The official Bald Eagle breeding season in Florida begins on October 1.  Birds are already returning to nesting territories around the state and will begin  engaging in mating, nest-building, and raising young throughout the fall and into the spring.   

Audubon Florida's EagleWatch Program begins its 31st season of nest monitoring involving volunteers, both new and returning,  to observe nest sites and submit data to Audubon Florida throughout the breeding season.  If you're interested in participating in this amazing community science effort to document our state's Bald Eagle population, EagleWatch is for you!

Information about EagleWatch is available on Audubon Florida's EagleWatch Program page.  Training for new and retuning but lapsed volunteers is required.  Training is free but registration is required.  Click the links below to register for the date/time that best suits your schedule.

• Sunday, September 24 - 2-4 PM EST via Zoom:   https://audubon.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwkc-moqT4qGtxs9Vtpotj2Mhqrgcr8z0El
• Sunday, October 1 - 2-4 PM EST via Zoom: https://audubon.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYtf-2tpzMpG9XzTAyQh5HtyANAZjU_kFcz

Our monthly meeting and program nights are now taking place on the third Tuesday of the month from September through May (except for November 14, 2023) at Venice United Church of Christ's Naar Hall, 620 Shamrock Blvd, Venice. There is ample parking and accessible entry to Naar Hall, which offers a large and spacious meeting room for our group's needs. We begin our monthly gatherings as usual at 6:00 PM with light refreshments, followed by a brief meeting and the program beginning at 6:30 PM.

This year's program topics are listed on the Programs page under the Education heading. As you plan your calendar, we hope you're able to join us each month as we explore a variety of topics. Please feel free to invite family, friends, and guests! All are welcome, whether they are Audubon members or not. It's our hope that everyone in attendance can take home a bit of new and interesting information every month. If you have suggestions for future topics or speakers, please let us know.

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A second VAAS birding tour to exotic Ecuador has been arranged for March 13-22, 2024. Due to the overwhelming interest in the January tour, Holbrook Travel has arranged another VAAS group tour, for which only 6 openings remain. We hope you'll be able to join the 10 day tour to the lush region around Mindo Valley, home to 500 species of birds including Andean Cock of the Rock, Squirrel Cuckoo, Masked Trogon, Flame Faced and Glistening Green Tanagers.

The itinerary will be similar to our January trip and includes hotel, meals, local transportation, expert guide and our own ecologist and group leader, Eileen Gerle. The cost for our group will be slightly less than $3000 plus about $500 for round trip airfare from Miami to Quito. Carpooling to Miami will enable us to fly together.

The Rookery was featured on WWSB ABC7's Good Morning Suncoast show recently. 

We’re not just paving over paradise, we’re also paving over the places that our beautiful Suncoast birds like to nest and breed, year after year. The Venice Audubon Rookery is doing everything it can to give the birds a sanctuary for years to come!

Take a look!