February 2016
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February in the Field

Claire Herzog Great Egret Nestlings


STA-1E Birding
Saturday, February 6; 7:30am-4pm

Audubon Society of the Everglades invites TAS to join them for a tour of Stormwater Treatment Area-1E in Wellington, Palm Beach County. For those planning to carpool, this trip is limited to 20 participants and reservations are required. No fee. Walkie-talkies are recommended. There will be a lunch stop at a restaurant. Email Brian Rapoza for details, including meeting place and time.

Miami Winter Bird Count
Friday, February 12 - Monday, February 15

The second annual Miami Winter Bird Count will be held from Friday, February 12th to Monday, February 15th, using the platform offered by the Great Backyard Bird Count. We hope that such regular, annual counts will lead to a better understanding as to the status, diversity, and distribution of late winter birds in Miami-Dade. How it works: Email  Carlos Sanchez with the area(s) you will be covering  to ensure minimal overlap. Survey your assigned area anywhere from February 12 through February 15, recording both total species and actual numbers of what you observe. Submit eBird list(s) via the Great Backyard Bird Count portal (http://gbbc.birdcount.org/  ) and email Carlos your totals. That's it! At the end of the entire event, Carlos will provide a synopsis of the county-wide results. So get ready to get out there and see some great birds! We look forward to hearing all about it.

Everglades Nature Photography
Saturday, February 13; 7am-3pm

Trey Mitchell will lead this all-day trip in Everglades National Park. Photographers of all abilities are welcome. Meet at 7:00am at the Coe Visitor Center. There is an entrance fee to the park. Bring lunch.

Shark Valley/Loop Road Birding
Saturday, February 20; 8am-3pm

John Hutchison will lead this all-day trip. Meet at 8:00am at the airboat concession on the north side of Tamiami Trail (US 41), one mile west of the Shark Valley entrance. There is an entrance fee to Shark Valley. Bring lunch.
 
High Pines Bird Walk
Sunday, February 21, 8am

Join Tropical Audubon President Joe Barros for an engaging High Pines Bird Walk. Assemble at our Steinberg Nature Center South Miami campus for this free guided walk, which will last approximately 90 minutes. Post your walk, enjoy coffee at our historic Doc Thomas House headquarters. Explore the 3-acre hammock that comprises the TAS campus. Shop the 10am Native Plant Sale featuring bird-friendly specimens!

Learn more about our feathered residents and winter visitors, and celebrate Nature & Neighborhood. Convene at TAS (5530 Sunset Drive) enter via our 55 AV, Sunset or 56 AV gates. On-site parking available via 55th AV gate. 

Wear Walking Shoes or Sneakers!   5530 Sunset Drive, Miami, FL 33143

East Everglades Area Birding
Saturday, February 27; 7:30-11am

Carlos Sanchez leads this half-day trip to the east Everglades. Meet at 7:30am at the C-357 sparrow fields. From Krome Avenue, drive west 3.0 miles on Richmond Drive (SW 168 Street). Park near the entrance, at a yellow gate just west of the C-357 Canal. Return is at approximately 11:00am. No fee.

National Audubon TAS

The Birds Thank  Island Tiki Huts & JC Arrojo

chickee
...for his donation of Materials to restore and rethatch our super-sized Chickee Hut. "I was inspired to partner on this project by the meaningful education and conservation work TAS does for our community," JC says. The TAS Chickee is an iconic fixture in our hardwood hammock habitat, and an integral outdoor gathering place used for Scout Meetings, Conservation Forums, Walk in the Woods with Wine & Whisk Dinner Parties, and private events such as Birthdays and Weddings.

To admire the beautifully rethatched Chickee, the next time you alight at our Steinberg Nature Center campus walk due south from the picnic grove on our central trail. You may decide to host your next milestone celebration in this unique Old Florida setting.  
[email protected]

Patronizing Island Tiki Huts is the TAS thing to do. 

JC, a certified general contractor, stepped up for the birds in November by saving TAS thousands in rethatch expenses. The Sabal Palmetto fronds and cypress poles he used were sourced from Seminole tribe members; the thatch work was meticulously done in the native tradition. JC's crew has been thatching from the Keys to Palm Beach for more than 20 years, and their craftsmanship is exceptional. www.islandtikihut.com
You can reach JC at  [email protected] or 786.237.1777

Supporting those vendors who support TAS is an easy way to contribute to our Mission. The birds will thank you!

