The Leaflet, May / June 2002
- Off the Beaten Path by Bob Kissel
- Fourth Annual Silent Auction and Raffle
- Mother Nature for Mother's Day
- Contacting Your Lawmaker by Jess Gwinn
- SAS Calendar for May / June 2002
- Duluth, Minnesota Birding Trip by Bob Kissel
- Illinois Greater Prairie-Chicken Trip by Jim Hengeveld
- Saw-Whet Owl Banding Program by Ross Brittain
- Why Butterflies? by Jeff Belth
- A Bird in the Hand by Staci Radford-Vincent
Off the Beaten Path
Last month, following a birding listserver post from Mike Clarke, I saw an American Bittern at Flatwoods Park in western Monroe County. This birding "lifer" was an uplifting start to my spring, especially given the number of "shoulda, coulda" misses with Bitterns in 2001. Spring is such a wonderful time of outdoor activities and enjoyment, contrasting with the drudgery of winter. I look forward to planting the garden, sleeping with windows open and yes, repairing the ravages of fall and winter storms.
Spring 2002 is no less busy for your Sassafras Audubon Society. The Birdathon teams will be out in full force in early May looking, listening and scurrying about to record every possible (and then some) bird species in Monroe and surrounding counties. The following Saturday (5/11) SAS will host our first Family Nature Outing at Griffy Lake. In addition to our search for all things natural, we'll start the morning with a "show and tell" presentation by WildCare, Inc., our new local wildlife rehabbers. Our Wednesday library programs, so ably coordinated by Steve Cotter, include National Audubon Society coordinator Kristen Beery on "Grassroots Organizing" (5/29) and Jeff and Sandy Belth's always popular butterfly slide show (6/26). The Belths no doubt will recruit for their annual Lake Monroe Butterfly Count July 6.
Spring also is a prime time for SAS to raise funds for our educational and conservation efforts. Last year, money raised through feeder cleaning, raffle and silent auction events directly supported purchase of Audubon Adventure kits for over 80 local classes as well as the startup equipment for the Saw-whet Owl banding project. This year's raffle and silent auction again feature an enticing smorgasbord of donated items and services such as a one-week stay in a Ft. Myers, FL condominium, a certificate from the Chili Woman, home grown honey, restaurant certificates and so much more! Watch for our Silent Auction display at Bloomingfoods May 11.
Sassafras Audubon Society remains a vital organization for south central Indiana in fostering a culture of conservation. So celebrate spring and join SAS in one of our great outings or programs. And please encourage your family and friends to join you, as well as to become a member of SAS.
Fourth Annual Silent Auction and Raffle
Feel like a trip to South Florida in the fall? Then SAS' Spring 2002 Silent Auction is the place to be! Our auction is jam-packed with way-cool items and services for you to bid on, generously donated by local businesses and individuals. Some of these items include a one-week stay in a Ft. Myers condominium, a wine basket from Oliver Winery (must be 21), a class of your choice from Bloomington Cooking School, Harley Davidson clothing items, a Don Whitehead chili dinner for six, restaurant certificates from Limestone Grille and Opie Taylor's, nature books and prints, and that's only a start! Just think of walking on a Ft. Myers beach this October, looking for seabirds and taking in the sunsets!
SAS will have a display of Silent Auction items at Bloomingfoods on East 3rd Street starting Saturday, May 11 until the following Saturday morning. At noon on May 18, we'll bring the display to Karst Farm Park as part of SAS' Earthfest booth. The bidding will close at 3:00 p.m. Winning bidders will be phoned to pick up and pay for items (cash or check) from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Certificates can be mailed. All proceeds from SAS' Silent Auction directly support our education and conservation initiatives.
In conjunction with the Silent Auction, the 2002 SAS Raffle features a $150 certificate from Wild Birds Unlimited (1st), Butler Winery basket (2nd and must be 21 to win), WFHB 6 CD pack (3rd), Muscatatuck NWR sweatshirt (4th), SAS t-shirt & tote bag (5th), and a porcelain Cardinal figurine (6th). Tickets are $1 each or six for $5. Sample raffle tickets (feel free to copy) are included here. You may pay for or buy raffle tickets from any SAS board member or from Wild Birds Unlimited, 1101 N. College Ave. in Bloomington. The six winning tickets will be drawn at 3:00 p.m. on May 18 at SAS' Earthfest booth at Karst Farm Park. Winners will be contacted by phone to pick up their items at Karst that same day from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Good luck to everyone who takes a chance (or more) in SAS' 2002 Raffle.
