The Leaflet, July / August 1999
- Off the Beaten Path by Jess Gwinn
- 1999 Birdathon Highlights by Jerry Downs
- Birdathon Contributors
- A Report on the SAS Mio, Michigan Trip by Jim Hengeveld
- Member Survey Results
- Say Hello to the Roadside Birders, Steve and Candi Bailey
- Wanted: Hospitality Chairperson
- Wanted: Conservation Chairperson
- Volunteer Information
- Wanted - Sponsors for Audubon Adventures for Kids!!
- May Day Bird Count Wrap Up by Sandy Belth
- SAS Calendar for July / August 1999
Off The Beaten Path
Greetings! Before I begin my first OTBP I would like to thank past president Jim Brown and the other departing board members, Ingrid Beery, Jane Taubensee and Ed Schools. Jane and Ingrid should be commended for their work on greatly increasing the number of classrooms participating in Audubon Adventures and securing funding for these sponsorships. Ed will be missed for his recent work as secretary and long-time involvement as the conservation chair. (Good luck to Ed, Lise and Molly Schools in Marquette, MI. Their contributions to Sassafras Audubon through the years have been influential. We all hope they do come back next year.) And finally, thanks to Jim Brown for keeping us all focused while maintaining his sanity.
As I begin my term, I ponder the significance of the word Audubon. To me Audubon is more than an artist, more than a glossy magazine, more than a national environmental organization. Audubon is a philosophy carried by thousands of members across the country who act on that philosophy in daily life. These acts don’t have to be great like climbing a redwood to prevent its felling. No, these acts are more often than not simple decisions made on everyday concerns, decisions about household purchases, lawn care, or transportation.
Sassafras Audubon provides the opportunity to take the next step of involvement. From the list of departing board members and their activities, you can see there is a need for volunteers on many different levels. Unfortunately, in the past many of our committees have operated as a committee of one. While the basic work is accomplished, there are many extras that remain undone. The time commitments are often minimal, maybe one hour or so a month. The amount of the time commitment is often up to the individual to decide. Much of the work can even be done in the comfort of your own home! Getting involved is a wonderful way to meet like-minded individuals; to learn more about environmental programs; and to enjoy the satisfaction of knowing you have personally made a positive difference on the environment. The next time you see an advertisement, sign up for work on one of the committees or special projects. Attend programs and outings. Participate in the Christmas Bird Count, Spring Birdathon, Big May Day Bird Count or Summer Butterfly Count. You won’t regret the decision. In this Leaflet you can find out about a couple of current volunteer opportunities, and we have included a brief form for you to return indicating your volunteer interests.
Finally, there is a special insert in this Leaflet asking for your support of the Audubon Adventures program. Please read this insert and help to sponsor a classroom or two. For the Audubon mission to ultimately succeed, we need to give our youth a solid environmental education based upon science, not political rhetoric. This is one program that definitely fulfills those goals. The money spent now may one day pay huge dividends. Who knows what environmental leader may be sitting in one of those classrooms right now?
1999 Birdathon Highlights
This year’s Birdathon was a great success, and everyone involved had a great time. SAS had six teams in the field this year, compared with two last year and only one in the previous years, and the combined species total (along with the other three teams that registered with the Monroe County Parks & Recreation) was 179 birds! Don Whitehead’s ‘Team Neotropica’ led the way (as usual) with 151 different species, 133 of those in Monroe County! Next came Jim and Susan Hengeveld’s ‘Prothonatary Wanderers’ with 136 total species with 108 in Monroe County. Jim Brown’s ‘The President’s Team’ had a total of 125 species, all in Monroe County. Sandy & Jeff Belth’s ‘Wild Birders’ had a total of 114, all in Monroe County. My team, ‘The Flycatchers’ came in with 101 species, 98 in Monroe County. Because Chris Woods was out of town his team’s totals were unavailable. The Monroe County Parks & Recreation ‘Mudhens’ had a total of 113 species, the Fish & Wildlife team had a total of 120 species, and a team led by Stuart Tower had a total of 101 species–these three teams were all in Monroe County only and were not affiliated with SAS.
