TIME TO ELECT OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dear PRAS members, it’s that time of the year to elect the Officers and Board Directors for the upcoming year. This is usually done at our Annual Meeting in May. Due to Covid restrictions, this will need to be done virtually by the process of ‘unanimous consent’. The attached list represents our current slate of Officers and Board Directors. If there are any additional nominations, we need to hear back within 14 days of publication or promulgation. If none are received within that time period, the slate will be considered elected by ‘unanimous consent’. Thank you for your consideration.

PRAS Nominating Committee

Officers – President – Bren Curtis Vice-President – Vicki Carpenter Treasurer – Sandy Artman Secretary – Nancy Leopold

Directors – Mike Krzyzkowski Rob Mills Phyllis Cady Michelle Kloese Kerry Bowers Pete Quasius Sue French

Walkabout on Seaboard Grade – 4/5/22 Trip Report

On Tuesday, April 5, PRAS had another great birding walk in the Cecil Webb WMA. A nice group gathered at 8 AM including a few new folks that read about our walk in the paper. Some hardy birders gathered at 7 AM for some early morning birding, then joined us at 8 AM. When we carpooled to Seaboard Grade, it had turned into a beautiful cool and sunny day. Our leader was birder and photographer, Barbara Segal, who took us north, then south along Seaboard Grade.

Heading north we saw Green Herons, Carolina Wrens, Catbirds, Anhinga, a Prairie Warbler, Great Egrets, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Boat-tailed Grackles, and lots of alligators! Crossing Tucker’s Grade and heading south we saw Great-crested Flycatchers, Black-crowned Night Herons, a Flicker, lots of Red-winged Blackbirds and lots more alligators! As we looked over the marsh we were thrilled to see giant flocks of birds…there were White Pelicans, Glossy and White Ibis, Great Egrets, and mixed flocks of water birds rising from the marsh. After the group dispersed, a few birders spotted a Purple Gallinule! Isn’t that the way it works sometimes! The group saw a total of 39 species. It was a great day…join us next time.

Babcock-Webb WMA, Charlotte, Florida, US Apr 5, 2022 6:44 AM – 11:44 AM Protocol: Traveling 16.0 mile(s) Checklist Comments: 11 birders, PRAS Walkabout

39 species Northern Bobwhite 1 called repeatedly, heard only from Oilwell Mourning Dove 2 Chuck-will’s-widow 2 Purple Gallinule 1 Sandhill Crane 1 Wood Stork 4 Anhinga 3 American White Pelican 16 Least Bittern 2 heard only in one location, to the right on Seaboard from Oilwell, also seen foraging in a second location to the left of Oilwell Great Blue Heron 1 Great Egret 3 Snowy Egret 3 Little Blue Heron 10 Tricolored Heron 1 Green Heron 1 Black-crowned Night-Heron 5 White Ibis 40 Glossy Ibis 40 Turkey Vulture 4 Red-bellied Woodpecker 3 Downy Woodpecker 1 Pileated Woodpecker 2 Northern Flicker 1 Great Crested Flycatcher 3 Blue Jay 2 Fish Crow 2 House Wren 1 Carolina Wren 3 Gray Catbird 2 Brown Thrasher 1 Northern Mockingbird 1 Eastern Meadowlark 2 Red-winged Blackbird X Common Grackle 4 Boat-tailed Grackle 2 Palm Warbler 2 Pine Warbler 1 Prairie Warbler 1 Northern Cardinal X

To see more photos from the trip, please check out our Facebook links: https://www.facebook.com/PRASaudubon/posts/3268173270072408 https://www.facebook.com/PRASaudubon/posts/3270552973167771

2022 PRAS Bird-a-thon Raises $1,839.25 for Environmental Conservation

The 2022 Peace River Audubon Society Bird-a-thon raised $1,839.25 which will be used to support the Peace River Audubon Society’s conservation goals. If you’re not familiar with our bird-a-thon, the idea is for teams to see, hear, or photo as many species as they can in 1 day. Teams raise money from sponsors who pledge either a fixed amount or an amount per species. Each team chooses which specific PRAS related program or programs their donations will be used to support. Additional categories this year included a single site bird-a-thon where teams bird in one place instead of running all over the County and a photographic bird-a-thon where individuals compete by taking as many “identifiable” photos as possible.

Four teams participated this year. Team Archaeopteryx (Cathy Olson, Gregg Klowden and Kevin Edwards) and Team We Saw (Sally and Phil Allen) did the traditional birdathon, Team Segal’s See Gulls (Barbara Segal, Shannon McGinnis, Sandy Artman and Phyllis Cady) a half-day traditional birdathon, and Birdy Bren (Bren Curtis) a single site birdathon. Gregg and Bren double tasked and also took photos.

In total the 4 teams saw 113 species! Team Archaeopteryx won the county-wide birdathon category with 109 species. It could have been two higher, but twice only one person heard a bird and at least two on the team have to see or hear it to count. The first bird was a chuck wills widow at Cecil B. Webb Wildlife Management Area and the last was a painted bunting at home! Second place goes to Team We Saw, with 57 species and Segal’s See Gulls were close behind with 55 species (including 3 that no other teams saw or heard). Birdy Bren had 19 species at Venice Rookery while she was double tasking environmental duties. The winner of the photographic birdathon with most species photographed was Gregg with 28 species. Bren won the photo contest with her fabulous shot of a nesting Great Egret.

The four teams raised $1839.25! Overall Team Archaeopteryx raised $1379.25 which will go to the PRAS college scholarship fund ($700), Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center ($500), Ron Mills Youth Camp Scholarship Fund ($100) and PRAS unrestricted youth environmental education fund ($79.25). The Segal’s See Gulls raised $435 which will go to the Ron Mills Youth Camp Scholarship Fund and Birdy Bren raised $25 which will go into the PRAS college scholarship fund.

The birdathon is an important revenue generator to help PRAS and its sister organizations meet its conservation and education goals. Many thanks to all who participated, solicited, and donated! I hope to see all 4 teams and more next year! Please help to increase its success next spring by participating or helping plan or advertise. Contact Cathy at Birdathon1@PeaceRIverAudubon.org.

Cathy Olson Bird-a-thon Coordinator