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| Monthly Newsletter | January 2020 |
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| 23rd Annual Great Backyard Bird Count |
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The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event (Feb. 14-17) and report their sightings online at birdcount.org. Anyone can take part in the GBBC, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, or anywhere in the world. Last year, more than 160,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.
Join us at SPAC Friday, February 14th, 9am-11am to kick-off your own GBBC with a morning of birding, education, and community science. This event is open to the public and FREE, with a suggested donation of $5 per person. We encourage everyone to bring your own binoculars and dress appropriately for the elements, as we'll be outside birding our main trails for the duration of the event. If you do not have binoculars, we will have extra on hand.
Registration is requested. Contact SPACinfo@audubon.org, 662-252-1155
Friday, February 14th, 9am-11am
FREE, suggested $5 donation |
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| American Woodcock, John James Audubon |
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On Saturday, February 22nd, our annual fundraiser with Delta Wind Birds is returning to Strawberry Plains to ensure we see birds this year! The mysterious American Woodcock belongs genetically to the group of birds labeled "shorebirds," but it lives its life in woodlands and fields. Many Woodcocks spend much of the winter in Mississippi before returning north to breed, though they often perform their dazzling courtship displays while here during late winter. Join us in celebrating shorebirds and seeing the amazing courtship displays!
Arrive at the Visitor’s Center between 4:30-5:00pm, where we’ll have an indoor presentation about American Woodcock biology and shorebird conservation before venturing to watch for the amazing courtship display of male American Woodcocks (wagon departing ~5:40 p.m.) Finally, we’ll return to the Visitor’s Center for a Potluck Dinner (optional, but highly encouraged) and heart-warming beverages (BYOB/BYOW).
A registration fee and suggested donation of $20 is required to support Delta Wind Birds habitat work for shorebirds. $20 roughly equates to 1/5 acre of suitable stopover shorebird habitat during peak migration!
As always, this event is open and FREE to students.
Please register with Mitch Robinson at SPACinfo@audubon.org or 662-252-1155, and include your intended Potluck/BYOB/BYOW of choice, which we'll add to a shared google sheet.
4:30-7:30pm, Saturday, February 22nd
$20 per person; FREE for students
Register with Mitch Robinson at SPACinfo@audubon.org or 662-252-1155 (included Potluck/BYOB/BYOW) |
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| Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis |
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| Join Our Flock at the Native Plant Nursery |
Spring is around the corner and our Native Plant Nursery needs your help. We have 3,000 plants needing potting over the coming weeks and no 'green thumbs' are required!
If you want to learn more about native plants, volunteering at our nursery, or just lending a hand, please contact Stephanie at Stephanie.Green@audubon.org
Below are the Tentative Potting Dates: (ending times are a best guess based on number of plants---you are welcome to stay as long or short as you can)
Feb. 27th, 9am-2pm
March 6th or 7th (TBD)
March 26th, 9-noon
April 9th, 9-noon |
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| Le Conte's Sparrow; Greg Lavaty/Flickr Commons |
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Once again, Strawberry Plains Audubon Center (SPAC) is partnering with Delta Wind Birds (DWB) for our annual Winter Sparrow & Grassland Birding Workshop, Saturday, Feb. 29th. Starting at 8am, we'll begin outdoors to get some good early looks at Sparrows in our brush piles and grasslands, working with our DWB instructor, J.R. Rigby, on some quick visual and aural ID techniques. We'll then proceed inside for an indoor presentation at our Visitor's Center, reviewing key identification points for sparrows; study recordings to learn and review the most important vocalizations; and receive a take home quick ID guide for later use.
We’ll then return to the restored grasslands of SPAC, where we’ll put our knowledge into action and practice what we’ve discussed. We’ll also take time to study and appreciate other common bird species wintering in these grassland habitats. After warming up with a homemade lunch at SPAC, we’ll finish with an optional early-afternoon field trip to a unique, restored grassland of a private landowner in Hudsonville, just outside of Holly Springs. We expect to find 7+ sparrow species, including the beautiful and elusive LeConte’s Sparrow, which is a regular at this site.
Registration is required through Delta Wind Birds at: https://deltawindbirds.org/product/winter-sparrow-workshop/
Students: FREE
MOS/SPAC members: $25
Non-Members: $35
8am-12pm, Saturday, February 29th
Contact Mitch at SPACinfo@audubon.org for more details or questions. |
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| Prothonotary Warbler, Photo: Curt Hart |
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Strawberry Plains would like to cordially invite you to join us and the Audubon family from the six states of the Lower Mississippi Flyway at the first ever, Mississippi South Regional Summit. March 20-22!
https://act.audubon.org/onlineactions/FmY2ZlQPzkSmSG9uJKZ8WQ2
At this Spring's summit, we are convening National Audubon Society members, chapter leaders, campus chapter leaders, and state and center staff together at Strawberry Plains Audubon Center, to share resources, collaborate, and locally elevate Audubon's work across our region. We are looking forward to joining participants from Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
Who: You, your fellow chapter members, our new campus chapter leaders, and state and center staff from the National Audubon Society
What: A Lower Mississippi Flyway regional summit
When: March 20th – 22nd, 2020
Where: Strawberry Plains Audubon Center in Holly Springs, MS
Why: To learn new skills, share resources and ideas, and collaborate to overcome common challenges that all chapters face
The weekend will give us the opportunity to hear from other chapters, teach each other new skills, and of course do a little birding. Additionally, Strawberry Plains has been gracious enough to offer their native plant stock at cost to participants – so afterwards you can take some hard-to-find native plants home with you too.
We will hear from renowned Southeast grasslands ecologist, Prof. Dwayne Estes, of the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative, as well as gain insight about how to pass legislation in support of native plants and bird-friendly habitat, in your local community.
For inquiries or more information, contact Mitch at Mitch.Robinson@audubon.org |
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