Saturday, December 8, 7:30-11am
Brian Rapoza leads birders on a C-357 Sparrow Fields walk in the East Everglades. Meet at the turnaround at the west end of SW 168 Street, 4 miles west of Krome (SW 177 Avenue). Return is at approximately 11am. No fee. No pre-registration required.
A.D. Barnes Park Bird Walk
Sunday, December 9, 7:30-11am
Luis Gonzalez will lead birders through A.D. Barnes Park. Enter on SW 72nd Avenue just north of Bird Road (SW 40th Street), turn left at the T intersection and park in spaces on either side of the road. Return is at approximately 11am. No fee. No pre-registration required.
119
th
Annual Christmas Bird Count
South Florida Dates & Locales
Saturday, December 15
Miami-Dade County Christmas Bird Count
Sunday, December 16
Key Largo-Plantation Christmas Bird Count
Monday, December 17
Long Pine Key Christmas Bird Count
Saturday, December 22
Kendall Christmas Bird Count
(includes Matheson Hammock and Fairchild)
Saturday, December 29
Coot Bay / Everglades Christmas Bird Count
To learn more about this annual Community Science effort in which hundreds of studies by scientists around the world have put CBC data to use,
click here
.
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SAVE THE DATE
Eastern Panama: Birding the Canal Zone & Darien
Thursday, October 31 - Saturday, November 9, 2019
(spaces available)
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TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza and a local guide will lead this 10-day, 9-night birding tour in Panama, home to more than 950 bird species, the highest in Central America! This tour, for up to eight participants, involves 10 full days of birding and is designed for intermediate to advanced birders.
We’ll spend our first 3 nights at world-famous Canopy Tower, in Soberania National Park along the Panama Canal. Among the many possible birding destinations during our 3 days here will be Semaphore Hill Road, Summit Gardens, Ammo Dump Pond and the legendary Pipeline Road! We’ll spend the next 6 nights in luxury safari-style tents at Canopy Camp, in the heart of the legendary Darien, Panama’s easternmost province. Our itinerary may include an all-day excursion to search for Panama’s national bird, the majestic Harpy Eagle! Other locations we may visit while in the Darien include Bayano Lake, Rio Torti, El Salto Road, Las Lagunas Road, Quebrada Felix, Lajas Blancas, Nuevo Vigia, Aligandi, San Francisco Reserve and Yaviza, at the very end of the Pan-American Highway.
Fee: $2,695 per/person double occupancy, $300 single supplement. Cost includes transportation, meals, lodging and guides. Not included is round-trip airfare to Panama City, tips, laundry costs and other incidental expenses.
Reservations are required; application and fee are due by July 31, 2019.
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HOLIDAY HOUSE TOURS
Villagers & Doc Thomas House Events
Saturday, December 1
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Villager's Annual Holiday House Tour
Architectural Gems – South of Sunset
Saturday, December 1, 10am-3pm
The Villagers’ 2018 Annual Holiday House Tour,
“Architectural Gems – South of Sunset,”
features homes designed by notable architects. Guests will also enjoy a gift boutique, the popular
Attic Treasures
vintage shop, light refreshments, and a raffle of a hand-crafted flamingo-themed quilt commemorating the historic Hialeah Race Track. Members of The Villagers will be on hand explaining each home’s distinctive history and features. Visitors drive in their own vehicles between the properties. Carpooling is suggested.
Please note: The Villagers are a TAS community partner engaged with helping fund restoration of the Historic Doc Thomas House. Supporting their Annual Holiday House Tour enables the Villagers to continue their restoration efforts.
Tickets are $35, advance purchase only, no ticket sales day of the tour.
Click
HERE
for more information.
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Doc Thomas House Guided History Tour @TAS
Saturday, December 1, 1 & 3pm
Visit the historic Doc Thomas House for a captivating, 45-minute guided tour led by a Tropical Audubon Society docent. Learn about the Birds' benefactor Arden Hayes “Doc” Thomas and Robert Fitch Smith, the architect Thomas commissioned to design the house. Tour the distinctive, wood-and-limestone structure with its many ornamental and built-in features. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, named a Florida Heritage Site and designated a Dade County landmark, the charming 1932 cottage is an architectural gem. Gain insights into local South Miami and Audubon history, too. Tours include a stroll through our Steinberg Nature Center grounds, weather-permitting.
Save the dates: First Saturdays of the month through June 2019.
Times: 1pm & 3pm Tours / House and Grounds Open 12:30-4pm.
Admission FREE: Donations Welcomed
Tropical Audubon Society: 5530 Sunset Dr., Miami, FL, 33143
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Birds n' Brews: Christmas Bird Count 101
@Leica Store Miami
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To gear up for the 2018 Miami
Christmas Bird Count
(CBC) on December 15, part of the nation's longest-running community science project, Leica Store Miami and TAS will present CBC 101. Whether you're a first-time CBC participant, a group leader or simply want to learn more about bird identification basics, join us for this illuminating primer led by TAS Field Guide Brian Rapoza, who will share the how-to and history of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count.
To make your CBC experience as rewarding as possible, Leica Store Miami will provide loaner binoculars for fledgling CBC-ers, or for those in need of an upgrade. So, plan to wing by, chill with a Brooklyn Brew, brush up on CBC and bird IDs, meet and greet other counters and sign-out the world’s finest binos and scopes while they last — all courtesy of Leica Store Miami.
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Holiday Happy Hour & Open House @TAS
Friday, December 14, 6-8pm
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YOU’RE INVITED!
On your way home or on your way out, alight at our historic Doc Thomas House for a festive Holiday Happy Hour & Open House mixer. Mingle with friends and neighbors, TAS board and staff. Enjoy holiday music, complimentary punch, nibbles and donation Bird Bar libations. Bonus: Browse our bird-inspired holiday gifts — first edition John James Audubon Octavo prints, greeting and holiday cards, ceramics and jewelry — and avoid the malls!
Pot Luck finger food contributions are most welcome.
Bring something easy and portable. (We have a microwave.) Please be mindful and refrain from using disposable items to make, carry or serve your dish. (No plastic bags, single-use plastic or styrofoam, please.)
Escape the holiday hustle-bustle and unwind beneath an “enchanted forest” of Florida live oaks; follow the twinkle-lit trail through the hardwood hammock to our iconic chickee. Experience unfettered Nature under the stars on our Old Florida campus.
Parking options:
Limited on-site parking via the 55th Avenue entry gate; nearby metered, garage and valet parking options within 1-3 blocks; Metro-rail service to South Miami Station.
Tropical Audubon Society, 5530 Sunset Drive, Miami 33143 | @tropicalaudubon
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Birdiful Pins, Tiles, Cards & Gift Tags
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Stuff stockings with birdiful enamel pins featuring Florida birds — Great Blue Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Brown Pelican, Florida Scrub Jay, Snail Kite — $15 each or collect all five for $60. These unique pins were custom-designed for TAS by artist Kate Dolamore,
The Little Nuthatch
blogger. Also on offer are ceramic bird tiles by artist David Schaffter ($25 each) and birdy holiday cards, notecards and gift tags by artist Louise Gardner Schwartz starting at $4. These gorgeous gifts are available for purchase at our historic Doc Thomas House headquarters. A portion of all sales benefits TAS. Shop by appointment only.
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First Edition Audubon Royal Octavo Print Sale @TAS
Shop through December by appointment
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Gift a Tropical Audubon Society Membership!
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Year of the Bird
December Action
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What is Year of the Bird? Year of the Bird is about celebrating the wonder of our feathered friends, examining how our changing environment is driving dramatic losses among bird species and learning what we can all do to reverse this trend. Audubon, National Geographic, Cornell, BirdLife International and, most important, bird lovers everywhere took a year of action for birds! Timed to honor the 2018 Centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, our country's most important bird-protection law, the Year of the Bird platform has encouraged us all to remain vigilant about protecting birds in our own backyard.
Sign the pledge to build a better world for birds and Audubon will send you one simple action you can take this month to make a difference for birds and for the planet.
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Relax with Yoga Nidra under the Chickee @TAS
Thursdays Through December 20, 7:30-8:30pm
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J
oin Hridayam Yoga instructor Carol Jamault for outdoor Yoga Nidra, a guided practice that leads to a state of deep relaxation and increased awareness. Yoga Nidra is a great tool to manage stress, improve sleep quality and regenerate the nervous system. Classes include gentle asanas, pranayama and exercises for the joints. Please note, there is no class on December 27. Classes will resume January 10, 2019.
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Eco Restoration Day @TAS's Porter Russell Pine Rockland
Saturday, December 8, 8:30 to 11:30am
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Help TAS steward our Porter Russell Pine Rockland, an 8-acre property in South Miami-Dade County, and one of the few remaining tracts of globally imperiled Pine Rockland habitat remaining outside of Everglades National Park.
