The Leaflet, March-April 2005

In the winter of 2004-05, NE Minnesota has had a widespread irruption of Great Gray (GGOW), Northern Hawk (NHOW) and Boreal (BOOW) owls from the dense woods of upper Canada. The National Geographic Guide's range information for these 3 owl species variably states "basically non-migratory," "irruptive in small numbers," and "otherwise seldom seen south of mapped range." This year there have been impressive numbers of these rarely seen boreal owl species, primarily in response to an irregularly occurring sharp decline in small mammal populations. In a closely related phenomenon, more reflecting the advent of the internet in bird-watching rather than owl biology or changes in their food sources, Minnesota also has had an "irruption" of birders from all over the country to look for these owls.

In late January, nine SAS members (Mike Clarke, David Daniels, Jess Gwinn, Jo Hargesheimer, Jim & Susan Hengeveld, Cathy Meyer, and Lee Sterrenburg) left quite early on a Friday morning for the long drive to Duluth. We were joined in Minnesota by IU grad Ken Burton, now California-based. In light of the size of our group and our varied "wish lists" of potential life birds, our aim was for a broad diversity of bird species rather than to "run up" the number of owls seen. After trading information and cell numbers with other birding groups at early Saturday breakfast, we headed NW from Duluth to the Sax-Zim area. This well-known birding area is dominated by bogs, plowed and fallow fields, and stands of dense conifers and hardwoods.

Our Saturday plan was to troll the Sax-Zim back roads. Our first find was a Northern Hawk Owl, characteristically perched at treetop overlooking an open field. We stopped at every house's feeders and were rewarded at one isolated bungalow with Gray Jays, Pine Grosbeaks, Common Redpolls, and a small flock of White-winged Crossbills. On snow-covered McDavitt Road, we left the vehicles and snowplowed a foot trail into the woods, finding side by side Three-Toed and Black-Backed Woodpeckers but no Great Gray Owl--and it was already past 11 a.m.!

Around lunchtime, chief navigator Jim Hengeveld steered us down a long, dead end road. We almost drove past a Great Gray Owl flying in low bushes and a nearby second GGOW sitting on the ground, looking ever so like the gray stump it was next to. We lingered to view this magnificent bird, 27 inches tall, deep yellow eyes, and incredibly feathered. The road also yielded our fifth Northern Hawk Owl and friendly homeowners who invited us to watch their feeders. With most of the nearby summer homes closed for the winter, their feeders were busy with nuthatches, chickadees, many Common Redpoll and one that looked pretty good as a Hoary Redpoll. Based on a cell message, we made an unsuccessful late afternoon dash east of Duluth along Lake Superior to Two Harbors for a reported Boreal Owl. Had we stayed in Zax-Sim, we might have seen before sundown the many more GGOWs reported by other birding groups.

Sunday brought an early pre-dawn drive to look for Spruce Grouse on Rt. #2, 40 miles north of Two Harbors for all but Ken and Lee. They left later to explore the Lake Superior shoreline and scout for the Boreal Owl. Despite the bird watching "traffic jam" on Rt. #2, grouse were not seen that morning. Regardless of the "balmy" -15 degrees F temperature (it was -50 the prior weekend) in N Lake County, we pressed on towards the tiny burg of Isabella, stopping at house feeders and conifer stands. Our persistence yielded Red Crossbills, more Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls and at the Isabella Cafe feeders, a single Evening Grosbeak, Boreal Chickadee, and a tasty grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich!

Following Ken and Lee's cell call about refinding the BOOW, our caravan reunited in Two Harbors. The Boreal Owl was asleep in plain view in an alley next to a stand of pines, drawing a growing number of admirers. The lakefront at Two Harbors yielded Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, a Red-Breasted Merganser, and for some, a flying away Northern Goshawk (missed yet again by yours truly). We left Two Harbors after stumbling upon a nice group of Bohemian Waxwings to look for a Northern Shrike in a Duluth neighborhood. Instead we found a quite curious and somewhat locally rare Townsend's Solitaire. It actually perched on both side mirrors of our vehicle! In our third attempt, we finally spotted the reported Snowy Owl at the Duluth airport, resting on a tall snow mound. Our last two birds of the trip were Great Gray Owls, seen at dusk in the snow and wind of Sax-Zim, with one perched on a highway sign next to RR tracks and another flying away into the woods. For a complete trip checklist and pictures, visit www.indiana.edu/~ornith/birds/Duluth/Duluthtrip.html.

