March 2020
In the Field
For a chance to see a Swallow-tailed Kite, join us on the Everglades National Park Bird Walk.
Photo: Nancy Elwood
Everglades National Park Birding
Saturday, March 7, 7:30am-5pm
 
John Boyd will lead this all-day carpool trip. Meet in the parking lot of the Coe Visitor Center at Everglades National Park at 7:30am. There is an entrance fee to the park. Bring lunch. No preregistration required.
 
Martin County Area Birding
Saturday, March 14, 8am-4pm
 
Brian Rapoza will lead this all-day carpool trip to birding locations in Martin County, including Jonathan Dickinson State Park and Dupuis Management Area. Meet at 8am at Jonathan Dickinson State Park at the parking area near the entrance station. Bring lunch. No preregistration required.

Southern Palm Beach Birding
Saturday, March 21, 7am-3pm
 
Nancy Freedman will lead this carpool trip. Meet at 7am at Wakodahatchee Wetlands (13026 Jog Road, 1.5 miles north of Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach) No fee. Bring lunch. No preregistration required.
 
South Broward Birding
Saturday, March 28, 8am-4pm
 
John Hutchison will lead this all-day carpool trip to birding locations in southern Broward County. Meet at 8am at Markham Park’s Meadow Nature Trail. From I-75, exit at Royal Palm Parkway (Exit 15). Drive west 0.5 miles to Weston Road. Turn right and drive west 2.8 miles to the park entrance. From I-595, exit at 136 Street (Exit 1A) and drive west 2.0 miles on SR 84 (I-595 service road) to the park entrance. Turn left after the entrance station (fee) to reach the nature trail parking area, opposite the dog park. Bring lunch. No preregistration required.
 
Th e TAS Bird Board, located on our website, has provided a community birding forum for South Florida birders for decades. Now you can also find Bird Board on Facebook ! Join our new Facebook Group to get the latest about rare bird alerts and share your South Florida bird sightings with our birding community.
Reserve your Spot Now!
Bird Photography Workshop
Saturday, March 14, 7-10am
@Wakodahatchee Wetlands
Join wildlife photographer, author and board member of both TAS and Audubon Florida boards Kirsten Hines for a bird photography workshop focused on enhancing the design elements and visual impact of the bird images you capture. This field-based session will focus on nesting birds and their behaviors at the Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach.

The curriculum is designed for beginning to intermediate photographers with a minimum 70mm lens. Workshop size will be no less than five and no more than ten participants. Pre-registration and a $45 fee (includes a donation to TAS) should be received by March 6. Registered participants will receive an email with logistical details via email the week prior to the workshop.

Register on Eventbrite  HERE.
For more information, email  kirstennaturetravel@gmail.com
Southeast Arizona Birding Trip
(during Monsoon Season)
Reserve Your Spot Now!
August 2-11, 2020
Spaces Available
The Lucifer Hummingbird is among the jewels you may spot on this trip.
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.
Chirping About
Dig in!
Bird-Friendly Gardening program breaks ground
@Steinberg Nature Center
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher perches in Florida privet, a native South Florida shrub that provides significant food and cover for wildlife, and attracts birds who eat its fruit.
Tropical Audubon Society’s Steinberg Nature Center will soon host a new Bird-Friendly Demonstration Garden designed to inspire and empower Miami-Dade County residents to create wildlife habitat for birds, bees and other pollinators in their yards, on patios and balconies, helping to re-green urban areas. Groundbreaking took place on Saturday, February 15 (see photos below) with shovel-wielding volunteers potting up the native plants that will be retained; as installation continues over the next three months, there will be many more opportunities to dig in.

The Bird-Friendly Demonstration Garden project is being led by Tropical Audubon Society’s Volunteer Coordinator Amy Creekmur and Board Member Kirsten Hines. Creekmur is a master gardener and former director of Tree-mendous Miami; Hines, also on the Audubon Florida board, is a nature writer and photographer with an M.Sc. in biology who co-authored  the gardening reference book  “Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens.”

