The native South Florida Firebush is a nectar source for the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Photo: Gary Robinette
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Help Hummingbirds survive post-Hurricane Dorian
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Time to get ready to welcome back Ruby-throated hummingbirds! These flittering jewels either winter in South Florida or stop here in the fall as they migrate further south. Either way, let’s roll out the red carpet for them (especially because many of the flowers on which they normally depend may have been destroyed by hurricane winds and rain!).
While these Lilliputian wonders weigh little more than a penny, they require abundant flower nectar to fuel furiously beating wings (more than 50 times per second) and hyper metabolisms.
First, create a hospitable habitat chock-full of native flowering plants, shrubs, vines and trees; such flora will, in turn, attract beneficial insects as well. Plant now before the rains subside and your hospitality will be rewarded when these enchanting creatures take notice.
An ideal hummingbird haven should also include fresh, clean water sources.
You can also help nurture these tiny pollinators by providing —
and properly maintaining —
hummingbird feeders in your yard.
Please note, it is imperative to keep the feeder CLEAN and free of bacteria. Indeed, it is a matter of life or death.
Why do these littlest of birds require so much fuel? In addition to sustaining their full-throttle metabolisms in overdrive, it is believed that some Ruby-throats can travel from Canada to Costa Rica. To support their migration, mate and reproduce, hummingbirds need to eat once every 10 to 15 minutes. To do so, they may visit more than 1,000 flowers per day, giving a new meaning to Flower Power!
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DIY Hummingbird Nectar Feeder
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Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Bird Walk
Saturday, September 7, 7:30-11am
TAS President Jose Barros (bilingual) will lead birders through Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Meet at 7:30am in the Matheson Hammock parking area adjacent to Fairchild’s north entrance. Entrance fee to Fairchild will be waived for TAS members. No pre-registration required.
Click
HERE
to share on Facebook.
Islamorada Birding Trip
Saturday, September 14, 7am-5pm
Join Brian Rapoza for this full-day carpool trip to birding locations in the Islamorada area of the Florida Keys. Possible stops include Windley Key, Long Key and Curry Hammock State Parks. Meet at 7am at the Cracker Barrel restaurant located in Florida City at US-1 and Palm Drive. Bring lunch, water and insect repellant. There is an entrance fee to the state parks. No pre-registration required.
Click
HERE to share on Facebook.
Matheson Hammock Park Bird Walk
Saturday, Sept. 21, 7:30-11am
John Boyd will lead birders through Matheson Hammock County Park on Old Cutler Road. Meet at 7:30am in the parking area at the south end of the park, adjacent to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. No fee. No pre-registration required.
Click
HERE
to share on Facebook.
Highland Oaks Park Bird Walk
Sunday, Sept. 22, 8-10am
Smith Juan will lead birders through Highland Oaks Park in Aventura. From I-95, exit at Ives Dairy Road (NE 203 Street, Exit 16) and drive east 0.5 miles to the park entrance (on the north side of Ives Dairy Road and the east side of Highland Oaks Middle School). Meet in the parking area at 8am. No fee. No pre-registration required.
Click
HERE
to share on Facebook.
A.D. Barnes Park Bird Walk
Saturday, Sept. 28, 7:30-11am
Bill Boeringer 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. Meet at 7:30am. No fee. No pre-registration required.
Click
HERE
to share on Facebook.
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Shorebird & Migratory Bird Photography Field & Classroom Workshop
Led by Wildlife Photographer Kirsten Hines
Saturday, November 9, 7:30am-2:30pm
Morning session @Crandon Park
Afternoon session @TAS
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Join wildlife photographer, author and Tropical Audubon Society board member Kirsten Hines for a full-day bird photography workshop focused on enhancing the design elements and visual impact of the images you capture. This fall workshop will begin at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne to photograph shorebirds and migratory species, followed by a classroom session at TAS’s Steinberg Nature Center campus in South Miami to cover the basics of photo editing using Adobe’s Lightroom software. The curriculum is designed for beginning to intermediate photographers with a minimum 70mm lens. Workshop size will be no less than 4 and no more than 8 participants. Pre-registration and a $75 fee (includes a donation to TAS) should be received no later than November 1 to ensure participation.