Another Eagle Watch Weekend is in the can, put on the shelf, and laid to rest, at least until we pull it back out to do it all over again next year. To say the event was a success would be a drastic understatement. Well over 500 people attended at least some portion of the event, an increase of about 65% over last year. Beautiful weather probably had something to do with it. About 150 people spent their entire weekend at the Fourwinds. The 23 programs averaged 113 people in the audience. Bald eagles were seen during all three outdoor events, and a very lucky few were able to view the golden eagle found by Jim Hengeveld late Saturday afternoon.

As far as the programs go, the big hits were, as to be expected, those featuring live birds. On Saturday alone, the Admiral Room was filled to standing-room-only four times, three of which were live bird programs. A special thank you goes out to Tammy Davis and Zach Walker from the Dwight Chamberlain Rehab Center at Hardy Lake, Laura Edmunds and Patti Reynolds from Return to the Wild in Nashville, and, of course, Maria Abel-Crecelius and Tom Riley from Patoka Lake. Without their unique form of interpretive programming, events like Eagle Watch Weekend would not draw nearly the attention that they do.

But it takes a lot more than just a few naturalists and a dozen or so teaching birds to make an event such as this one the success that it is. About fifty people volunteer their time, expertise, and equipment to the weekend. Many of those fifty people come from the Sassafras Audubon Society. A "thank you" to these people never seems enough. They all deserve special recognition for all they do for birds, public education, and conservation in general. So allow me to add one more heart-felt thank you to Mike Clarke, Cathy Meyer, Bob Dodd, Bob Kissel, Jim and Susan Hengeveld, Don Whitehead, Lee Sterrenburg, Faye McNew, Sandy Belth, Milt Ducharme, and any other SAS members that I might have missed.

And mark your calendars--Eagle Watch Weekend 2006 is less than 360 days away--February 3-5, 2006. Hope to see you there.

The following is a list of the current members of the SAS Board of Directors and the names of committee chairs. The committees welcome help from volunteers.

Cathy Meyer, President / cmeyer@kiva.net
Vice President vacant
John Byers, Treasurer / byers@bluemarble.net
Kelly Rockhill, Secretary / krocksauce@yahoo.com
Carolyn Begley / cbegley@indiana.edu
Mike Clarke / miclarke@bloomington.in.us
Kris D'Atri / krisdatri@fastmail.fm
Jess Gwinn / jagmo@bluemarble.net
Cathy Hiatt / rhiatt@indiana.edu
John Lawrence / johnnyslickster@hotmail.com
P.J. Pulliam / pulliams@att.net
Staci Radford-Vincent
Conservation Coordinator: Jess Gwinn
Database Manager: Carolyn Begley
Education Coordinator: Staci Radford-Vincent
Field Trip Coordinator: Mike Clarke
Fund-raising Committee: Bob Kissel
Membership Coordinator: Kris D'Atri
Program Coordinator: P.J. Pulliam
Publicity Coordinator: John Lawrence
Webmaster: Terri Greene / tgreene@indiana.edu

The Board of Directors meets on the first Monday of each month at 6:30 at 521 West Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington. All SAS members are welcome to attend. Please contact the president or another board member to learn more details or send an e-mail to contactsas@yahoo.com

Bob Dodd / Editor / dodd@indiana.edu
Bob Kissel / Contributing Editor
Maureen Forrest / Mailing
Fine Print / Layout & Printing Services

Please direct address changes and requests for single issues to:
Carolyn Begley, Database Coordinator
P.O. Box 85
Bloomington, IN 47402

The SAS Leaflet is printed by Fine Print on 100% post-consumer recycled paper

The Leaflet invites readers to submit material for consideration for publication. Anyone wishing to do so should contact the Editor at dodd@indiana.edu.

All outings and programs are free and open to non-members.

Watch our Website (http://www.bloomington.in.us/~audubon/) and the Bloomington Birds e-mail list for announcements about other upcoming outings and activities.

Saturday, March 12: Local Waterfowl Trip

We will make tracks to one of our local wetlands to look for those earliest harbingers of spring, the loons, ducks, and grebes as they migrate through our area on their way to northern breeding grounds. We will meet at 7:30 a.m. in the northeast corner of the K-Mart parking lot on East Third Street in Bloomington. We will carpool to our destination and return before noon. For more information, contact Mike Clarke at miclarke@bloomington.in.us.

