February 2020
In the Field
For a chance to see a Great Blue Heron, join us on the Shark Valley/Big Cypress Bird Walk. Are you a shutterbug? Enter your best bird photos in the 2020 Audubon Photography Awards contest. Scroll down for contest rules.
Kendall Indian Hammocks Bird Walk
& post-walk Picnic
With #PhoebesBirding
Sunday, February 2, 7:30-10:30am
 
The Phoebes (an all-female birding group) will lead a bird walk at Kendall Indian Hammocks Park (11395 SW 79th Street). Meet at 7:30am in the parking area at the east end of the ballfields. The walk is open to female birders of any experience level. Bring water, snacks, sunscreen and insect repellent. No fee. No pre-registration required.
Click HERE to invite friends.

Lucky Hammock Birding
Saturday, February 8, 7:30-11am
 
Luis Gonzalez leads this walk to "Lucky Hammock" along Aerojet Road in Homestead. Meet at 7:30am in the parking area at the Southern Glades Wildlife and Environmental Area entrance gate on Aerojet Road (SW 232 Street) at SR 9336, 0.5 miles east of the Homestead entrance to Everglades National Park. No pre-registration required.
Click HERE to invite friends. 
 
Shark Valley/Big Cypress Birding
Saturday, February 15, 8am-2pm
 
John Hutchison will lead this carpool trip to Shark Valley, followed by Loop Road in Big Cypress National Preserve. Meet at the Shark Valley entrance gate between 8-8:30am. There is an entrance fee to Shark Valley. Bring lunch. No pre-registration required.
Click HERE to invite friends.

A.D. Barnes Park Bird Walk for Young Birders
Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count!
Sunday, February 23, 7:30-10am
 
Lauren Bartel of the South Florida Young Birders Club will lead birders ages 12-18 through A.D. Barnes Park — parents are welcome! 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. Meet at 7:30am. No fee. No pre-registration required.
Click HERE to invite friends.

South Florida Exotics Birding 
GUARANTEED DEPARTURE! 
SPACES AVAILABLE
Saturday, February 22 
 
Paul Bithorn and Brian Rapoza will lead birders in search of parrots, bulbuls, mynas, swamphens and other introduced species in this all-day van trip. Fee: $75 (includes van/gas and lunch at a local restaurant). Reservations are required! 
Email Brian Rapoza  to request an application or additional information.
 Click HERE to invite friends.
SAVE THE DATE!
Bird Photography Workshop
Saturday, March 14, Time TBA
@Wakodahatchee Wetlands
Join wildlife photographer, author and TAS board member  Kirsten Hines  for a bird photography workshop focused on enhancing the design elements and visual impact of the bird images you capture. The workshop will be held at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, where nesting birds will be photographed. 

The curriculum is designed for beginning to intermediate photographers with a minimum 70mm lens. Additional details and registration information will be updated soon.

For more information, email  [email protected]
Southeast Arizona Birding Trip
(during Monsoon Season)
Reserve Your Spot Now!
August 2-11, 2020
Spaces Available
Varied Bunting (Passerina versicolor) . Photo by Stefan Schlick
Stefan Schlick and TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza will lead this 10-day birding tour to Southeast Arizona, arguably the best place anywhere in the U.S. for early-August birding. When the mid-July monsoon rains arrive, the desert turns green and birds love it! Additionally, monsoon season is a great time for rarities to show up.

Desert birding will, for the most part, be restricted to the cooler early-morning or late afternoon hours, with much of each day spent exploring higher elevations in the Chiricahua, Huachuca and Santa Rita mountains, scouting specialties such as Elegant Trogon, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Mexican Chickadee and Red-faced Warbler. The number of Hummingbirds and other fascinating birds that can potentially be seen in this region is staggering, so even if you've birded Southeast Arizona before, you’ll still feel like a kid in a candy store! 

Fee: $1,900 per/person double occupancy, $400 single supplement, which includes transportation, lodging, guides and park fees. Not included is round-trip airfare to Tucson, meals, tips, laundry or other incidental expenses. A $500 deposit is due at the time of booking, with the remaining balance due by May 2, 2020.