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Central Panama Birding: Canal Zone, Campana & El Valle
Saturday, December 7 - Friday, December 13
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Keel-billed Toucan. Photo: Jean Hall
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TAS Field Trip Leader Luis Gonzalez and local guide Jacobo Ortega lead this week-long trip through bird-rich central Panama. This amazing trip promises to add a variety of species to your life list without breaking the piggy bank!
The country of Panama serves as a habitat bridge for Central and South American species; its prime location also attracts Northern migrants such as warblers, shorebirds and a variety of raptors. Therefore, one can potentially spot more than 250 species over the course of the week, including these iconic denizens of the Tropics: manakins, toucans and parrots, and highly sought target species, such as Rosy Thrush-Tanager and Ocellated Antbird, that beginning and veteran birders alike will be thrilled to encounter.
Fee: $1,495 per person double occupancy; $345 single supplement. Fee includes transportation, breakfasts and lunches, lodging and guides. Not included is round-trip airfare to Panama City, dinners, tips, laundry costs or other incidental expenses. A $500 deposit is due at time of booking, with the balance due by September 30.
Click
HERE
for an application or to send questions.
Click
HERE
to invite friends on Facebook
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Bird CUBA w/TAS!
February 1-8, 2020
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Bee Hummingbird. Photo: Ekaterina Chernetsova
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TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza will lead this captivating 8-day trip to Cuba! The country's protected natural areas, geographic isolation and limited development make it an ideal Birding destination. Participants will have the opportunity to spot some of Cuba’s signature species, such as the Zapata Wren, Cuban Blackbird, Bee Hummingbird and many more, while also experiencing the island’s natural beauty, its rich history and its colorful culture.
Fee: $3,070 per person, double occupancy; $420 single supplement. Fee includes all ground transportation, lodging, meals, entrance fees, excursions and the services of your skilled leaders. Not included are round-trip international airfare from your city of departure to Havana, tips, laundry costs and other incidental expenses. All deposits are due by October 4, 2019. Balance of payment is due by October 29, 2019.
At-A-Glance:
• Discover La Güira National Park, 54,000 acres of mountain wilderness, picturesque valleys and hidden caves, and home to species such as Cuban Solitaire, Cuban Tody and Cuban Pewee.
• Watch for target species such as the Cuban Grassquit and Olive-capped Warbler.
• Meet the residents of Las Terrazas, a community and reserve that is a model of sustainability and eco-tourism.
• Bird several sites in Zapata Swamp, a Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar wetland, and meet with area conservationists.
• Spot Cuban Solitaire and Scaly-naped Pigeon in the limestone cave that served as Che Guevara’s headquarters during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• Explore Havana on foot to take in its architecture, history, culture, cuisine and landmarks.
Click
HERE to share with your peeps on Facebook!
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"Migration" Exhibit @ Deering Estate
Artist Talk, Wednesday, September 18, 6-9pm
Exhibit through September 30, times vary
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The Deering Estate presents
Migration
, an exhibition of works by Artist Gretchen Scharnagl that documents Deering Estate's natural areas and bird species. She conceived
Migration
as a series of large-scale mixed media works that capture a year’s worth of studies focused on the migratory patterns of birds through the Deering Estate site during the titular seasons.
Join TAS for a special exhibition evening to be held in the Deering Estate Grand Hall on Wednesday, September 18, from 6 to 9pm. An Artist Talk with Gretchen Scharnagl will commence at 7pm; joining the conversation will be Deering Estate Naturalist Rangel Diaz, who is also a TAS field guide.
Scharnagl's artistic process is a combination of sustained scientific inquiry into environmental issues and her adroit precision of form and composition. The
Fall, Spring
and
Nesting
works that comprise this exhibit serve as both diagrams and reminders of the sizable significance that environmental habitats have on a species.
The September 18 Artist Talk is a free community event. RSVP required on Eventbrite.
Admission to Deering Estate on any other date is required to view this exhibit. Admission is $15 for adults and $7 for youth (ages 4-14). Access to the exhibit is during regular estate visitor hours, 10am - 5pm, daily.
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High Pines Happy Hour & Annual Open House @TAS
Friday, September 27, 6-8pm, Bird Walk @6pm
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Solar Dogs' bandmates Zip Robertson (left) & Eric Wagner (right) will perform an indoor acoustic set for High Pines Happy Hour
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Toast farewell to Summer and herald Fall Migration at our annual High Pines Happy Hour & Open House. Belly up to the Bird Bar for a welcome-back-from-the-Four-Winds cold beverage donated by Republic National Distributing Co. Graze on signature Hy Vong nibbles. Savor an indoor Acoustic Salon by Solar Dogs' bandmates Zip Robertson & Eric Wagner. Delight in National Audubon's annual traveling exhibit of award-winning bird photography.