Saturday, March 19: Trip to Muscatatuck NWR

Join Jerry Downs for a morning in one of his favorite birding areas of south central Indiana, Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge. We will look at some of the waterfowl migrants that use this stopover point on their trek northward each spring. We will also see what other kinds of early spring migrant birds we can find. If we're lucky, we may find some of the river otters that call Muscatatuck home. We will meet in the northeast corner of the K-Mart parking lot on East Third Street in Bloomington at 7 a.m. From there, we will caravan to Muscatatuck, which is near Seymour. We will return by early to mid afternoon. Be sure to dress for the unpredictable spring weather, and you may want to bring a snack. For more information, contact Jerry at jdowns@indiana.edu

Wednesday, March 30: WildCare Program with Live Hawk and Owl

Susan Davis of WildCare Inc. will talk about the function of this organization and its many volunteer opportunities. She will bring a live hawk and an owl to "illustrate" her presentation. The meeting will be in Room 1B of the Monroe County Library at 7:00 p.m.. The program is free to all. Refreshments will be served.

Saturday, April 2: Early Spring Hike at Cedar Bluffs

Get a jump on enjoying spring by joining Monroe County naturalist Cathy Meyer on an afternoon hike at one of Monroe County's jewels, The Nature Conservancy property Cedar Bluffs. We will admire the area's blooming snow trillium and hepatica and look for other signs of early spring. The hike around the spectacular bluffs is short but has some tricky footing, so be sure to wear appropriate shoes or boots. We will meet at 1:00 p.m. in the southwest corner of the parking lot at the Kroger on South Old State Road 37. For more information contact Cathy at cmeyer@co.monroe.in.us.

Saturday, April 16: Sycamore Land Trust Gardening and Landscaping Show

The many vendors at the show (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) will have exhibits of their gardening and landscaping-related services. Experts on gardening, landscaping, and environmental topics will give presentations all day. Nonprofit organizations including Sassafras Audubon Society will have booths and will provide information about their activities in the community. See the article on this event elsewhere in this issue of the Leaflet.

Saturday, April 16: Searching for Shorebirds

Join Indiana University ornithologists Susan and Jim Hengeveld for an outing to the marshes. Depending on conditions, we will either travel to Greene County's Goose Pond wetlands in search of migrant shorebirds and other marsh species or head out locally to North Fork on Lake Monroe. With some luck maybe we will find some early passerine migrants as well. Please feel free to contact Jim or Susan a day or two ahead of date to double-check the intended destination, as we would like to keep our options as open as possible to maximize the best conditions. Our meeting time and location will depend on our destination. Watch the Bloomington Birds e-mail listserv or the SAS Website for further information or contact Susan at shengeve@indiana.edu or Jim at jhengeve@indiana.edu.

Saturday, April 22, 23, and 24: Brown County Wildflower Foray

One of the great spring events in southern Indiana, the 20th annual Wildflower Foray will include hikes and interpretive programs focusing on the flora and fauna of spring in our area. Check the Wildflower Foray Website for more details at www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier/docs/events/wildflowerforay_schedule.htm.

Saturday, April 23: Spring Feeder Cleaning

Bring your bird feeders to Bloomington Hardware on South College Mall Road for a thorough spring cleaning. Volunteers to help with the cleaning are needed.

Wednesday, April 27: Identifying Warblers by Sight and Sound

Jim and Susan Hengeveld will present a program on identifying warblers by sight and sound. They will teach us how to identify these colorful songbirds just before the height of their spring migration through Indiana. This program will be excellent preparation for the outing on the following Saturday. The meeting will be in Room 1B of the Monroe County Library at 7:30 p.m.. The program is free to all. Refreshments will be served.

Saturday, April 30: Spring Warblers in Action

On this follow-up to the previous Wednesday's program, we will join Jim and Susan Hengeveld to practice our spring warbler identification skills. We will put what we have learned about warbler song, plumage, habitat, and behavior into use as we travel to local hot spots to find some of these spectacular neo-tropical migrants. We will meet at 7:00 a.m. in the northeast corner of the K-Mart parking lot on East Third Street in Bloomington. We will car pool to our birding spots and return to town by midday. For more information, contact Susan at shengeve@indiana.edu or Jim at jhengeve@indiana.edu.

