Wingspan Newsletter | March 2025

Wingspan

St. Petersburg Audubon Society’s Monthly Newsletter

March 2025

Change of President

Holley Short joined the board of St. Petersburg Audubon in 2018, and became President in 2021. During her time at Audubon, she has helped rebrand and revitalize our chapter. She is leaving us to be the Executive Director of the Erie Bird Observatory. She is moving in March, but will maintain ties with SPAS as Vice President until the end of our fiscal year. Beth Forys, former Vice President, is currently President. She looks forward to continuing to work with all of you!

Saturday 3/1, Ron Smith did his last official bird walk at Boyd Hill. He is moving to Hernando Co. Thank you Ron for sharing your expertise and for your amazing books that have earned $$ for SPAS programs.

New Field trip: Photography Bird Walk - Roosevelt Wetlands

Sunday, March 9th | 8:00 am - 10:00 am

Field Trip Leaders: Joel Conrad, Will Laurie, and Jason Guerrero (Conservation Leadership Initiative Student)

Location: Roosevelt Wetlands

0853 43rd St. N. (43rd and 110th Ave N.), Clearwater, FL 33765. Meet at the entrance on 43rd St. There is a small unpaved parking lot that only can handle 3 or 4 cars; more parking is along 43rd. The trip will entail walking 1-2 miles or more on packed dirt trails.

We will be looking for birds to photograph and will share our photos later.

Field Trip: Special Butterfly Walk!

Saturday, March 29th | 9:00 am - 11:00 am

Field Trip Leader: Ron Smith

Location: Folly Farms Nature Preserve

1538 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Street North, Safety Harbor, Florida 34695
https://www.cityofsafetyharbor.com/962/Folly-Farm-Nature-Preserve

Meet at the parking lot. This walk and butterfly introduction day should feature several species of hairstreaks and other early season butterflies. Spectacular native plants display.

Public Restrooms: available

What to Bring:
Hat, Binoculars, Water, Insect repellent, Sunscreen.

Program: Community Science Using eBird

Tuesday, March 18th | 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Speaker: Alli Smith, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Description: Everyone can contribute to science, even on a local scale! Alli Smith will tell us about eBird, how to navigate the app, and the way scientists can use this data for conservation.

NEW: If you have any specific questions you would like addressed in the talk, click here to fill out a form for Alli!

Location: Zoom (click here to register)

Event Recap: Raptor Fest

Jeniana Willner, Conservation Leadership Initiative student

photo: SPAS volunteer Jessica Sodano educating

On Saturday, February 1, St. Pete Audubon set up shop at Raptor Fest at Boyd Hill! Every year, people all around Tampa Bay come to see bird shows, learn about raptors, and hear from local organizations just like SPAS. The event was a resounding success! Kids and adults alike stopped by the table all day to try their shot at guessing birds you can find right here in St. Pete to win a sticker. Some of these included the Glossy Ibis, Common Gallinule, and our very own logo bird the Roseate Spoonbill. Thanks to an amazing group of volunteers staffing the table, SPAS fielded attendees’ backyard bird questions, sold merchandise, and held a book signing with Ron Smith - author of The Butterflies of Pinellas County and The Birds of Pinellas County.

Raptors were the star of the show. Many local bird rehabilitation organizations and sanctuaries showed American Kestrels, Screech Owls, and more! The only thing competing for attention: Boyd Hill’s local owl Romeo who garnered hundreds of eyes as he tried to woo a female owl from his treetop. Beyond just birds, Raptor Fest was filled with curious birders and community scientists who were eager to get involved with their local Audubon chapter. If that applies to you, welcome! SPAS cannot wait to see you out birding or at one of our events.

Upcoming Events

Dr. Harold Albers Teacher Ecology Camp will be from June 9-12, 2025, 8:30AM to 3:30PM. Registration Opens March 12 and space is limited. Please click here to learn more!
April Program:
- April 15:The Tampa Bay Estuary Program: State of the Bay and Getting it Back on Track (Dr. Marcus Beck, Tampa Bay Estuary Program)
April Field trips:
- April 5th: Members Only Special Event at Eckerd College (if you have not paid your $20 membership this past month, you will need to join (click here). Spots are limited, register to reserve yours (click here).
- April 13: Spring Migration at Ft. De Soto Park
- April 19: Field Trip with Steve Aversa at Sand Key Park
February 6-12, 2026 - Costa Rica | Introduction to Neotropical Birding with St. Pete Audubon and Holbrook Travel. If you want more info, email: Kevin Van Dien <kevin@holbrooktravel.com>
Click here for a full description of events.

Local Environmental/Advocacy News

FWC is calling a virtual public meeting to hear comments about Black Bear hunting. If you are concerned, we hope you can attend the Virtual meeting and speak for a few minutes.
Thursday, March 13th, at 6pm ET. Microsoft teams meeting link here.

You may view Audubon’s suggested talking points and send a template drafted email to the bear comments email account here.
The loss of park rangers from our Nation’s parks is likely to have a negative impact on birds, wildlife communities, and ecosystems they require. Here is a recent article about the loss of park rangers from Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge.

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