Upcoming 2025 Events
All Birding Field trips are listed on our Calendar.
Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge
Initiatives
Marine Science Center
20 February 2025.
Citrus County Audubon welcomed Earnie Olsen, Supervisor of the Marine Science Center to this month’s chapter meeting. Mr. Olsen provided a brief history of the Center which was established in1967 and is a part of the Citrus County School System.
Throughout the school year students in grades 4 and 7 are brought to the center where they get to experience enrichment activities which for some include their first time on boats or even going into the water. They snorkel, trawl for specimens, overcome fear, and interpret data. The most important thing though, is they never forget. High school students enrolled in certain environmental and other science classes also use the facility as part of their studies.
In a year’s time, over 2300 Citrus County kids experience a creative hands-on and fun learning experience that relates to their own home town. When space and time allow, students from other counties use the facilities.
During the summer the Center stays busy with Coastal Camp Citrus for Middle and High schoolers. In the past this included overnighting but between COVID shut down and then a series of hurricane that have destroyed most of the infrastructure, the Center can only provide daytime sessions.
The mission of the Citrus County School District is to educate all students through relevant curriculum and experiences for life in an ever-changing world.
Mission of the Science Center is to increase student environmental literacy through hands-on laboratory and field-based educational experiences in local aquatic, estuarine, and marine ecosystems.
Earnie is an example of how successful the Marine Science Center is, as a student in Citrus County, he attended classes that enhanced his desire to learn more. Now, he is helping other kids with hopes for similar results.
Citrus County Audubon proudly contributes for two summer camp scholarships that allow a couple of kids to experience something very special.
To learn more visit their website: https://mss.citrusschools.org/home
2024 Citrus Audubon Christmas Bird Count
On January 4, 2025 fifty-five individuals on eleven teams counted 118 bird species in the CCAS count circle. Not only was the species count lower than expected, the numbers of total birds counted was also very low compared to prior years. Other nearby count circles reported similarly for their efforts this year. Most abundant bird of the day was the America Robin with over 2,000 individuals tallied. Rarest bird of the day was a Great White Heron found by Team 8 in Ozello.
Although the county was gracious enough to allow us access to the beach, many species that are usually found there were not present on the morning of January 4, most notably Common Loons, Red-breasted Mergansers and Horned Grebes.
We’d love to have you participate in future CCAS CBCs. It’s wonderful to be a part of this long-running birding experience. 2024 was the CBC’s 125th year.
Backpacks Donated to Central Ridge Library by
Citrus County Audubon Society
by Citrus County Audubon Society
As part of our ongoing program with Citrus County Libraries, Sue Albertson, Treasurer of Citrus County Audubon Society, delivered 5 new backpacks and 5 pairs of binoculars to Central Ridge Library to be distributed to all 5 libraries in Citrus County. These are used to loan out to library patrons. We also included Birding Backpack Field Guides and Pocket Guides about Florida birds.
Taylor Keeran, Public Relations Coordinator of Central Ridge Library, commented that the Birding Backpacks have seen more than 100 checkouts since the project began. They are consistently being checked out and are very popular with patrons.
Youth Activities at the Marine Science Center
Check out our Blog entry for an update on Marine Science Station Camp which your donations support.
Snorkeling at the Springs
Birding – Guided Field Trips
Guided field trips are held 15-20 times a year, usually September through April. They are typically day trips to local birding trails in Citrus County or surrounding areas. Occasionally, a two-day trip is offered to a birding hot spot in another part of the state. All levels of birders and nature photographers from amateur to advanced take part in these outdoor activities.