Take a sunset bird walk with TAS Field Guide Brian Rapoza on our 2.2-acre Steinberg Nature Center campus and glimpse birds that stop by for refueling as they travel south on the "Atlantic Flyway." Explore our native pine rockland and hardwood hammock habitats. Perch in our shady picnic grove or hang out with friends and neighbors in our historic Doc Thomas House. Learn more about the charming 1932 cottage from resident TAS Historian Dan Jones.
Y'all come -- High Pines Happy Hour is a "Rain or Shine" community event!
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 Dr., Miami, FL, 33143
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Restore-our-Fisheries Letter-Writing PARTY
to benefit Biscayne Bay!
On tap: Paper, Pens, Pizza, Beverages
Thursday, September 12, 6:30-8:30pm
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Biscayne National Park is a national treasure and home to a portion of the third-largest barrier coral reef ecosystem in the world. In addition to preserving colorful reefs and bird-friendly islands, Biscayne protects an abundance of fish species. Unfortunately, decades of overfishing and overuse have taken a toll. Many of Biscayne’s reef fish species are now severely threatened, some – like black grouper – are on the verge of collapse.
That’s why the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) needs to hear from you! YOUR VOICE is needed to help protect marine wildlife in Biscayne National Park and assure we help fish flourish in Florida.
Join TAS and the National Parks Conservation Association for a short presentation and convivial letter-writing session designed to share recommendations with FWC for Biscayne National Park’s Fishery Management Plan (FMP).
We’ll provide supplies, including sample letters, as well as pizza and beverages. All you have to do is swing by and pen a snail-mail.
The FMP is intended to protect and restore reef fish populations in the park. Initial proposals that only increase minimum size limits are not strong enough to compel sustainable reef fish populations in Biscayne. Instead, implementing increased size limits, habitat protection, education, enforcement AND no-take marine reserve areas will potentially do more to help restore fish populations, while still allowing fishing to continue in Biscayne National Park.
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Register Today to Earn Your Wings
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Attend the Audubon Ambassador Program @TAS
Become a more powerful advocate for the environment!
Birding 101 + Field Trip to A.D. Barnes Park
Saturday, September 28, 9:30am-4pm
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Great Blue Heron. Photo: Chris Miller
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Earn your Wings — the Audubon Ambassador Program is open to anyone 18 years and older who is curious to learn more about the environment.
Our September session spotlights Birding 101. Become familiar with the history of birding and the Audubon Network, local bird species and bird identification techniques. Glean insights from TAS Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza in the morning at our historic headquarters. Take a guided field trip with him in the afternoon to A.D. Barnes Park.
FEE:
$10 (a modest handling fee will be added by Eventbrite).
Click
HERE
to share on Facebook.
Click HERE
for a flyer for the 2019 Audubon Ambassador Series
Click HERE
to apply for a student scholarship for the program
You may pay at the door day of by cash or check only.
Ride: Bike to TAS or take the Metrorail. TAS is just a 10-minute walk east from the South Miami Metrorail Station.
Park: Limited on-site parking via our 55th Avenue auto gate. Nearby metered, valet and garage options.
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The Audubon Ambassador Program
is a series of workshops and field trips designed to make you a more engaged, educated and effective advocate conservationist. Learn from leaders in their fields and become a strong advocate for the water we drink, the air we breathe and the habitat that nurtures, shelters and sustains our region’s birds and other wildlife. You’ll come away knowing more about South Florida ecosystems, environmental challenges, sea level rise and hurricane resilience issues — and, most important, practice making a difference. Talks on issues will be followed by advocacy exercises. Field trips bring each month’s classroom discussions to life.
RSVP
for these additional Session Dates:
October 26, 2019, 9:30 AM - 4 PM; Session 7 - Native Plants for Birds
Greening for Birds | Invasive Species | Eco-Restoration
November 23, 2019, 11:30 AM - 4 PM; Pinning Ceremony Picnic (Free)
Networking Lunch for Current & Past Audubon Ambassadors | Highlights of the Year
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Get Outside with TAS this Fall!
