South Florida Audubon Society Home Page

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ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA AUDUBON SOCIETY

 South Florida Audubon Society, based in Broward County, fosters conservation through local, regional, national, and global environmental advocacy and activities throughout South Florida focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.

View New Video: Tips For Successful Wildlife Photography

INVITATION:

Join us as a member and/or use your talents as a volunteer. 

SEA TURTLE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY 

South Florida Audubon Society - Sea Turtle Conservation Program partnering in Broward County, Florida has availability for volunteers to work with us during the 2014 turtle nesting season.
 
Interested volunteers are required to meet the following requirements:
 
  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Complete a 4-hour training course and pass the exam with 90% or higher
  • Attend at least 1 hour on-the-beach training (in April)
  • Complete a 4-hour shift minimum at least one night per seven-day week.  This means that volunteers will be prepared to walk in 'beach sand' during a 4-hour shift, checking on multiple sea turtle nests in one area / zone.
  • Sign a commitment agreement to abide by volunteer requirements in order to receive basic volunteer supplies (at no cost) for the sea turtle nesting season.
Click here to read Florida Fish and Wildlife's General Information for activities involving marine turtles.

Those interested in volunteering should contact Doug Young by email at dyoung@southfloridaaudubon.org by April 7, 2014 
An on-line application will be available here shortly.

Click here to download this information as a PDF Flyer.

Project Perch -- Burrowing Owl Cam 

The new webcam  for Burrowing Owls is broadcasting live behaviors of these owls.  Click here to access it.  This Owl Cam is hosted on EarthCam and is the result of a partnership among Project Perch/South Florida Audubon Society, James Currie of Birding Adventures, NatureScape Broward, and Broward County Schools.

Details are available on the Project Perch pages on this website.  
See  Project Perch 


Digitized Recordings of Wild Sounds 

  • The Macaulay Library has digitized its archived  analog recording of Wild Sounds and these are now available to all ears.  The archives go back as far as 1929.  Click here for the website. Pat Leonard is the media contact for this endeavor.  He can be reached at (607) 254-2137 or pel27@cornell.edu. 
  • Cornell Guide to Bird Sounds: Master Set for North America has been released. Click here for samples and ordering information.

Wading Bird Nesting Decreased 

According to a recent report by South Florida Water Management District from research over a ten year period, the wading bird nesting is South Florida is down 39%.

Bird Deaths from Oil and Gas 

Bird deaths are down but still significant in areas uncovered at oil and gas waste pits.  Read details by clicking here.

Communication Towers & Birds 

Millions of birds die from collisions with communication towers.  With the efforts of the American Bird Conservancy, Defenders of Wildlife and National Audubon Society working with the communication industries such as CTIA and PCIA and the Federal Communications Commission that licenses towers changes are expected.  In July, the Federal Aviation Administration proposed changes that have since been approved.  This includes use of tower lights that are inexpensive, reduce energy and maintenance costs, and reduce bird collisions significantly.  Visit Fewer Lights Safer Flights website at Michigan State University to learn further details.  


2012 Audubon Annual Report 

The Audubon Annual Report highlights successes and the passionate individuals behind these from Audubon's extensive network of chapters, centers, state and national programs.  Click here to access the 2012 Annual Report online.

National Audubon News 

The National Audubon Society provides chapter leaders and members varied resources to keep them informed. See samples by clicking on the titles next. Visit their website for more information.
 

Florida Audubon News and Info 

Audubon Academy 2014

Mark your calendars and spread the word that Audubon Academy 2014 will be held April 11-13 at the very reasonably priced DaySpring Conference Center in Parrish, Florida, near Bradenton.

Review a sample of the Newsletters available through Audubon Florida

MEETINGS & SPECIAL EVENTS 

South Florida Audubon Meetings 
Join members of the South Florida Audubon Society for monthly meetings from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month from September to April.  The location alternates between Fern Forest Nature Center (FF) in Coconut Creek and Anne Kolb Nature Center (AK)  in Hollywood. 
The SFAS April Meeting will be Thursday, April 17, Anne Kolb Nature Center at 7:30 p.m.  There will be presentations by Award Winners for Excellent Middle School and High School Science Projects and speaker, Paddy Cunningham on Birds and Birding in South Florida.


2014 Special Awards for Excellent Middle School and High School Science Projects


Every year South Florida Audubon Society (SFAS) provides special awards to two Junior Level / Middle School Students and two Senior Level / High School Students for their excellent science projects. On Friday, February 7, 2014, the 2014 Broward County Science Fair took place at the Broward Mall, Plantation, FL. South Florida Audubon Society (SFAS) choose four students who will receive a cash award, free membership to SFAS and a certificate.


The students have been asked to do a brief presentation of their project at our April 17, 2014 meeting at Anne Kolb Nature Center. Congratulations to James, Camilo, Sean and Vivek. Each winner will present their project using their display and / or Powerpoint presentation for 5 to 10 minutes. The students’ family, friends and teachers are invited to the meeting,


The meeting will be at Anne Kolb Nature Center, Mangrove Hall, 751 Sheridan Street Hollywood, FL 33019 and will begin at 7:30 p.m.


