The Limpkin Times

Apalachee Audubon Society Mission Statement:

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

December 2023

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Couch's Kingbird at Lake Elberta Park, the first documented sighting of this species in Florida, and discovered by AAS member Juli deGrummond. Read her account below (and on our website) of how this bird was identified.

Photo by Juli deGrummond

 In this Issue:

From the Tropics to the Couch - A Tale of Two Kingbirds,

by Juli deGrummond

Dec. 7 @ 6 PM, Winter Social with Sierra Club at Waterworks

Chapter Outings

• Jan. 14, Guided Walk at Debbie Lightsey Nature Park,

with Juli deGrummond

• Feb. 17, Tall Timbers tour with Jim Cox 

Inaugural Adopt-a-Street

Ben Fusaro Conservation Grant

Lake Elberta Park

• December Bird of the Month
• Trash Cleanups

Upcoming Programs- Save the Date!

Photo Request



Donation Request

Gray Kingbird with insect meal.

Photo by Juli deGrummond 

From the Tropics to the Couch -

A Tale of Two Kingbirds

On the afternoon of November 6th, 2023, my husband Jimmy and I headed to Lake Elberta to check out the mudflats and see what kind of shorebirds might be stopping in. Fresh off a lake clean up that we participated in with Apalachee Audubon Society we knew the lake was in much better shape than usual as far as trash, and since we had not had rain in over a month the water levels were very low, exposing wonderful mudflats here. The lake was filled with many of the usual suspects, roughly 300 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, 32 Double-crested Cormorants, a couple Wilson's Snipes, Great Egrets, a Wood Stork, a Great-blue Heron, and at that moment, most notably 30 Long-billed Dowitchers. 

I shifted the focus of my binocs from the mudflats and glanced at the top of the tree next to me, landing on a brilliant yellow-bellied Kingbird! I quickly started snapping pictures and urged Jimmy to do the same. As I worked my way closer to the bird I glanced at the Purple Martin array, which was topped with a Gray Kingbird! This silvery bug-catching machine is typically found in coastal areas. In Leon County, where there is no coast, only one previous, completely undocumented, report has appeared on eBird. Read the rest of the story . . .

Guests socializing at Waterworks with owner Don Quarello (far right).

Winter Social

You are invited to come out and socialize with fellow Tallahassee nature lovers! This winter social is co-hosted by the Sierra Club Big Bend Group and Apalachee Audubon Society. We will meet Thursday, December 7, starting at 6:00 PM at Waterworks Tiki Bar & Restaurant, serving Tallahassee for over 28 years. Light hors d’oeuvres will be provided, but you can also buy a sandwich from the menu. Beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase as well. No need to RSVP, just show up!

Visit the event webpage for more information.  

One of two boardwalks that wind through wetlands at Debbie Lightsey Nature Park.

Chapter Outings

Debbie Lightsey Nature Park with Juli deGrummond

Sunday, January 14, 8 - 10:30 AM, limited to 15 participants.

Visit the webpage to register.

Tall Timbers with Jim Cox

Saturday, February 17, limited to 20 participants.

Visit the webpage to register.

Six people collected 10 bags of trash in 90 minutes at the inaugural litter cleanup for AAS adopted street, Sharer Road! We’ll be doing it again in February. Join us!

Ben Fusaro Conservation Grant

Have an idea for a project that can help birds or educate people about birds? Or do you know a school, church, or club that might? It might involve planting trees, putting up nest boxes, establishing a pollinator garden, creating materials to educate people about birds, or doing a bird-related study. Consider applying for a Ben Fusaro Conservation grant and you could get $500 to fund your project! Visit our grant webpage for application information.

We're pleased to announce that the application period for this grant is being extended by a month starting in 2024. We will be accepting applications from January 1 through March 15. The grant provides up to $500 to individuals or groups wishing to conduct local scientific research, habitat improvement, and environmental education and outreach within any of the six counties Apalachee Audubon serves (Leon, Jefferson, Wakulla, Gadsden, Liberty, and Franklin). 

The Ben Fusaro Conservation Grant is a memorial to former AAS President and longtime Audubon member, Ben Fusaro. Originally funded by chapter general funds, Ben's daughter and son-in-law, Amelia Fusaro and Bill Everitt, are funding the grant with an annual donation of $1,000, enough for two awards each year. The wonderful environmental and wildlife conservation opportunities we fund locally honor Ben’s incredible life and mission to raise awareness of environmental issues. 

Lake Elberta Park

December Bird of the Month

Click to learn about this bird frequently found around the park!

Another successful clean up at Lake Elberta Park on November 4! 30 people helped out, including students from FSU’s Environmental Service Program and some intrepid kayakers who got down and dirty to get trash along the lake’s shore. Volunteers picked up 30 bags of trash and several large junk items. A bald eagle soared overhead and there were scores of whistling ducks--and a Common Loon--who watched the clean up. They are surely happy to have a cleaner lake! 

Join us on February 3 for our next trash cleanup.  

Upcoming 2024 Programs-Save the Date!

For details, visit www.apalachee.org.

January 18 - Jody Walthall, Design with Nature

February 15 - Jean Huffman, Helen Roth, Susan Carr, Annie Schmidt,

A Labor of Love and Collaboration

March 21 - Julie Wraithmell, Influencing Conservation Policy 

April 18 - Dr. Christopher Werner,

The Underwater Caves of the Woodville Karst Plain

Sunday, May 19 - Annual Meeting & Potluck Picnic

Photo Request -- Seen Something Cool?

If you've taken a great photo of birds or other wildlife in one of the counties we serve, we'd love to highlight it on Apalachee Audubon's social media accounts. Send photos taken in Leon, Jefferson, Wakulla, Gadsden, Liberty, and Franklin Counties to Ben Rangel at bkrangel@gmail.com.

Please Donate to Help Us Protect Nature!

Apalachee Audubon can only accomplish the work we do with the support you provide. Your gift is a sound investment in a healthy future for North Florida birds, their habitats, and the web of life upon which we all depend. You can donate online via PayPal or send us a check. Click to become a donor. Thank you!

Help keep our chapter strong!

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: 2023-2024

Officers

President: Kathleen Carr

Vice President: VACANT

Treasurer: Harvey Goldman

Secretary: James Carr

Directors

Cindy Baisden

Charlie Baisden

Kristin Cohea

Juli deGrummond

Kristan Godbeer

Ben Rangel

Rebecca Wall

Student Directors

Traysea Auger

Christian Watson-Kerr

STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRS

OTHER COMMITTEES & CHAPTER ACTIVITIES