Mother Nature for Mother's Day
Join us on Saturday, May 11 to kick off Mother's Day weekend. We will be hosting our first Family Nature Day at Lake Griffy from 10:00 a.m. until noon. Parents and kids will get to explore Lake Griffy as a family, led by SAS members Susan Hengeveld and Sandy Belth. We will split into three groups and take short hikes to learn about the nature at Griffy, explore the shoreline, and see a presentation with a live Great Horned Owl from WildCare, Inc. Activities will be geared for K-6th graders, but all families are welcome. Expect to get a little dirty. Meet us at 10:00 a.m. by the boat house in the parking lot by Lake Griffy (3500 Hinkle Rd. in Bloomington). For more information contact Kristina Lindborg at (812) 323-8233. We look forward to seeing you there!!
Contacting Your Lawmaker
Have you ever considered contacting your lawmaker about an issue you care deeply about? Did you wonder what form of contact to make? According to Kristen Berry, the Regional Grass Roots organizer from National Audubon, the best way to get the attention of your lawmaker is to visit them in their own office. After that, in descending order of impact: visit their district office; send a hand written letter; FAX or phone call them; send an email; send a post card. The letter will be more effective if written in long hand, especially on letterhead stationery. If you are a member of an organization, say so in your letter (i.e. one of the 600 members of the Sassafras Audubon Society). If you are a business owner, say so. The length of the letter is not so important. If you have much to say, send several pages; if not, send only a paragraph. Always ask for a reply. Expect a reply! As you can see, the impact of your contact is directly related to the effort it took to make the contact.
Do you know what the most important thing lobbyists provide to your lawmaker? No, it's not money. It is information. By providing information to your lawmaker in their own office, the lobbyist can influence the decision making process. Your lawmakers crave information. Who do you want providing them with that information? If all they receive is the information from the lobbyist, that is the information they very well may rely upon. It is up to you to lobby your lawmaker and provide them with the information they need to make the correct legislative decisions. Your lawmakers receive surprisingly little information from their home districts. It only takes a few contacts on an issue in a week to catch their attention. Will one of those contacts be yours? To find our who your state and federal legislators are, go to the "Take Action" link at http://www.audubon.org/campaign.
SAS Calendar for May / June 2002
All outings and programs are free and open to non-members.
Saturday, May 4, 2002 "Monroe County Parks and Recreation Birdathon"
Sassafras Audubon will once again field teams in The Monroe County on May 4. Birds found within Monroe County limits are counted by each team and teams may solicit pledges per bird to raise money for their favorite cause. There are prizes donated by Wild Birds Unlimited in Bloomington, for the highest species total. Registration is $15 per person and forms and rules are available from Cathy Meyer. Everyone is welcome to the pitch-in dinner and tally on Sunday May 5. Call or e-mail for details or if you would like to participate, but don't have a team. Contact Cathy Meyer at (812) 349-2805. If you're not out in the field, show your support by sending in your pledge by using our pledge form.
Saturday, May 11, 2002 "Family Nature Outing"
Parents and kids will get to explore Lake Griffy as a family from 10:00 a.m. - noon, led by SAS members Susan Hengeveld and Sandy Belth. There will also be a presentation by WildCare, Inc. featuring a real live Great Horned Owl! Meet at 10:00 a.m. by the boat house in the Lake Griffy parking lot. Wear clothes that can get a little dirty. For more information contact Kristina Lindborg at (812) 323-8233.
Saturday, May 18, 2002 "Silent Auction and Raffle at EarthFest"
All proceeds from SAS' Silent Auction directly support our education and conservation initiatives. Silent Auction items will be on display at Bloomingfoods on East 3rd Street beginning Saturday, May 11 until the following Saturday morning. Bidding will conclude from noon - 3:00 on Saturday, May 18 at the SAS' EarthFest booth at Karst Farm Park. Winners for the raffle will also be drawn at 3:00 p.m. Raffle tickets can be mailed in, purchased from any SAS board member, or bought at Wild Birds, Unlimited in Bloomington. All winners will be phoned to pick up and pay for items (cash or check) from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Certificates can be mailed. See our front page story for more details on prizes!
