Established in the 1940s and incorporated in 1972, we serve the Greater Hillsborough County region, including Tampa, Lutz, Plant City, Brandon, Riverview and Seffner. 

By Jessica Parrish, Tabling Coordinator Tampa Audubon Society attended two festivals in February: Florida Regional Braille Challenge and Hope in Action. Mic McCarty at the Florida Regional Braille Challenge. The Florida Regional Braille Challenge gathered blind and low vision children together to compete in the braille challenges. With the theme being “Birds of a Feather, Braille Together,” TAS had to attend! Although blind and low vision children cannot bird by eye, it was h

By Jim McGinity, Florida Young Birders Club Young birders with Tammy and David McQuade. Photo by Tiffanie Bendever. A rare Black-headed Gull was spotted by young birders on their field trip to Southeast Florida. Photo by Jim McGinity. Jim McGinity led the Florida Young Birders Club on a weekend of birding in southeast Florida in January. The club made an extra stop to look for a rare Black-headed Gull behind a Winn-Dixie in Belle Glade, Florida. The group looked around with

By Will Laurie, Nominating Committee Chair We will hold elections of Tampa Audubon Officers and Directors at the May 7 membership meeting. Members can vote in person or on Zoom. Please plan to attend and vote! In addition to the board-endorsed slate of candidates, TAS Bylaws allow nominations from the floor at the May meeting, provided: 1) the nominee has consented to be nominated; and 2) the nominee publicly states their willingness to serve, and why they would be a good can

By Jessica Parrish, Outreach Coordinator, and Jim Hengelbrok, Membership Coordinator Welcome new members : Michael K., S G., Jay Y., J M., and Nirmala B. Thank you Tampa Audubon Supporters: Martha L M., Carolyn B., Cary S., Charles C., Robin P., John S., Kristen N., Christopher L., Morrow B., H P., Linda F., Ross A., Deborah M., Darlene K., and Jennifer T. Finally, a special thanks to all who said they would volunteer with Tampa Audubon! As an all-volunteer organization, our

Volunteer for the Florida Birding & Nature Festival in Apollo Beach and Sun City Center on Friday and Saturday, April 10 and 11, 2026. Most shifts are approximately 3 hours, and you can volunteer multiple days and for multiple shifts. If you need to stay seated, grab the Registration Worker spot or evening Ticket Checker spot. Morning and afternoon Ticket Checkers only work for about 20 minutes per hour. Day shifts get a free lunch and access to seminars outside of their wo

Dear Tampa Audubon members and Bird Enthusiasts, We are thrilled to announce a limited number of free subscriptions to Birds of the World, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s premier online resource that has taken flight to become the leading authoritative source for everything avian! 🌍🐦 If you're a volunteer and currently have a subscription, your subscription expires at the end of May 2026. However, by continuing to volunteer, you can renew your subscription with a new code

By Mic McCarty, Field Trip Coordinator Exciting news, the eBird app has been updated! You can now add other animals, rather than only birds, to eBird. When we upload photos, videos, and sound recordings to eBird these pieces of media are then integrated into a scientific archive called Macauley Library, both managed by Cornell University. As of March 2026, Macaulay Library has over ninety-three million pieces of bird media from around the world. Citizen scientists, like our T

Ann Paul, President By Ann Paul, Tampa Audubon President It’s such a simple concept, really. Bridges for wildlife between nature preserve areas are a good idea, whether the bridge is for large, charismatic species, or smaller ones, like butterflies and rabbits. This is the basis for the Wildlife Corridor Project and also the thinking behind so many of the purchases in Hillsborough County of the best environmental lands for long-term conservation. For instance, the entire Hill

Presented by Alex Freeze Corridor Connect Director County Extension Office, 5339 County Road 579, Seffner 6:30 pm - Potluck. Bring a dish to share 7:15 pm - Announcements 7:30 pm - Scheduled Presentation In person and on Zoom. Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84959398693 Alex is a natural sciences professional with almost a decade of experience in science communication, interdisciplinary education and wildlife conservation. Her work, informed by her background in wildli

By Jessica Parrish, Outreach Coordinator, and Jim Hengelbrok, Membership Coordinator Welcome new members : Ashely B., Thomas H., and Charlene G. Thank you Tampa Audubon Supporters: Eric M H., Julia H., Susan S., Rose R., Beverly C., Kristen C., Alicia V., Johanna M., C R., Z H., Robin T., Robert C., Danielle G., Jacob L., Abigail S., Randy B., and Nevada S. Finally, a special thanks to all who said they would volunteer with Tampa Audubon! As an all-volunteer organization, our

