A Bird Walk, A Tea & A Toast to Nature Lovers Past and Present
Bird Walk Leader: Kirsten Hines, Text by Ana Lima, Behind-the-Scenes Images by Kirsten Vignes, Bird Images by Alison Enchelmaier
The Phoebes gathered for a very special Bird Walk & Tea on a glorious winter morning January 5th, 2020. The enchanting event was hatched and hosted by Phoebes enthusiast Gloria Turkel, who invited our group to explore the native hardwood hammock at her yard and neighboring gardens of the late Ron and Elane Nuehring, followed by a tea party at Gloria and her husband Bruce’s lovely old Florida home in South Miami.
It was in the spirit of the Nuehrings, who were nature lovers and conservationists, that our group of more than two dozen ladies gathered to enjoy birds, nature and each other’s company on such a fine morning. We also had to tip our fancy hats to the women of the late 1800s who, over tea, plotted the halt to the slaughter of birds for their feathers and launched the modern environmental conservation movement.
With Gloria as our guide and Phoebe Kirsten Hines as our bird walk leader, we began birding at Dante Fascell Park in South Miami around 9:30 a.m. under a bright blue sky and a refreshing 60-degree breeze. We spotted a very active Yellow-bellied Sapsucker feeding in a Live Oak, a Blue-headed Vireo, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Parula, Black and White Warbler and an Eastern Phoebe, our group’s namesake bird, in the park.
From there we strolled for nearly a mile along the grassy bank of the Snapper Creek Canal toward Gloria’s house. Among the species of birds we saw were Muscovy Duck, Egyptian Goose, White Ibis, Green Heron, Common Gallinule, and Palm and Magnolia warblers. Phoebe Miriam Avello also helped identify the bounty of butterflies that floated by including Gulf Fritillary, Julia Heliconian, Zebra Longwing, Monarch, Cassius Blue, Ceranus Blue, Barred Yellow, Hammock Skipper and Monk Skipper.
We also explored the native plants and trees along the route, with fellow Phoebes sharing their knowledge about various species. A native plant expert, Kirsten identified many of the native flora including fogfruit, a low-growing herbaceous plant that can be incorporated into a diverse lawn to support many butterflies and insects. She encouraged everyone to keep their yards filled with as many native plants as possible as a way to attract birds and other native wildlife.
The bird walk concluded with a tour of the gardens at the Turkel and Nuehring properties. Among the highlights was a spectacular Gulf Licaria tree, also known as Pepperleaf sweetwood, which the Nuehrings propagated from a plant in Simpson Park. The Gulf Licaria is a rare tree, currently listed as extinct in the wild, historically known only from Brickell Hammock just south of downtown Miami. We also saw Lignum Vitae, Buttonwood, Brittle Maidenhair, Dahoon Holly, and the endangered Bahama wild coffee.
Gloria, a nature-lover and birder who is passionate about maintaining her native plant landscape, explained that a portion of her property has qualified for protection under Miami-Dade County’s Environmentally Endangered Lands Tax Covenant. The program was created in 1979 in an attempt to preserve the dwindling forestlands in the County outside of Everglades National Park, and to provide property owners with an economic incentive to preserve forestland.
Our gracious host, Gloria Turkel, showing us her native plant landscape.
It was because of the Turkels’ generosity and affection for nature and for the Nuehrings, avid birders and friends to Tropical Audubon Society, that the Nuehring estate has been preserved. Ron and Elane were dedicated members of the Florida Native Plant Society and often opened up their garden to tours. They were also both very active leaders of the Miami Blue Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association. A story about Elane in the FNPS’s publication, the Tillandsia, noted, “Elane Nuehring's eyes were always on butterflies and birds. Many of us knew her as the "icon" of the Miami Blue Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association, and before that part of the backbone of the Tropical Audubon Society. She was rarely without binoculars close at hand.”
Following the gardens tour, we donned our most elegant hats for tea and scrumptious nibbles on the Turkels’ patio, toasting the Turkels, Nuehrings and South Florida conservation while indulging on delectable home-made cookies, exotic teas, and cucumber sandwiches assembled by Bruce, our honorary “Blue Jay.” As usual, the Phoebes brought a small mountain of treats including tiramisu, succulent strawberries and one of our new Phoebes brought sublime macarons from Kindness Batters vegan bakery in Lake Worth Beach.
For those of us who are passionate about protecting habitat and water for birds and other wildlife, a sense of history was not lost upon us. The connection between birds and tea goes way back. In Boston in the late 1800s socialites Harriet Lawrence Hemenway and Minna B. Hall staged tea parties to inform their wealthy friends that birds were being greedily slaughtered by the millions to provide feathers to decorate ladies’ hats. After many teas and persuasion, Hemenway and Hall helped to form the Massachusetts Audubon Society, in honor of the iconic bird painter John James Audubon.
The 23 species of birds we saw that Sunday enjoy the protection of laws borne of those tea parties long ago. The birds and feathers decorating the Phoebes hats were fake, but our passion for birds and bringing women together through nature is very real. The Phoebes honor the brave women who cared about birds and community over a century ago and are most grateful to Gloria Turkel and all the women today who continue that legacy.
Thanks to everyone who came out!
Birds We Saw
Bird(s) of the Day: Eastern Phoebe
Plant of the Day: Gulf Licaria
23 species of birds were seen in total:
Egyptian Goose
Muscovy Duck (Established Feral)
Common Gallinule
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Green Heron
White Ibis
Turkey Vulture
Cooper's Hawk
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Mockingbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Palm Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Northern Cardinal