South Florida Audubon Society Home Page

Join Us at    SFAS        Burrowing Owl Cam      Eagle Forum          
    


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.

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.   See our Calendar of Events for Meeting Details.

INVITATION:

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

Click on the About Us Tab for more information.

Calls to Action

    1. Don’t let air polluters get a free pass – here
    2. Help defend the Coastal California Gnatcatcher – here
    3. Ban Fracking in Florida – here
    4. Urge President Obama to Veto the Keystone XL Pipeline – here
    5. Speak out for American Avocet chicks – here
    6.  Tell Lowe’s to stop selling bee-killing pesticides – here
    7. Protect Florida Black Bears from recreational bear hunting - here


Our Project Perch Fundraising Campaign is over, but we have 1 Large and 4 Medium Unisex Tee Shirts left.  



Please contact editor@southfloridaaudugon.org if you wish to purchase one of them.  The price will be $20.00 plus shipping of $5.05  Proceeds will go towards General SFAS Funds.

Read the 2015 Conservation Action Agenda which was passed on October 18, 2014.  Click below.

MEETINGS & SPECIAL EVENTS 

See Our New In Memorial Page About Previous Members Of Our Audubon Chapter.
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.

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 theAudubon Hummingbirds Home.

Calliope Hummingbird by Dan Pancamo via Creative Commons

Ruby Throated Hummingbird (male) via Creative Commons; Author unknown.

Read more about Hummingbirds in South Florida:


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.

 

 


You are visitor # 
 since January 5, 2014.  Thank you for your visit on 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                                                              
Website Builder