President's Message
Once again, we’ve been humbled by the power of nature. Helene brought our relatively quiet hurricane season roaring to life last week, affecting almost half the U.S. with life-changing, historic impacts and devastation. On behalf of the Board of Directors, please know our thoughts continue to be with those who are dealing with storm impacts and working their way through this challenging recovery process.
As we take in the immense impact of Helene, the importance of protecting and improving our environment is evident. Ensuring accessibility to clean water, air, and land for both human health and wildlife preservation is critical. Wherever you live and recreate, consider how you can be a voice for the environment and the ways we preserve, protect, and interact with it. Our everyday choices along with policymaking on every level of government will either help improve or continue to negatively impact the places we enjoy. We can and must do better for our present as well as the future.
Lastly, as we begin our new season, I’d like to thank our volunteer Board of Directors for their dedication, hard work, and leadership in planning for the coming months: Treasurer Rick Cordner, Membership Secretary Linda Moore, Secretary Barbara Zittel, and Directors Bailey Cleveland, Eileen Gerle, and Linda Soderquist. We also have Bill Fairbank to thank for organizing our field trip schedule and I’m sure he’ll be looking for anyone interested in joining our terrific Rookery docents for “the season”. What an amazing group of people working behind the scenes to organize the many activities our chapter provides!
- Jean Pichler, President
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October is a busy month!
Our field trips begin this month, starting with a walk at Bay Street Park in Osprey on October 5 and we’re introducing Family Field Trips as well. Field trips currently scheduled through December are available on the website Calendar. Please be aware that due to Hurricane Helene’s impact on local parks, preserves, and reserves, there may be changes to our offerings so please check the Calendar frequently for updates.
The monthly book club continues to meet two ways: in person and remotely. Book selections through 2024 are on the Calendar. Join us! Even if you haven’t finished the book (or perhaps haven’t started it!), come on in for a good discussion with some very thoughtful people. Volunteer Saturdays begin this month and we have plenty to do in our pollinator garden and around the park after our summer rainy season. And the 3rd Tuesday Program Nights at VUCC’s Naar Hall kick off on October 15th with a rousing game of JeoBIRDY! to get us thinking and no doubt laughing. We hope to see you soon! |
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Little Naturalists Program to resume this fall
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Now in its third season, our monthly Little Naturalists Program begins on Saturday, November 2nd and will take place this season at Shamrock Park and Nature Center in Venice. The program is designed for children ages 3-5, accompanied by an adult, and includes a story time, nature hike and craft. The program is free, however registration is required. Space is limited but there are still openings available. For details and to register, visit our website. |
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Firebush
PLANT OF THE MONTH
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The Firebush (Hamelia patens) is a powerhouse native shrub that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to its bright red tubular flowers. The standard sized firebush has the ability to grow up to 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide although you can get dwarf versions at native nurseries. This long-lived perennial blooms year-round unless affected by freezing temperatures, though it often resprouts from the base after frost. Ideal for landscaping, the firebush can be used as a specimen plant, hedge, or in informal background thickets. It is both hurricane wind-resistant and easy to propagate from seeds or suckers, making it a popular choice at native nurseries and plant sales. Firebush thrives in full sun or part shade, but it tends to do grow best in areas with morning sun and afternoon shade. |
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Volunteers needed to step up to the Christmas Bird Count
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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. |
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Snowy Plover
BIRD OF THE MONTH BY MARGARET F. VIENS
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Snowy Plover. Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota, FL. May 10, 2023. Margaret F. Viens
These tiny sand-colored shorebirds blend into their habitat if at rest in a depression in the sand, but can be seen when scurrying along the high beach. They are the smallest of the Plovers at about 6 inches. Breeding plumaged birds have a pale-brown-gray back with a white underside, a dark crown stripe, a partial dark collar, and a dark spot behind the eye. They have a thin, short black bill and gray legs, distinguishing them from the similar Piping and Semipalmated Plovers which have orange bills and legs.
Snowy Plovers eat small invertebrates found in the wrack line. Their nest is merely a small depression in the sand making them very vulnerable to disturbance from beach goers and unleashed pets. Chicks are precocial, able to run along the beach and find their own food within three hours of hatching, but they may occasionally hide and stay warm under the wings of a parent.
Snowy Plovers are considered near threatened, with an estimated population of only 31,000 world-wide; 24,000 of which are in the US.
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Photo and Information submitted by Margaret F. Viens.
References: - Sibley, D. A. (2014). The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY, USA.
- https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Plover/overview
- iBird Pro 13.4 – Mitch Waite Group
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