Worldwide, H5N1 avian influenza continues to impact wild birds as well as domestic farm flocks, cows, and other species, including humans in close contact with infected animals. We’re all aware that poultry farm flocks are suffering the impacts of infected birds, leading to egg shortages and high prices.   

In the Eastern U.S., the highly pathogenic form of avian flu (HPAI) seems to be most affecting wild birds along the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways, causing bird deaths and increasing the flu’s impact on other bird and mammal species who scavenge on the carcasses.  It was confirmed through testing that the famous Southwest Florida Bald Eagles in North Fort Myers lost both their chicks, E24 and E25, in late January due to HPAI.  Whether the adults were asymptomatic carriers of the avian flu or they brought prey infected with the virus into the nest is unknown and undeterminable.

Overall, the vast majority of people are at low risk for contracting the virus, but there are some simple steps you can take to help control the spread of this virus in local settings.  Because the virus is transmitted through feces and secretions (bodily fluids including saliva and watery eyes), please consider the following measures:

1. At least once a week - If you have backyard feeders or bird baths, clean your feeders and baths thoroughly with a bleach and water solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, completely soaking and scrubbing the feeders/baths, then rinsing thoroughly and allowing to air dry complete before refilling.  If it’s possible to dry the items in the sun prior to refilling, this can aid in ensuring sufficient evaporation of the cleaning solution.  Remember to clean up the ground around feeders and bird baths, bagging up and disposing discarded seeds, hulls, etc. in the trash.
2. Hummingbird sugar water should be replaced every other day.  If sugar water becomes cloudy or mold/mildew appear on feeding ports or in the feeder, deep clean as in Item 1 and then refill the feeder.  Sugar Water Recipe:  Mix one part granulated sugar (not brown, organic, or raw sugar or sugar substitute) with four parts water, heat until sugar dissolves.  Do not use red dye or food coloring!  When cool, fill the feeder.  Extra sugar water can be stored in a closed container in the refrigerator.
3. If you visit birding areas (trails, parks, ponds, beaches, etc.) where birds gather, be aware you are likely stepping in bird feces along the way, providing an opportunity for the virus to spread on your shoes.  Upon returning to your vehicle after bird walks, brush off as much dirt/sand as you can, especially on the soles, then change your shoes and place them in a plastic bag.  Once at home, clean the soles with a 10% bleach solution (see Item 1 for recipe) by spraying the bottoms or stepping onto a well-soaked bleach solution-infused towel repeatedly.  Allow the soles to dry by placing the shoes on their sides or upside down to expose the bottoms to air.  If possible, dry the shoes in the sun.
4. If you find an injured, sick or deceased bird or other animal, do not touch or handle the animal with bare hands.   If you see any injured, seemingly sick, or deceased animal, call your local wildlife rehabilitation center or state wildlife office for advice. 
   
5. In Florida, report sick birds or bird mortalities to Florida Wildlife Commission at (888) 404-3922 or online: https://app.myfwc.com/FWRI/AvianMortality/

- Jean Pichler, President

Fourteen volunteers helped setup 48 gourds on Saturday, January 25th.

The first Purple Martin of the season returned to the Audubon Rookery from Brazil, just before the New Year! That’s the earliest arrival since we first started providing apartments for this species. So, on January 9th, Duke Snyder, Neil Milligan and Bob Zittel erected the T-14, a wooden house containing 14 apartments, with four gourds attached beneath the structure. It will provide apartments for 18 mating pairs of birds.

The T-14 is a little tricky to assemble, almost like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, so we relied on these experts to fit the parts together. Then, we waited, and soon other reports verified that more martins were in our area.

On January 25, a crew of 14 volunteers arrived to assist in preparing 48 gourds with pine straw and then hung them, in numeric order, on our other two poles. We can now accommodate 66 breeding pairs of martins.

In several weeks, when we see evidence of mating, we will contact our volunteers to start monitoring the activities of the Martins every five days. If you would like your name to be added to that list, please contact Barbara Zittel at bzittel@live.com. Thank you for all your support.

- Barbara Zittel

The T-14 pre-assembly.	Duke Snyder, Neil Milligan and Bob Zittel beneath erected T-14.
Purple Martins checking out apartments.