Ann Paul, President By Ann Paul, Tampa Audubon President We really don’t recognize how lucky we are. We live in the United States with the best health care the world has ever known. We travel freely whenever and wherever we want, in air-conditioned comfort over roads that, if crowded, are designed to take us across a large, interesting, and beautiful country. Our air and water are cleaner than they were in the 1970s, with provisions to safeguard our breathing and digestive sy

Tampa CBC By Dave Bowman, compiler, Tampa Christmas Bird Count The Tampa Christmas Bird Count is an exciting event our birders look forward to every year during the holiday season, from December 13th to January 5th. This year, we had our Bird Count on January 3. I am proud to announce this year’s turnout for the National Audubon Society’s 126th Christmas Bird Count Tampa Division was a success, with a total of 37 participants. Our results are as follows: Together, we observed

By Mic McCarty, Field Trip Coordinator When I am out driving, I often like to disconnect from the hectic pace of life. I especially like to listen to music evocative of my destination. Whether I am on my way to Fort De Soto, Magee Marsh, Acadia, or even the grocery store, the music that I listen to (when not listening to bird calls) is often acoustical and filled with the sounds of nature. Orange Tree Productions records music suited to the natural environment. It specialize

The Florida Young Birders club had a fall full of monthly outings: Lettuce Lake Park in September, Connor Preserve (Odessa) in October, Roosevelt Wetlands (Pinellas Park) in November, and Circle B Bar Preserve (Lakeland) in December. We had some regular members attend most of the outings with a few new members sprinkled in. Last weekend, we had an outing to Lake Parker and Lake Morton in Lakeland co-led by former Florida Young Birder, Charles Law, and current Florida Young

Spring is one of the most exciting seasons for bird enthusiasts. As winter gives way to warmer days, birds become more active, showy, and vocal. By being seasonally savvy, you can create the perfect environment to help them thrive. With just a few thoughtful choices, your backyard can become an important stopover for migrating flocks and a safe haven for year-round residents.

As spring progresses, migrant species will arrive as winter visitors prepare to leave the area. To s

Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84959398693 MacDill Air Force Base is the home, wintering ground, and migration stop for over 235 species of birds. We will discuss the different species that call the base home and the many different habitats that make the installation so rich in bird life. Eric Plage has always been fascinated with birds and birding since picking up the passion at the age of 7. He is the Natural Resource Manager at MacDill AFB. An avid birder in the Tam

By Sandy Townsend, Newsletter Editor A Florida Scrub-Jay spotted in Southeastern Hillsborough County in December traveled nearly 10 miles to find a new home, a distance not typical for the rarity. The scrub jay was spotted at Balm Boyette Scrub Nature Preserve Dec. 7 by iNaturalist users niccolejs and zacgaryfla, then again Dec. 14 by Tampa Audubon member Charlie Fisher during the Alafia Banks Christmas Bird Count. The rarity has not been recorded in that area for 20 years or

Ann Paul, President By Ann Paul, Tampa Audubon President As bird-watchers, this will seem so familiar, especially as we are finished now with the multiple Christmas Bird Counts. We’ve been on alert for all winged creatures, trying to ignore planes flying over. And as a result, we are all still avidly watching the skies, trying to turn circling, lazy-winged vultures into eagles and hawks, white items along shorelines into egrets (darn, another plastic bag!), sticks and rocks i

Ann Paul, President By Ann Paul, Tampa Audubon President As you know, we have a lot of habitat and climate challenges facing our world these days. Two upcoming events are happening that deserve our attention and participation: Florida Arbor Day on Jan. 16 and the Prescribed Fire Fest on Feb. 21. January 16: Florida Arbor Day Celebrated statewide and in Hillsborough County with a tree workshop Florida Arbor Day Tree Workshop and Giveaway Jan. 16, 9-11 am UF/IFAS Extension Hil

Photos (Top row: Mary Miller & Roxie Custalow, Bottom row: Clint Perigard and Sherry Keller) By Mary Miller Tampa Audubon Society Bluebird Trail Coordinator Hello everyone! It is hard to believe that it will soon be time for the 2026 Bluebird Nesting season to begin! If you would like to sponsor one of the 56 boxes on the Flatwoods Bluebird Trail this year, now is the time to sign up! Nesting season is from March to August and sponsors will receive a weekly activity report f