On Tuesday, September 15, St. Pete Audubon will host a fall meeting for its members to socialize, share dessert, see what is on our calendar for the upcoming year, and to meet and vote on the 2025-26 Board of Directors.
We will be highlighting our field trips, conservation and educational programs, and shorebird research conducted by students.
Please register here | Fall Members Meeting

Slate of candidates for the St Pete Audubon Board
Beth Forys, President
Peter Plage, Vice-President & Director, Birds on the Move
Susan Benson, Second Vice-President
Abby McKay, Secretary
Eve Waterman, Treasurer
Julia Gallagher, Director, Social Media
John Ficken, Director, Membership
Laura Packard, Director, Teacher Ecology Camp
Lisa Reich, Director, Conservation
Francesca Di Cosmo, Director, Field Trips
Gale Raichart, Assistant Director, Field Trips
Tracey Grimm, Director, Education
Emily Ashe, Director, Programs and Events
Donna Sperber, Wingspan Newsletter Editor

Boyd Hill First Saturday Bird Walks

September
Leader: Peter Plage

Saturday, September 5, 2026

October
Leader: JoAnna Clayton

Saturday, October 3, 2026

8AM-10AM
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve
1101 Country Club Way S
St Petersburg, FL 33705

Meet in front of the Nature Center at 7:45AM; walk will start at 8:00AM.
Walk is on dirt trails and boardwalks.
What to Bring: Hat, binoculars, insect repellant, sunscreen, water
Public Restrooms: Located in the Nature Center

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Roosevelt Wetlands

Leader: Wes Tallyn

Saturday, September 12, 2026

8AM-10AM
10853 43rd St N (43rd and 110th Ave N.) 
Clearwater, FL  33762
Roosevelt Wetlands eBird Hotspot

Meet at the entrance on 43rd St. There is a small unpaved parking lot with space for 3 or 4 cars and additional street parking along 43rd St.
Terrain: 2 miles or more on packed dirt trails.
What to Bring: Hat, binoculars, insect repellant, sunscreen, water
There are no restroom facilities.

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Ft DeSoto Monthly Shorebird Walk

Get to know your peeps and plovers!
Leaders:
Pete Plage, SPAS
Abby McKay, Audubon Florida

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

8AM-10AM
Ft DeSoto Park | Park Map
3500 Pinellas Bayway South
Tierra Verde, FL 33715

Where to meet: Meet us at 7:45 in the North Beach Parking lot at Shelter #2. We will begin at 8:00. This month we’ll get an introduction to shorebirds with some familiar breeding species and early migrants. 
Terrain: Packed and soft sand. Expect a few steps through knee-deep water to reach the beach, depending on tides.
What to Bring: Hat, binoculars, bug spray, sunscreen, water; water shoes
Parking: $6/vehicle|Ft DeSoto Park Pay Station Map
Annual Passes for Ft DeSoto, Fred Howard, and Sand Key
Public Restrooms: Throughout the park
Please pre-register!

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Gandy Beach | Black Terns & Other Shorebirds

Leader: Kara Durda

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

8AM-10AM
Gandy Beach, along Gandy Bridge (SR 694) between St Pete & Tampa

Where to meet:
13498 Gandy Blvd N
St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Parking area near the mangroves, on the south side of the bridge approach.
Terrain: Packed and soft sand.
What to Bring: Hat, binoculars, insect repellant, sunscreen, water
There are no restroom facilities.