Area residents can learn to garden for birds and other pollinators by joining our Planting-for-Birds Eco-Restoration Days on the third Saturday of every month from 9am until noon. 
T op: TAS Master Gardeners Steve Rawlings (far left) and Amy Creekmur (far right) supervised volunteers on February 15 during the groundbreaking for our new Bird-Friendly Demonstration Garden.

Bottom row, left: Dedicated volunteers assisted with transplanting native seedlings of red and pink salvias, Tropical Milkweed and Blue Porterweed. The delicate process entailed digging up each seedling and potting them individually until they are reintroduced into the new Demo Garden.

Bottom row, right: Florida Trail Association volunteers assisted by establishing trails lined with oolitic limestone, and also mulching and weeding a nursery area where potted seedlings will be nurtured.

The community’s help is essential to further transforming the Steinberg Nature Center into a food-rich oasis for birds and other wildlife. To participate, contact Amy Creekmur at volunteer@tropicalaudubon.org.  
Rare Florida Bonneted Bat
Wins Habitat Protections!
Florida Bonneted Bat.
Photo courtesy of Kathleen Smith, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Following a lawsuit by Tropical Audubon Society, The Center for Biological Diversity and its allies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to protect "critical habitat" for  Florida bonneted bats  by August 13.

Florida's largest and rarest bat species, named for its spectacular ears, has declined dramatically due to pesticides and sprawl-related habitat destruction. The 11 surviving colonies are now also urgently threatened by sea level rise. 

"Designating critical habitat for the Bonneted Bat is a crucial step toward the conservation of this endangered species,” TAS President José F. Barros says. “Protecting critical habitat will help this unique Florida resident come back from the brink of extinction and move toward recovery by increasing its resilience as it faces climate change and the loss of green space. Habitat protection will also contribute to the conservation of important bird species and other species in peril."

In Memoriam
Joyce Walker Gann
1932-2020
The late Joyce Walker Gann with her husband, Don Gann.
Joyce Walker Gann, a longtime Tropical Audubon Society ally who, together with her husband Don Gann, inspired countless Miamians to put down "native roots," passed away peacefully on February 21 at the family home in Redland.

In 2018, TAS jointly awarded Joyce and Don the "Polly Redford Citizen Service Award" for “passionately sharing their love of native plants, helping organize our region's Native Plant societies" and "parlaying their wealth of knowledge to inspire area scouts, residents and politicians to embrace native flora.”

Joyce was the only daughter of Herman Walker, a prominent tomato farmer, and Thelma Turner Thomas, a banking executive, both of Miami-Dade County. She was born on February 5, 1932 in Homestead. She attended Redland Farmlife School, and later Homestead High, where she met Don. The two married in 1950 and raised a family in Perrine before moving to the Redland, where they built a then-cutting-edge energy efficient home without air conditioning.

Early conservationists, the two began attending Native Plant Workshops in the 1960s and restoring their property's native habitat. To better understand the nature around them, Joyce became a naturalist for Miami-Dade County in the 1970s. Soon thereafter she and the family established Gann’s Native Tropical Greenery, one of the first native plant businesses in Florida. In the 1980s, Joyce helped establish the Florida Native Plant Society and its Dade Chapter, the Institute for Regional Conservation and the Florida Association of Native Nurseries. She and Don jointly received numerous awards and acknowledgements from these and other organizations, including the TAS award.

Their son, George Gann, serves on the TAS Advisory Board.

Joyce is pre-deceased by her parents and her half-brother Patrick McGarrah. She is survived by her devoted husband, G. Donald Gann; her half-sister Lynn French (Tom); three children, Marilyn Baggett (Bill), Debbie West (A.J.), George Gann (Egdomilia); four grandchildren, Justin West, Jeff Baggett (Evan), Leif Gann-Matzen, Maya Gann; great grandson Will Baggett; plus countless other family members and friends.

