Treasurer and Makenzie Kleinpeter as Director at Large. Helen Kehrt will be stepping down as Treasurer after many years of dedicated service in this position. Thank you, Helen! Although it’s not official yet, we are considering making some changes to our programs, field trips and newsletters. The Board will discuss and decide on them during our summer planning meeting in July. One such change is an opportunity to utilize the Nature Center at Tillie Fowler Park in Jacksonville both for meetings/programs and to house a library of birding and nature books recently donated by Joan and Richard Becker. Another change is to potentially publish newsletters quarterly rather than monthly. Please let us know if you have any suggestions about how the chapter is run and how our programs and activities are administered. We welcome and encourage your input.
SWALLOW-TAILED KITES What has a 49” wingspan, is dressed all in black and white like a tuxedo with velvet shoulders, flies here to Florida from 5,000 miles away in South America to nest, and has been called “the coolest bird on the planet” by Cornell’s All About Birds? If you answered the Swallow-tailed Kite you are absolutely correct. The Crossley ID Guide on Raptors says that, “the Swallow-tailed kite is perhaps the most striking and graceful bird on the planet! In flight it is simply mesmerizing, moving through the air with unparalleled elegance, buoyantly floating above the treetops in search of prey.” Swallow-tailed Kites are large black & white raptors with a long, pronounced forked tail. They use this tail as a rudder and glide effortlessly through the skies, rarely flapping their wings.
Even with a 49” wingspan, they are able to turn & dive in the blink of a nictitating membrane to pluck an anole from a tree branch or a dragonfly right out of the sky. They glide at low altitudes feeding on flying insects, frogs, lizards, nestling birds and even snakes! These kites spend most of their time aloft and unlike other raptors they usually eat as they fly. They even drink on the fly! They use their exceptional flight skills to swoop low over a pond then skim the water, drinking as they go. Our state of Florida is home to four species of kites. Two species live in Florida year-round; they are the Snail Kite in South and Central Florida and the White-tailed Kite in South Florida. Swallow-taileds usually arrive here in March and are joined by Mississippi Kites about 6-8 weeks later. This brings Florida’s kite species tally to four, but just for the summer. Both the Mississippi Kite and Swallow-tailed Kite are here for their breeding seasons. They will migrate south as our summer days grow shorter.
Native Americans are said to have called Swallow-tailed Kites “hurricane birds.” They associated their departure from the U.S. with the arrival of hurricane season. Your best chance to see this species is right now and until late August. Happy birding! For more information on this species visit www.audubon.org. SUMMER BIRDING Summer in Florida is notorious for its oppressive heat and humidity, biting bugs from mosquitos to yellow flies, possible encounters with “killer” reptiles, and crowded traffic as people flock to theme parks, beaches, and our beautiful natural springs. Little is thought about an amazing spectacle that occurs amidst the hustle and bustle of every summer and that is the incredible new life that is emerging from our stunning old oak hammocks, beautiful coastal marshes, life-giving cypress wetlands, and many other less appreciated habitats of Wild Florida: the birth of many species of birds.
Tips for summer birding: plan and prepare. Take time to plan which birds you want to see and where you can locate them. Read about the habitats they live in and utilize free resources like eBird.org to track where birds are being seen. Plan your trips in the early to mid-morning or evening-dusk to view the birds you want to see while avoiding peak times of heat and humidity. When planning your trips, make sure to include areas of rest and bring a light-weight breathable backpack to carry snacks and water. Always bring water with you, even if you plan a short trip. Sun and bugs: UV indexes in Florida can quickly go from low to very high as the sun rises in morning. Thankfully free weather apps on phones now make tracking this information easy. Prepare for the sun and protect your skin. Wear sunscreen even if you plan to be out for a short period of time. Long-sleeved breathable shirts like fishing shirts help protect your skin from not only sun exposure, but also from moisture loss and biting bugs. You may consider the use of bug sprays to combat mosquitoes. If you are familiar with identifying native plants, crushing American Beautyberry leaves can provide a free natural insect repellent.