This year’s Venice/Englewood Christmas Bird Count is now behind us, but here’s a quick recap of this year’s effort:

• We had 140 total species recorded for 2024, second only to 2020, the record year for our counting circle at 143 species.
• We recorded a total of 19,047 birds, which pretty much hits the average for the last ten years, discounting this year’s lack of Tree Swallows. We typically have anywhere from 3,000-5,000 Tree Swallows recorded. In 2019 we had 10,000! This year? Only four.
• Top five species in this year’s count included Laughing Gull, Turkey Vulture, White Ibis, Sandwich Tern and Common Grackle. Rarities included the White-faced Ibis and the Groove-billed Ani. Single sightings (just one bird for the whole circle) included: Mute Swan, Northern Harrier, King Rail, Sora, Whimbrel, Marbled Godwit, Eastern Screech Owl, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, American Redstart, Savannah Sparrow, Summer Tanager and Painted Bunting.
• 120 volunteers participated in the count, tied with 2017 for the most volunteers ever in our circle. Including counting time, as well as the time of leaders, this year’s effort represents about 750 volunteer hours.

Special thanks to our area leaders: Charlie Woodruff, Jayne Dean, Robert Kraft, Deb Johnson, Eileen Gerle, Dave Lancaster, Margaret Views, Rick Cordner, Ken Blackshaw, Mike Weisensee, Nancy Edmundson, Tom Litteral, Pattie Haynes and Chris Oliver, with our coordinating team of Bob Clark, Tom Litteral and Rick Cordner.

This coming year’s count is already scheduled: Sunday, December 14, 2025. Put it on your calendar! And if you have an interest in stepping up to being an area leader (you don’t have to be a birding expert, just have some organizing skills), please let Bob Clark know at rlwclark@gmail.com.

- Bob Clark

Bill Fairbanks, our field trip coordinator, is pleased to announce that post-hurricanes clean up at Oscar Scherer State Park has progressed sufficiently to resume winter/spring bird walks at the park beginning in December.  

Join a bird walk in this refuge of the threatened Florida Scrub-Jay, Florida's only endemic bird species. They live in family groups within the scrub habitat, along with the gopher tortoise, and depend on the scrub oak acorns for their winter food.  Bird walks at the park visit several scrub-jay families and look also for other birds such as woodpeckers, warblers, hawks, and the park's resident bald eagles.  

Bird walks take place every Thursday at 8:30 AM from December 5, 2024 through March 27, 2025. The walks on the first two Thursdays of each month are conducted by Venice Area Audubon Society.  The third and fourth birdwalk each month are lead by Sarasota Audubon.

No registration is needed, however there is a $5 entry fee for the state park.  The trails are sandy. Expect to walk up to 2.5 miles. Bring water, hat, sunscreen, and your binoculars.  

We hope to have you join us on the trail this season!

Because of millions of years of evolution, birds have developed severe weather strategies that serve them well overall. Different species, time of year, and location can each influence how birds respond to weather events and how successful they may be in avoiding disasters. Florida’s year-round birds as well as those in migration over land and water can all be impacted by tropical storms and hurricanes.

In addition to their keen sensitivity to weather changes, birds also have the advantage of mobility. They can seek safe refuge miles away, if necessary. But some species literally hunker down and endure. Large predominantly ground species such as cranes often simply face into the wind and stay put until conditions improve. Smaller ground birds seek refuge in tall grasses or bushes for protection. Others may find a suitable tree that deflects the wind if they perch near the trunk. Cavity birds like to find a hidey-hole to wait out the storm. Pelagic birds, those that spend the vast majority of their lives at sea, have been documented flying in the eyes of hurricanes and as the storm falls apart they escape, resulting in unusual or rare bird sighting reports after a hurricane passes. Smaller birds may seek shelter closer in our neighborhoods under eaves, on porches, or in dense vegetation. Most often they seem to just disappear from our yards and trees, reappearing in the days after the weather improves.

Sensitivity to barometric pressure changes can help migrating birds determine whether to stay grounded, fly out before a storm or delay progress along migratory paths until conditions improve. This year, BirdCast noted significant migratory changes in September before and after Hurricane Helene. It’s estimated over a half BILLION birds shifted from the Atlantic Flyway to the Mississippi Flyway during the overnight hours from September 27 to 28 to avoid the storm. And during Hurricane Milton, two cruise ships in the Gulf of Mexico reporting fallouts with thousands of birds and moths crashing onto the ships’ decks because they were unable to stay aloft through the hurricane. Unfortunately, many birds didn’t survive and some were injured, but some only needed time to rest before resuming their flights. We can imagine many other birds in mid-migration over the Gulf may have been unable to find a safe landing area and perished. Fallouts also occur over land. Wildlife care centers experience high intake volumes after major weather events because injured birds can be found sometimes hiding but often openly on beaches or in yards, parks, ponds, downed foliage, etc. days later.