Saturday, May 25, 2002 "Griffy Lake Hike"
A half-day hike (7:00 - 10:00 a.m.) to see and hear the breeding birds of Griffy Lake. Meet at the Griffy Boathouse at 7:00 a.m. Bring water, binoculars and appropriate clothing. Call Ross Brittain at 333-2121 if you have questions.
Wednesday, May 29, 2002, 7:00 p.m.
"May Program: Politics is for the
Birds"
Decisions made on Capitol Hill have real and lasting effects on wildlife in south-central Indiana. Learn how to influence Congress and other branches of government for the benefit of wildlife here and around the world. Kristen America McClure Berry, one of the National Audubon Society's seven Regional Grassroots Coordinators, will present "Politics is for the Birds" in Room 1-C of the Monroe County Public Library in Bloomington. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event. Refreshments will be served.
"Spring Nature Walk Series"
Indiana University Research & Teaching Preserve Walks are free and open to public, but registration is required online at http://www.indiana.edu/~preserve or by calling (812) 855-8742. All hikes are from 10:00 a.m. - noon and meet at the IU Foundation parking lot
- May 4th - Wildflowers, led by Kay Yatskievych
- May 11th - Amphibians and Reptiles, led by Butch Brodie
- May 18th - Trees, led by Keith Clay
- May 25th - Geology, led by Bruce Douglas
Saturday, June 8, 2002 "Birds and Butterflies!"
A half-day hike to see the local breeding birds and butterflies of the Friendship Road area. Bring water, binoculars and appropriate clothing. Meet at the Bloomingfoods East parking lot at 7:00 a.m. Call Ross Brittain at 333-2121 if you have any questions.
Saturday, June 22, 2002 "Local Breeding Birds"
We'll visit a number of areas in search of local breeding species, concentrating on warbler species. Meet in the parking lot south of Bloomingfoods East at 7:00 a.m. Contact Jim and Susan Hengeveld if you have any questions at 988-1671 or shengeve@indiana.edu.
Wednesday, June 26, 2002, 7:00 p.m.
"June Program: Indiana Butterflies"
Sandy Belth will present a slide show to introduce you to our state's butterflies. Come and learn how to identify our local butterflies and hear about their habits and habitat needs. Meet in Room 1C of the Monroe County Public Library. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event. Refreshments will be provided.
Saturday, June 29, 2002 "Butterfly Hike"
Join local butterfly enthusiasts Jeff and Sandy Belth for a half-day outing to see some of our more interesting species of lepidoptera. Destination to be determined by nectar sources. Meet at the Bloomingfoods parking lot on East Third Street at 9:00 a.m. For further information contact leaders Sandy and Jeff Belth at 825-8353 or belthbirds@aol.com.
Saturday, July 6, 2002 "Annual Butterfly Count"
An all-day event to catalog the number of individuals and species seen within a 15-mile diameter. Join us for all or part of the day as we try to improve on last year's tally of 49 species. Experience is not necessary; the more spotters the better! A great opportunity to get to know the best butterfly spots in the county. This annual count is the second largest butterfly count in the midwest. For further information about the count see the accompanying article. To be placed on a team, contact Sandy and Jeff Belth at 825-8353 or belthbirds@aol.com.
Duluth, Minnesota Birding Trip
It would appear a simple task to bird the boreal or northern forests in winter. Drive 150 miles west, turn right at the "other" Bloomington (IL), and then proceed around 600 miles due north. You know you have arrived when the conifers become stunted and the highway departments don't bother with the sign "Bridge freezes before road." In the pre-dawn hours of a cold February morning, Lee Sterrenburg, Jim and Susan Hengeveld and I left for Duluth, Minnesota with anticipation of the local resident, and especially winter visiting birds from the Arctic and tundra regions.
Our first target upon mid-afternoon arrival was a Gyrfalcon that had been reported for almost a month in the contiguous ports of Duluth and Superior. Our largest falcon, this Arctic tundra breeder is a rare and irregular winter visitor to the northern U.S. Despite scrutinizing every grain elevator and high point in both harbors, we came up blank. We did meet a local birder at the harbors who tempered our disappointment by leading us to a Duluth highway department garage for a leisurely look at a Northern Hawk Owl, our first "now that's a good bird" proclamation by Lee. Perched at the top of an aspen, the Hawk Owl defensively swiveled its head from side to side while at the same time searching for dinner in the underbrush.
