The Audubon Observer, November 2019
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WILD BIRDS NEED YOUR HELP! As reported in our last issue, a recent study of bird populations in North America published in the journal Science revealed that nearly 3 billion fewer wild birds are alive today compared to avian abundance in 1970, a loss of 29%! In addition, Audubon's new report, Survival by Degrees, estimates that two-thirds of North American birds (389 species) are at increasing risk of extinction from global temperature rise.
Here are twelve things YOU can do to give birds a better chance of survival:
If everyone would do at least one of these things now, such as bring your own reusable bags when shopping, keep your cat indoors, stop using chemicals on your lawn, or stop using plastic straws, we can have a positive impact on the survival of the birds we love. Doing nothing guarantees that nothing will change. NATIVE PLANTS FOR BIRDS: SPANISH NEEDLE To help you create bird friendly habitat in your landscape, we are sharing a native plant every month that is beneficial to birds and pollinators. This month's plant is: Spanish Needle or Common Beggar’s Tick (Bidens Alba)
In other parts of the world where it grows, including Africa, South America, Jamaica, and Asia, it is beloved and used to make herbal tea. It has multiple other uses as well. The plant alleviates rashes, itching, and other skin issues. The leaves can be crushed to produce a sap used on cuts to aid in blood clotting. The leaves can be cooked like collards, while the raw flower petals make a beautiful salad topping. Please note that if you are going to experiment with eating it, please make sure it has not come from an area sprayed with pesticides or herbicides (which shouldn’t be used anyway if you want to attract bees and butterflies). Spanish Needle grows to a height of 2-3 feet in full sun but will grow in partially shaded sites as well. The flowers are aster like with several ½” white rays and yellow centers, blooming all year. You can easily grow it from seed since one plant can produce 3,000 to 6,000 seeds that are dispersed by wind and water but most often become attached to fur or clothing. However, if you have it in your garden or yard already, please leave it there and enjoy an inexpensive way to attract bees and butterflies or something for your salad! For additional information on native plants for birds, check out Audubon's excellent Plants for Birds website: Audubon.org/plantsforbirds. For local sources of native plants, check with the Ixia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society. They often have native plants as well as cuttings available at their monthly meetings on the first Tuesday of each month. Check out their Events Calendar for all of their upcoming activities. --Jody Willis, President, Duval Audubon Society HOG ISLAND AUDUBON CAMP Board member Carol Bailey-White recently returned from her THIRD camp session at Audubon's Hog Island Camp in Maine. Carol first attended a session ("Joy of Birding") at Hog Island with several other Duval Audubon Society board members during the summer of 2015, and liked it so much that she returned the following year on her own for the "Arts and Birding" program, featuring as an instructor the world-renowned wildlife and nature photographer Melissa Groo.
A typical day at the Hog Island Camp starts with early birding at 5:30 am, breakfast at 7:30, and birding field trips in the morning and afternoon. Campers enjoy a delicious dinner every evening featuring locally-sourced meats, seafood, and produce, and vegan and other special dietary options are always available. Top-notch presentations by the instructors as well as guest lecturers round out the evening. Accommodations are basic (it IS camp, after all) but comfortable, and the dedicated volunteer staff work hard to make sure every camper's needs are met. Hog Island's history is as fascinating as its wonderful camp sessions. Once home to the Abenaki people who fished its clam-rich waters, this mid-coast Maine island purchased in the late 1600s by European settlers was named, like many islands off the coast of New England, for the livestock that roamed its New World pastures. It remains "Hog Island" to this day.
Millicent Todd Bingham inherited the island upon the death of her mother in 1932. Determined to conserve it, she partnered with the National Audubon Society in 1935. John Hopkinson Baker, then Audubon’s executive director, had been searching for a site of ornithological significance where Audubon could protect birds and launch the organization’s first educational camp. Hog Island was an ideal match for his plan.
Hog Island is a special (and spectacularly beautiful) place, and a unique experience for anyone interested in improving their birding expertise and truly "connecting with nature." 2018/2019 YEAR IN REVIEW
UPCOMING EVENTS
Please always check our website for any last-minute changes before heading out the door, just in case something has come up. We hope to see you soon! Duval Audubon Society, Inc.
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In the face of these threats it's easy to lose hope, but we want to focus on what we as individuals, families, and communities can do to turn these trends around. In the past, some species have been nearly eliminated by hunting or pesticides, yet conservation measures (like eliminating DDT) helped these populations to recover, so we still have a chance to bring birds back from the brink!
These items can end up in our waterways where they can be mistaken for food by birds, fish, and sea turtles, often killing them. Bring reusable bags to the grocery store. Refuse straws and bring your own take-out containers when dining out. Dispose of cigarette butts properly - butts are the most common trash found on the beaches during cleanups, and the filters contain plastic. (Another reason to quit smoking.)
To most gardeners in the United States, this plant is a pesky weed – invasive, ugly and something to be uprooted immediately. But to butterflies and bees, it is the most attractive plant in the garden. In Florida, it is one of the top three nectar-producing plants and therefore beloved by bees and beekeepers alike! It lures multitudes of butterflies, including: Julias, Ruddy dagger-wings, Monarchs , American Painted Ladies, Common Buckeyes. It is the host plant for the Dainty Sulphur butterfly.
Carol's most recent Hog Island Camp experience was "Living on the Wind: Fall Migration and Monhegan Island," which was led by author and naturalist 
ALL of the instructors were spectacular, and SO generous in sharing their knowledge and expertise with the campers. The session featured a fabulous overnight stay on 
The island’s evolution beyond agriculture and timbering began in 1908 with a visit by Dr. David Todd and his wife, Mabel Loomis Todd. Concerned by haphazard logging and overgrazing in the region, Mrs. Todd negotiated with landowners to purchase and conserve much of Hog Island. The Todds built a bungalow (right) within the island’s forest, and Mabel’s daughter Millicent spent many summers exploring its spruce-fir forests and abundant tidal pools.
Since 1936, residential sessions at Hog Island have been led by some of the most respected naturalists and environmental educators in the nation, inspiring scores of scientists, school and university educators, and conservation leaders. Camp sessions are held every summer from May through September, and include special sessions for educators, families, and teens, as well as many programs for adult campers. A full listing of the 2020 offerings is available at 
Our 2019/2020 season continues this month with more exciting activities. Please join us for one (or more) of our upcoming field trips or programs.