And what about our rookery birds? Despite wind damage to the plants on the rookery island, it seems some birds have decided to meet up and beginning nesting already. Stop over for a look at the early arrivals and first pairs. The new breeding season may be starting early this year.

- Jean Pichler, President

 

Our wonder volunteers helped clean up the storm damage.

Whether you are an expert birder or just beginning to learn your first birds, we have an opportunity for you!

The Christmas Bird Count is one of our chapter's biggest citizen science projects. Slated this year for Sunday, December 15th, the count brings together volunteers of all birding levels to count the number of birds and bird species seen within a 15-mile diameter circle around Venice and Englewood on that one day. Results are submitted into a national database that provides researchers with indications of bird population trends. This year will be the 125th year for the national count.

The count usually takes 3-4 hours and involves some walking or travelling by car with stops along the way. We work in teams, making it a great opportunity to involve birders of various levels and enjoy the camaraderie that comes with getting out with a group to enjoy nature. And since some may have church commitments that day, we'll offer an opportunity for afternoon-only birding as part of the count. If you've participated before, know and have contact information for your Area Leader, please contact your leader now to confirm your participation. All others, please email Bob Clark at rlwclark@gmail.com, provide your name, your email and phone information. At a later date, we'll get back in touch to learn more about your experience so that we can place you with a survey team.

Special note: We have a special need for at least two chapter members to step up this year to serve as an Area Leader. We split the survey circle into 14 separate areas, with a team devoted to surveying a particular area. Area Leaders are responsible for coordinating the work of their team, then compiling and reporting the results of their teams. If you have participated in even one count in the past, regardless of your birding level, please, consider stepping up to lead a team this year. Again, contact Bob Clark ASAP for more information.

The Purple Martin season at the Venice Area Audubon Society’s campus was officially called to a close on Saturday, August 17, when a few stalwart volunteers met to take down, clean, disinfect, dry and store all 66 Purple Martin apartments that comprise our colony.

We had a good season, with 363 eggs, of which 294 hatched and of those hatchlings, 265 fledged for a 77% fledge/egg percentage. However, the season was not without drama.

One morning as we came to do a nest check a hawk flew in and scooped up one of the parents. Her feathers floated down upon us as we gazed open-mouthed and shocked at nature at work. Then there was the morning when one of the 5th grade students assisting us in a nest check said, very calmly, “There’s a snake in this apartment.” An adult volunteer said, “WHAT did you say?” And again, the student calmly replied, “There’s a snake in this apartment.” Perhaps she didn’t know how unusual this was, but in any case, we removed the snake and sent him on his way – a good distance from the colony. He had devoured all six eggs that we had counted there five days before. We hoped he enjoyed his omelet!

Our numbers were also negatively impacted by inexperienced parents. The colony consisted of a high percentage of first-time breeding couples officially termed, After the First Year (AFY) birds, and some of them had parenting problems. We saw quite a number of new hatchlings dead outside of their dwelling, probably ejected by new parents not able to keep up with the stress involved in caring for a large brood.

Nonetheless, as depicted in the bar chart, while we had fewer eggs this season than last, the percentage of hatchlings who fledged was just about the same.

Each of the cavities were full by late March and a NO VACANCY sign should have been posted. Since many of these birds will return to our site, we expect another busy season next year. This past spring we assisted the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed Trust (CREWTrust) near Immokalee, and the WildFlower Preserve of the Lemon Bay Conservancy in Englewood in setting up Purple Martin houses. We hope that as the Purple Martins head up the west coast of Florida on their return from Brazil, they will take advantage of these new dwellings. We are successful because of a large number of devoted, dependable, enthusiastic volunteers. Thank you to each of you for your dedication to ensuring that these beautiful birds have a future.

Our clean-up team from left to right: Bill Fairbank, Bob Zittel, Donna Scudder, Robert Bartolotta, Stephanie Kulich, Barbara Zittel, Jean Pichler, Jerry Markussen, and Charlotte and Bill Kay.

As we previously informed you in our recent Action Alert, on Monday, August 19, 2024, Florida's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) unveiled a proposal entitled the "2024-2025 Great Outdoors Initiative" which will impact numerous State Parks throughout Florida. According to the DEP, this proposal intends to expand public engagement in the parks and offer more lodging to park visitors. If it comes to fruition, the initiative could lead to adding activities such as pickleball, golf and disc golf courses, lodging and resorts as well as other additions within numerous Florida State Parks.

