St. Johns Regional Audubon promotes the protection, preservation, and restoration of the habitats of birds and other wildlife through education, stewardship, and science-based advocacy.

ALERT!

Our Facebook/Meta page is back up with the same name as before. Search for St. Johns Regional Audubon or go to the link, https://www.facebook.com/people/St-Johns-Regional-Audubon/61555867613971
Don’t forget to like us if you haven’t done so on the new version. Thanks! We appreciate your participation.

Auduboners in Action: Bald Eagle Rescue in Putnam County

Three of our newest EagleWatchers, Carol McGalliard of Crescent City, and Patti Nielsen and Peggy Williams of Welaka, led the rescue of an injured Bald Eagle in the Welaka State Forest on January 26th.  Contacted by friends about the injured eagle, these EagleWatchers (and SJRA members) contacted the staff of the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey about how to capture the eagle and assembled a crew to help.

Carol McGalliard reports that the eagle’s wing was badly injured.  Rescuing it was an ordeal that wildlife rescuers often experience as the eagle struggled along a path and through the brush to avoid them.  The eagle was weak, had flies on his wound, and had a strong odor — which led the team to conclude he had been in this condition for many hours, if not days.

Patti Nielsen transported the eagle to the UF Small Animal Hospital in Gainesville, where it arrived later that afternoon.

Team members took pictures and videos showing the actual rescue of the eagle using the instructions provided by CBOP’s staff – something we don’t often see on video. Rescuers generally do not have a large enough team to both find and rescue a bird and record the process.

Our heartfelt thanks to all those who were involved in the rescue of this eagle:  Lisa Teal, Steve and Mary Stubbs, Bill Miller, Peggy Williams, Patti Nielsen, and Carol McGalliard.

Many, many thanks to Patti Nielson and Mary Stubbs for compiling this helpful video!

Want to help?

The NE Florida Wading Bird Survey Alliance Needs Volunteers

​St. Johns Regional Audubon is proud to announce that is has created the NE Florida Wading Bird Survey Alliance with Alachua Audubon Society, Marion Audubon Society, and Sante Fe Audubon Society. And we are looking for volunteers! The Alliance will assist the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) in preparing for and participating in a multi-state wading bird colony survey for the east coast of the United States in 2024.

Next year, the FWRI will be part of a major survey of wading bird colonies with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies for the Atlantic Flyway. This flyway is the major north-south flyway for migratory birds in North America and follows the eastern coast to the tropical areas of South America and the Caribbean.

The FWRI plans on gather data about the breeding numbers of eighteen species of wading birds in Florida, including all of our resident heron and egret species, roseate spoonbills, anhingas, and brown pelicans. Wading bird colonies, also known as rookeries, may be found near water bodies scattered all the State, so the FWRI has tremendous amount of territory to cover just in northeast Florida. This year, the Alliance plans to help the FWRI by sending volunteers to try to locate potential colonies for survey in 2024 and by testing the FWRI’s wading bird colony software.

The Chapter needs volunteers and information about possible wading bird colonies in St. Johns Regional and eastern Putnam County. For further information, go to our Volunteer Page. If you are interested in participating, fill out the interest form and check the box next to NE Florida Wading Bird Survey Alliance. There are also links to presentation and training information.

Bird Osprey Photo

Resources for Birders

Here are some good web resources for birders.

Our Hot Spot Page: https://stjohnsaudubon.com/hotspots/ This will give your information about and directions to some our the best birding spots in St. Johns County.

eBird: www.ebird.org: Run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this is a database where you can add your sightings, as well as find local hotspots, research specific bird species, etc. The app is free.

Merlin Bird ID: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org: A terrific and free app for your phone that will help you identify birds by description, photo and recently, by bird call! Most birders are now using this app. A great tool for new birders!

National Audubon Society: www.audubon.org: Everything birds!

Plants for Birds: https://www.audubon.org/plantsforbirds: This database will give you the native plants and trees good for birds for our area.

American Bird Conservancy: www.abcbirds.org: This group engages in scientific research and advocates for the conservation of birds and bird habitat. It is a good source on how individuals can help birds.

Homegrown National Park: https://homegrownnationalpark.org: Dr. Doug Tallamy’s excellent effort to increase habitat one backyard at a time.

Bird Osprey Photo

The New “SJRA Area”

Last spring, we expanded our geographic reach into the portion of Putnam County that lies mostly east of the St. Johns River and changed our name to St. John Regional Audubon, Inc (SJRA).

The SJRA Board spent much of the summer finalizing the name change with various federal and state agencies, vendors, and contacts. We have also been working with the National Audubon Society (NAS) to amend its webpages to reflect our expanded geographic reach. To date, NAS has updated its map of chapters to reflect the new SJRA Area as shown on this map (but has not yet updated our name on the map).

We are already planning events in our new section of Putnam County for our 2023-24 season, which runs from September to May, and would love to have Putnam County members and non-members alike to join us at these events.

We also would love to have you join the SJRA if you are not a member!