West Volusia Audubon

05/20/2026

05/20/2026

We know the algorithm isn’t always our friend, and sometimes people find out about our events after they happen. We want to help make sure you’re finding out about our events in plenty of time!

Our weekly West Volusia Audubon/LEC Friends “Sentinel Jay” newsletter includes a look at upcoming WVA events as well as events at the Lyonia Environmental Center, as well as news and articles of note. You can sign up for the mailing list at:

https://www.westvolusiaaudubon.org/ehummingbird/

This link is also found on Instagram in our stories and highlights.

We also want to remind you that the LEC hosts events through Eventbrite, and if you follow the LEC on Eventbrite, you’ll also get updates when new events are added! You can follow them here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/lyonia-environmental-center-50947472233

05/19/2026

From Slobodan Preradovic of the Lyonia Photography Club:

Blue in the Shadows

Grand Oaks Resort, Florida • April 2026

A Blue Jay glowing against the muted woodland background — one of those moments where the colors do all the talking.

Sony ILCE-6700

FE 200–600mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS + 1.4X Teleconverter

840mm • f/9 • 1/500s • ISO 6400

05/18/2026

Join us for the unveiling of Downtown DeLand’s newest mural celebrating the iconic Florida Scrub-Jay!

West Volusia Audubon and the LEC Friends will be part of this official unveiling on Tuesday, May 19th and 5:30 PM in Downtown DeLand’s Artisan Alley - and the public is invited!

This mural is painted by members of West Volusia Artists and offered as a gift to the citizens of DeLand by West Volusia Artists and West Volusia Audubon.

The mural is licensed by National Audubon Society as an Audubon Mural Project. The is a public art initiative that aims to raise awareness and advocate for actions on the plight of birds threatened by loss of habitat and climate change.

05/08/2026

Downtown DeLand is home to a beautiful new scrub-jay mural!

A new mural has arrived in Artisan Alley, and it is worth stopping to see. The West Volusia Artists Group, with support from the West Volusia Audubon, recently completed a striking depiction of a Florida Scrub-Jay, one of Florida’s most recognizable native birds.

The mural was approved by the Mural Art Board in January and was designed with a simple but meaningful goal: to bring people together through art inspired by the natural world around us.

Next time you are in the alley, take a moment to look up and appreciate the work that went into it.

05/03/2026

Our 2026 Jay Watch fundraiser is well underway, and with some mail-in donations and our PayPal link we are just over a third of the way to our goal!

Please share this link with your friends and followers and help us get the word out!

Will you chip in to help support citizen science and this annual effort to study, monitor, and publicize the Florida Scrub-Jay?

https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=EHMSXAY2QPM4L

Did you know?

🐦 Florida Scrub-Jays are the sunshine state’s only endemic birds, meaning they live nowhere else on earth.

🐦 They live in the high, dry, sandy scrub habitat of Florida.
Fewer than 10,000 Florida Scrub-Jays remain.

🐦 Audubon Florida’s Jay Watch Program trains volunteer citizen scientists to count Scrub-Jay populations across the state every year.

🐦 This program is critical for evaluating the health of Scrub-Jay communities, identifying best management practices for preserving scrub lands, and publicizing the importance of protecting this spectacular bird.

04/21/2026

Join Stetson student and Audubon on Campus leader Natalie Al-Shihabi for this educational program for students and the public! Learn about the importance of the raptors that fly in our skies, and how rehabilitation facilities work to heal and release these incredible birds back into the wild.

Come enjoy free food, raffle prizes, and the chance to meet a resident raptor from the Marine Science Center!

Event Page: Raptors and Rehabilitation

Date: Saturday, April 25
Time: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Location: Rinker Environmental Learning Center
Address: 230 E. Michigan Ave, DeLand, Florida, 32723

About Natalie:
Natalie Al-Shihabi is a senior at Stetson University, studying Aquatic and Marine Biology with a minor in Psychology. While at Stetson, Natalie interned for the Merritt Island Wildlife Association, working with both Lake Woodruff and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuges for outreach events and citizen science projects. With funding from West Volusia Audubon, she worked with the Avian Research and Conservation Institute on their research of Swallow-tailed kites, and helped with the successful tagging and release of “Astor,” a local Swallow-Tailed Kite. She recently acquired a position working for the Marine Science Center in the Bird Hospital, to rehabilitate wild birds as well as work with their resident raptors. Natalie is now the Senior Advisor for Stetson Women’s Club Soccer team after being the President in previous years and is now also the Vice President of Stetson Audubon.

04/16/2026

The meadow is taking shape! The Garden Keepers finished installing the drip irrigation system, planted the last 40 plants for a total of 120 Native Plants, and finished it all off with 12 bales of pine straw. Let the growing begin!

Next time you stop by Lyonia, you’ll see that the brand-new Meadow Garden has been planted thanks to the hard work of a volunteer team!

The Meadow Garden is the result of a grant from the Florida Wildflower Foundation and is a joint effort between the Deltona Regional Library, Lyonia Environmental Center, and the Friends of Lyonia Environmental Center/West Volusia Audubon.

These plants were all selected for a long-blooming cycle and for attracting pollinators. The finished project will include educational information on each type of plant used in the planting and an educational website about the importance of native plants.

Thanks to all our partners and volunteers and of course the Florida Wildflower Foundation for making this project a reality!