Wellness Classes & Workshops inspired by Nature
Relax with Yoga Nidra under our Chickee
Tuesdays, September 10 to December 31, 9:15-10:15am
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Join 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 considered a great tool to manage stress, improve sleep quality and regenerate the nervous system. Classes include gentle asanas, pranayama and exercises for the joints. Prices: $20 per class. Packages available.
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Eagle-eyed spotters needed!
Participate in Florida Keys Hawkwatch
September-October
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Become a proactive Birdwatcher! The Florida Keys 2019 migration project is looking for full-time, part-time and volunteer counters for the 2019 monitoring season, running through October 31.
Florida Keys Hawkwatch (FKH) is dedicated to promoting the appreciation and conservation of birds by committing to the long-term study of their migration through the Florida Keys. The project currently monitors the migration of all avian species, with a focus on diurnal birds of prey from Curry Hammock State Park (56.2, Overseas Highway), and the morning flights of migratory land birds from Long Key State Park (67.5 of the Overseas Highway).
This season, FKH is honored to have South Florida birdwatcher extraordinaire Luis Gles, the talented Karl Bardon from Duluth, Minnesota, and Colombian conservationist Felipe Anaya Osorio as official 2019 counters.
TAS remains one of the primary sponsors of this crucial annual count (together with Florida Keys Audubon and Leica Sport Optics).
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Florida Trail Association Meeting @TAS
Tuesday, September 10, 6:30-9pm
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Join the FTA for its Fall kickoff evening with Everglades National Park Community Engagement Specialist Maria Thomson.
Pot-luck 6:30-7pm — bring something delicious to share! Please utilize reusable utensils and a serving container that can be reused or recycled.
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Rise Up Florida Environmental Committee Meeting @TAS
Thursday, September 19, 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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2019 Biscayne Bay Marine Health Summit: The Action Summit
Friday, September 20, 8am-6pm
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The Biscayne Bay Marine Health Summit (BBMHS) Steering Committee, Supporters and Partners invite all Biscayne Bay Stakeholders to join them at the 2019 Biscayne Bay Marine Health Action Summit and, together, work toward a healthier Biscayne Bay!
After 2 years of meetings and planning sessions, as well as the launching of the MDC Biscayne Bay Task Force, our region's top scientists, elected officials, environmental and sustainability leaders will come together to implement the Action Summit to be held at FIU's Biscayne Bay Campus on September 20.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to help shape long-term and sustainable initiatives with the financial and political support needed to restore and maintain Biscayne Bay health.
Goals of the 2019 BBMHS:
• Identify and advocate for best management practices
• Incentivize the implementation of short & long-term initiatives
• Advance solutions for research & technology
• Form clear & realistic policy recommendations for the Miami-Dade County Biscayne Bay Task Force
LOCATION:
Florida International University, Biscayne Bay Campus, 3000 N.E. 151stStreet, North Miami, Florida 33181
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International Coastal Cleanup
Saturday, September 21
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Help make an impact at the Ocean Conservancy’s 34th annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), the world's largest, one-day volunteer effort benefitting our oceans and waterways.
Scientists estimate that more than 17 billion pounds of plastic enter our ocean every year threatening marine life from coral polyps to sharks, the health of people and local economies. By the year 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.
You can make a difference! VolunteerCleanup.org organizes Miami-Dade’s local participation in this global event with 40+ simultaneous shoreline cleanups around the county.
Learn about marine debris.
Earn Community Service Hours.
Give back while enjoying a great day with like-minded people.
Click
HERE
to find a site near you and register today.
Click
HERE t
o register for Tropical Audubon’s Eco-Restoration at the Steinberg Nature Center
(see below for details).
More about the ICC: Thousands of global volunteers from more than 100 countries will spend their morning collecting millions of pounds of litter and debris on inland roadsides, coastal areas, inland lakes and rivers. Volunteers will assist in this effort to clean and protect the environment by eliminating debris that injures wildlife, contaminates our beaches and waterways, and threatens boater safety.
Last year, more than 20-million pounds of trash was collected by more than 700,000 ICC volunteers worldwide.
The ICC, however, is about much more than just removing trash. Volunteers at ICC actively participate in a unique global citizen science project. In addition to removing marine debris, they also catalog and tally what they find using the Ocean Conservancy’s data collection cards or Clean Swell App.