For details or to book your trip, click  here .  Email  Brian Rapoza , TAS Field Trip Coordinator for additional information.
Take Action
Register for the 8th Annual Everglades Action Day(s) in Tallahassee
Monday, February 10 & Tuesday, February 11
Join the Everglades Coalition in February for the 8th Annual Everglades Action Day. What’s in store? Event registrants will “board the bus for Everglades Restoration” at TAS (5530 Sunset Drive, 33143) on February 10th! Attendees will then spend two unforgettable days in Tallahassee's halls of power, visit Florida’s Capitol, meet elected officials and advocate for the Everglades and its estuaries. Group transportation to Tallahassee and scholarships available.
Chirping About
Miami-Dade County Commission approved amendments to
Comprehensive Development Master Plan!
Reddish Egret. Photo: Andrew Long
On January 23, the Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners approved amendments to the county’s Comprehensive Development Master Plan that will discourage urban sprawl, increase resiliency and protect Everglades restoration. TAS, together with Audubon Florida and members of the Hold the Line Coalition, was among the groups that spoke in favor of the amendments at the packed commission meeting.

TAS Executive Director Paola Ferreira personally urged Commissioners to support county staff's proposed amendments because they will strengthen the county's resiliency and protect the East Coast buffer. She was pleased with the outcome: "The policy changes better safeguard threatened ecosystems, increase the county’s resiliency, protect our water supply and support taxpayer investments already made in Everglades restoration. The commissioners recognized the importance of these crucial issues, which should help ensure that future development will not occur on sensitive wetlands and agricultural ecosystems. These amendments will hopefully remove these low-lying areas from future urban expansion.” [Editor's note: The state will weigh in next before final county approval.]

Significantly, one amendment will shrink the Urban Expansion Areas (UEAS) outside of the Urban Development Boundary previously identified for future growth. Environmentally important lands, such as wetlands critical for aquifer recharge, and Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) areas, were excluded from the UEAs, safeguarding them from future development.

The Commission's favorable vote aligns strongly with the Resilience 305 Strategy approved in 2019, which identified goals to enhance climate resiliency through design and planning, connecting mobility and housing, and safeguarding ecosystems.

Thanks to all TAS members who contributed to this milestone by contacting their commissioners and/or attending the meeting in person. Please stay tuned as we continue to engage on these critical issues!
Featured Events
Doc Thomas House Guided Tours @TAS
Saturday, February 1, 1 & 3pm
Visit our historic Doc Thomas House headquarters and enjoy a captivating, 45-minute guided tour led by a Tropical Audubon Society docent. Learn about our society’s benefactor Arden Hayes “Doc” Thomas and Robert Fitch Smith, the architect he commissioned to design the house. Explore the distinctive, wood-and-limestone structure with its numerous ornamental and built-in features. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, named a Florida Heritage Site and designated a Miami-Dade County Historic Site, the charming 1932 cottage is a Florida vernacular architectural gem.
 
Visitors are also encouraged to take a self-guided tour of our near-native Steinberg Nature Center grounds, which showcase pollinator gardens and tropical hardwood and pine rockland habitats.
 
Save the dates: First Saturdays of the month through June 2020.
Times: 1pm & 3pm Tours / House and Grounds Open 12:30-4pm.
 
Admission FREE. Donations Welcomed!
Parking options:  Limited on-site parking via the 55th Avenue entry gate; nearby metered, garage and valet parking options within 1-3 blocks; Metrorail service to South Miami Station.

Click HERE to share on Facebook.
 
Tropical Audubon Society: 5530  Sunset  Dr., Miami, FL, 33143
8 th  Annual Bird Day @TAS presented by Leica Store Miami
Saturday, February 15, 12-4pm
Nurture budding birders and junior naturalists at our free annual Bird Day festival featuring an engaging afternoon of games, prizes, exploration and educational activities on our near-native Steinberg Nature Center grounds. Bird Day is the perfect venue for school ecology clubs, scout troops and young children seeking an outdoor adventure. Join our bird experts and learn how to identify birds. Take part in Owl Pellet dissection and experience a microscopic view of the colorful world of feathers. Bring the entire family!
 
The mid-winter event also celebrates the annual migration of nearly 350 species of birds stopping to refuel and recharge in South Florida on their return from non-breeding grounds in the Caribbean, South America and Mexico to their nesting habitats in North America. The role our region plays on the Atlantic Flyway will be illuminated by Cape Florida Bird Banding Station, South Florida Audubon Society and the Environmentally Endangered Lands Program.
 
Participants can also join TAS Board member and Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza for a presentation on the 2020 Great Backyard Bird Count, wherein birdwatchers of all ages count birds to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are located. Learn how your family can participate in the February 14-17 event!
 
Additionally:  Nature lovers can explore the trails that thread the restored Tropical Hardwood Hammock and Pine Rockland habitats. History buffs can tour the 1932 Doc Thomas House, which serves as TAS headquarters and is a designated Florida Heritage Site.

Conservation Concert @TAS
11th Anniversary series featuring Plan B
Saturday, February 29, 7pm
The enduringly popular  Plan B  returns to the Doc Thomas House Keystone Stage this month with Pinecrest residents Dr. Scott Kenward (guitar and vocals) and Al Roque (drums), South Miamian Alex Leeds (vocals, percussion, guitar), High Piner Al Larcada (bass) and east Kendall-ite Alvaro Gomez (keyboards, guitar, vocals) performing a repertoire of classic and contemporary Rock & Roll with a dash of the unexpected. 

Enjoy the band’s depth of classic hits under the stars and Audubon oaks. This year, beer lovers can also savor the nostalgic sounds with a cold one from our 2020 Conservation Concert series "Presenting Craft Brew" sponsor  Island Coastal Lager.   
The “ConCon” fundraising series holds sway with Plan B. Scott Kenward observes, “There’s something really special about playing outside in a beautiful tropical setting this time of year, and it’s always been a meaningful event for our band and a fun venue. Plus, I grew up in Pinecrest next to the old Parrot Jungle and we had macaws roosting in our yard, so I have a special affection for bird sanctuaries!”

Also on the playbill:  Taco Fresh Food Truck, and the donation Bird Bar featuring Island Coastal Lager and wines courtesy of Republic National Distributing Co. 

Picnic tables available on a first-come basis.
 
Gates open at 7pm; music begins at 7:30pm
CASH door: $10 donation p/p, children 12 and under FREE
 
Parking: Limited free parking via our 55th Avenue auto 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.
 
Proceeds benefit capital improvements to the grounds and historic buildings.
Green Things to Do
Submit entries January 13 to April 6
You’re crazy about birds and photography, right? Combine your dual passions by entering your best bird photos in the 2020 Audubon Photography Awards. You could win a cash prize or, if you’re our Youth winner, a special trip that will help you become an even more accomplished birder or bird photographer. Winning photos will be published in future issues of Audubon and Nature’s Best Photography magazines, and will be included in a cross-country traveling Audubon Photography Awards exhibit. 
Entry details can be found at  audubonphotoawards.org.

Click Here   for contest rules.
Florida Trail Association Meeting @TAS
Tuesday, February 11, 6:30-9pm
Join the FTA for an evening with Victor Penaloza, Special Agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who will speak about the problem of animal trafficking, including birds and turtles, in South Florida.

Ready, Set Count!
2020 Great Backyard Bird Count
Friday, February 14 – Monday, February 17
Bird watchers of all ages are invited to count birds to help document where birds are located. Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) was the first online citizen science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real time.
 
This free, fun, family-friendly weekend is also a great way to introduce birders of all levels to community science. Broad participation is encouraged no matter your location — even if you can only identify one species of bird. Count birds in your backyard, terrace, balcony or favorite park!

Count birds for at least 15 minutes (or longer if you wish!) on one or more days of the GBBC and enter your checklists at  birdcount.org . Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you like — one day or all four. Submit a separate checklist for each new day, for each new location, or for the same location if you counted at a different time of day.

Click Here for more information.
Planting for Birds! 
"Bird-Friendly" Eco-Restoration Day 
@TAS’s Steinberg Nature Center
Saturday, February 15, 9am-12pm 
Do you have a green thumb, or wish to learn more about native plants for birds? You are invited to take part in an exciting new TAS project at our Steinberg Nature Center campus! Volunteer to help install our Bird-Friendly Demonstration Garden and get hands-on experience creating wildlife habitat. The knowledge and skills you gain will enable you to establish a bird-friendly garden in your own yard or patio.
 
Going forward, we will meet every third Saturday from 9am until noon to further transform our urban campus into a bird-friendly wildlife habitat.

The new Bird-Friendly Demonstration Garden is supported by the Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Regulations Management (DERM), National Audubon Society and Audubon Florida.
 
Follow our progress on our social media outlets, and become a part of the metamorphosis by volunteering.
 
Planting a Better World for Birds & People!
 
Contact [email protected] for more information.

The Birds Thank