I asked some of the participants to describe their Birdathon experience this year.
Sandy Belth: The ‘Wild Birders’ were Jeff and Sandy Belth, Jess Gwinn, and Ross Brittain. In the late afternoon while driving in southwestern Monroe County, we saw a raptor, and when we pulled over we discovered that it was an Osprey! When we stopped by our house in late afternoon, we spotted a Junco under the feeders! Very late indeed. Having numerous teams out in the field was fun; normally when one encounters fellow birders, "good" birds are shared, but on Birdathon day everyone was being very quiet and secretive. At one point at a known Prothonotary spot, we jokingly called out to another team as we passed by that we had scared "it" away. An hour later, they had the opportunity to get back at us when they passed us at another spot and said they had chased all the birds away. It helped us realize that even though we were all out to win, to find the most birds, we were all having a fun at the same time.
Jerry Downs: The highlights for my team (Pat White, Bill Holladay, Nancy Hanger, and myself) included two adult Bald Eagles soaring high over Little Africa; a Great-crested Flycatcher at the bridge at the bottom of the hill on West Kinser Pike; a Grasshopper Sparrow on Woodall Road; a singing Philadelphia Vireo on Gross Road; the Blue Grosbeak at the end of the dike at the second gate at Stillwater; getting an Orchard Oriole at Cutright for species #100 for the day.
Jim Hengeveld: Our team consisted of Rhonda Hine, Roger Sweets, and Jim and Susan Hengeveld. This was Rhonda's first major birding outing, so there were a LOT of highlights and many new birds for her. Of the 136 species that we tallied, close to 100! were species that Rhonda had not seen or heard before. Other than Monroe and Brown County sites, our team also visited Benton County at the end of the day. Highlights for our group included: the adult Little Blue Heron at Stillwater that most of the groups saw; a Semipalmated and several White-rumped Sandpipers with the Least Sandpipers at Stillwater; a singing Gray-cheeked Thrush at dawn in Yellowwood State Forest; an American Pipit along the roadside just south of Southshore Drive near Lake Lemon; a flyby Peregrine Falcon at Pine Creek Nature Preserve in Benton County; numerous American Golden Plovers (in breeding plumage!) in the fields of Benton County; dusk at a roadside marsh in Benton County, being serenaded by multiple Virginia Rails and Soras and, finally, by a single Upland Sandpiper.
Rhonda Hine: A holiday in Costa Rica started my interest birding. Curiosity and the Internet led me to the Bloomington Sassafras Audubon Society. I enjoyed my first experience in the May Day bird count. It was an opportunity to talk to other birders to compare notes, see what they think are the best field guides, binoculars, scopes, etc. I learned how to identify birds and how important field marks are on several birds. Participating in this count really made me aware how vital listening is to the overall experience. I worked to learn some of the finer points of different calls and what mnemonics birders use. After the trip I immediately bought a copy of Peterson's "Birding by Ear" to continue my education. I think the first time birding like this is the most awesome time. I will never forget seeing a whole field of Golden Plovers lift off and simultaneously turn in the sunlight.
Birdathon Contributors
In a class by herself:
Sarah Elizabeth (Libby) Frey
Major donors:
- James Allan
- Jim & Maria Brown
- Susan & Jeffery Green
- Jess Gwinn
- Margie Hill
- Arthur Koch
- Craig Nelson
- Don & Betsy Whitehead
Donors:
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Thanks also to all who donated cash and to any other contributors who may have been omitted from this list. The Raffle and Silent Auction were also very successful. The Raffle raised $308 and the Silent Auction raised $616, and to date we have received $2500 in pledge money. So we have raised over $3400, and all proceeds go to the study of Neo-tropical migrants in the Hoosier National Forest.