A Celebration of Life took place at Castellow Hammock Park. To honor Joyce Gann's life, donations can be made in her name to the Florida Native Plant Society’s Conservation Grants. Click HERE.
Featured Events
HOUSE & GARDEN TOURS
Saturday, March 7
The Villagers Garden Tour, 10am-3pm
The Villagers 2020 Annual Garden Tour,  “A 20/20 Vision of Tropical Splendor,” will showcase some of the area’s most beautiful private yards, with destinations in South Gables and Pinecrest. 
 
Participants drive their own vehicles between the properties. Attendees can also enjoy complimentary confections and the group's signature boutique featuring a variety of unique garden-related gifts for sale at Pinecrest Gardens. Carpooling and flat, comfortable walking shoes are encouraged. Please note that the venues cannot accommodate wheelchairs, walkers or strollers, and smoking and commercial photography are prohibited.
 
Please note:  The Villagers is a TAS community partner engaged with helping fund restoration of the Historic Doc Thomas House. Supporting its Annual Garden Tour enables The Villagers to continue its philanthropic restoration efforts.
 
Tickets, $35 in advance; $40 day-of based on availability. Contact a Villagers member or  Click Here  for more information.
 
Tickets available from Villager member or online at:  www.thevillagersinc.org    
Doc Thomas House Guided Tours @TAS, 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
Wild Birds Fly Again!
Unveiling South Florida's first Flight Cage 
@Wildlife Rescue of Dade County
 Sunday, March 15, 3pm
Barn owls raised since they were chicks at Wildlife Rescue of Dade County will soon be safely flight-tested in roomier quarters before release back to the wild.
Bald eagles, ospreys, hawks and other native raptors are often discovered injured or poisoned in South Florida, usually at the hands of humans. Wildlife Rescue of Dade County founder Lloyd Brown has been on the front lines of rehabilitating these magnificent creatures since 1993, donating his time and personal resources. Until now, there was not a bona fide flight cage in existence here (the closest one is near Orlando). The Miami-Dade firefighter and passionate naturalist has worked for decades to change that scenario. On Sunday, March 15, at 3 p.m., Brown will unveil the addition of a long-needed flight cage to the region.

Located at his Homestead-based non-profit, the new flight cage — at 100 feet long, 24 feet wide and 16 feet high  — will exceed the standards set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the largest birds commonly rehabilitated in South Florida. Brown gushes much like a proud new papa: "This is no ordinary flight cage. It is more than large enough to allow birds of prey to practice flying, while keeping them safely confined until they’re ready to return to the wild."  

He intends to make Wildlife Rescue's new flight cage available to all legally permitted rehabilitators. But to do so Brown still needs to meet his fundraising goal of $36,000. The pricey enclosure has been funded to date via grassroots giving. Once entirely funded, the structure will have cameras installed to film recovering birds in flight. The video can be slowed or stopped to observe a bird’s range of motion and wing symmetry during flight, giving a better idea of their condition and potential for release. 
"For some birds, if they can’t fly, they can’t feed themselves, so this flight cage and its cameras will be game-changers when it comes to an animal's post-release survival," Brown notes. 

The flight Cage dedication will take place Sunday, March 15, at 3 p.m. at 12055 SW 240 St, Princeton, FL 33032. Attendees will be able to observe flight-testing of rehabilitated birds.

