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The Limpkin Times
Apalachee Audubon Society Mission Statement:
Protection of the environment through education,
appreciation and conservation.
November 2020
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To see the flamingo pictured above, be sure to visit St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Karen Willes. |
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President's Message
Dear Friends,
One of the most rewarding activities for me is tending to my yard, planting mostly native plants, and then watching the ways in which animals, from insects to mammals, use them. Have you ever thought about making changes in your yard to benefit birds and other wildlife?
If so, you may want to watch our AAS made video featuring Conservation Chair Rob Williams. Join Rob as he walks around his yard showing how he has made changes over the years to convert their traditional landscape of mostly lawn with a few big trees and the usual non-native foundation shrubs to a biologically diverse one teeming with birds, bees and other wildlife – a true conservation corridor for wildlife. He did this one step at a time, by planting native plants, especially keystone species; this is well-illustrated in the video, which is ably made by Vice President Kathleen Carr. See link with the article below.
We hope you will also attend the November program meeting/webinar. I am looking forward to learning how to use eBird as a conservation tool which will be enthusiastically taught by board members Peter Kleinhenz and Heather Levy. We are also including links to two Alachua Audubon zoom webinars and they are sharing our link to the eBird program with their membership. The more the merrier on these zoom webinars. There will be no December program meeting.
Take advantage of the cooler weather to get out – hike, paddle, botanize, bird and butterfly!
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Sincerely,
Donna Legare
President, Apalachee Audubon
In this issue:
Chapter Programs
Rob Williams Yard Tour Video
Lake Elberta Bat House Seeking Donations
International Conservation Lessons
Build Better Birding Skills
A New Wetland in Gainesville!
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Building Basic eBirding Skills to Help Birds
by Peter Kleinhenz and Heather Levy
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Time: 7:00 pm EDT via Zoom
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eBird is one of the largest biodiversity-related science databases and has become a staple of birders worldwide. Users upload checklists of birds, explore sightings, keep track of their life lists, and much more. eBird is also used in conservation, helping scientists understand species' distributions, habitat use, and abundance.
In this webinar, Peter Kleinhenz and Heather Levy will discuss what everyone from the beginner birder to the expert needs to know to successfully utilize eBird. There will be opportunities to win prizes for those that participate! Go to https://bit.ly/2TxmdHP to participate.
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Rob Williams Yard Tour Video |
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This is a tour of Apalachee Audubon member Rob Williams' yard, which he has been transforming from a traditional landscaped yard of lawn and ornamental plants to one dominated by native trees, shrubs and wildflowers. Rob reminds us to plant native plants, especially keystone species, and insects will find them and prosper. The insects, especially caterpillars, in turn become high quality protein for birds and other wildlife. His conservation plantings build healthy food webs and provide abundant nectar for pollinators.
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Lake Elberta Bat House Seeking Donations |
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Apalachee Audubon, through its partnership with the FSU Sustainability Fellows program, plans to install a four-chambered bat house at Lake Elberta Park. The project is headed up by Sarah Calzada, an FSU student and this semester's sustainability fellow working with Apalachee Audubon. She is working to collect $611 in donations to support this effort and has raised a substantial amount so far. Thank you to all of you that have donated! We still have $450 more to raise so, if you would still like to donate, please submit your donation via PayPal on the main page of the Apalachee Audubon Society website
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International Conservation Lessons |
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by Board Member, Peter Kleinhenz
Monday, November 9 at 7:00 p.m.
Apalachee Audubon board member, Peter Kleinhenz, will present about the conservation lessons he has learned on his various international birding trips. He'll describe some of his adventures, discuss the positive and negative conservation stories he experienced, and offer some suggestions on how to apply these lessons to our own communities. The talk will be Monday, November 9 from 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Central and the Zoom link will be posted to the Bay County Audubon website beforehand.
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A New Wetland in Gainesville!
Presented by Kristen Sealey and Rick Hutton
Wednesday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m.
Gainesville Regional Utilities and their partners, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Suwanee River Water Management District, plan to create a groundwater recharge wetland park near Diamon Sports Park (western Alachua County). The wetland park will create valuable wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities while simultaneously replenishing the Floridan Aquifer, which will help support flows at the Santa Fe River and its springs. During the presentation Kristen Sealey, GRU Engineer and Rick Hutton, GRU Supervising Engineer, will provide background about the project and share the multiple benefits the park will bring to the community and environment.
You do not need to preregister to attend this presentation. Simply click on the link below on Wednesday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m.
Sponsored by Alachua Audubon Society - Gainesville
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Build Better Birding Skills |
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photo by Jimmy Andrews
Presented by Adam Kent
Monday, November 9 at 7:00 p.m.
Do you know how to identify individual Downy Woodpeckers based on their head patterns; how to identify a Tricolored Heron based on bill length; or how to tell an American Crow from a Fish Crow when it is calling, even if you can’t hear it? Adam will answer these questions and more in this presentation geared toward birding in your neighborhood. The presentation will be about 30 minutes long with time left for questions afterwards via the chat function.
You do not need to preregister for this event. Simple click on the link below on Monday, November 9 at 7:00 p.m.
Sponsored by Alachua Audubon Society - Gainesville
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