A Report on the SAS Mio, MI Trip
The Sassafras Audubon Society trip to Mio, Michigan (Friday, May 21-Sunday, May 23) was successful! All of the participants were able to see at least one Kirtland's Warbler and we saw and heard numerous other birds (as well as other northern plants and animals) on the trip. We successfully avoided severe weather until the return trip on Sunday. Besides hiking and birding in the Mio area, most of us also visited Hartwick Pines State Park (north of Grayling) and, on the way back on Sunday, stopped at Houghton Lake Wetland Area (along SR 27 in Michigan) and Nayanquing Point (on Saginaw Bay, MI).
Other than Kirtland's Warblers, highlights in the Mio area (primarily scrub pine) included: the ever-present ethereal songs of Hermit Thrushes; Vesper & Clay-colored Sparrows (and Nashville Warblers) sharing the habitat with the Kirtland's Warblers; several Common Ravens; a Rose-breasted Grosbeak singing in a tree in the motel parking lot at Hartwick Pines State Park; Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins and Purple Finches at the visitor's center feeder; a singing Winter Wren; Magnolia, Blackburnian, and Canada Warblers and Blue-headed Vireos.
At the Houghton Lake Wetland Area: a pair of Least Bitterns building a nest near the platform; several Osprey nests; a Common Moorhen; a displaying pair of Sandhill Cranes; about 25 Black Terns cruising around the area; the Great Blue Heron rookery with many active nests; and a displaying Common Snipe.
At Nayanquing Point: several Great Egrets and Black-crowned Night Herons; Mute Swans; one Whimbrel and hundreds! of Dunlin in breeding plumage; Caspian, Forster's, Common, and Black Terns; singing Marsh Wrens and Swamp Sparrows; five to six male Yellow-headed Blackbirds (a lifer for a couple of the participants).
Member Survey Results
Earlier this year SAS conducted a member survey, and we’d like to extend a big thanks to everyone who took time to provide us with input. Of approximately 650 surveys mailed, 115 were returned, making a response rate of around 17%! Of people who responded, about 15% use our web site. This is great, and we hope more of you will start using it in the future. If you’d like to help save paper and postage, you can sign up to get the Leaflet on line. Following is a rough summary of survey responses.
- Most commonly listed reasons for belonging to SAS: to support conservation, to support Audubon, and the love of birds and wildlife.
- Events participated in by the most people: the annual seed sale, bird and nature outings, and attending a lecture or program.
- Top requests for additional activities: a nest box program, nature hikes and bird outings, and conservation initiatives.
- Most popular suggestions for new Leaflet features: local birds column, items on yard birds / feeding, and a conservation column.
We plan to continue working on our most popular activities to make them even better, and we will also be introducing new projects to add variety to our offerings. Ross Brittain already has a Kestrel box program in the works which will get underway next year, and this fall we will begin a Lake Monroe shoreline cleanup at our adopted site, Stillwater. In this Leaflet you will see a couple of new items: the member-contributed "Roadside Birders" column, and a follow-up article on the SAS trip to Mio, Michigan. We will include more outing reports in future issues, and add a conservation column as well. If you have further ideas you’d like to share with us, don’t hesitate to let us know. Contact Jess Gwinn at 876-8623.
Say Hello to the Roadside Birders
SAS members Steve and Candi Bailey are on a year-long journey around North America. They are officially on sabbatical from Steve's teaching job, but unofficially will be birding their way from the Pacific Northwest to Alaska, through the Southwest, along the Gulf Coast, and up the Atlantic seaboard to Maine. They hope to periodically send some birding notes from the road.
June 5, 6, 7: Much of our birding will be done from a car window, and that has been the main content of the last couple of days. We stayed on the interstate to Des Moines, but then headed north on two-lane state roads. Our first stop was at a KOA campground that had two ponds and lots of Boy Scouts making lots of noise. Still, this area provided Cedar Waxwings, Northern Orioles, Robins, House Wrens, and Kingbirds.
