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Ongoing
Efforts |
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Birding Projects: |
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Audubon of
Florida RCC
Report
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Least Tern
Project
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Project
MartinRoost
The Purple
Martin
Conservation
Association (PMCA)
has developed
Project
MartinRoost to
locate, protect
and promote
Purple Martin
roosts in North
and South
America. Project
MartinRoost
relies on
volunteers to
verify and
report martin
roosts via the
PMCA web site at
http://www.purplemartin.org/roost/ |
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Christmas Bird
Count
We have
participated in
the ‘count’ for
many years. Our
thanks go to
Bert Charest for
his tireless
efforts in
compiling and
forwarding our
results to
National
Audubon. Our
new coordinator
is
James Wheat,
who has recently
taken over the
helm for this
project. See the
2006 Results.
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NAMC – North
American
Migratory Count
This has been
coordinated off
and on for
nearly 10 years
under the
guidance of
Diane Reed, and
we look forward
to a greater
involvement
through our
chapter. |
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Peregrine Falcon
Study
This survey was
initiated
through the
efforts of
Dr.
Robert Stoll,
who has been
directing the
falcon count for
the the last 10
years. We owe a
debt of
gratitude to Dr.
Stoll for his
guidance and
coordination of
the falcon
count, the
results of which
are forwarded to
the
Hawk
Migration
Association of
North America.
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Roseate
Spoonbill
Get involved with
Audubon of
Florida's Spoonbill project!
View the
Audubon flyer.
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Woodstork
Colonies |
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Wood storks were
once commonly found in the Everglades; however,
dredging, ditching and the draining of wetlands
that this species depends on for survival caused
a crash in the wood stork population. This
drastic decline in numbers resulted in their
placement on the “Endangered Species” list in
1986.
Although they continue to be protected by the
Endangered Species Act, wood storks have
adjusted to their predicament by migrating north
into North Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas
where they have found suitable breeding
habitats.
Since the wood stork is an 'indicator'
species for our environment, their population is
closely monitored at most of the accessible
nesting colonies. This monitoring is a critical
factor in determining the overall health of this
species; for example, in 2005 the large colony
in Corkscrew Swamp was a total failure while the
colonies in North Florida reported record
numbers of successful fledglings.
Two notable wood stork colonies in North
Florida are at the
St. Augustine Alligator Farm and the
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.
Duval County Audubon has been partnering
with the Jacksonville Zoo for a number of years;
monitoring and reporting on the colony each
breeding season. In 2005, Kevin and
Marie Dailey joined the team of volunteers (Lois
and Kay) working with the Zoo's Curator of
Birds, Donna Bear-Hull.
 During
the wood stork breeding season (March – July),
the volunteers
monitor nesting habits, count nests and chicks,
and identify banded birds. When the hatchlings
arrive they are aged and counted, then monitored
weekly until they fledge. The statistics
gathered are combined and
provided to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Southeast Region, as part of the Recovery Plan
for the U.S. Breeding Population of the Wood
Stork.
This plan can be located at
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.htmll .
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Our
Work |
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Educational Programs: |
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Information on more of our formal
educational programs is coming soon.
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Eagle
Monitoring
The future of Audubon will be in the
hands of today's students. Therefore
it is vitally important to further
the environmental awareness and
education of young people.
St. Johns
Audubon in cooperation with
Audubon of
Florida's Center for Birds of Prey
has provided a program to the
community on the
Bald Eagle
(Haliaeetus leucocephalus). A weekly
four hour session was held in a
local park in view of an Eagle's
nest.
 Scopes
and binoculars were provided to
visitors for observation of the
activity at the nest, which
contained two eaglets and two adult
birds. More than forty adults and
children each week attended. The
program lasted until the eaglets
left the nest. An Audubon
spokesperson provided information
and answers to the many questions
concerning the life cycle of the
Bald Eagle.
Fifth grade students and Brownie
Scouts have earned credit for their
attendance. The response has been
enthusiastic with a clamor for more
information. Therefore, we hope to provide Nature
related educational material for the school
that has been most active in the
Eagle
project. We are planning to extend
beyond the students of one school
and inspire other classes.
We propose to provide field
guides and assist the teacher with
organized trips to enhance the
birding experience.
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Audubon of
Florida
Advocacy
Center "Who
can help make our voices heard?
You!"
Visit the
official site of the state's
oldest conservation organization. |
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