Visit our calendar to see dates for upcoming local and state events as well as further details on upcoming SFAS meetings when these are available

Sierra Club Meetings and Events 

Contact Person: Stanley Pannaman, 954-720-4639, s_pannaman@yahoo.com

Publications on Birding 

Princeton Press has new publications on birding and nature ranging from The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors to the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees. Click here for the spring and summer 2013 titles and click here for the 2012 publications on birds.

Play the Climate Crisis Jam 


Do you know of an injured wild bird or animal? 

We have two primary animal rehab centers in Broward County who care for and rehabilitate injured wildlife (birds and animals), Sawgrass Nature Center & Wildlife Hospital   
954-752-WILD (9453)


and South Florida Wildlife Center, which is affiliated with The Humane Society of the United States.  954-524-4302 or 866-SOS-WILD



Follow the above links for more information about what to do in the event that you come across an injured wild bird or animal.

Looking for birding opportunities? 

Whether you are looking for local or far-away adventures, check our calendar for local, state, USA or world events.

Seeour SFAS  calendar  for information about Florida Birding Festivals, September through May.

Birding Field Trips 

South Florida Audubon Society participates in local field trips as well as special birding events in South Florida from Fall to Spring. For birding hotspots in Broward County click here and for birding festivals in Florida, Birding and Nature Field Trips, see our calendar.


Tropical Audubon Society provides one day and weekend birding field trips farther south. They also maintain a blog on sightings of rare birds in South Florida. Click here to visit their website.

Audubon Society of the Everglades provides a series of birding field trips. Click here for their calendar of events.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology News 

Cornell Lab of Ornithology gathers information on bird distributions and conducts research projects on varied bird populations.  They offer citizen science opportunities as well as a wide range of resources.

Visit their website for information on Project Feeder Watch and the annual Great Backyard Bird Count.  They released an online self-paced set of tutorials for Birders in August, 2013. Click here for the News Release.. 

Check out their listing of Community Events by clicking here.
Teen birders: 

Connect with peers and access resources on birding as well as explore career and college options on a website designed for them.  Click here to access it.

Sign up for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology emailed newsletter to help you stay up-to-date. Click below to read the Cornell Lab eNews, August 2013,  Cornell Lab eNews, September  2013  or Cornell Lab eNews, October 2013 
NEW Newsletter, "Bird Cams eNews."  Click here for the Oct, 2013 edition.  Cornell Lab of Ornithology also has a Bird Cams Facebook Page.
September 30, 2013 News Release: Infidelity in an Australian Bird May Be Keeping a Species Together. Click Here for more information.

New Video by Cornell Lab of Ornithology / Thank You for Inspiring a New Generation of Bird Lovers

Hummingbirds of South Florida 

by Alicia Caraballo

It’s difficult for any bird enthusiast not to love hummingbirds. Even though many of us in South Florida have not had the rare opportunity to witness these exceptional marvels of flight, hummingbirds are actually very common in our area. Florida is a home for 11 of the 12 species that winter in North America; and the hummingbird population of over 300 species are only found in the western hemisphere.

As one of the smallest flying birds in the world, most weighing one tenth of an ounce, hummingbirds are named so for their ability to flap their wings about 12-80 times per second, which causes a humming sound. They are the only birds known to fly up, down, left, right, backwards, and even upside down. Most bird lovers admire hummingbirds’ ability to hover, which is done by circling their wings in a figure-8 pattern. These special birds have vibrantly iridescent feathers that most species are named for, but perhaps their most well known characteristic is their long bill, which finds nectar in long flowers.

Besides nectar, hummingbirds are known to eat small insects, tree sap, and pollen. Because of their rapid heart rate (1,260 beats per second) and breathing rate, hummingbirds need to eat very often. In their typical swift style, hummingbirds use their long tongues to lick nectar from flowers up to 13 times per second. However, many species of hummingbirds are now endangered because of habitat loss and destruction. The South Florida Audubon Society is committed to bringing awareness in our community of the hummingbirds’ shrinking territory.

Luckily, hummingbird’s are loved and admired in the U.S, and many gardeners and birders enjoy catching a glimpse of them. They plant flowers that attract the birds and put out feeders so that the hummingbirds can find adequate food for their long migrations. You can help these beautiful birds by putting up a hummingbird feeder or planting flowers that many South Florida visitors can enjoy. 

Once you’ve set everything up, keep a look out for these and many more South Florida migratory hummingbirds:

• Ruby-throated
• Rufous
• Black-chinned
• Calliope
• Cuban Emerald
• Bahama Woodstar
• Buff-bellied
• White-eared
• Broad-billed

Join Audubon as a citizen scientist to help learn more about hummingbirds and how to protect them at the Audubon Hummingbirds Home.

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