As we headed north through Iowa, we commented that it would be nice to get a bobolink; no sooner said than done. Though only a passing glance, we had many other occasions to spot them perched on fences lining the roads. Our second night we stayed in a campground at Pipestone, South Dakota. Split Rock Creek has been effectively dammed to provide a nice variety of habitats, along with the birds that frequent them. Here we found more Orioles and discovered from a local birder that there aren't too many Cardinals in this area. Since to us the call of the Oriole sounds similar to that of the cardinal, we wondered if there might be some connection. Why so few Cardinals in South Dakota just over the line from Iowa where it is surely the state bird (on all those license plates!)? And why are we seeing so many Orioles these days? Are we just better at recognizing their calls or are they mimicking the Cardinals in some vast scheme designed to displace them?
One of the things we didn't see was a hawk of any kind until the middle of the third day when we spotted a northern harrier cruising the vast grassland of eastern South Dakota. Along the roads there were great numbers of Redwings and Brown-headed Cowbirds. Highway 34 in eastern South Dakota is bordered by swampy grasslands which yielded Blue-winged Teal, Grebes, Shovelers, Mallards, one Great Blue Heron, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and some species we were unable to identify.
Next up is the Missouri River. Until next time, we remain . . .
The Roadside Birders, Candi and Steve Bailey.
Wanted: Hospitality Chairperson
Sassafras Audubon is in need of a person to coordinate refreshments at our evening programs. This person would be responsible for assembling a pool of volunteers from which two are picked for each program. These two volunteers would then make sure that snacks and drinks are provided during a specific program. After the program the volunteers would be responsible for cleaning up. Approximate time commitment for each program would be two hours. This is a great way to both enjoy SAS programs and contribute valuable volunteer time to the organization! Anyone interested in chairing or serving on this committee may call Jess Gwinn at 876-8623.
Wanted: Conservation Chairperson
The Conservation Chair will assemble a committee to keep track of important local, regional, and national conservation issues. The committee will then formulate and propose actions for the Board and general membership to take in response. The Chair will attend Board Meetings to keep the Board apprised of these issues, and will oversee chapter efforts to develop conservation objectives and strategies. The Chair will also write articles for the Leaflet on important issues and activities. Approximate time commitment averages a couple of hours each month, including Board Meetings. For more information or to volunteer, contact Jess Gwinn at 876-8623.
Volunteer Form
Since our focus this month is on getting involved in SAS, we’d like to compile a list of people who are interested in volunteering for any kind of activity or project. Putting your name on this list will not obligate you to a specific commitment, but will help us identify interested members. It will help us out a lot if we have a pool of names to draw on so we can spread the work of SAS out among a wider number of members, instead of relying on the same people to show up every time. Time commitments can range from a few hours each month to a couple of hours each year, depending on what you’re involved in. We recommend volunteering for one new activity this year, but once you’ve met some of the other SAS members and shared some fun together, you may want to try more. You can respond by mailing in this form, e-mailing the Leaflet editor, or by phoning the Membership Coordinator, Candice Crutcher, at 339-0258. Please include the following information in your message. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event!
Name: ____________________________________________________________________________
Contact Information (address, phone, e-mail): _____________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
I would be interested in the following (indicate one or more):
- Serving on a committee (our committees include: Conservation, Hospitality, Membership, Publications, Fundraising / Birdathon, and others)
- Participating in the shoreline cleanup or other workdays (such as the Little Africa workdays we’ve had in the past year)
- Helping out with fundraising activities such as the Birdathon, Seed Sale, or Native Plant Sale (this includes helping distribute seed or plants on pick-up day).
- Assisting in the Kestrel box program (including mounting and monitoring nest boxes).
- Leading a hike or outing.
- Contributing to publications, like The Leaflet or the web site.
- Any of the above, or other: ________________________________________________________.
Wanted - Sponsors for Audubon Adventures for Kids!!
Member of SAS have a love of the environment and interest in educating children for the future good of the planet. We have the potential to instill in our youth curiosity about the natural world and concern for environmental quality.