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Eco-Restoration Day @TAS's Steinberg Nature Center
Saturday, September 21, 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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South Florida Young Birders Club
Monday, September 23, 5:30-6:30pm
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Are you a young birder or do you know a young person interested in birds? Join us for our season inaugural meeting of the newly founded South Florida Young Birders Club! Birders from 12-18 and their parents are invited to attend. Take a late afternoon bird walk on our wooded Steinberg Nature Center grounds, enjoy a Birding 101 presentation by club founder and Gulliver Prep student Lauren Bartel and learn about upcoming birding trips.
For more information, email TAS Education Director Alison Enchelmaier at
[email protected]
.
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Miami Pine Rocklands Coalition Meeting @TAS
Thursday, September 26, 7-9pm
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Federally Endangered Pine Rockland Resident: Bartram's Hairstreak Butterfly
Photo: 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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Southeast Florida Shorebird Alliance Partnership Meeting
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
Thursday, September 26, 10am-12:30pm
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Black Skimmers. Photo: Britt Brown
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Learn how you can help monitor rooftop nesting seabirds during nesting season by attending this meeting. The goal of the Southeast Florida Shorebird Partnership is to conserve shorebird and seabird populations in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties through collaborative efforts between government agencies, non-government organizations and individuals.
Most of the sites that the Southeast Florida Shorebird Partnership monitors are rooftop colonies, but the number of ground colonies are increasing. Monitors and stewards are continually needed for both rooftop and ground colonies.
For more information contact Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Assistant Regional Biologist Natasha Warraich at
[email protected].
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Get Outside with TAS this Fall!
Wellness Classes & Workshops inspired by Nature
Cooking for Health @TAS
October 10, 17 & 24, 10am-12pm
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Learn the principles of Ayurveda and how to apply them to make delicious, plant-based healing meals in these 3 Thursday sessions. Explore simple techniques that will help you shift to a healthier diet believed to help improve energy and rejuvenation, prevent chronic disease and aid healing of minor ailments (such as colds and flu). Price: $180 for the Fall Session (3 classes).
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Save the Date — Audubon Florida Assembly
(Early Bird rates!)
Water & Land for Florida’s Future
October 25-26, in Gainesville
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Sandhill Cranes at sunrise on Kanapaha Prairie. Photo: Mac Stone
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Join Audubon chapters from across the state at the annual Audubon Assembly in Gainesville. Partake in expert-led Birding field trips, engaging sessions, conservation celebrations and more.
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Create & Restore Crucial Habitat in your Yard!
Join Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden's Connect to Protect Network
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Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden's
Connect to Protect Network
enlists South Florida residents (Miami & The Keys) interested in restoring native plants to their yards, thereby helping connect our region's few remaining isolated fragments of Pine Rockland
—
a globally critically imperiled plant community. Installing native Pine Rockland plants increases the probability that bees, butterflies and birds can find and transport seeds and pollen across developed areas that separate Pine Rockland fragments, improving gene flow and genetic health of native plant species.
Joining the Connect to Protect Network of citizen scientists is easy! You need only live in Miami-Dade or Monroe County, have an e-mail address and be willing to maintain Pine Rockland plants on your property for at least two years.
Click
HERE
to share with your peeps on Facebook.
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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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... Republic National Distributing Company, of Deerfield Beach, Florida, for keeping the fine wine and craft beer flowing at the TAS donation “Bird Bar” season after season.
As we chart our Fall calendar, Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) will lay in the red, white and rosé for “High Pines Happy Hour & Potluck Party” on Friday, September 27.
Next up, look for their libations to flow at our Sunday, October 20 Members Migration.
On Wednesday, November 13, RNDC Fine Wine Ambassador Roxana Garciga will orchestrate exquisite Old World wine pairings for “Walk in the Woods with Wine & Whisk,” our signature biannual alfresco dinner party fundraiser staged under our chickee (reserve your seats now!).
Come winter, RNDC will supply the liquid libations for our 2020 Conservation Concert season (inaugural ConCon Saturday, January 25).
With roots extending before Prohibition, RNDC is a family-owned business that represents some of the world’s most distinguished labels, including Castello Banfi, Chateau Ste. Michelle and Champagne Taittinger.
Learn more about this foremost U.S. distributor of premium wine and spirits by visiting
www.rndc-usa.com
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