The Limpkin Times

Apalachee Audubon Society Mission Statement:

Protecting the rich biodiversity of the Florida Panhandle through education, appreciation, and conservation.

January 2023

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Male Lance-tailed Manakin dance team. Photo by Lilian Manica

 In this Issue:

Chapter Programs

• Thurs. January 19, Manakins—Rethinking Sexual Selection, with Emily Duval

Chapter Outings

• Sat. Jan. 7 Birding Social at Garden of Eden Trail
• Sun. Jan. 15, Guided Walk at Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park

Events of Interest

• Tues. Jan 17, Mythbusting and Breambusting (Big Bend Sierra Club)
• Sat., Jan. 21, Arbor Day at Governor’s Park

An "Owl-ting” to Pineview Elementary

Christian Watson-Kerr, chapter CLI student and intern.

President's Message

Meet Christian Watson-Kerr: I’m delighted to introduce a young man I have been mentoring since October and who is working as an intern for our chapter as well. He is participating in Audubon Florida's Conservation Leadership Initiative (CLI) program, which matches undergraduate students with chapter leaders, offering co-mentoring opportunities for chapters and college students to network, share, and learn from each other. Christian is a third year FAMU student majoring in Animal Science and new to Audubon, but is enthusiastically embracing birding and conservation. His internship will have him volunteering with the Pineview Elementary Bird Club this semester, and he will be engaging with other chapter projects and activities as well. 

Thank you Ash Eggers: I’d like to thank Ash Eggers who served as Membership Chair in 2022. She’s an incredibly energetic and productive individual and we’re going to miss her at our board meetings. She was actively involved with the chapter, sending out welcome letters to new members and bringing innovations to our membership management. But she’s started a new job AND preparing for graduate school, so that’s why she is stepping down from this role. Best of luck to you, Ash! 

Ben Fusaro Conservation Grant—CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: This grant of up to $500 is open to any individual or group wishing to conduct bird-related research, habitat improvement projects, environmental education/outreach, and community engagement within Leon, Jefferson, Wakulla, Gadsden, Liberty and Franklin counties. The application period is January 1 – February 15. Grantees will be announced by March 10. Read more and access the application at our webpage. 

2023 Wildlife-Friendly Yards Tour: We are looking for a couple more yards to be part of the February 18 tour, yards with good wildlife habitat, preferably native plants, and water features, such as ponds or bird baths. We feature yards that have unique features that attract a variety of birds and other wildlife such as wintering hummingbirds, orioles, tanagers, and sparrows, as well as year-round residents. If you’re interested in being a yard host, please contact Tammy Brown, tcbrown798@aol.com, or 850-933-8154. We will provide volunteers to meet and greet people to your property.  Read more. 

White Wagtail Update: Our Eurasian winter guest is a continuing mega-rarity as of December 28, It’s being sighted at Lake Elberta Park and nearby at the southernmost pond on Mill Street. Check our blog post for updates and photos. 

Best wishes for the holidays, and Happy Birding!

Sincerely,

Kathleen Carr

President, Apalachee Audubon

Emily Duval holding a male Lance-tailed Manakin

Chapter Programs

While the January program will be in person and live-streamed, our February and March programs will be Zoom only to accommodate out of town speakers. Registration is required for Zoom participants. Use the registration link to register for any or all of our programs and you will receive a meeting reminder 24 hours and 2-3 hours before the meeting. 

Manakins—Rethinking Sexual Selection, with Emily Duval

Thursday, January 19, 2023

Social, with light refreshments: 6:30 PM

Program: 7:00 - 8:30 PM

King Life Science Building

319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee 32304 (see map below)

Register for this program at the following link:

Zoom Registration Link: https://bit.ly/3Lm7U2S

Dancing birds, choosy mates, and how combining tropical fieldwork with mathematical modeling might change the world. FSU ornithologist Emily Duval will give a presentation about the fascinating courtship behaviors of Lance-tailed Manakins. Males form long-term two-male alliances with only the dominant (alpha) male mating with the female when she chooses that pair from other pairs of male dancers.