You can help us reach that potential by sponsoring the Audubon Adventures program for children in Bartholomew, Brown, Greene, Lawrence, Monroe, Morgan, and Owen Counties. Audubon Adventures is a wonderful environmental education resource for students in grades three through seven, and comments from local Audubon Adventures participants testify to the value of the program:
- "We often take the newspaper out to the nature trail and read it with the plants and animals."
- "I am so happy to be a part of this club!"
- "Audubon Adventures makes you want to learn more about nature."
- "I wish we could do Audubon Adventures every day!"
Each Audubon Adventures kit includes a series of four newspapers, a video, and a teacher’s activity guide. The main topics for the 99-00 school year will be "People and Wildlife Sharing the Earth," "The Everglades," "Alaska," and "Forests."
The cost of an Audubon Adventures kit for one classroom is only $35. Both individuals and businesses may be sponsors. Please make this wonderful learning experience possible by sponsoring one or more classrooms. We have received applications from 93 classrooms for the 99-00 school year, and with your help we can reach our goal of funding all of their requests. To be a sponsor, just complete the form below and return it by July 15.
Questions? Contact Kristina Lindborg at klindbor@indiana.edu or (812) 323-8233.
AUDUBON ADVENTURES SPONSORSHIP
1. Your name, address, telephone and / or e-mail:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
2. Number of classrooms you are sponsoring: _____ x $35 per classroom =
$_______.
(Make check payable to Sassafras Audubon Society)
3. You can use your sponsorship to fund any classrooms that apply to use the program, or you can specify a particular teacher, grade level, school, community, or county.
_____ Use my sponsorship to fund any classroom that requests a kit.
_____ I would like my sponsorship to be for: _____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Send this form and your check to Kristina Lindborg, Education Chair, 2213 Sussex Dr., Bloomington, IN 47401.
Thank you very much for your help!
May Day Bird Count Wrap Up
The May Day Bird Count was held Saturday May 8th. There were eight observers in three parties. Teams started at 5:00 a.m. and finished at 8:30 p.m. The final tally was 122 species. Highlights included one adult Bald Eagle, 25 species of warblers, one Dickcissel, and Grasshopper and Henslow's Sparrows. A Barred Owl was counted in the middle of the day by chance. As we drove by a wooded area we spotted the owl perched on a log that had fallen across a stream. The owl had just taken a bath and was preening. We stared at the owl in wonder, it stared back at us with indignation, turning, it flew into the silence of the woods. We had just continued on again when a Turkey walked across the road in front of us. It was a fun day.
Species Count: Great Blue Heron - 5, Green Heron -1 , Canada Goose - 49, Wood Duck - 46, Turkey Vulture - 54, Bald Eagle - 1, Cooper's Hawk - 1, Red-shouldered Hawk - 2, Broad-winged Hawk - 1, Red-tailed Hawk - 14, American Kestrel - 4, Wild Turkey - 4, Northern Bobwhite - 4, Semipalmated Plover - 1, Killdeer - 7, Lesser Yellowlegs - 2, Solitary Sandpiper - 4, Spotted Sandpiper - 11, Least Sandpiper - 4, Bairds Sandpiper - 2, Rock Dove - 35, Mourning Dove - 26, Black-billed Cuckoo - 1, Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 1, Barred Owl - 1, Common Nighthawk - 2, Whip-poor-will - 3, Chimney Swift - 76, Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 4, Belted Kingfisher - 2, Red-headed Woodpecker - 3, Red-bellied Woodpecker - 11, Downy Woodpecker - 7, Hairy Woodpecker - 3, Northern flicker - 4, Pileated Woodpecker - 9, Eastern Wood Pewee - 10, Acadian Flycatcher - 20, Willow flycatcher - 2, Least Flycatcher - 2, Eastern Phoebe - 3, Great Crested