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Emerson Point Preserve | Palmetto

Leader: Trevor Clair

Saturday, September 26, 2026

8:30AM-10:30AM
Emerson Point Preserve (Google Maps)
5801 17th St W, Palmetto  34221 

Where to meet: The Observation Tower Trail parking lot. It is the first parking lot on the north side of the preserve past the nature center.
Terrain: Walking trails & boardwalks
What to Bring: Hat, binoculars, insect repellant, sunscreen, water
Restrooms: At the Visitor Center

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We had another successful Teacher's Ecology Camp, organized by Board Member Laura Packard and taught by Jeanne Murphy and Brian Lane of Sensing Nature®, LLC. The camp was held at Moccasin Lake, with the focus of identifying and creating habitats to attract wildlife to one’s own landscape.
We toured USF’s Botanical Gardens with Dr. Craig Huegel and took field trips to Safety Harbor’s Folly Farm and Dunedin Hammock Park. On-site activities included building Screech Owl boxes and identifying and propagating native plants for birds and pollinators. Thank you to our participants from public and private schools in Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Citrus County! Laura Packard

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Shorebird Nesting Highlights

Lorraine Margeson’s colorful collage of the 14 Least Tern fledglings banded at Ft DeSoto’s Outback Key this summer captures the magic of this bustling, resilient colony of threatened shorebirds that found the lush native vegetation of a pre-posted area ideal for raising their young. Over 100 adults Least Terns nested, re-nested, and fiercely defended their eggs and chicks through mid-August, when the last of 50 fledglings took flight. A second Least Tern colony on Pass-a-Grille Beach produced 14 fledges, making this year one of the best in several decades for local beach-nesting Least Terns. The ongoing success of colonies such as these depends on shorebird stewards, monitors, and park rangers committed to protecting crucial habitats, preventing disturbances during nesting season, and promoting public awareness and support. Become a bird/beach steward
Other Pinellas outcomes
OBK Wilson’s Plovers: 11 fledges
Ft DeSoto American Oystercatchers AE&Archie: 3 nests, no surviving chicks
St Pete Beach Black Skimmers (BLSK): 119 fledges (with gull predation)
Redington Shores BLSK: 41 fledges (with coyote predation)
3 Rooker Island BLSK: 0 fledges (human & natural disturbances)
Terns: Sandwich: 100 fledges, Royal: 420 fledges, Caspian: 5 fledges
BLSK and LETE Banding
Each year Dr. Beth Forys, equipped with federal, state, and site permits, bands a portion of pre-flight BLSK and LETE fledglings. Resighting of these banded birds yields fascinating and important information about their movement, survival, and productivity.
Report a banded bird: USGS Bird Banding Lab

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Bird Walks

Leader Peter Plage and these 27 birders, young, older, newbies, & veterans, kicked off the summer First Saturday Walks at Boyd Hill in June, enjoying camaraderie and recording 29 species, among which were Magnificent Frigatebirds, Black Skimmers, Green Herons, and a Short-tailed Hawk.
JoAnna Clayton led July’s walk on the 4th, and Paul Waton was August’s leader.

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Birders, The Next Generation

On July 18, 20 members of the Tampa Bay and Orlando Chapters of the Florida Young Birder’s Club, accompanied by Tampa leader Jim McGinity, took an exciting field trip to Gainesville, stopping first at Prairie Creek Bird Banding Lab. Master Bander Charlie Muise explained to us the established banding protocols, and we observed the entire process, from capture to release! The birds we banded included Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Wrens, a Mockingbird, a White-eyed Vireo, and several Bluebird chicks.

Our final destination was Florida Museum of Natural History at University of Florida. Lepidopterist Dr Andrei Sourakov was our guide through the butterfly and moth collection, important both for research science and public education. Fun fact: a lepidopteran’s front wings propel it forward and the back wings are for steering. Ornithologist Andy Kratter introduced us to the bird specimen collection, over 30,000 and the 5th largest in the world.

This was an amazing experience! We recommend the Florida Young Birder’s
Club to kids 9-17 years who are interested in learning about birds, nature, and our wonderful planet: www.floridayoungbirders.org

Arnov Dhakal & Raegan Perry, Young Birder Contributors
Photos Ashley Lear & Jim McGinity
Counter-clockwise, from LL|Andy Kratter & Ivory-billed Woodpecker specimen
Andrei Sourakov explains mimicry|Charlie Muise holds a bird before release

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