Saturday and Sunday's early morning continental breakfast was convenient but less than satisfying as our mission was clear: head North to the Sax-Zim Bog area and a portion of Superior National Forest along Route 16 to search at dawn for Great Gray Owl. Despite "trolling" every reported spot from the birding hotlines, we never did see the great gray ghost, a result shared by every other birder we encountered. On Sunday we stretched a late morning search in Superior National Forest into late afternoon hoping to find the widely wandering Three-toed Woodpecker. This species remained true to its elusive tendencies. During our meander we did see Gray Jay, Black-backed Woodpecker, Northern Shrike, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, and at the home feeders of Frank Nicholetti, pioneering raptor counter from Duluth's Hawk Ridge Sanctuary, one female Hoary Redpoll in a flock of 50+ Common Redpolls.
In the final hours of Saturday's light, we hustled south to look once again for the Gyrfalcon. Spirits eroded as our careful re-checking of the grain elevators in Duluth and then Superior proved fruitless. At the very last elevator in Superior Jim broke our silence with "What's that?" Indeed it was our Gyrfalcon, a pale gray-morph Juvenile that had dined recently as evidenced by blood specks on its chest. It flew with deceptive speed back and forth between two elevators harassing but not actually attacking pigeons. Lee's "now that's a really good bird" was shared with a Superior police officer who cruised by to look us over. Our trip revealed the winter reality in the far north of some "good birds" spread unevenly in vast tracts of frozen, mostly empty forest and farmland.
Illinois Greater Prairie-Chicken Trip
At about 4:45 a.m. CST on Saturday, March 30, we slogged our way down a muddy, puddle-filled track toward a 5' X 8' X 12' wooden crate with slits in it. The wooden crate was a blind set out in a field by Illinois DNR personnel so that folks can observe the breeding displays of Greater Prairie-Chickens without disturbing them. Scott Simpson from the Illinois DNR led us out to the blind. It was a relatively mild morning but it was foggy, and we were wondering if we would get good views of the "booming" chickens. Jim Brown, Marcia Lewis (Jim's sister), Milt Ducharme, and Susan and I joined Scott on this early morning trek.
Walking in the darkness surrounded by what we thought was all restored prairie habitat, a Pied-billed Grebe yodeled its call and we reasoned that there must be some pond or marsh habitat in the vicinity as well. Once in the blind, it was a waiting and wondering game - waiting for the chickens and wondering if the fog would lift. A Song Sparrow sang, and it was soon accompanied by American Robins, Northern Cardinals, a Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker, a Brown Thrasher, and several Eastern Meadowlarks. A Great Horned Owl hooted in the distance and a Dickcissel called from way off to our left. We were then seemingly transported to a bog in northern Michigan as several Common Snipe started to perform their winnowing flight displays. In 13 years of leading these tours, Scott told us that this was the first time he had heard snipe doing their flight displays from the blind.
After 20-25 minutes, we began to hear the strange, resonant, moaning calls of male prairie-chickens. It was still foggy but we soon picked out the shape of the first strutting male. This bird was soon joined by several other males, and a total of seven eventually rounded out the show. The fog partially lifted on a couple of occasions and we were able to get good views of males squaring off against each other, inflating their yellowish-orange throat sacs, and occasionally tussling with each other. After about 45 minutes, a female appeared on the lek and the intensity of displaying increased. One male in particular left his territorial plot and began to show off directly next to the female. The female seemed completely uninterested as she walked along the edge of the grounds and eventually flew to the other side of the lek, apparently annoyed by the too-close attention of the male.
After a couple of hours in the blind, when the booming activity was winding down, Scott led us back to the IL DNR office where our cars were parked. We said our "thanks" and "good-byes" to Scott, Jim & Marcia went on their way, and Milt and Susan & I went into nearby Newton to grab some breakfast before doing a little more birding. After checking out the Eurasian Collared-Doves in Newton, we headed to the fields surrounding the prairie-chicken breeding grounds. We had good looks at Loggerhead Shrikes, Savannah and Vesper Sparrows, and numerous Northern Harriers. We saw a couple of distant longspur flocks but did not get close enough views to pick out any Smith's. We also heard a Western Meadowlark and saw several large flocks (totaling 600-700 birds) of American Golden-Plovers with a few Pectoral Sandpipers mixed in.
