Kissimmee Valley Audubon Society

“Annexation into the city of Orlando will likely bring about weaker wetlands and other natural systems protection due to the loss of Orange County’s more strict comprehensive plan and land development regulations,” said Charles Lee, advocacy director at Audubon of Florida.

Mormon church seeks to annex 52,450 acres of ranchland to Orlando The move would increase the footprint of the city by nearly 60 percent.

URGENT: Protect Florida State Parks Protect nine Florida state parks from unnecessary and harmful development.

🦜✨ Next month kicks off our new season, KVAS members and supporters! 🌿🐦

We're excited to begin another fantastic year of birding adventures with our new board of directors. Stay tuned for upcoming events and field trips! Your support and participation make all the difference—let's make this season unforgettable together!

Happy birding! 🦉🦅

Happy 1st Purple Martin Conservation Day! I am proud to say that our chapter supported and signed this resolution! 🥳💜 Purple Martin Conservation Association

We hope everyone is safe from Hurricane Debby!

Your questions answered! Migration through the perils of Hurricane Debby, one Swallow-tailed Kite's trip through the eye of the storm.
https://www.arcinst.org/2024/08/05/riding-the-storm-out-one-swallow-tailed-kites-treacherous-path-through-hurricane-debby/

Friends of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges

**Suwannee 22 is a female. DNA tested through a feather sample. Updated in post.

Kissimmee Valley Audubon Society at
Fort De Soto for Spring Migration
4/20/2024

📣 Attention active KVAS members: the 2024 Election Ballot is out! Please check the spam folder in your email in case you haven't seen it yet. Voting closes April 30 @ 11:45 pm. Thank you! 🦅

🚨 Reminder: If you're considering running for a board position, make sure to reach out before the deadline this weekend! 🕒

Sign up for Audubon Florida Birdathon 2024! 🦆🦅🦉

Participate in Audubon Florida's Birdathon at the Center for Birds of Prey Attend our special Earth Day events on April 20 and 21 as part of your Birdathon and have a chance to win cool prizes.

🐦🌳 CALLING ALL BIRDING ENTHUSIASTS! 🌳🐦

We are on the lookout for passionate and driven individuals who are ready to make a difference in our community! As we approach our upcoming elections next month, we are officially opening the floor for candidates and nominations for various positions within our organization.

We're seeking leaders in the following roles:

President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Member-at-Large
Committee Chairs & Members

Please send us a message if you are interested!

Congratulations to Orange Audubon Society!

New place for birders to flock coming to Apopka In the future, Central Florida birders will have a special place to flock in Apopka to hang with feathered friends.

Sign up for the Audubon Florida Birdathon, this April 20-24th! 🐦🦅🦆

Have you signed up for the Audubon Florida Birdathon yet? Tell us why in the comments!

https://fl.audubon.org/news/audubon-florida-birdathon-april-20-26-2024

🌿🦅 Have You Spotted Any Swallow-tailed Kites Yet? 🦅🌿

Swallow-tailed Kites are starting to show up in Florida. ARCI has a sightings database: https://www.arcinst.org/report-sightings/ as well as a nest watch program: https://www.arcinst.org/eyes-on-kites/

Help us track kites, be our Eyes on Kites! Thank you.

Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count!! This year it is February 16-19 (Friday-Monday). Count birds for at least 15 minutes at any time or location of your choice during the four days and report what you see! Sponsored by Audubon, Cornell Lab, and Birds Canada.

Great Backyard Bird Count – Join us each February when the world comes together to watch, learn about, count, and celebrate birds. Each year people from around the world come together to watch, learn about, count, and celebrate birds. Join us in February!

Explore Black Heritage at These Southern Birding Destinations Go beyond birds in three regions where natural history and Black history are intertwined.

Tune in for Jeff Corwin and our local Swamp girl February 3rd! 🐢

Mark your calendars to tune into Jeff Corwin on ABC Saturday Feb 3rd for the episode on Alligator snapping turtles and our collaboration with Santa Fe River Turtle Research Team!

Happy New Year from Kissimmee Audubon! 🥳

https://abcbirds.org/news/millerbird-downlisting-2023/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=grat&omhide=true&utm_campaign=em_fa23_gen_mb_acq_em3_msg19&contactdata=FT76ZefDsNPlxHbhdqNoufc7eJ4XcFP4oe85ivuEz8zZGvkU7sjSpsrWbYqPCxKPXGlB54h6T4VagfxILC4mXzZ979taKEewp6Mr6HtNT6OcBNm8QoX3fX8Ol7UiiONQ7Kojk55OlbVOO3ZE8ljzZw%3d%3d&ms=em_fa23_gen_mb_acq_em3_msg19&sourceid=1044635&emci=18ab1fc3-3c98-ee11-8925-002248223f36&emdi=4882525d-5c98-ee11-8925-002248223f36&ceid=217848

Good News for Hawai‘i’s Millerbird, No Longer Listed as Critically Endangered Decades of conservation work led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and supported by American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and partners are paying off for Hawai‘i's Millerbird (Ulūlu). Today, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species announced t...

