2008 calendar

Oklawaha Valley Audubon Society

A Chapter of National Audubon Society and Audubon of Florida

   2008-2009

     Programs
      Field Trips

PO Box 268
   Eustis, Fl. 32727-0268

Visit our Web-Site
www.oklawaha-audubon.org

Is to assist in the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.

President
Jerry Bohmann 575 Seneca Oaks Cir. Mt Dora, 32757. 735 5922 jerrelk@aol.com

1^st- Vice President
Russ Littlefield 40840 CR 25, Lady Lake 32459, 753 2614 jlttl4277@earthlink.net

2^nd-Vice President
Nancy McAleer 6025 Spring Creek Ct. Mt Dora 32757 735 0354 nmcaleer@digital.net

Directors
Dennis O’Neil 8015 St James Way, Mt Dora 32757 383 6309 oneils2@comcast.net
Jim Dinsmore 646 Mallory Hill Dr Lady Lake 32162 753 4493 oldcoot@iastate.edu
Linda Bystrak 110 Oakridge Dr. Leesburg 34788 357 2207 lindabystrak@netzero.com
Fran Yokel 313 Pond Road , Mt Dora 32757. 383 0501 BJY313@iag.net

Conservation
Linda Bystrak 357 2207
Mary Remer 365 0934
Ron Boddicker 342 5365

These start at the gathering place listed. Always bring a picnic lunch. Additional information is provided in THE LIMPKIN CALL newsletter and you can contact the specific trip leader with any question, as the phone number is provided.

Participation in field trips requires the signing of a waiver form prior to departure.

November 1 Saturday
Ferndale Preserve. This is 192 acres on the west shore of Lake Apopka and is not yet open to the general public. A survey has documented 136 species of birds thus far. Meet at PEAR on Route 27 south of Leesburg at 8:30am. Leader= Gallus Quigley,office 516 8512, home 407 242 7833.

November 21 Friday
Lyonia Preserve. This is a Volusia County park near Deltona, famous for scrub-jays but there are wetlands too for water birds. See page 13 of the Great Florida Birding Trail East for more details. Meet at Winn-Dixie Eustis parking lot, 8:00am. Leader- Dennis O’Neil 383 6309.

December 10 Wednesday
Orlando Regional History Museum . This we visited in April 2007 and it was considered a major success. It explains the history of central Florida with skill and is an exceptional resource, which is highly recommended. Meet at 12 noon at either Publix Leesburg parking lot or Golden Triangle parking lot Mt Dora. Leader- Peg Lindsay 326 2045. After visit, dinner at a near-by Vietnamese restaurant, highly recommended too.

December15 Monday
Christmas Bird Count . We can always use all the volunteers we can get for this event so please try to make it. Meet at 7:30am at Emeralda Marsh, Wood Duck parking lot. Leader- Peg Urban 326 3868. Refreshments at the Blue House, Sunnyhill Farm at conclusion. $ 5 contribution.

January 17 Saturday
Lake Apopka area. This is very welcomed trip to an area and since we drive on the dikes, we will car pool to minimize traffic and a St Johns River Water Management District official will accompany us in areas closed to the public.. Meet at 9:00am at the County Agricultural Extension Center, Highway 19 and Woodlea, Rd Tavares. Leader- Ron Boddicker 342 5365.

February 11 Wednesday
Lake Woodruff. This is a National Wildlife Refuge close to DeLand. The ponds here provide good resting and feeding places for waterfowl, waders and shorebirds particularly in winter. Free entry. More information in the Great Florida Birding Trail East, page 12. Meet at Winn-Dixie Eustis parking lot 8:00am. Leader – Jim Dinsmore 753 4493

March 24 Tuesday
This the ever popular trip on Lake Eustis, Dora Canal and Dead River, with Heritage Tours and Reg Bale as Captain and plenty of wading bird rookeries. Price is $ 14 per person and boat capacity is just 32 so you need to sign up early. Meet at 9:00am at the parking lot of Lakeside Chiropractors, an abandoned boat on Lake Eustis, north side Highway 441 Tavares, just past the restaurant the Tale Chaser Grill, where we can lunch after the trip of about 90 minutes. Leader- Bruce Phillips 315 0593.

April 4 Saturday
Lake Norris Conservation Area. Trip cancelled due to lack of birds in rookeries.

April 17-19 Friday Overnight Trip
We will go to the Chinsegut Birding and Wildlife Festival for our overnight. We stayed at Chinsegut Hill on our 2001 overnight but this time will be with a festival. This is a near-by location close to Brooksville. Further details will come in January. Leader- Linda Bystrak 357 2207.

OVAS and TLNC will be combining meetings again this year. All meetings are free and open to the public and are held on Sundays or Tuesdays, October though April, at 2:00pm at Trout Lake Nature Center, one-half mile east of SR 19 in Eustis.on country route 44.

Meetings feature a speaker on a subject relevant to Audubon goals, for approximately 45-60 minutes, followed by a brief business meeting of past and coming events. Refreshments are available beginning at 1:30pm.

October 21 Tuesday
Regular Meeting 2:00pm. Fall Warblers is the topic and the speaker is Norman Lantz who is known to many members as the founder of The Village Birders. He made his career feeding birds, in the seed, feeder, bath and book businesses, and then in 2000 he retired to Florida and the birds feed him!

November 16 Sunday
Regular Meeting 2:00pm If you are member of Ocklawaha Valley Audubon, your are probably familiar with Trout Lake Nature Center as they are our meeting site. Perhaps you know that OVAS actually founded TLNC. But as with most things in life Trout Lake has changed and evolved over the years. Come hear their Naturalist, Lavon Silvernell, tell us facts about TLNC you may not be aware of; as well as, introduce us to some of the Nature Center's animal ambassadors

December 6 Saturday
11:30am. This is our Christmas Picnic, held together with Trout Lake and is our only time to be together at the holidays. The picnic will be indoors at Trout Lake and please bring enough food to share with others who attend. Last year we had a very good turn-out of more than 50. OVAS/TLNC will provide table decorations, settings and drinks. Leader- Jerry Bohmann 735 5922

January 20 Tuesday
Regular meeting- 2:00pm. Birds, Bananas and Panama. Clyde Stephens, an expert on all three of these items will be the speaker. Clyde is not only old-time Floridian but is also an almost Panamanian, spending most of his adult life with the people who gave us Chiquita. For those of us who cannot make the trip to Panama, this is a must.

February 15 Sunday
Regular meeting- 2:00pm. The Quest for the Ivory-Bill, is the subject and the speaker is Lyn Comans DVM, an avian specialist veterinarian and a member of The Village Birders. Lyn is a Cornell graduate and it was a Cornell team that perhaps sighted the woodpecker. She will show the video taken and discuss the current thinking on the subject.. .

March 24 Tuesday – 6:00pm
This is the OVAS Annual Meeting, Election of Officers/Director and the Potluck Dinner. The subject “Population- Habitat Under Pressure”, is a major Audubon theme and for 25 years Audubon has been committed to support for international family planning. Maggie DeVane , our speaker, has been active in this area, especially in the Philippines. She is also a board member of Orange Audubon.

April 19 Sunday
Regular Meeting- 2:00pm. "Priorities in FL Bird Conservation Issues: Challenges and Opportunities." This is the subject of this meeting and the speaker, John Ogden, is Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon of Florida and a specialist in Everglades wetland ecology.