It was a very satisfying trip. We left the area by around noon and were back to the Bloomington area by early afternoon - in plenty of time to see IU knock off Oklahoma to make it to the NCAA national championship basketball game!
Saw-whet Owl Banding Program
It's official! The first Saw-whet Owl banding station in Indiana is fully approved, funded and ready to go, thanks in large part to Sasssafras Audubon Society and Ron Weiss of Chipperwoods Bird Observatory. In late January Vicky Meretsky, Jess Gwinn and myself received our subbanding permits from the Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) for the final go ahead that allowed us to begin work under our Master Bander, Ron Weiss. This banding program is part of Project Owlnet (http://www.projectowlnet.com), and is designed to study fall migration patterns of Northern Saw whet Owls across North America. Currently there are several dozen banding stations across the northeast and great lakes regions. However, there is a large hole in the data because of a lack of banding stations in Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana. After a trip to Hawk Mountain this past fall, in which Jess and I were joined by SAS President Bob Kissell to help band 32 owls at the Eckville banding station, we decided to pursue the creation of a banding station here in south-central Indiana.
Once we had our final approval from BBL we secured funds from SAS to purchase the materials necessary to conduct the banding program, including mist nets, audio lure, banding pliers, calipers, rulers, scale, headlamps, and other equipment. Beginning in late February we tested the waters for banding owls in this area by setting up the nets in Yellowwood State Forest (YSF) and McCormicks Creek State Park (MCSP). (Thanks go out to Jim Allen of YSF and Dwight at MCSP for giving us permission to use the state properties for research.) Jess and I headed to YSF for our first attempt on February 24th. We had at least two Saw-whets vocalizing around our nets but none managed to get into the net. The lack of a machete forced us to set up the nets in a more open area than desired and coupled with a bright moon made the nets noticeable to us, not to mention an owl.
Our next attempt on March 1st went much better. This time Vicky joined us and on our second net check we had our first owl in the net. Jess and I trained Vicky in the differences between banding Saw-whets versus the Northern Spotted Owls she was used to, and had the female Saw-whet released within 20 minutes. Given that Lee Sterrenburg had never heard Saw-whets vocalizing in this area past March 3rd in over 20 years of owling Monroe County, the odds are that this bird was a spring migrant.
Heartened by our first success, we next tried a round at MCSP, but no owls were heard or seen in the area. On March 13th we headed back to YSF for another try. We had the nets open for three hours and after several net checks Jess and I decided to call it a night. Once we retreived the necessary materials for taking down the nets we returned to discover a Saw-whet had flown into the net while we were away. This rather large female (111 grams doesn't sound like much, but that's big for a Saw-whet) was rather feisty and "stuck" both Jess and I at least twice. Either because of her feistiness or because of our "extensive" experience we had this owl released in about ten minutes (of course it also might have been because it was Jess' wedding anniversary and he was anxious to get home to Maureen.). Our second Saw-whet safely banded and released, we tried MCSP one more time, but with no success again.
Now that we have had our opportunity to try a couple of spots for banding and get our protocol in order, the Saw whet Banding Team is gearing up for the big time next fall when we will have to set up every night with good weather from mid-October through November. At least one of the three licensed banders will need to be on hand each night, but we will need several volunteers to help. If you have ever wanted to see one of the most amazing (and I might add cutest) creatures up close, now is your chance. We had two owls in the net with only 15 hours of net time this spring, although if you throw out the MCSP data we actually had two in the net with only 9 hours of net time. With the knowledge that existing banding stations east and north of us usually only have 10-20% of the numbers of owls in spring as they do in fall, we are anticipating some good numbers of owls to band, but of course this is pure conjecture since this type of study has never been done this far south in the Midwest. If you would like to help volunteer to band owls this fall please contact Ross Brittain at 333-2121 or e-mail at wbubton@cs.com. We will contact you later in October to let you know our projected schedule and when you could help. With the proper training volunteers will get the opportunity to hold and release the owls and potentially to receive their own banding subpermit to join the team.
On behalf on the Saw-whet Banding Team I would like to thank Sassafras Audubon Society for their financial and emotional support of the program. Without your help, important work like this would not be possible.
Why Butterflies?