ABOUT:  Wildlife Rescue of Dade County was founded in 1995 by Lloyd Brown. He and his WRDC volunteers care for all indigenous wild creatures, from orphaned baby squirrels and raccoons to turkey vultures, owls and more. A licensed 501c3, it operates solely on donations. To complete the flight cage and help raptors and other animals recover (there is no other viable rescue alternative) one can donate directly to WRDC via these platforms:  paypal.me/wildliferescueofdade ,  Venmo to @Wildlife-RescueOfDadeCounty, CashApp to $wildliferescue, or this GoFundMe:
Buzz by BEE-cause FLEA @TAS
Presented by Slow Food Miami
Saturday, March 21, 10am-4pm
Shop Tropical Audubon Society’s 4 th  Annual  BEE-cause Flea  and help support the pollinators who feed our planet. Browse among a thoughtfully curated selection of art, birdhouses, books, collectibles, greeting cards, honey, organic fruit and vegetables, jewelry, native pollinator plants and tag-sale items. Pollinator purveyors will include Artisan makers, beekeepers, fair trade collaborators and farmers will be among the pollinator purveyors.  BEE-cause Flea  takes place at our Steinberg Nature Center campus, a 2.2 acre urban oasis whose near-native habitats provide food and shelter for precious pollinators, including birds, bees, butterflies, bats and beetles. 
 
Our hellacious hive:  André Art Glass, Bee Heaven Farm, Black Bird Paper Co., edible South Florida, Fair Trade Market, Hridayam Ayurveda, Hurricane Coasters, Keez Beez, Meadow Collective, Miami Fruit, Muni Farms, (The) Royal Palm Pottery, Silent Native Nursery, Smith Photos, and The Villagers.

BEE-cause Flea  is presented by Slow Food Miami with support from Whole Foods Market. Net event proceeds support onsite Steinberg Nature Center Pollinator Habitat Initiatives.
 
FreeBEE Workshops:
·       Beekeeping & Honey Tasting with Keez Beez
·       ​Pollinator Exhibit Salon with Tropical Botanic Artists​
·       Bird-Friendly Gardening with Kirsten Hines
·       Healing Honey & Ayurveda with Hridayam Ayurveda
​
BEE-cause Flea MISSION: Raise community awareness of, and on-site support for, increasingly threatened South Florida pollinators.
 
Presenting Sponsor:   Slow Food Miami    |   Legacy Sponsor:  Whole Foods Market
Pollinator Partners:  Community Newspapers, edible South Florida,  inybn.com ,  Riviera Presbyterian Church
Event Location:  @TropicalAudubon, 5530 Sunset Drive, Miami, FL 33143
Ride:  Bike to TAS or take Metrorail. We are a 10-minute walk east from South Miami Metrorail Station!
Drive:   Nearby metered, valet & garage options. Plus limited onsite parking via our 55th Avenue auto gate
Conservation Concert @TAS
Featuring Been There, Done That
Saturday, March 28, 7pm
The night air will come alive with a tapestry of music as  Been There, Done That  returns to the Doc Thomas House stage for its annual March date with the Birds. 
 
Enjoy the band’s impressive repertoire under the stars and Audubon oaks. This year, beer lovers can also savor the tunes with a cold one from our 2020 Conservation Concert series "Presenting Craft Brew" sponsor  Island Coastal Lager.    
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 our historic Doc Thomas House headquarters and Steinberg Nature Center grounds.
 
 
Green Things to Do
“Pollinators” Art Exhibit @TAS
Presented by Tropical Botanic Artists 
Monday, March 9 – Monday, April 27
Artist: Silvia Bota
This exhibition of original art showcases the variety of creatures who pollinate South Florida’s abundant plant life. Focusing on these complex natural relationships, members of the Tropical Botanic Artists collective illustrated birds, butterflies, moths, bees, wasps – even aquatic zooplankton — with the plants they pollinate. An informative label accompanies each work.
 
The crucial role of pollinators is familiar to commercial farmers and home gardeners alike. In South Florida’s remaining uncultivated places – pine rocklands, hardwood hammocks, wetlands and coastal mangroves – the connection between plants and their pollinators is symbiotic. These co-dependent relationships, though not always obvious, can be extremely strong. Without one, the other will not survive.

See the “Pollinators” exhibit at BEE-cause Flea on Saturday, March 21, and hear from the artists about their creative process. For a private weekday viewing, contact  events@tropicalaudubon.org .