Saturday, May 7: Monroe County Birdathon

This is an annual birding competition and fundraiser in which teams identify as many birds as possible during a 24-hour period. Contact Cathy Meyers (cmeyer@co.monroe.in.us) for more information.

Do you live in a watershed? That question was on a survey handed out at the Monroe County Fair last summer. Of 644 respondents, 47% said, "Yes," 36% said, "No," and 17% weren't sure. We all live in a watershed. A watershed is the area of land that drains into a particular body of water. That fact is important because land uses in a watershed affect the quality of the water in the receiving water body.

How do you know what watershed you affect? The entire drainage system of the country is mapped and labeled. All southern Indiana rivers drain to the Ohio River, which joins the Mississippi below Illinois. Working backwards from the Ohio, we have smaller orders of streams, such as the Wabash, the White River, and its two main forks. A look at a topographical map for your area can reveal whether your land drains to the West Fork or East Fork of the White River and which smaller stream carries that water. The divide crosses Monroe County diagonally, with some streams such as Bean Blossom Creek going north and west to the West Fork and some, such as Salt Creek flowing west and south to the East Fork.

Human activities have modified the volume and flow of many rivers and streams. The Ohio River was once too shallow in many places for reliable boat travel. The Falls of the Ohio necessitated that boats stop and unload before proceeding and the cities of Louisville, New Albany, Clarksville, and Jeffersonville sprang up at this point. A series of locks and dams has since raised the water level, making the river more like a string of lakes than a river. Of course, these changes greatly affected the mussels, fishes, and other plants and animals living in the river.

Attempts to control flooding farther upstream have also led to placement of dams on many streams in the state. The resulting reservoirs are also used for municipal water supplies, recreation, low flow augmentation, and waste treatment. Locally, Lake Lemon, Lake Griffy, and Lake Monroe have been created by damming streams. The practice of permanently flooding some land to prevent flooding in other places is not without controversy and the era of building big reservoirs is probably over in Indiana. Why do we still have floods if these dams are supposed to prevent them?

Each stream has a natural flood plain, an area beyond the banks where water moves when it is high enough. The flood waters carry sediment and other materials, which are deposited and gradually build up deep soils in the valleys near rivers. Enter the settler. Deep soils, flat land, and a nearby water supply attracted many people to settle in flood plains. They built on higher ground and used the floodplain for planting crops. Periodic flooding renewed the fertility of the soil and the shifting course of the river caused little damage.

However, as populations increased, more settlements crowded close to the rivers and levees were built in many places to stop the water from spreading. When it is confined to the channel, the water levels continue to rise and increase flooding downstream. Straightening channels to speed the water on its way also decreases the amount of water that can be contained in the channel and increases the velocity of the flow, further increasing the damage downstream.

Sediment is the biggest pollutant of water entering streams, but other contaminants also enter the stream with every storm. Litter, pet waste, livestock waste, untreated sewage, fertilizers, lawn and farm chemicals, grass clippings and leaves, oil and other chemicals from parking lots and streets, virtually everything that goes on the ground can end up in a stream or lake. It can flow across the ground or enter the storm drain system. Water in the storm drain system is not treated. It goes directly into a lake or stream.

Here's where it becomes important to know your watershed address. Everything that goes on your lawn or driveway gets washed away by the rain and snow and ends up in the water. This is your water, our water, and the water that becomes someone's drinking water. This is the water the fish and mussels and otters and ducks live in and drink. It costs money to take this stuff back out. It makes the fish inedible. It messes up the hormones of birds and frogs. It makes the water unpleasant and unsafe for swimming and canoeing.

Because watersheds do not conform to political boundaries, many of the problems associated with managing them cannot be solved by a single entity. Cooperative planning is required to solve the problems of flooding, drainage, and water pollution. Some such efforts are in place; others are still needed.

Everyone can clean up storm water by not littering, not dumping leaves and grass in ditches ands creeks, picking up after pets, washing your car in the car wash or on the grass, recycling the oil from your car, maintaining your septic system, reducing use of fertilizers and pesticides, and not dumping anything down storm drains. We all live in watershed and we all can help keep it clean.

The 29th consecutive edition of the SAS Lake Monroe Christmas Bird Count was held on Saturday, December 18, 2004. Given the very poor fall waterfowl migration, the fact that very few cold fronts had moved any interesting diving ducks south, the lack of mast in the forest (partly due to the periodical cicadas), and the apparent paucity of sparrows, our expectations were not very high.