Butterflies are the ambassadors of the insect world. More people have run through the door to the insect world chasing butterflies than any other group of insects. The reasons are obvious. First and foremost, they are incredibly beautiful. An unimaginable variety of colors and patterns can be found on their wings. Color combinations that would be positively hideous if arrayed on humans appear perfectly natural when worn on a butterfly's wing. Also, for insects, they are comparatively large, easy to see, and can be recognized with the naked eye. Identification of species within many insect groups requires a microscope; to identify butterflies (except for perhaps a few of the skippers) a microscope is unnecessary (although close-focusing binoculars can be very helpful). In addition, there aren't an overwhelming number of species, so a person can realistically learn all of the species inhabiting a chosen area.
But what exactly is a butterfly? Scientists divide insects into several different groups or "orders." Butterflies, and also moths, are placed in the order lepidoptera. Lepidoptera, from the Greek for "scaled wing," refers to the rows of scales on their wings. These scales are attached to the wings in overlapping rows like shingles on a roof. The scales produce color in several ways. Many contain actual color pigments; others produce color by reflecting sunlight off their surface, and some use a combination of both. Despite producing color by different methods, they nonetheless work together as a symphony to create a harmonious pattern on the wing. Sometimes the scales form areas of solid color, but more often intricate patterns of bands, checks, lines, and eyespots are created. These patterns, while appearing merely beautiful to us, serve the butterfly in some very important ways. A butterfly can visually recognize the pattern of a potential mate, simplifying the mate location process and thus increasing the chances of reproducing during its short life span. Bright colors, such as the orange found on Monarchs, might warn predators of a potentially distasteful lunch because the Monarch's caterpillar ate toxic plants and the chemical residues will be tasted when the butterfly is eaten. The eyespot patterns might deceive predators into thinking they are looking at a snake or some other large creature that is much harder to swallow than a butterfly.
The vast majority of lepidopterans, however, are moths. So the first step in identifying a butterfly is making sure it is not a moth. This job can actually be a little tricky, something akin to separating shrubs from trees. Generally speaking, butterflies fly during the day and moths fly at night. However, there are quite a few day-flying moths that can be seen taking nectar from flowers along with butterflies, and there are a few butterflies that are most active at dusk, just when moths are beginning to stir. The antennae, or "feelers" of butterflies usually have an enlarged swelling or club at the end, while moth antennae, whether smooth or feathery, are uniform throughout their length. Many moths, when at rest, overlap their wings over their body like a peaked roof; butterflies either hold their wings opened flat or closed together above their body. Also, butterflies obviously love sunlight. If you are walking through a field on a sunny day and flush up small insects that look like butterflies but they dive right back into the grass as if frightened by the daylight, they are most likely moths, not butterflies.
So how does one go about identifying a butterfly? Butterflies are identified by the patterns on their wings. Just as birders look closely at color patterns created by feathers, butterfly watchers look at patterns created by scales. Most butterflies can be identified from the wing pattern alone. And, since most butterflies are relatively large, the pattern is readily seen in the field while the butterfly is alive. Compared to the task of a beetle watcher, for example, who has to determine, among other things, the number and shape of the segments on the subject's foot, butterfly watchers have an easy job indeed! But first, get a feeling for the overall size of the butterfly. Is it as large as a Monarch or more the size of a Cabbage White? Second, what is the general shape of the wings? Are they smooth-edged, perhaps with a tail on the hind wing, or are they very ragged in outline, somewhat resembling a dead leaf? Also, how are the wings held in relation to the body? Skippers are small butterflies that, when holding their wings open, hold them at angles distinctly different from other butterflies. Some butterflies, such as hairstreaks, rarely open their wings at all. Now examine the wing color pattern carefully and compare it to the illustrations in a good field guide (I recommend Jeffrey Glassberg's Butterflies through Binoculars: The East). Is the pattern boldly striped in black and yellow like a Tiger Swallowtail, or is it a more subdued series of black eyespots like a Little Wood Satyr? Keep in mind that what the butterfly is doing and where it is can be important clues to its identification. Little Wood Satyrs, like most satyrs, fly low to the ground; Tiger Swallowtails are often seen flying at the tops of the tallest trees. In addition, since their caterpillars often feed on only a few types of plants, the adult butterflies are usually found near the caterpillar host plants. Thus you may be able to rule out a butterfly normally found on a prairie because you are gazing at a butterfly in the middle of a swamp.