JUNE CHALLENGE
Now with preparation and planning, you are ready to participate in Florida's annual June Challenge. Every summer during the month of June, birders across the state explore our Wild Florida to see as many birds as they can, witnessing the joys of baby birds and stunning courtship displays. The rules are simple. You can only log birds seen in a single county. (Competing in more than one county is permissible, but each must be reported separately. It's also super challenging!) They must be native free-flying birds, no exotics or escaped birds. They must actually be seen, no heard-only birds can be counted. If you are interested in participating, you can read more about the challenge, review the ABA ethical birding guidelines, find an inclusion/exclusion list, and log your results here: https://floridabirdingtrail.com/june-challenge/. The top birder of each of our chapter's three represented counties (Clay, Duval, and Nassau) will win a prize sponsored by Duval Audubon Society and Wild Birds Unlimited. Rather than balk from Florida’s intense summer, now you can safely join us on this year’s June Challenge and enjoy the wonders of Wild Florida and the abundance of life that summer in Florida brings each year. Happy birding! BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
Join now for a super low donation of just $20 for one year. You’ll be glad you did. SUMMER BREAK Duval Audubon Society is on break for the summer! Our chapter takes a break from our regular activities during the months of June, July, and August, but your chapter leaders will still be working hard over the summer to plan exciting field trips, fascinating informational presentations, and much more for the fall season starting in September. Look for our next newsletter in September. Hope you have a great summer!
Duval Audubon Society, Inc.
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As our Fall 2023-Spring 2024 birding season comes to a close, I hope everyone continues to enjoy the amazing progression of the natural world around us. Summer with all its blistering heat is still a great time to be outside, just not in the middle of the day. Summer is also a great time to observe the amazing diversity of plants and wildflowers of La Florida. Other nature groups such as the 
Lastly, I have to put a plug in for the dedicated volunteers who help us so much at Crosby Sanctuary, Lights Out Survey Routes, Field Trip Leaders, Bird Stewards and Christmas Bird Count. Thank you so much for your time and dedication to nature through Duval Audubon! I don’t have our total hours in yet for each volunteer activity, but at Crosby Sanctuary alone we had over 70 volunteers with a total of 624 hours worked!
You are not likely to confuse this graceful flyer with any other bird species. From below it is black and white with a snow-white head. If you catch a glimpse of their topside, you will see their black iridescent plumage and always that deeply forked tail. Fledgling and immature kites are the same size as their parents with almost identical plumage but have a shorter tail that is not as deeply forked as that of an adult.
When a Swallow-tailed Kite arrives here in early March it is the culmination of an approximately 5,000 mile trip from South America. They fly an arduous, perilous highway in the sky, subject to many dangers along the way. Some must cross the Andes Mountains as well as the Caribbean, often during rough weather. Yet their urge to reach their breeding grounds overwhelms any thoughts of turning back. The 
Florida offers a rich variety of fantastic rookeries filled with the chatter of Herons, Ibises, Anhingas, and Egrets which can be seen in mid-spring to summer. Our beloved sun-filled summer skies with their awe-inspiring sunrises and sunsets are dotted with the graceful gliding of Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites. Brilliant mornings are filled with the chorus of songbirds like Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, Carolina Chickadees, and Tufted Titmouse, and our woodlands and wetlands with Summer Tanagers and Prothonotary Warblers. Nights entrance us with the calls of Common Nighthawks, Chuck-Wills-Widows, and the screams of Limpkins. The iconic bugles of the Florida Sandhill Cranes can be heard in sandhill habitats as they dance with their growing colts. New life is all around us and can best be appreciated during one of the most challenging times to bird watch in Florida, but with a little preparation and planning, you can enjoy these delights while staying safe!
Avoiding danger: Alligators, snakes, and spiders can discourage people from exploring Wild Florida in the summer. Being safe is easy with awareness. Wearing long socks and boots prevents not only bites from ants and ticks but also can help protect from snakes. Using a stick while walking can scare off hidden snakes and remove low-laying spider webs. Use caution around mud and water sources. Contrary to rumors, most of Florida’s predators are not pining for an attack and will avoid confrontation. Keeping a respectful distance and avoiding engaging with a predator is often enough to discourage harmful interactions. Be aware of habitat changes while exploring parks and anticipate predators that may be found in habitats like rattlesnakes in pine flatwoods and water moccasins in wetlands. While we birders like to watch the trees, keeping an eye on the ground while we walk is necessary to avoid unintentionally provoking snakes. You may also come across some incredible sightings of some rare Florida snakes while out. Learn more about how to avoid harmful interactions with snakes and reporting rare snakes here: 
