‍Thank you for supporting our chapter. Please enjoy the latest news and updates from Duval Audubon Society!

‍‍Conservation Initiatives Update

by Carol Bailey-White, Editor

Barred Owl Rescue. At the end of December, the City of Jacksonville contacted us about a Barred Owl that was trapped in one of the restrooms at the Riverside Arts Market. Conservation Director and chapter VP Elizabeth Filippelli sprung into action, calling in a diverse team of experts to figure out the best way to get the owl out of the bathroom and relocated to a safe place. After exploring several options, the team managed to capture the owl on January 2nd and release it safely at a nearby park. What a way to start the new year!

‍Science Fair. Chapter President Johnna Bellen and volunteers Eloise Ginty and Rosemary McCall joined Ms. Filippelli on January 14th to participate in Duval County Schools' Elementary Science Fair. They taught students about the problem of glass collisions, ALAN (artificial light at night), bird migration, and BirdCast.info, as well as how to create a bird friendly mural for their windows at home. Each student graduated as a Bird Ambassador, and left with their bird-friendly artwork, a National Audubon Society brochure on how to help birds, a sticker, and a lollipop! 

‍Bird-friendly Windows Workshop. On January 18th, our Lights Out Northeast Florida initiative (in partnership with the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens and St. Johns Regional Audubon Society) hosted an Acopian BirdSavers DIY Workshop at the Orange Park Wild Birds Unlimited store. Eleven enthusiastic participants learned how to create and install this simple and elegant solution to the problem of birds hitting windows. Many thanks to LONF Co-Lead Mike Taylor for leading the workshop!

‍Ribault Garden Club Outreach. On January 22nd, Ms. Filippelli presented a program at the Ribault Garden Club in Jacksonville Beach, informing attendees about how to protect migrating and resident birds from deadly collisions with glass windows, creating  habitat for birds and other wildlife, the effects of climate change on the birds we love, and how choosing certified bird-friendly coffee can help more birds survive and thrive.

We hit the ground running in January, but we're just getting started. Stay tuned for more exciting developments in the months to come!

2026: Year of the Bird - How You Can Help

by Jessic Dyszel, Field Trips Director

No goals for the year? No problem! This year you can focus on helping birds. You do not even have to leave your home. Bird populations have been steadily decreasing, but there are several ways you can help, and many of them start in your own backyard.

Plant Native Plants. Native plants are the start of very important ecosystems that support a vast array of biodiversity necessary for attracting birds. They can help provide food for the birds or food sources for the insects that birds eat. They provide shelter and nesting locations as well as nest-building materials. You can start transforming your bird friendly yard with Audubon’s free Native Plant tool that helps you locate plants and stores selling those plants.

‍Feed the Birds. You can set up bird feeders and water features to help supplement a bird’s diet and offer water. With today’s technology there are numerous camera-based bird feeders that allow you to record the birds coming to your feeders so you can tailor the food choices to what is visiting your yard. Visiting your local Wilds Birds Unlimited not only provides you with a great resource designed to help you learn your local birds but also supports local business and educational programs.

Practice Permaculture. Local permaculture groups can help you get started on safer sustainable methods to improve your yard’s health. Minimizing herbicide and pesticide use helps encourage insect activity that will help attract the birds. Allowing the “bad” bugs and “weeds” a chance to grow encourages beneficial insects that transform your yard into a biodiverse haven.

‍Keep Cats Indoors. Domestic cats left outdoors are responsible for approximately 2 billion birds a year as reported by National Audubon Organization, American Birding Association, American Bird Conservancy, and FWC in addition to the deaths of many other mammals. Even if cats do not intend on killing birds, a scratch or bite while they play with birds release fatal bacteria into the bird’s bloodstream that will later kill the bird. Keeping cats indoors not only helps the birds but also reduces the likelihood of injury and diseases to cats. If you cannot keep a cat indoors, applying a bell on a cat can help protect the birds.

‍Cover Windows. Applying bird friendly decals to windows help reduce window strikes. Since birds are not capable of seeing glass, windows pose a great threat to them. Applying decals or other visual markers on windows makes the birds aware of a potentially deadly obstruction. Learn more here.

Support Local Organizations. Whether you volunteer your time or money, your support helps. If you cannot share your time, your financial contribution help others continue protecting birds. Joining local organizations also provides you with opportunities to meet others as well as provides you with information to continue helping the birds.

‍Make your goal this year a goal to help the birds! Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to another year of great opportunities shared with you.

‍Great Backyard Bird Count

by Carol Bailey-White

February is upon us, and you know what that means: the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is coming up! The GBBC is scheduled for February 13-16 this year, and it's a super fun way to contribute your bird observations to global efforts to better understand how bird populations are doing.

Why does it matter? As Jessica mentioned above, bird populations are decreasing worldwide, so in order for policies to be established that help restore bird abundance and diversity around the world, ongoing data collection is critical, and our observations can help!

‍It's easy to participate! Simply watch birds at home or favorite birding spots, as often as you like and for as long as you like (but for at least 15 minutes), anytime between the 13th and 16th this month, and record your observations on eBird. (Don't have an eBird account? Here's how to get started.)

Introducing Our New Website

by Carol Bailey-White

‍We're thrilled to anounce our new, updated website!

Our new site is chock full of great info about our chapter, upcoming events, our many conservation initiatives, and ways you can get involved and help the birds we all love survive and thrive. Plus, lots of links to resources to help you develop and enchance your birding skills.

Check it out at DuvalAudubon.org!

‍Upcoming Job Opportunity at Oneida Environmental

by Chad Drury, Senior Project Manager, Oneida Environmental

Oneida Environmental is looking for "a few good birders" to help with nesting bird monitoring for the upcoming Jacksonville Harbor Maintenance Dredging project. The project will involve nesting monitoring and reporting on migratory seabirds and shorebirds on the Bartram Island Disposal Area from approximately March 1 - August 31.

‍The work week is typically 7 days/week, performed during the dawn hours, and interested persons would help in this effort as much as their schedule allows. The monitoring effort typically takes around 4 hours a day, depending on travel time to and from the site, and includes emailing a filled out daily monitoring form to all interested parties.

The base pay for partial day monitoring/reporting is around $150/day (4-5 hrs). Interested persons will need to fill out a Bird Monitoring Qualification Sheet that shows they have experience surveying nesting migratory, shorebirds, and seabirds. Those qualifications would then need to be approved by the Army Corps of Engineers/FWC.

If you are interested in getting paid to bird watch, please contact Senior Project Manager Chad Drury at 904-347-7725 or email CDrury@oescgroup.com.

You can learn more about this company on their website.

‍Upcoming Events

Here's what's coming up this month:

• World Wetlands Day Celebration at Theodore Roosevelt Area (hosted by St. Johns RIVERKEEPER): 8 am - 2 pm, Saturday, February 7, 2026
• ‍Plants for Birds Workday at Tillie Fowler Regional Park: 9 am - 1 pm, Saturday, February 7, 2026
• Great Backyard Bird Count at your favorite birding spots(s): February 13 - 16, 2026 (learn more here)
• GULLentines Day Field Trip at Little Talbot Island ($5 per vehicle): 8 am - noon, Saturday, February 14, 2026
  
• Open House and Volunteer Workday at Crosby Sanctuary: 8 am - noon, Saturday, February 28, 2026
  

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

Duval Audubon Society, Inc.

P.O. Box 16304

Jacksonville, FL 32245

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