From the Cornell Lab’s Manakin Live Cam website, where you can watch video highlights from the previous year: "Partners perch side-by-side in tall trees to sing duet songs. When a female approaches, they perform a dance of coordinated leaps and butterfly-like flights on the display perch. Displays that happen right before copulation are often performed only by the alpha male, but if both males are present the beta male typically leaves the area several minutes before the final stages of courtship and mating. The most eye-catching display is the “backwards leapfrog” in which the two males leap alternately over one another as the female watches at close range. Bouts of leapfrog display often end with a sharp “eek” by the alpha male, and one display can include many bouts of leaping – and eeking.”

Visit Apalachee.org for the rest of this year’s program schedule..

Map to King Building at FSU 

December field trip participants at St. Marks NWR

Chapter Outings

Please use the sign up email link to register for each outing so we can keep you updated with any last minute changes. Be sure to include your mobile phone number in your email. Thank you!

Saturday, January 7, 2023, 8:00 AM - Noon. 

New Years Birding Social at Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve - Garden of Eden Trail.

Sign up for this trip

Sunday, January 15, 2023, 7:30 - 10:30 AM

Guided walk. Sunday, January 15, Guided field trip with Michael Dayton at Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park.

Sign up for this trip

Save the Date

Sat. Feb. 11: Birding Social at Bear Creek Educational Forest 

Sign up for this trip

Sun. Feb. 19: Guided river paddle with Peter Kleinhenz down the Aucilla River (Cuba Bay Tract to HWY 27) 

Sign up for this trip

Events of Interest

Tues. Jan 17, 6:30 PM Mythbusting and Breambusting (Big Bend Sierra Club)

Sat., Jan. 21, 9:00 AM Arbor Day at Governor’s Park

Join us at this park (700 N Blair Stone Rd) as we join the City of Tallahassee in planting trees. We will be using a grant from Florida Power & Light to fund the purchase of 20 trees and an interpretive sign that will be placed in the park. We will also work with the City to remove invasive plants.  

Education Committee’s Pineview Elementary volunteers. Left to right: Cindy Baisden, Charlie Baisden, James Carr, Christian Watts-Kerr, David Arnold, Education Chair Bryan Danford, and Robin Will. Not pictured, Marie Arnold. 

An "Owl-ting” to Pineview Elementary

Watching birds in the wild is inspiring, but meeting a bird up close and personal can be a life changing experience, especially for a child. Last month, students in the After School Bird Club at Pineview Elementary were visited by two owls from the Tallahassee Museum. Education Program Manager Allison Ashcroft gave a presentation with an Eastern Screech Owl and a Great Horned Owl, birds not commonly seen by most people because of their nocturnal schedule.

Although both species are native to North Florida, these particular birds are unable to live in the wild, so are serving as Ambassador Animals to help educate people about their wild counterparts.

Allison Ashcroft presenting an Eastern Screech Owl to the bird club members.

Allison Ashcroft holding a Great Horned Owl.

Land Acknowledgement Statement

Apalachee Audubon acknowledges that the region it serves is located on the ancestral and traditional homelands of the Apalachee Indians of the Talimali Band, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. We pay respect to the resiliency of their tribal members, past and present, and to all Indigenous peoples. We encourage all to learn about the significance of Indigenous peoples in this region and throughout this continent.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: 2022-2023

Officers:

President: Kathleen Carr

Vice President: VACANT

Treasurer: Harvey Goldman

Secretary: James Carr

Directors:

Cindy Baisden

Charlie Baisden

Caleb Crow

Howard Kessler

Peter Kleinhenz

Heather Levy

Rob Williams

STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Conservation            Peter Kleinhenz

Education                 Bryan Danford

Field Trips                Heather Levy

Membership             VACANT

Program                   VACANT

Publications and Publicity     Kathleen Carr

+ Newsletter             Chris Grossman

+ Web Team             Elizabeth Georges, Kathleen Carr

+ Annual Report        (President)

OTHER COMMITTEES & CHAPTER ACTIVITIES

Bookkeeper               Adrienne Ruhl

Birdathon                   Harvey Goldman

History                      Caleb Crow, Karen Wensing

September Coastal Cleanup   Donna Legare

Wildlife-Friendly Yards Tour    Tammy Brown

Lake Elberta Park      Alexis Smith

Volunteer Coordinator VACANT