ABOUT the Artists:  The Tropical Botanic Artists collective was established in Miami, Florida, in 2006 to highlight the beauty of tropical plants through art. Its members come from all walks of life and each brings a unique viewpoint to his or her work. They share a love of the natural world and that fascination is reflected in their art. Artists with works in the Pollinators exhibit are Margie Bauer, Beverly Borland, Kristi Bettendorf, Silvia Bota, Marie Chaney, Susan Cumins, Jeanie Duck, Pauline A. Goldsmith, Leo Hernandez, Carol Ann Lane, Elsa Nadal, Laurie Richardson, Donna Torres and Jedda Wong. All are South Florida residents. For more information, visit  www.tropicalbotanicartists.com
Florida Trail Association Meeting @TAS
Tuesday, March 10, 6:30-9pm
Mary and William Brickell
Join the FTA for an evening with Miami historian and storyteller Cesar Becerra, who will speak about the early days of Mary and William Brickell, his recent trip to Australia to research the Brickells’s past and their roles as Miami founders.

Planting for Birds! 
"Bird-Friendly" Eco-Restoration Day 
@TAS’s Steinberg Nature Center
Saturday, March 21, 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 volunteer@tropicalaudubon.org for more information.

Save the Date : Thursday, April 30, 7pm  
Birds ‘n’ Brews Leica Lounge
Dry Tortugas National Park: Birds, Bygone Times & Book Signing
@Leica Store Miami
Celebrate the Tortugas Spring Migration at Leica Store Miami with ornithologist historian Dr. James A. Kushlan and wildlife photographer, author Kirsten Hines as they share insights into their latest book on the history of Dry Tortugas National Park. 

These remote islands, 70 miles west of Key West, have attracted birders since the visit of John James Audubon nearly two centuries ago. Over the centuries, the Tortugas have provided safe harbor to indigenous Indians, Cuban fishermen, merchants, pirates and privateers; its fort, a home for civil war soldiers and prisoners, famously housed Lincoln conspirator Samuel Mudd, and also served as a U.S. Navy outpost. In more recent decades, storied Fort Jefferson has famously drawn countless tourists. It is considered the most ambitious coastal fortification ever attempted, and is the centerpiece of Dry Tortugas National Park. 

Yet it is seabirds that gained the area its first formal protections. Four species of seabirds regularly nest here and nowhere else in the United States; and its Spring Migration remains a birding magnet. Jim and Kirsten will share a combination of archival images and Kirsten's contemporary photography to tell the story of the Dry Tortugas, its coral reefs and, of course, its birds.

About the Authors:
James Kushlan is an ornithologist, educator, writer and conservationist, past president of the American Ornithological Society and Waterbird Society, and director of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, including the Breeding Bird Survey and Bird Banding Laboratory. He also is the founder of North American Waterbird Conservation Initiative, Waterbird Conservation for the Americas, the Bird Conservation Alliance and IUCN Heron Specialist Group, and is an advisor to BirdLife International. He has published ten books and more than 250 articles.

Kirsten Hines is a Coconut Grove-based author, photographer and conservationist. Anchored by her master’s degree in biology and background as an environmental educator, her writing and photography highlight nature, wildlife and conservation around the world, and especially in South Florida. She is a board member of both Tropical Audubon Society and Audubon Florida. Her photography is featured in three of her books, and has appeared in  Shutterbug ,  Expressions ,  Audubon , public art programs and many solo and juried exhibitions. Her photography and blog can be found at  KirstenNatureTravel.com. 
 
Together, Jim and Kirsten have published five books:  Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens ,  Birds of Fairchild ,  Key Biscayne ,   Biscayne National Park   and   Dry Tortugas National Park . Jim’s next book is a history of South Florida’s early naturalists to be published this summer; Kirsten’s next project is  Wild Florida , a book of photography and essays.

The Birds Thank