And how many species are there? In North America there are about 700 species; approximately 150 of those have been found in Indiana. In comparison, there are about 25,000 species of beetles, probably 4000 or more occurring in Indiana. Learning the butterflies of a particular region then, say Monroe County, where about 75 species occur, does not seem to be such an insurmountable task.
A great place to begin your search for butterflies is your backyard, especially if you have a flower garden. Some butterflies commonly seen at flower gardens are Tiger Swallowtails, Cabbage Whites, Orange Sulphurs, Eastern Tailed-Blues, American Painted Ladies, and Silver-spotted Skippers. Some of our favorite local butterflying locations include Allen's Creek for swallowtails, hairstreaks, duskywings, and skippers; the dikes at North Fork and Stillwater Marsh for wetland species such as Bronze Coppers, Viceroys and Least Skippers; and Friendship Road for woodland species such as Question Marks, Eastern Commas, Red-spotted Purples, Red Admirals, and Hackberry Emperors.
Another way to learn about butterflies is to attend one of our slide shows or butterfly walks. We have a slide show scheduled for Wednesday, June 26, and a walk planned for Saturday, June 29. In addition, on July 6 we will conduct our annual Monroe/Brown County Butterfly Count. Butterfly counts are not only great fun, but also help monitor fluctuating butterfly populations. Butterflies can be important indicators of the health of an ecosystem since they are low on the food chain and very susceptible to changes in temperature, moisture, and plant health. The counts are sponsored by the North American Butterfly Association and are conducted in nearly every state, plus Canada and Mexico. They are patterned after the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Counts where the counting is done inside a fifteen-mile diameter circle by several teams, with each team covering a different section of the circle. Our count usually has one of the highest species counts in the Great Lakes Region. In 2000 we had 51 species and last year we finished with 49.
We hope to see you at one or all of these events!! Happy Butterflying!
A Bird in the Hand
Spring is upon us and love is in the air. The result of which will soon be apparent...babies, babies, babies!! Most of us are able to delight in the antics of young birds from afar, but occasionally we find ourselves confronted by a seemingly abandoned little one. As human beings, we feel compelled to help that which we perceive as being young, weak and helpless. So how do we go about "rescuing" these little bundles of joy? Do they need to be rescued at all?
The first, and most important, question to ask is whether or not a baby bird needs help to begin with. There are two stages baby birds go through once they hatch: nestling and fledgling. Nestlings begin naked and helpless, but by the time they are ready to fledge (leave the nest) they should be fully feathered and mobile. Many people don't realize that once a baby bird leaves the nest, it does not return to it. The first flight from the nest, or fledging, is just that; it's first. Understandably, wings tend to be weak at this stage, so the fledgling often doesn't make it very far and ends up sitting "helplessly" in the middle of your lawn. If you find a baby bird like this it is usually best to leave it alone. A baby bird's best chance for survival is its parents!! Although it may not be obvious, one or both of the parents are usually nearby and will feed the fledgling. All the help it needs from you is to keep an eye out for unnatural predators like dogs and cats. Within a short time it should regain its strength and fly to safety.
If, on the other hand, the bird you find is partially naked or is covered with mostly "fuzzy" feathers, it probably needs more assistance. Do your best to find the nest and (wearing gloves) carefully replace the nestling (Don't worry, birds have a very limited sense of smell and will not reject the young because you handled it). If you cannot locate the nest, the baby bird needs to receive care from a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Do not attempt to raise it yourself. Another thing many people don't realize is that most birds are protected by state and federal laws. It is illegal to keep them, even if you intend to release them. Also, many birds have specific dietary requirements, which will be provided by trained professionals. To keep the nestling safe and warm, prepare a small box with air holes and a soft cloth in the bottom (do not use terry cloth, or anything that may snag on its claws). Wearing gloves, place a light cloth over the nestling, gently pick it up and put it in the box. Tape the top closed and put it in a dark, quiet spot away from drafts. Be sure the box is safe from curious children and pets. Do not attempt to give the nestling food or water, and resist the temptation to keep checking on it. Be sure to wash your hands and anything else that came into contact with the baby. At this point you should contact a wildlife rehabilitator at WildCare, Inc., (812) 323-1313, for further assistance. WildCare, Inc. is a non-profit group providing care for sick and injured wildlife in south central Indiana. They can assist you with most wildlife injury issues.