The weather, however, was reasonably cooperative and we had 61 people in the field working in 13 teams to cover our count circle. Sixty-one represents a tie for our third best participant total! These teams logged 21 hours and 181 miles of owling and 112 party hours (and a total of 452 miles) during the daylight hours. These are pretty impressive totals. The results were remarkably gratifying, despite the fact that all teams reported low numbers of almost all species. Our final total was 98 species and 11,652 individuals*, a tie for the 8th highest total in the 29 years of the count. We have reached 100 five times; our highest was 109 in 1997-98. In addition, scouting teams recorded four additional "Count Week" species (species that were seen within three days of the count, but not recorded on the count itself).

Bald Eagles were seemingly everywhere on count day. Sorting through 68 individual observations to figure out how many we actually had involved a fair amount of imagination. My best guess is that 32 individuals, 17 adults, 15 immatures, were observed. The Golden Eagle tally (4) was remarkable. All were immatures and all were recognizably different. Two were found by John Lawrence, Scott Evans, and Mike Voyles in the Maumee Bottoms area, and my team had two that we saw off of Cutright later in the day.

The "fields teams" found only one Rough-legged Hawk. Given the steady loss of hayfields and of hedgerows, the significant increase in row crops, and the continued "urbanization" of this area, this is not surprising. These habitat changes in the field area may make it increasingly difficult to get high species totals in future years. Of great interest was the very low count of Red-headed Woodpeckers - only two! Last year we had 20 at Paynetown alone. These low numbers are probably a function of a very low mast crop. This year there was virtually no seed production by beech, oaks, and hickories, at least in part because of the egg-laying activities of periodical cicadas.

As the fall progressed, we were expecting an interesting "winter finch" year, as a lot of folks reported Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, and Red-breasted Nuthatch. We did have a fair count for Purple Finch, but almost no Siskins and Red-Breasted Nuthatches.

My sincere thanks go to all the team leaders and the "army" of birders who turned out to make it such a good count. This year the potluck was at the Whitehead residence, as the party room at Henry Wahl's condominium had already been reserved, but Henry and his colleague, John Vint, were present, so it seemed like "old times." Henry has been the host of every potluck since the beginning of the Lake Monroe CBC! Thanks to all who made the potluck possible and those who pitched in and helped clean up.

A look ahead indicates that the 30th Lake Monroe CBC will be on Saturday, December 17, 2005. Put it on your calendar!

Mark your calendars for the sixth Annual Gardening and Landscaping Show, which will be held on April 16th at the Bloomington Convention Center. The event, sponsored by the Herald-Times and the Sycamore Land Trust, runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Convention Center at 3rd and College in downtown Bloomington. This is a great event for the whole family. Last year the show attracted a crowd of over 1,000 people. Many vendors with exhibits on their gardening and landscaping-related services as well as presentations by experts on gardening, landscaping, and environmental topics go on all day. Nonprofit organizations, including Sassafras Audubon Society, will have booths and will provide information about their activities in the community. There are door prizes, free giveaways, live music, plants and books for sale, a children's activity corner, and concessions offered by Bloomingfoods. Proceeds from the event benefit the Sycamore Land Trust (SLT), a nonprofit conservation organization whose mission is to preserve the disappearing landscape of south-central Indiana. SLT preserves fields, forests, farms, and wetlands by direct donation or by individually tailored conservation easements. Over the past 15 years, the Sycamore Land Trust has worked with dozens of landowners to preserve over 3,000 acres.

Information about the Gardening and Landscaping Show and the Sycamore Land Trust is available on the Web at www.sycamorelandtrust.org. If you have specific questions, e-mail garden_show@hotmail.com.

The Saw-Whet Owl Adoption Program, inaugurated last fall has raised $1110. Contributors were asked to "adopt an owl" for $30. Funds raised will be used to support research by local birders on migration patterns of the Northern saw-whet Owl in southern Indiana. Last fall Ross Brittain conducted an owl-banding program near Yellowwood Lake and Jess Gwinn had a similar program in Green County. A number of local birders also helped with the project. The owls are captured in mist nets, banded, and released. See the January/February issue of the Leaflet for a report on the results from last fall. Funds raised by the adoption program will be used to buy supplies and cover other expenses in connection with the program. Contributors to the program include John Barone, Ingrid Beery, Dixie Brachman, Stanley and Ginger Christie, Joni James, Sarah Lambrecht, Tom Mahan, Dr. and Mrs. Edwin Penhorwood, Kathleen Poor, Nancy Ralston, Betsy Sheldon, John Voigt, Don and Betsy Whitehead, and Mary Young. Thank you very much for your support of this valuable ornithological research.

