Event Title: Social Birding with Andy TBA

Saturday, February 11, 2012

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No reservation required

Picnic or lunch to follow

Event Title: Do a Good Turn for Least Terns

Saturday, February 11, 2012

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Help clear a nesting site on an island at Lake Piney Z for a threatened species. Physical exercise with lots of fun.

Wear old clothes and close-toed shoes. Bring tools -- a rake, shovel, and/or 5-gallon plastic bucket. Also bring work gloves, sunscreen, and a water bottle (water cooler for refills will be provided.

From the parking lot at Lafayette Heritage Trail Park, follow the path to canoe launch landing.

Join us to do a good turn for a tern

Event Title: Butterflies of Ecuador - Meeting of the Hairstreak Chapter of NABA

Sunday, February 12, 2012

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"Butterflies of Ecuador", presented by the Hairstreak Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA)
Bill Berthet will introduce us to the amazing diversity of butterflies found in the New World tropics. Through his beautiful photographs, he will take us on a virtual tour of Ecuador, from the capital of Quito to the top of the Andes and down into the Amazon rainforest. His presentation will include butterfly images photographed at elevations from 650 to over 13,000 feet.
Here is how Bill describes his program: "Join us as we saddle up at Quito, Ecuador, following the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains. Motoring over a 13,000 foot pass takes us to the wonderful hot springs resort at Termas de Papallacta. We pass through Baeza, south to Cabanas San Isidro, then to Wildsumaco Lodge, with its wonderful views of hummingbirds from its huge deck. Eventually we arrive at the port town of Coca, where we take a motorized longboat to Yachana Lodge and Napo Wildlife Center. Later we hike three miles on a "suction-cup" trail to our comfortable camp site at Rio Bigal Biological Reserve. Mules haul in all our food and stuff to this remote location for six days of butterfly surveys. "

Bill is a Certified Gemologist Appraiser of the American Gem Society, owner of Berthet Jewelers in Jacksonville, Florida. He has photographed butterflies in many parts of the US and Mexico and in several countries in Central and South America.
The program will be Sunday, February 12th, at 2:00 PM at the Maguire Center for Lifelong Learning, in the Westminster Oaks Retirement Community on Meandering Way in eastern Tallahassee. Meandering Way and Westminster Oaks are accessed from Dempsey Mayo Road between Miccosukee Road and Mahan Drive; once you turn on Meandering Way, follow signs to the Maguire Center.
For more information about the program, please call Sally Jue at (850) 386-1393 or e-mail her at dsjue@embarqmail.com < . Don't miss this special presentation - Bill's photographs are spectacular!

Event Title: Apalachee Audubon Society Board Meeting

Thursday, February 16, 2012

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The Apalachee Audubon Society board business meeting is held monthly. These are planning sessions as well as managing the business of the Society. The board evaluates the financial status of the Society, debriefs prior programs and field trips, and prepares for the events to be held during the coming month.

All Society members are welcome to attend the board meetings and are encouraged to do so. There is an opportunity for members to participate in the discussions held by the board and to suggest ideas for programs and events.

Attending a board meeting can acquaint a member with the behind-the-scenes activities of the Society. It may also suggest ways in which a member can get more involved in those activities.

Event Title: Wildlife-Friendly Yard Tour

Saturday, February 18, 2012

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It's that time of year again for the th Annual Wildlife-Friendly Yards Tour sponsored by Apalachee Audubon and it is an important fundraiser for our chapter. If you haven't done this tour before, those who have will tell you it's one of the best $10 you can spend for an activity here in Tallahassee. This year we have chosen seven hosts for their environmentally friendly yards and for the great ideas they have come up with to attract local and migrant birds and wildlife. With this tour happening in the middle of winter, it is not your typical spring time garden tour. It's a chance to see the 'bones' of the yard and catch a glimpse of some fabulous winter birds. Winter is planting time so you can take notes then go home and start that yard project you've always wanted to do and then welcome the birds of spring to nest in your yard.