Recommended tools for field trip participants:
Global tools for birders, critical data for science
- Record the birds you see
- Keep track of your bird lists
- Explore dynamic maps and graphs
- Share your sightings and join the eBird
- Contribute to science and conservation
Tools and Data for Butterfly Enthusiasts
- Track your butterfly sightings and locations
- Organize, store and share your photos
- Find butterflies you have never seen
- Explore dynamic range maps
- Share your sightings with others
- Contribute to science and conservation
Our Education Efforts
Judy Lathrop and Susan Pratt from Citrus County Audubon presented a very successful pilot program on February 29, 2024 to 150 sixth graders at the Inverness Middle School. The program included an introduction to local birds, information about birds, and a live barred owl presentation that inspired many terrific questions by the students. They hope to expand the pilot to include all 300 students at IMS and perhaps to other middle schools in the county.
CCAS has recently obtained a grant to purchase binoculars, colored pencils and field guides to assist students with birding walks and nature journaling programs. This will complement the pilot program or be used for an after-school program.
The Boys & Girls Club has also contacted our Audubon club about doing a summer program for children K-8. Judy Lathrop plans to meet with the Director of the Boys & Girls club soon to discuss this.
Citrus County Audubon Society, P.E.R.C.H. share fun facts about feathered friends with IMS students
-By Nancy Kennedy Chronicle Reporter
Clicker the barred owl was the star of the show at Inverness Middle School on Thursday. Clicker and her handler, Terri Jones of PERCH, and members of the Citrus County Audubon Society did a presentation to sixth-grade students about local birds and birding.
Birds are cool.
That was the message for sixth grade students at Inverness Middle School Thursday as representatives from the Citrus County Audubon Society and PERCH (Parrot Educational Resource Center and Habitat) shared fun facts about birds in general and local birds in particular.
Like, did you know that baby sandhill cranes are called colts? That’s because of their long, strong legs.
Did you know that birds are descendants of dinosaurs, or that they’re both predators and pollinators or that a female cardinal sings while sitting on her nest?
Terri Jones of PERCH talks about barred owls, like her friend Clicker, to a group of sixth-grade students at Inverness Middle School on Thursday.
Did you know that it’s illegal to collect bird feathers? The North American Migratory Bird Act was enacted in 1918 because people were killing too many birds for their feathers to put on women’s hats. And because it’s not possible to know the difference between plucked or shed feathers, you’re not allowed to have any at all.
Did you know that vulture poop, which is highly acidic, acts as a disinfectant and kills harmful bacteria?
The sixth-graders at IMS know these and other bird facts now.
“We want to get kids excited about birds and to get them outdoors, and also to become good stewards of the environment,” said Judy Lathrop from the Citrus County Audubon Society education committee.
She said there’s a big concern that children are spending less time outdoors than they have in generations past and that it has a negative effect on their behavior and also their emotional and physical health.
So, targeting the sixth grade, Lathrop and the others – Nancy Kost, Suzan Zimmerman and Susan Pratt from the Audubon Society and Terri Jones from PERCH – talked about the birds in their own backyards and neighborhoods and those they can find out on the Withlacoochee State Trail or the nearby forests, rivers and lakes, and even Cooter Pond in downtown Inverness.
The “star” of the show was Clicker, a barred owl that Terri Jones held in a gloved hand. Jones told the students that barred owls – not “barn” owls, although there is such a species – have a distinctive sound, a hooting call of 8–9 notes.
Lathrop also said that, through a partnership with the Citrus County Audubon Society and the Citrus County Library System, people can check out bird backpacks from the local libraries for two weeks.
The backpacks contain binoculars, guide books and maps of local birding locations.
It was also announced that the IMS media center will be getting a bird backpack that students can check out if they want to try their hand at bird watching.
The Backpack Program
Citrus County Audubon currently has a program with the five libraries in Citrus County called “The Backpack Program.” This program provides a backpack, binoculars, bird ID books and literature that can be loaned out from the library. This has been very well received and there is a waiting list to use these materials. We are planning to expand the number of backpacks available to help meet the demand.
Scholarship Donations
Citrus County Audubon Society recently made a donation of 2 scholarships to the Coastal Camp at the Marine Science Station in Crystal River to support students that are committed to nature and wildlife.