We will provide water. Please bring sunscreen and your refillable water bottle; wear closed-toe shoes.
Eco-restoration days take place on the second Saturday of every month. Groups welcome!
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Florida Trail Association Meeting & Holiday Potluck @TAS
Tuesday, December 11, 6:30-9pm
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Join the FTA for a Holiday Potluck and meet TAS resident Master Gardener Steve Rawlins, who will give a talk about TAS benefactor Arden Hayes "Doc" Thomas, the house and property the South Miami pioneer donated to TAS and the present-day stewardship of the now-historic home and 2.2 acres of near-native grounds. Also learn about the conservation accomplishments achieved by TAS in 2018.
Please bring a dish to share and bring your own utensils, too. TAS asks all of its coalition partners to be considerate of our environment and transport/serve your dish in a reusable bowl or platter. Kindly refrain from using disposable items to make, carry or serve your dish. (No plastic bags, single-use plastic or Styro-foam, please.
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Eco-Restoration Day @TAS's Steinberg Nature Center
Saturday, December 15, 8:30-11:30am
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Learn about indigenous plants and help TAS maintain the near-native landscape at our Steinberg Nature Center campus. We need you! Restoration Days are held on the 3rd Saturday of every month. We're flexible — show up between 8:30 and 11:30am — you will meet conservationists, birders, plant lovers and gardeners just like you lending a hand.
Please bring sunscreen and your refillable water bottle; wear closed-toe shoes. We will provide water.
Eco-restoration days take place on the third Saturday of every month. Groups welcome!
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Rise Up Florida Environmental Committee Meeting @TAS
Thursday, December 20, 6:30pm
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Rise Up Florida! is a grassroots group of engaged citizens whose goals are to mobilize people, activate them to protect our community from unfair and unjust policies, and work toward electing representatives who reflect the core values of equal rights and opportunity for all.
Pot-luck — bring something delicious! Please be mindful and refrain from using disposable items to make, carry or serve your dish. No plastic bags, single-use plastic or styrofoam, please.
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Miami Pine Rocklands Coalition Meeting @TAS
Thursday, December 27, 7-9pm
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Federally Endangered Pine Rockland Resident: Bartram's Hairstreak Butterfly
Photo courtesy of Al Sunshine
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Get the latest information surrounding the Walmart/Coral Reef Commons Development plans now set in motion at the former University of Miami South Campus.
Learn about how to better protect the region’s remaining Pine Rocklands, and how you can participate.
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Go Solar!
Join a Solar Co-op Information Session Near You
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Miami-Dade residents have come together to form a neighborhood-centric Miami-Dade Solar Co-op with the help of Solar United Neighbors of Florida. The co-op makes it easier to save money on the purchase of solar panels, while building a community of local solar supporters. Attend an information session in your neighborhood to learn more about how the Southern Miami-Dade Solar Co-op is streamlining the going solar process and is earning a discount through bulk purchase power.
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… our treasured neighbor and community partner
Whisk Gourmet.
Mere words cannot express the debt of gratitude we owe to our
Whisk Gourmet
friends. The birds would virtually be lost without the generosity of spirit displayed by founders/siblings Brendan and Kristin Connor over the past seven years. The two were perennial TAS collaborators since becoming our neighbors in 2011, and the symbiotic relationship they built with the Birds was meaningful enough that new owner Robert Haddad is graciously continuing their acts of kindness.
Thanks are due to the old and new
Whisk
ownership teams for supporting this summer’s
Dine Out with TAS at Whisk
series, and to both parties for staging the Spring and Summer 2018 editions of our signature “Walk in the Woods with Wine & Whisk” alfresco dinner fundraising series. (Circle April 10, 2019, and make your ressies ASAP via
events@tropicalaudubon.org
!
Chef Brendan's longtime right-hand, Carlos Montenegro, has taken the reins as executive chef, and the transition could not have been more seamless. Like his mentor, Chef Carlos cooks up a bounty of fresh local ingredients, albeit with a greater emphasis on our region's Latin and Caribbean influences.
Grab lunch, order take-out or savor dinner at
Whisk
sometime soon. Supporting vendors who support TAS is an easy way to contribute to our Conservation Mission. The birds will thank you!
Whisk Gourmet
786.268.8350
7382 SW 56 Avenue, South Miami, FL 33143
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