Tampa Audubon Society

By Sherry Keller V olunteer Bluebird Monitor and Tampa Audubon board member Photo of Sherry at one of the bluebird nests she monitors. Photo by Mary Miller Years ago, Tampa Audubon placed three bluebird nest boxes near the Lettuce Lake Park playground, but for some reason, bluebirds never found them. There are plenty of Eastern Bluebirds near the park, but I rarely see them in the park. Last summer, I decided to get serious about bluebirds at Lettuce Lake. I began monitoring the nest boxes on a regular basis. At first, the only activity I found was wasps. My routine was simple - open the box, knock down the wasp nest, run, then come back the next week and do it all again. By the end of the summer, the wasps had given up! Then in February, Mary Miller, Alan Bailey and I decided to move the boxes to better locations. Surprise! A pair of Carolina Chickadees was building a nest in the first box we tried to move. We left that box in place, but moved the other two. As soon as the chickadee...

Merma ids an d Manatees Dr. James "Buddy" Powell Executive Director, Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute Wednesday, July 13, 2022 Tampa Garden Club, 2629 Bayshore Blvd., Tampa FREE! 5:30 - 6 pm: Mingle and visit the Garden Club's butterfly garden 6 pm Potluck: Main dish and drinks provided. Bring a side dish or dessert and your drinkware 7 pm Program Please register so Sierra Club can provide enough chicken for the potluck supper.  To  register, click here. A Joint Program of Sierra Club, Tampa Audubon Society and the Suncoast Native Plant Society Dr. James “Buddy” Powell has spent more than four decades in the field, working toward the conservation of marine mammals. He will share some of his field experiences and a brief history of manatee research and conservation in Florida and beyond.   Dr. Powell has worked to conserve threatened and endangered species around the world and his efforts have resulted in coastal protected areas in Florida,...

Memories of Tampa Audubon Society By Ann Paul, President I've been involved with the Tampa Audubon Society since moving to the city in 1990. My second telephone call after moving in, after calling the moving company to find out when the van would arrive, was to the National Audubon office at the Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries.  Rich Paul answered the phone and suggested I call Sally Thompson, who was conservation chair for Tampa Audubon. I did, and then attended a meeting. Overton Ganong was president, and he announced that Tampa Audubon needed a secretary to serve on the board. I volunteered, knowing that if you want to find out what's happening, the best way is to be on the board. Over the years, I ended up serving as president several times. Along the way, there were several activities that really stood out in my memory. Here are some of them: Tampa Audubon was taking the lead in the development and management of the city of Tampa's McKay Bay Nature Park. We led mul...

Look Closely for Bird Bands       By Mary Keith Conservation Chair, Tampa Audubon Society This is a reminder to take an extra look at your birds and photos. Some of us went on a birding trip to Egmont Key in late April.  Mic McCarty, our field trip coordinator, was recently going through the photos he took that day and discovered a bird with a bit of extra bling. A Wilson’s Plover was sporting red and green color bands, plus a metal USGS band!  Metal bands from the Federal Government have an 8- or 9-digit number and should be reported to  www.reportband.gov .  The Bird Banding Laboratory is a centralized location for reporting bands from all different banding projects in the United States.   A quick search found additional instructions: "If you ever spot a Wilson’s Plover while taking a stroll on the beach, stop and look at its legs. If you see a banded bird, record the date, location, and band combination and report it to USGS Bird...

  Volunteer at USF Forest Preserve Volunteers are needed to help with Avian Censuses on the breeding bird population and related data in the USF Forest Preserve in Tampa. Experience preferred in botany and birding, but not required. Anyone is welcome to participate. Censuses take place April-September and are 2-3 weekday mornings during the 2nd or 3rd week of the month. Days are flexible. Censuses are from sunrise to 10:30 a.m. Training will be provided. Compensation may include secondary authorship on a published thesis paper, volunteer credit, research credit associated with the university or monetary pay. For more information contact Andrea Rocha,  andreamrocha1@gmail.com . Wanted: Diamondback Terrapin Sightings If you see a Diamondback Terrapin please report your sighting to Heinrich Ecological Services. The company is conducting a distributional survey of the imperiled brackish water species in the Tampa Bay region. Exact locations  (GPS...

Don't Stop Now! The Perks of Summer Bird Feeding By Wild Birds Unlimited, Tampa If you've been around bird feeding for any length of time, you've likely heard the old expression, "I don't feed the birds in summer because they don't need it!" Well, if they don't "need it," they sure do seem to love it! Maybe we should ask the birds if they want us to stop feeding them this summer. They'd probably tell us that summer is actually the most heavily bird populated season in most of North America, and contrary to the old expression, recent research shows summer to be the most abundant season for birds to visit feeders. Feeding birds in the summer actually provides numerous perks for them…and for you, too. If they could read the research, birds would share that having access to a reliable source of supplemental foods - rich in protein, fats and calcium - has been documented to facilitate higher nesting success rates. And yes, many birds nest well...

Renew your membership directly through Tampa Audubon so we get the funds sooner. (There are often extended delays in processing memberships made though National Audubon.) It's very easy to renew your membership. Use one of the methods listed below: 1. On our  website  - OR - 2.  Download the application  form from our website and mail it in with your check - OR - 3. Cut the address label from the Audubon magazine and send it with your check to: Tampa Audubon Society, P.O. Box 320025, Tampa, FL 33679 We will then forward your renewal to National Audubon.

Get Involved With Tampa Audubon Tampa Audubon is involved in a broad range of fantastic projects that will help you learn more about birds and how to preserve their habitat. These projects are led by a group of hard-working, dedicated people who need your help! Volunteering with Tampa Audubon is a great way to learn about nature in Hillsborough County and forge new friendships.   In this list, we've described our projects and provided contact information for the people who lead those projects. To reach them, click on their names to send an email. We'd love to have you lend your energy and special talents.    ►  Mary  Miller  oversees  Bluebird Trails , including the one she monitors at Flatwoods Nature Park in northeast Hillsborough County. Bluebird trail volunteers manage the trails and monitor the birds that nest in the boxes that Mary and her team erect. ►  Terri Simons  is the volunteer coordinator for  Lettuce Lake Pa...

  Dear Tampa Audubon Society Member, Sometimes, people ask me, “Why is it so important to protect bird and wildlife habitat?” This is a good question, because as a county, a state and nation, our leaders have directed important programs to purchase and manage land for this purpose. These programs are not free, but the pay-offs from them are substantial. I will use what we know from Hillsborough County as an example. When we extrapolate this information nationwide, it’s clear that protecting habitat provides truly spectacular benefits.   Hillsborough County’s Environmental Lands program started in January 1987 when county commissioners approved an ordinance that provided $21 million to acquire environmentally-sensitive lands. In 1990 and 2008, voters approved more funding to purchase and manage conservation lands. These ballot initiatives were supported by the voters of both political parties, with over 70% of voters approving a tax on themselves.   Today, this progra...