As a result of the immediate reaction to the proposed initiative by Florida citizens, park users, and elected officials, the DEP responded by postponing the scheduled August 27 public input meetings to a yet-to-be-finalized date in early September and is seeking larger meeting spaces. Also, the group behind the planned golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park withdrew their part of the proposal. Whether or not this means golf course development under another developer could take over the plan is unknown at this time.

While these are notable and encouraging responses to the initiative, there is still much to be resolved regarding where the Great Outdoors Initiative stands and how it may impact the initially listed and/or other parks now and in the future. The process for approving elements of the initiative may have been slowed but the concern has not ended regarding what impacts development, even in the name of increasing public engagement, may have on the parks.

It is important that those who are concerned about protecting the state parks lands continue to speak up, particularly because many of our state parks were expressly established on some of Florida’s most fragile and unique landscapes to purposefully protect habitats for endemic, endangered, and protected flora and fauna, in addition to preserving the heritage of Florida’s natural and human history.

If you signed an online petition, we thank you. But there is more to do to effectively bring your viewpoint to the eyes of the decision-makers. Please consider sending individual letters to the governor, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the seven members of the Acquisition and Restoration Council to express your views. Click this link to access the mailing list for these State officials.

Your voice speaks loudly and powerfully. The message needs to be clear: Florida’s State Parks are treasured for many reasons and are not to be next on the development list in a way that may irreparably harm Florida’s land, water, air, wildlife, and history.

The Purple Martin Conservation Association (PMCA)'s live-streaming gourd cams are up and running!  With two camera views - one inside the gourd and one outside - viewers have an incredible view of a nesting pair of purple martins at PMCA's headquarters in Erie, PA.  Using high quality cameras and sensitive microphones, the nest can be viewed 24 hours a day without disturbing the birds.  The female laid her first egg on May 31 and the pair is currently incubating a full clutch of 5 eggs. 

While Florida's purple martins arrive from Brazil generally in late January/early February and the breeding season ends by July, purple martins nest later the farther north they go in order to coincide with the emergence of insects upon which they feed.  

As we prepare to say goodbye to the last of our Venice Audubon colony purple martins, you can enjoy watching the nesting process through the PMCA live cams and better appreciate the amazing process of raising a new generation of purple martins.  To view the nest cams on YouTube, click this link: https://www.youtube.com/live/WzMDQIvDhC8?feature=shared

 

The birding group poses with their guide Freddy Perez (on left), and driver Victor (sitting, center), and several guides from the Refugio Paz de las aves, who led us to four species of antpittas.

On March 13th, 13 birders embarked on the second Venice Area Audubon Society hosted trip to beautiful, birdy Ecuador. The trip, facilitated by Holbrook Travel, originated in Quito and included birding in Mindo, Puembo and Cosanga. Two hundred and eighty-nine species of birds were observed or heard under the expert eye of our guide Freddy Perez. As Gary Forbes put it so aptly, “Freddy was a fabulous guide who engaged everyone on the trip at their own level of skill and interest.”

We birded at Yanacocha Biological Reserve, (at 10,000’ elevation), Alambi Cloud Forest Reserve, Milipe Bird Sancuary, Mashpi-Amagusa Reserve, Refugio Paz de las Aves, Antisana Ecological Reserve (11,500’), Guango Lodge, and the cloud forest reserve at San Isidro Lodge. In addition to the many beautiful and colorful birds, the people, food and weather were all wonderful.

Marj Watson especially loved all the colorful tanagers and hummingbirds at the feeders, and said that although it was strenuous hiking up and down hill in the mud to see the different antpittas, that was a memory she will not soon forget. Due to their plump shape and short tail, antpittas are described as potatoes on stilts.

Debbie Blackwell thought the hummingbirds of all kinds were amazing! Did you know that Ecuador holds the world record for the highest number of hummingbirds species?  Over 132 different hummingbirds are found there.

Tom Clarkson commented that he especially enjoyed seeing the Andean Condor soaring along the cliff face; “It's one beautiful bird!” he said. Marcia P. also loved seeing the far away condors as well as the Carunculated Caracara.

Margaret Viens’ favorite thing about the trip was getting over 200 life birds – she especially loved the colorful tanagers.

I really enjoyed the spectacular, lush scenery, and one of my favorite birds was the Paradise Tanager, which rivals our Painted Buntings. They wear a feather coat of vibrant scarlet, lime green, black, and sky and baby blue. But I was most thrilled to see a Common Potoo, a relative of the night jars. With their upright posture and cryptic plumage of black, gray, white, and red, they are nearly indistinguishable from the snags that they perch upon during the day.  

I believe the group would agree that it was an extraordinary trip! The VAAS board is looking into more full-service birding trips in the coming year.

- Eileen Gerle