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/11/17/famed-eagle-lady-doris-mager-of-florida-dies-at-98-after-soaring-life/?share=dfltaawoaisae13a2eld

Famed ‘Eagle Lady’ Doris Mager of Florida dies at 98 after soaring life Doris Mager, who 44 years ago famously camped in a vacant bald eagle nest in Central Florida to boost awareness of the species’ plight, lived until the end an extraordinary, extroverted and high-en…

North Shore Birding Festival Nov. 30 to Dec. 4!

North Shore Birding Festival

Space Coast Birding Festival is Back!

Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Jan 24-28, 2024 Cape Canaveral Join us as we celebrate the 25th Space Coast and Birding Wildlife Festival. The official festival bird in 2024 will be the Sandhill Crane

🌟 Join Our Board of Directors! 🌟

We're looking for dedicated individuals to fill vacant positions on our Board of Directors. Our events will be limited this year due to vacancies. If you're passionate about our mission and ready to make a difference, we want you! Join us in shaping our future. 🦅

Please send us a message if you are interested!

Florida is home to a wide range of beautiful bird species, making it a great place for bird watching enthusiasts. The state's diverse habitats, including forests, beaches, and wetlands, provide ideal conditions for these feathered creatures. From the majestic bald eagle to the colorful painted bunting, Florida offers something for every bird lover out there. 🐦🦅🦆

For birding trail ideas, check out:

Trail Sections | GFBWT

If you are new to eBird or are looking to learn more about it, check out this free course!

eBird Essentials | Bird Academy • The Cornell Lab Get tips for how to use eBird to jump-start new birding experiences and learn how it is being used to transform our collective understanding of birds.

Great advice from Bird and Moon Comics! 🐦

We get lots of calls about what to do if you find a baby bird this time of year. Our friends at Bird and Moon Comics created this neat comic to help out!

It's the end of the Florida Legislative Session. Read on for highlights.

National Audubon Society

This Saturday is National Go Birding Day! 🐦🦆🦅🦉

National Go Birding Day It’s National Go Birding Day today! Grab your binoculars and head out for some bird watching.

Kissimmee Valley Audubon Society will have our Spring Migration field trip on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County!

This is an outstanding county island park, accessed by a causeway, with many bird habitats, including salt marsh, saltwater lagoon, tidal pool, beach, and several types of hammock and woods. This is the first place many migrating warblers and other birds stop after migrating north across the Gulf of Mexico. There is an area with several large mulberry trees that fruit-loving migrants can't resist. In the same area, there are hummingbird feeders, lots of nectar flowers, a fountain the birds love, and benches where you can just sit and watch the action.

Here is the park website: http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/05_Ft_DeSoto.htm

In past years we have seen Orchard Orioles, Blue and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Scarlet Tanagers, Hummingbirds, Nanday Parakeets, and multiple warbler species at the mulberry tree area and other sites on the island. At the beach and salt marshes we have watched Reddish Egrets (both color phases), Marbled Godwits, American Oystercatchers, and Black Skimmers among numerous other shorebirds and wading birds.

The park also features great recreational beaches and there is of course the old fort to visit too.

Bring hats and other sun protection, binoculars, scopes, insect repellant, water, and snacks. You can bring lunch, but there is a food concession at the park where we normally get lunch.

Some will start out Friday and make this an overnight trip because of the distance; this can make it easier to get an early start at the park on Saturday. In the past, many members have made it a one-day trip by getting a very early start on Saturday. Some like to stay until Sunday.

The causeway to the park is in between St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach and there are many hotels of varying price ranges in the area. Make reservations as early as possible because this is a very busy time of year there.

There are campsites at the park, but we don't know if they are still available to reserve.

Current plans are for everyone to meet at the ranger station parking lot under the big flagpole at 8:00 am on Saturday, April 15. The ranger station is right in front of you when you come to the very end of the causeway road from the mainland. The driveway is to the left.

There may be other groups meeting there so if you don't recognize anyone you may need to ask around a bit.

If you arrive later in the day just call or text to see where we are in the park.

There is now a $5.00 per vehicle park admission fee in addition to a 35-cent toll on the causeway.

Please contact Larry Rosen at [email protected] or 407-729-5168 if you will attend and if you have any questions.

The public is invited. You do not have to be an Audubon member to attend. We hope to see you there!

Kissimmee Valley Audubon Society

Wonderful photo of Sika Deer and Red Crowned Cranes in Hokkaido. By: Sean Weekly Photography

The most incredible atmosphere on our first morning at Otowa Bridge on Hokkaido. Photographing in -24C was tough going but when we were greeted with this scene you soon quickly forgot about the ice cold numb fingers and toes.

Sika Deer and Red Crowned Cranes