This year our event takes place on Saturday, February 18th from 10 am - 4 pm. Tickets will be available, starting January 23rd at Native Nurseries (1661 Centerville Rd.) and Wild Birds Unlimited (1505-2 Governor's Square Blvd.) and will be available through the day of the tour. The tour takes place rain or shine. Birds are very active when it's stormy, so don't let that stop you.

Once you purchase your ticket, you will be given all the information you need for the tour. It's shaping up to be another spectacular year not to be missed!

Spread the word and bring your friends. Help us make this tour the most successful yet. We thank the hosts, both past and present, who have volunteered their yards and time, and the long list of volunteers who have helped make this event so special.

And speaking of volunteering - If you would be interested in helping out this year as a greeter at one of the homes for a 2, 4 or 6 hour shift, please contact Ann Bruce. Email: annbruce7@gmail.com, Phone: Home-(850) 224-4760 or Cell-(850) 766-3061. No experience is required and you don't have to be an expert birder. This is just to give the hosts a hand during the tour. After your shift, you can do the tour for free. For additional information about the event, go to www.apalachee.org or contact Pam Flynn at tallypfly57@yahoo.com or (850)322-6287.

Event Title: GBBC Event

Sunday, February 19, 2012

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Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park
Sunday, February 19, 2012
8 am - 2 pm

Come count birds with Apalachee Audubon at Maclay Gardens in Tallahassee. We will split into four groups and count as many birds as is humanly possible in 4 hours!

After the counting fun ends we will flock to the picnic pavilion for a potluck luncheon. Volunteers are needed to show off their culinary skills!

All ages and skill levels are welcome to participate. We will have loaner optics available.
I
Please contact Field Trip coordinator Andy Wraithmell at (850) 459-4306 if you want to contribute food to the potluck luncheon or if you want further information.

Event Title: Forests, Beaches, Marshes, and Scrublands

Thursday, February 23, 2012

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Florida has 100 designated Important Bird Areas (IBAs) that encompass a range of natural habitats including forests, grasslands and shrub lands, coastal beaches and tidal marshes, and migratory stopover habitats. Tour some of Florida's special IBAs and find out where the birds can lead us in citizen science, conservation, and outreach.

Marianne Korosy is Audubon of Florida's Important Bird Area coordinator. Her work for the past two years has focused on building chapter-based coastal bird steward programs in southwest Florida. Marianne leads a volunteer bird banding project involving Clearwater and St. Pete Audubon chapters at rooftop Least Tern colonies in Pinellas County and also conducts a volunteer-based winter sparrow banding project at Weekiwachee Preserve in Hernando County. Marianne has a Masters degree in geology from FSU and is a PhD candidate in conservation biology at the University of Central Florida.

Event Title: Spring Lecture Series "Horizons 2012" presented by the Tallahassee Scientific Society

Thursday, February 23, 2012

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The Tallahassee Scientific Society is presenting a series of lectures February through May, 2012. Two of the lectures, in particular, will be of interest to Audubon members. A presentation by Joe Hutto on "his life as a turkey" and a presentation by Janisse Ray, a naturalist author and past member of Apalachee Audubon.

The complete schedule is as follows:

February 23
"The State of the Space Industry in Florida"Presenter:
FRANK DIBELLO, President, Florida Space Institute
March 22
"Run Silent, Run Deep: "New Life on WWII Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico"
Presenter: THOMAS SHIRLEY, Ph.D., Texas A&M University
April 25
"My Life as a Turkey: One Man's Study of Nature & Nurture in the Wilds of Sopchoppy"
Presenter: JOE HUTTO, naturalist, author, Illumination in the Flatwoods
May 24
"The Ecology of Southern Nature"
Presenter: JANISSE RAY, naturalist, author, The Ecology of a Cracker Childhood

You can obtain more detailed in formation at the Tallahassee Scientific Society web site and sign up online to order tickets at www.tallysci.org. Tickets may be purchased for all lectures or for individual lectures.