Birds and Birding>

Birds and Birding

Support for Urban Oases is generously provided by:
COMING SOON! Check back in January for an annotated list of bird-friendly and Florida-friendly plants for South Florida, based on the results of the Urban Oases Citizen Science Survey. A list for temperate Florida will be available in Summer 2010.
How you can get involved
1.	Support the Urban Oases Project through a donation to Audubon of Florida.
2.	Sign up to be a Citizen Scientist and conduct a bird survey in your neighborhood.
3.	Invite us to give a talk or workshop on bird conservation in Florida and bird-friendly landscaping
4.	Contact us to discover other ways you can get involved in the Urban Oases program

The Urban Oases Project

Making Our Parks and Homes Valuable Stepping Stones Along Migratory Flyways

Audubon of Florida has launched an initiative that will turn Florida’s parks, gardens and backyards into oases for the millions of migrating birds that seek respite during their arduous, trans-continental journeys.

Prothonotary Warblers © RJ Wiley

Read Audubon of Florida's 2009 Urban Oases for Migrating Songbirds Survey Report. Access the survey information and see what birds were spotted and where.

Audubon has launched the Urban Oases Project to promote landscaping that will improve the value of urban green spaces for migrating songbirds. These landscaping practices will also save water and energy, increase the extent of tree canopies and contribute to the cooling and beautification of our urban environments. This project, performed in collaboration with Audubon chapter members, botanical gardens, and county parks, will engage volunteer birdwatchers – citizen scientists – in bird surveys of urban green places to determine which species of plants are most beneficial as food sources for migrating songbirds.

Audubon and its partners will use the results of this study to help guide the landscaping practices of government agencies, botanical gardens, professional landscapers, and homeowners. Through an extensive education and outreach campaign, we will promote “bird gardens” – landscaping that improves the quality of urban stopover habitats for migrating songbirds

Florida is a haven for tens of millions of songbirds seeking respite and refueling during their long migratory flights twice each year. These colorful birds include many different kinds of warblers, vireos, thrushes, orioles, tanagers, buntings and grosbeaks. As they return to their northern breeding areas in the spring, many make remarkable trans-Gulf and trans-Caribbean flights and arrive on our coasts with depleted energy reserves and in immediate need of food. These birds depend on Florida’s woodlands, backyard gardens and urban green spaces to replenish their body fat before they can continue their journey north to their nesting grounds. In the fall, birds from throughout eastern North America funnel down through the Florida peninsula and must build up their reserves before making long overwater journeys to their winter homes. The kinds of food that are most important to these songbirds are insects, fruit, and nectar from flowers.

We can help sustain migratory songbirds by landscaping our parks and gardens with fruiting and flowering plants like soldierwood (L), beautyberry (C), and firebush (R).

These transcontinental journeys are challenging for the hardiest of birds, and the challenges are only increased as vast areas of natural habitats along migration pathways are altered or eliminated. Florida’s unique ecosystems are steadily giving way to development, making it difficult for exhausted birds to find suitable places to rest and refuel. In this rapidly changing landscape, our parks, gardens and backyards may serve as valuable habitat oases for hungry migrants.

When migrating songbirds fail to find sufficient food at stop-over sites, their migratory flights are delayed. Arriving at their breeding and wintering grounds late and in poor condition, these migrants are forced to select poorer quality habitats, resulting in decreased nesting success and rates of survival. By applying landscaping practices that provide high quality food sources for migrating birds and other wildlife, our urban green spaces may serve as important stepping stones for birds along their journeys.

Providing natural pest control, many migratory songbirds feed on insects during migration, like this black and white warbler © Dan Roach

The Urban Oases project is currently being piloted in Florida. A model partnership has been created in Miami-Dade County, involving Audubon of Florida, Tropical Audubon Society, Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation, and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Through this partnership, we are surveying the abundance and food preferences of migrating songbirds in urban parks and gardens throughout the county, and will apply the survey results to guide landscaping practices and urban greening programs. In Spring 2009, we plan to create similar partnerships in other counties throughout Florida. The program will eventually be expanded to other urban centers along the coastal Atlantic flyway and into the Caribbean, through National Audubon Society’s Atlantic Flyway Conservation Initiative, and partnerships with other conservation organizations. The Urban Oases Project may ultimately serve as a model for efforts nationwide, and the expanding database of preferred food plants for migrating songbirds will become an invaluable resource to guide and promote bird-friendly landscaping.

To learn more, contact:
John Ogden, Director of Bird Conservation or
Michelle Frankel, Conservation Biologist

Support for Audubon of Florida's Urban Oases Program is generously provided by: