PRAS Annual Meeting May 19, 2022 – Presentation: Reinier Munguia “Climate Change: Effect

Join us for the last meeting of the season for Reinier Munguia’s presentation: “Climate Change: Effect on Birds”

Reinier Munguia is a full-time naturalist and nature photographer based in Lakeland, Florida. He serves as the President of the Lake Region Audubon Society and EagleWatch Volunteer Coordinator. His work has appeared in various publications including books, magazines and scientific publications. In his spare time, he leads photography workshops in exotic destinations including Galapagos, Costa Rica and Panama, among others. He spends great amount of time documenting wildlife and their struggles in our constantly changing environment.

Topic: Peace River Audubon Society Meeting – 5/19/22 Time: May 19, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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Meeting ID: 881 4300 9014 Passcode: 429738 One tap mobile +13126266799,,88143009014#,,,,*429738# US (Chicago) +19292056099,,88143009014#,,,,*429738# US (New York)

PRAS Online Meeting April 21, 2022 with Jerry Water’s presentation – “The Fascinat

Jerry Waters is a retired science teacher from Arcadia. For most of his career, his teaching responsibilities centered on Chemistry, Honors Chemistry and Dual Enrollment Biology. He has received numerous recognitions as an educator, including the DeSoto County District Teacher of the Year, the Walmart Teacher of the Year for DeSoto County, and a Florida Distinguished Educator award from the University of Florida. Jerry has a B.S. in Biology from Clemson University, and a M.S. in zoology from Auburn University. His primary interests are in the natural history of amphibians, reptiles, and birds, and the conservation/preservation of Florida’s unique and threatened habitats.

He is a certified Florida Master Naturalist and Advanced Florida Master Naturalist, and he is a Florida Master Naturalist instructor. He has been an avid nature photographer for over 40 years. He currently keeps busy doing nature photography, giving nature talks, and serving as a Florida Master Naturalist presenter.

Topic: Peace River Audubon Society meeting 4/21/22 Time: Apr 21, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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Meeting ID: 770 5010 4252 Passcode: kQZQ7K

Field Trip to Fort De Soto – 4/16/22 Trip Report

Our spring trip to Fort De Soto in Pinellas County is always something to look forward to. Once again we had beautiful weather but as this was a holiday weekend, we only had one carload heading north. Mike K. was our trip leader so the drive just flew by with good conversation and networking. Our first stop was the Gulf Pier where we hoped to get to see the Black-legged Kittiwake but had no luck. We did enjoy identifying the waterbirds there…gulls, terns, sandpipers, plovers, and about 5 graceful Snowy Egrets that were showing off their breeding plumage. Then on to the North Beach Grove which is always good for warblers. We found the Blackpoll Warbler, Black and White, Northern Parula and also flycatchers, woodpeckers, and others that like the oaks. Our next stop was north beach where we quickly spotted a Reddish Egret, Marbled Godwit, Dunlins, Semipalmated Plovers and the Least Sandpiper. Seeing the Great Horned Owl with one baby owl was one of the highlights of this trip. It was in the Arrowhead picnic area in a tall pine. On the way to the Bay Pier we stopped again to find the Black-legged Kittiwake. We heard that it had fallen sick and was taken to a wildlife center. Also unfortunate was the construction at the Bay Pier so we stopped for lunch under a shady tree at the administration building. Before heading home we checked out the east tip and added a few more species including the Short-billed Dowitchers. All together we saw 42 species! A big thank you goes to Sandy A. for being our driver…not an easy task on such long a trip.

Wood Stork Double-Crested Cormorant Brown Pelican Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Reddish Egret Cattle Egret White Ibis Black Vulture Osprey Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Willet Marbled Godwit Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Dunlin Least Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Laughing Gull Royal Tern Sandwich Tern Eurasian Collared-Dove Mourning Dove Common Ground Dove Great Horned Owl Red-bellied Woodpecker American Kestrel Great-crested Flycatcher Loggerhead Shrike Fish Crow Barn Swallow Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird European Starling Black and white Warbler Northern Parula Blackpoll Warbler Palm Warbler Northern Cardinal Common Grackle Photo of the Great Horned Owl by Phyllis Cady