St. Augustine, Florida, October 21, 2017 – Halifax River Audubon and West Volusia Audubon received Audubon Florida awards for conservation and education respectively at the Florida Audubon Annual Assembly in St. Augustine on October 21^st. 

Halifax River Audubon was given the 2017 Best Conservation Project Award for creating a unique international, dual-language campaign to protect the birds of Cuba through its children. After a birding trip to Cuba, the group produced the “Birds of Cuba / Aves de Cuba” coloring book, illustrated and designed by Reinier Munguia. Almost a thousand Spanish language copies have been taken to Cuba as a gift to the Cuban children to encourage them to embrace conservation and help stem the caged bird trade that seriously threatens several native bird species on the island. Anyone interested in acquiring a coloring book in English or in Spanish, can send an email to president@halifaxriveras.org

West Volusia Audubon received the 2017 Outstanding Education Award for using birds and water to bring families and communities together to learn about conservation. In 2016, West Volusia Audubon led a collaborative effort by more than twenty public, private and non-profit organizations to create The Water Festival, a day-long celebration of water, our most precious resource.  The program was so successful that for 2017-18 it will include a free, all-day symposium on October 27^th and a festival in Spring 2018. For more information, please visit volusiawater.org

Fourteen members of HRA and their guests travelled to St Marks National Wildlife Refuge from January 10 through January 14. The weather could not have been better. Betty Butcher was hostess and guide for the trip to this beautiful refuge on the Gulf Coast. HRA members spent hours in the refuge, walking the trails and compiling a list of 118 species for the trip. 

Check the following links for a photo gallery and the bird list. When you look through the photos, click to advance to the next picture. Make sure you spend a a little time on the alligator indentified as Rachel's movie. Click on the gator's nose and wait for it....it wasn't only birds that entertained the observers! Then click to see the rest.

St Marks Photos

Bird List for the Trip

We stared out to sea for hours, we hunted owls in the dark, we tramped up and down ancient dunes, we drove and walked the sandy beaches and we counted and counted birds. The results are not yet in, but an early unofficial estimate is 110 species for the Daytona Beach Count Circle. Thanks to all who participated and check the website for more information as the data is compiled.

It was a perfect day for a field trip. Nine observers under the leadership of John Roessler headed to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge seeking ducks and other winter specialties. 11 species were found in the impoundments. Good light offered spectacular views. Other surprises were an abundance of Wilson’s Snipe right at the entrance of Blackpoint Wildlife Drive. Some of the muddy areas were packed with the birds. A strange encounter at the Ducks Unlimited overlook trail took several members by surprise. John was the first down the trail and spotted a rat running across the dike. As others proceeded down the trail, the rat popped back out and ran across the trail again. It did this several more times and even paused to check out shoes. A little too friendly, maybe…

Unfortunately, no photographs were taken of the rat, but it is very likely a Brown Rat.

Click here for a list of the birds seen.