Flycatcher - 5, Eastern Kingbird - 17, Horned Lark - 3, Purple Martin - 47, Tree Swallow - 31, N. Rough-winged Swallow - 15, Bank Swallow - 22, Cliff Swallow - 42, Barn Swallow - 62, Blue Jay - 29, American Crow - 65, Carolina Chickadee - 16, Tufted Titmouse - 26, White-breasted Nuthatch - 11, Carolina Wren - 10, House Wren - 14, Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 46, Eastern Bluebird - 21, Veery - 2, Gray-cheeked Thrush - 5, Swainson's Thrush - 20, Wood Thrush - 29, American Robin - 205, Gray Catbird - 42, Brown Thrasher - 7, Cedar Waxwing - 2, European Starling - 101, White-eyed Vireo - 7, Yellow-throated Vireo - 10, Warbling Vireo - 10, Red-eyed Vireo - 29, Blue-winged Warbler - 4, Tennessee Warbler - 28, Nashville Warbler - 5, Northern Parula - 10, Yellow-Warbler - 31, Chestnut-sided Warbler - 3, Cape May Warbler - 5, Yellow-rumped Warbler - 23, Black-throated Green Warbler - 4, Yellow-throated Warbler - 16, Prairie Warbler - 6, Palm Warbler - 5, Bay-breasted warbler - 2, Blackpoll Warbler - 10, Cerulean warbler - 16, Black-and-white Warbler - 5, American Redstart - 7, Prothonotary Warbler - 4, Worm-eating Warbler - 5, Ovenbird - 12, Northern Waterthrush - 2, Louisiana Waterthrush - 6, Kentucky Warbler - 19, Common Yellowthroat - 59, Hooded Warbler - 2, Yellow-breasted Chat - 9, Summer Tanager - 3, Scarlet Tanager - 17, Northern Cardinal - 35, Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 15, Indigo Bunting - 68, Dickcissel - 1, Eastern Towhee - 23, Chipping Sparrow - 24, Field Sparrow - 23, Savannah Sparrow - 5, Grasshopper Sparrow - 5, Henslow's Sparrow - 5, Song Sparrow - 39, White-throated Sparrow - 2,White-crowned Sparrow - 1, Red-winged Blackbird - 186, Eastern Meadowlark - 21, Common Grackle - 184, Brown-headed Cowbird - 53, Baltimore Oriole - 24, House finch - 16, American goldfinch - 100, House Sparrow - 53.
SAS Calendar for July / August 1999
All outings and programs are free and open to non-members.
Saturday, July 17, 1999 " 3rd Annual Monroe / Brown Butterfly Count"
As part of the North American Butterfly Associations’ 4th of July Butterfly Counts, we will again be conducting the Monroe /Brown Butterfly count. The counts are organized much the same way as the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Counts in that a 15 mile diameter circle is described. Butterfly teams cover different parts of the circle in search of as many different species of butterflies as they can find during the course of the day. The center of the count circle is the Crooked Creek boat ramp on Lake Monroe. The count circle includes all of the Stillwater Marsh and Northfork areas, Yellowwood State Forest, most of Brown County State Park and much of the Hoosier National Forest, including all of the Deam Wilderness. If you would like to learn about butterflies and help with our count, please call Jeff or Sandy Belth, 825-8353 or e-mail Belthbirds@aol.com. We will arrange meeting times and places. Come for all or part of the day.
Tuesday, July 20, 1999 The Life of Birds Comes to PBS
On July 20th, local PBS affiliate WTIU will begin broadcasting the new ten-part PBS series, The Life of Birds. Written and presented by David Attenborough, the series was nearly three years in the making, and it promises to rival other Attenborough classics like Life on Earth and The Private Life of Plants. Included are episodes on flight, feeding, reproduction, and survival. Get your VCRs ready! For more information call (812) 855-6114 or (800) 662-3311.
Saturday August 14, 1999 "Outing to Stillwater / Northfork"
This will be a leisurely walk to explore nature at the Stillwater and Northfork areas of Lake Monroe. Meet at 7:00 a.m. (to beat the heat) at the NW corner of the Eastland Plaza parking area behind Ellis Floral on East 3rd Street. For more information, call Ross Brittain at Wildbirds Unlimited, 333-1212.