Wingspan, February 2024

Wingspan

St. Petersburg Audubon Society’s Monthly Newsletter

February 2024

Join us at Raptor Fest!

St. Petersburg Audubon Society will be at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve for another amazing Raptor Fest on Saturday, February 3rd. We will have our “What’s that Bird?” game where you can ID a variety of birds (yes, raptors included!) for a special prize.

Ron Smith, author of Birds of Pinellas County and Butterflies of Pinellas County, will join us at our booth in the afternoon to sign copies of his books. Bring your own or purchase a brand new copy to have it signed by the author.

We can’t wait to meet you, our future members!

Birds and Wildlife of Antarctica, South Georgia, Falklands, and the Southern Ocean

St. Pete Audubon will be hosting Audubon Florida’s former Director of Bird Conservation, Marianne Korosy, PhD, for our February speaker series. Dr. Korosy will guide us through the captivating realm of Birds and Wildlife of Antarctica, South Georgia, Falklands, and the Southern Ocean from her recent trip.

This program will be held in person at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve inside their nature center. The meeting will begin promptly at 7:00pm, so we encourage you to arrive early to mingle!

Find more information here.

Did you miss a program?

We will be recording programs held virtually, and we will share these recordings in the following month’s newsletter. Please see below for a link to January’s program.

Purple Martins: Connecting Communities with Our Feathered Cross-Country Visitors

A Special Trip for Patrons

On January 27th, a group of chapter patron members visited the Sacred Lands complex at Jungle Prada in St. Petersburg. After some birding along Boca Ciega Bay, an entertaining presentation on local history was provided, as well as a tour of the Sacred Lands site, which includes a largely pristine Tocobaga Indian mound. The presentation highlighted the Tocobagas and their culture, as well as Spanish explorers, pirates, developers, bootleggers, and others that make up the local history. The birding highlight was viewing Indian Peafowl (aka Peacocks), first encountered on their night roosts high in the trees. During the tour, the group saw many of the 50 to 70 that inhabit the site and nearby areas.

Photo: Indian Peafowl by Peter Plage