  
Featured Event
Art Nite @ TAS
Friday, February 12, 6-9pm
"Local Landscapes & Butterfly Wings" Smartist Exhibit
Butterfly ArtNite Smartist
Lizmar Torres_ grade 5

T he period parlor at our charming Doc Thomas House headquarters is transformed into a vibrant art gallery as 5th Graders South Miami K-8 Center "SMartists" present their exceptional works in an exhibit titled "Local Landscapes & Butterfly Wings." Join Art Teacher Deana Conley and her talented "SMartists" for their opening night reception. The Nature-inspired exhibit will hang through February in our National Register of Historic Places and Miami-Dade County Landmark cottage. Art Nite also features our Donation Bird Bar! 

Bonus:  Park for free on our Steinberg Nature Center grounds via our 55th Avenue entry gate and use TAS as your ArtWalk home base for a gallery-hopping stroll into town. 

Thirty percent of the proceeds from the sale of all art benefit Tropical Audubon Society. 

Thirty percent of the proceeds from the sale of all art benefit Tropical Audubon Society. 

  
Green Things to Do
Eco-Restoration Day
@ TAS's   Porter Russell Pine Rockland
Saturday,  February 13, 8am-noon

pine rockland
Help TAS steward our  Porter  Russell Pine Rockland, an 8-acre property in South Miami-Dade County, one of the few remaining tracts of globally imperiled Pine Rockland habitat remaining outside of Everglades National Park. 

Please bring sunscreen, your water bottle, and wear closed toed-shoes. We will provide water.

Groups welcome! RSVP:  email Amy Creekmur

305-667-7337 |    Volunteer  with TAS
 
  
Miami Pine Rockland Coalition
General Meeting @ TAS Thursday,  February 11
Clean Up: Larry & Penny Thompson Park, Saturday, February 13


Miami Tiger Beetle by Al Sunshine
  
Eco-Restoration Day 
@ TAS's Steinberg Nature Center
Saturday, February 20, 8am-noon

Learn about indigenous plants and help us maintain our near-native landscape at the Steinberg Nature Center on the TAS campus. We need you!  Restoration Days are held on the 3rd Saturday of every month. We're flexible -- show up when you can, between 8:30 am and noon -- you will find a host of conservationists, birders, plant lovers and gardeners just like you lending a hand.

Volunteer to Get Your Hands Dirty! (We provide gloves!)

  
Native Plant Sale  Weekend
Saturday, February 20, 9am-5pm
Sunday, February 21, 10am-3pm; 8am Guided Birdwalk
plant photo
Nurture & shelter Birds & Butterflies! Purchase Native Plants that will transform your yard or balcony into a thriving, low-maintenance South Florida habitat. Learn cultivation tips from our resident experts. 

Bonus activities:  Take a guided Bird Walk, Sunday, 8am. Explore our Pine Rockland & Hardwood Hammock habitats. Tour our historic Doc Thomas House. Pack breakfast or lunch to enjoy at our shaded picnic tables.

Enter via our 55th Avenue gate  

  
Conservation Concert
Saturday, February 27, 7-10pm
Doors open at 7pm, music begins at 7:30 pm 

  Solar Dogs band
Solar Dogs,  the tremendously talented four-piece acoustic band, returns to the Doc Thomas House to light up the Keystone Stage for the sixth year running. 

The popular all-strings band performs a wide-ranging repertoire of "Americana" music that includes traditional, contemporary and original material. Michael Stock, host of WLRN's Folk and Acoustic Music program, describes SOLAR DOGS as "the definitive South Florida sound." Band members & their instruments: Eric Wagner -- vocals, guitar, mandolin; Zip Robertson, vocals, guitar, harmonica; Bill Kunz -- fiddle, mandolin, banjo; and Geoff Saunders -- upright bass. 

Food Truck tba; donation  Bird Bar  beverages will flow courtesy of   Republic National Distributing Co.  and local craft beer maker  Miami Brewing Company.

As always, ConCon promises to be an enchanting old Florida evening.    

$10 donation, children free 
Picnic tables available on a first-come basis!

Parking:  Limited free parking in our lot via 55th Avenue gate and along 56th Avenue; metered parking on Sunset Drive; various garage and valet parking options within 1-3 blocks; Metro-rail service to South Miami Station.


  

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