August 2026 Newsletter

Great Crested Flycatcher in Starkey Park by Christine Rowland

On Saturday, August 1st we'll hold our monthly walk in Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park.  We'll depart from the Education Center parking lot at 7:30am.  We do recommend that you bring along water, bug spray and wear closed-toed shoes as it is likely to be hot out there.  Naturally, its also a good idea to have binoculars and/or a camera.

At this time of year it is very hot and humid, so we'll keep the walk to within 2 hours and will likely not walk further than 1.5 miles.  We are beginning to see early fall migrants, and its possible that we may pick up migrating wood warblers.  Grassy Lake has been quite active too, as recent rains have left water levels suitable for waders and shorebirds and a few ducks too.  And of course, the bird blind provides an ideal viewing spot with some shelter from the sun.  

As always, this is a free event and all are most welcome.  Questions?  You can reach us at [email protected].  

Our next Birding-by-Bike outing is on Saturday, August 15 at the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area which is located 15 miles south of Crystal River. eBird reports that 45 species of birds were identified in the last month at this location, recording some if my favorite birds including Summer Tanagers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Red-tailed Hawks and Yellow-billed Cuckoos. 

The trail surface is hard-packed (not paved) but is not too difficult. Please bring water and snacks. This website is a good source of information on biking in the Chassahowitzka Wilderness Management Area:  https://www.100floridatrails.com/eco-biking/chassahowitzkawma.htm#section1 

We will meet at 8:00 AM at Chassahowitzka Wilderness Management Area, starting at the access point off US 19 near Centralia Rd. There is a sign-in and day-fee pay station with parking, restrooms, and picnic facilities. There is a $6 fee per vehicle for parking at the check-in station.

Link to ebird for Brooker Creek Preserve and Surrounding areas: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L502704.

Red-headed Woodpecker by Bob Burkard on a previous trip to Chassahowitzka.

Map of the 7 mile trail the group will take.

On June 20th we attended the National Geographic contributing Photographer Mac Stone's  presentation at the Starkey Ranch Theater Library Cultural Center.   Mac Stone is an award-winning conservation photographer who specializes in documenting the Everglades and America's swamps.  We all enjoyed the lively and insightful presentation. Afterwards we enjoyed lunch at a Mexican restaurant with the members of the Photo Club.  

At the next meeting in August we will discuss the Photography competition with the Florida Camera Club Council.  We are updating the date and time and as soon as we receive the confirmation I will let the members know via email.  If you would like further information please send a request to [email protected].

Ken has served on our Board for almost 6 years, but recently he made the decision to step down, as personal circumstances changed and he needed to lighten his load.  We're very grateful for all that Ken has contributed over the years, particularly helping with building and maintaining various nesting boxes and helping with the refreshments for our meetings.  The good news is that he's not disappearing completely, and you'll still see him at our Saturday meetings where he plans to continue to assist.  Thank you Ken!

Ken helping install the Purple Martin House - January 2026

Resplendent Quetzal by Christine Rowland

Our former Secretary, Kimberly Snaric, generously offered to have a new webpage built for us by her business, CPR Tampa.  It has taken a little while as there have been competing priorities, but we're really excited to release it to you in or around mid-August.  We want to say a huge THANK YOU to Kimberly, her IT expert Karl Enero, and CPR Tampa for this generous gift, and we really hope you like it as much as we do.  

Web-pages are a little like homes, in that they can use renovations periodically to keep them looking and feeling fresh and new, as well as improving function for today's environment.  

Some of the features of the new site will include the housing of the newsletter, which will save hours of work each month on layout, and also improved functioning for our schedule, enabling you to register for events simply and easily through the webpage.  We have refreshed all information on the page.

Mike Kell has done an amazing job of maintaining and updating our current webpage for at least 15 years.  It would have been impossible to operate as we have without his tremendous effort and sharing of time and expertise and we sincerely thank him for this.  With the arrival of the new page Mike felt that it was finally time to step back and let someone else take the helm.  That individual will be Phil Duncan, our current Secretary, who has generously agreed to step in.  He has experience in running a webpage so we anticipate a smooth transition.  Thanks to Phil for stepping into this new and very important role.

While we want to express our deep thanks to Mike for his many years of investment into the webpage, we also want to reassure you that he's not disappearing! In fact, he's taking the lead on the motus tower project, one of our key conservation priorities.  Thank you Mike!  

You may well be wondering about what we have in store for you in the 2026-7 season.  With the upcoming changes to the webpage we want to give you an advanced look at the new season.  Most of our talks are in place, although we are still finalizing a couple of presentations for later in the season, currently marked TBA pending confirmation.  We have also included here a preliminary look at our field trip schedule.

October  3rd  -  Adventures in Colombia and Costa Rica (with a Latin lunch)

Our season opener will include enjoy viewing photographs and hearing stories and take-aways from our intrepid travelers - we'll also be enjoying some Latin food. More details to come.

November 7th  -  Florida Friendly Landscaping and Turf Alternatives - Kate Kaste, Program Manager, Florida-Friendly Landscaping™  University of Florida / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension Pasco County

Learn how to create a beautiful home landscape while protecting Florida's water resources

December  5th -  Florida Dragonflies - Paul Trunk  

January 2nd  -   Southeastern American Kestrels:  30 Years of Research  -  Dr. Karl Miller

February  6th - Tampa Bay Water Quality - Gordon Grard, Program Manager, Tampa Bay Waterkeeper

March 6th - TBD

April  3rd - The Nature and Wildlife of Tampa Bay Photography Competition Awards

 Presentation TBD

September 25th (Friday) - Fred Howard Park 

October 10th - Birding-by-Bike - Chassahowitzka WMA

October 10th - October Big Day (see flyer on p.7)

October 24th - Field Trip to Fort De Soto

October 15th - 17th -  Audubon Assembly

November 14th  - Birding-by-Bike  - Pinellas Trail

November  21st  -  Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive

(Thanksgiving - Nov 26th)

December 13th - Birding-by-Bike - Good Neighbor Trail (Brooksville)

December 14th -WPCBC

January 15th- 17th - Weekend Destination (tentatively Southwest Florida including Corkscew Swamp Sanctuary and Marco Island)

January 30th - Circle B Bar/Lake Moreton

February 6-16th Ecuador:  Birding the Choco-Andes Region

February 20th   -  (Hillsborough location TBD)

February 27th    -  The Celery Fields

March 13th  -  Ocala National Forest

March 27th -   Croom/Chinsegut

April 10th -   Traveler's Rest (?)

April 24th   Migration at Fort De Soto

May 15th - Rural Pasco/Hernando

Additionally, there will be monthly meetings and field trips for Pasco Audubon Photography Club and walks most Wednesday mornings with our 102 birding group.  

This is some fall fun for birders across our region.  Tampa Audubon is coordinating a friendly competition to coincide with October Big Day.  It's free and all are invited to participate.  The rules are simple, just reach out to Mic McCarty at [email protected]  for further info and to register.  Good luck!

Social Media Manager – Do you love posting to Facebook and Instagram?  We need someone to promote upcoming events and conservation projects while increasing our digital reach.  Our Social Media Manager will be responsible for setting up an Instagram account, receiving media from event leaders, and creating posts for both Instagram and Facebook.  Aiming for weekly or biweekly posts, with some periods of increased activity, especially in March leading into the annual photography contest.  Can work from the comfort of your home (or while traveling).  Contact Christine Rowland at [email protected]

Fundraising Coordinator – Are you a persuasive people-person interested in helping advance our conservation efforts in a very substantial way?  We are in need of someone to lead multi-faceted fundraising efforts, including developing a corporate sponsorship program and developing a tiered membership program.   Can often work from the comfort of your home (or while traveling), but some in-person work is required (meeting sponsor etc.).  Must be comfortable communicating digitally (e-mail, Zoom, etc.).  Contact Patricia Goldberg at [email protected].  

Educational Coordinator –  Love sharing your enthusiasm for nature and wildlife?  Do you have experience in teaching/education or just love working with kids?  We are in need of someone to lead community educational programs across all age groups.  Duties will include representing the organization at community events and school events, sharing information on Pasco Audubon’s goals and opportunities, and serving as a contact and coordinator for libraries, clubs, and other organizations (such as senior centers) seeking speakers on birds and conservation.  Additionally, our educational coordinator will lead in the development of programs and events designed to increase our outreach to younger crowds (summer family programs, scouting partnerships, high school internships or seminars, young birders groups).  There is a possibility for this to become an executive Board Member position (if desired).  Must be comfortable communicating digitally (e-mail, Zoom, etc.).  Must be able to attend in-person events.  Contact Patricia Goldberg at [email protected].  

Field Trip Coordinator -  Ideally we would like to have a member take on the annual planning of field trips, maintaining the schedule and ensuring a designated leader for each trip.  A candidate for this position will be a member who has preferably attended field trips to most of the typical hotspots in the past, and is aware of the issues a newer member might face in joining a trip.  They would communicate with the webmaster to ensure that any adjustments to the schedule are included on the website and with the newsletter editor to ensure that they are also posted there.  This position could be a Board member, but does not necessarily need to be one.  Contact [email protected].  

EagleWatch Monitoring - Nesting season begins on October 1st and runs until eaglets fledge - typically by June at the latest.  Training is given by Audubon's EagleWatch program (usually in September) and you can sign up to monitor one or more nests in the area.  The program currently monitors about 34 active nests in Pasco County and your assistance would be much appreciated.  Time involved is typically 20-30 minutes once every 10 days to 2 weeks.  Volunteers also need a computer with internet access to enter data for the program.  If you would like more information or to volunteer, please reach out to our EagleWatch coordinator, Kimberly Rexroat at [email protected].  

September 5th - 7:30 am - Monthly walk in Starkey Park

September 12th  -  8am  Birding-by-Bike  - Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park

September 25th - Friday field trip to Fred Howard Park (Details TBD)

Christine Rowland, President - [email protected]

Don Fraser, Vice President and Conservation Chair - [email protected]

Joanne Chamberlain, Treasurer - [email protected]

Phil Duncan, Secretary - [email protected]

Mike Kell, Web Master [email protected]

Patricia Goldberg, Special Projects [email protected]

JoAnn Sinatra, At-Large

Ken Landry, At-Large

Bob Burkard - Birding-by-Bike, Bluebird Project & Purple Martin Project [email protected]

Other Important Contacts:
Fran Sigurdson, Membership Chair [email protected]

Hal Sigurdson, Photography Competition Coordinator [email protected]

Noriko Buckles, Pasco Audubon Photography Club Coordinator [email protected]

Our web address is:
www.pascoaudubon.com

Our Facebook Page is:
Pasco Audubon

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