Our spring bird feeder cleaning session is scheduled for April 23 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Bloomington Hardware on South College Mall Road. Cleaning your feeders will help prevent the spread of avian diseases such as Salmonella and conjunctivitis. Give your birds a sanitary place to dine by having your feeders thoroughly steam cleaned! Your feeders need their spring cleaning after their heavy use during the winter. Steam cleaning will remove the unsanitary build-up and make your feeders safe. Unfortunately, we cannot accept hummingbird and other delicate feeders. We are asking for a $3 donation for small feeders and $5 for large feeders. Drop off your feeder at Bloomington Hardware between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., and you can pick up your feeders between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.

Bring your friend's or neighbor's feeders when you bring yours. If you cannot drop off or pick up on Saturday, alternate arrangements can be made. The proceeds go toward the education and conservation activities of SAS. For more information, contact Cathy Hiatt at rhiatt@indiana.edu.

We need your help on April 23 during our feeder cleaning session at Bloomington Hardware. If possible we would like for volunteers to work three-hour shifts, but flexible schedules are possible. Dry tasks include taking in feeders and money and overseeing drying and pickup. Damp tasks include pre-soaking and cleaning the feeders. Waterproof footwear and gloves are helpful; however, we can provide rubber gloves. You will be doing a good service for the birds, helping a worthy cause (SAS), and working with like-minded, fun people!

To volunteer or request more information, please contact Cathy Hiatt at rhiatt@indiana.edu.

Think of the proposed I-69 project and a swirl of adjectives come to mind: stupid, wasteful, aggravating, maddening. There are just too many appropriate ones from which to choose. I have been following this project for about 14 years now and, like all others, have been disappointed at every turn by our state government. Throughout this ordeal the public has been instructed to provide its input into this project. Like the vast majority of people who have commented against this project, I feel utterly patronized by these officials. Our comments and time have seem wasted upon ears and eyes blinded by greed and power.

As you know the state is in debt. Almost everyone seems to agree that three billion dollars for a new interstate does not exist. Well, almost everyone. INDOT refuses to acknowledge this shortfall in funding, notwithstanding its own data, which is contraindicative. Many legislators now acknowledge that they fund the construction of I-69 at the peril of virtually all other transportation projects in the state. Additionally, our new governor continues to speak out of both sides of his mouth stating that completing the highway is a top priority while admitting that funding does not exist. Which is it, Mitch?

In early February, the Indianapolis City County Council voted overwhelmingly 27 to 2 against the proposed I-69 extension through southwest Marion County. This follows a similar resolution by the Bloomington City Council last year to the same effect. It appears as if folks in the rest of the state are beginning to understand that this ruinous project will negatively affect all Hoosiers. Whether you live in or near the proposed new terrain route or whether you live elsewhere in the state, this project impacts you. Hopefully, this groundswell of opposition will continue to spread throughout the entire state until common sense prevails upon INDOT. Evidently, some of our elected officials are listening to us, so when asked to comment in the future, just like voting in Chicago, comment early and often.

You might not think of using the Web in connection with birding. In fact, one of the reasons you like to bird may be to get out into the wild and away from modern technology. But, there are many ways in which the Web can help. You may wish to get into the habit of regularly checking the Bloomington Bird List on the Web. Visits to this site can pay dividends in finding local birds, both the common and the more rare visitors. Many of our local birders regularly post lists of birds that they have observed that day on the list. For example if you were following the list last summer you learned about the Chuck-Will's-Widows, an unusual resident in our area which spent a couple of months in the Friendship Road area. Or more recently you would have followed the increasing number of sightings of Black Vultures in the area. If you want to reach out further afield you might check out the Indiana Bird List. It is not as well organized and easy to navigate as the local list, but it does cover a wider area. For example this January you would have heard about Snowy Owls in Huntington County. See the SAS Website for the long addresses of the Bloomington and Indiana lists. There are other similar listings for areas across the country. You might wish to run down some of these on Google if you are planning a birding trip to another area.

If you are trying to identify a new bird that has you stumped and none of the pictures in Sibley, Peterson, or other guidebooks seem quite right, you can check hundreds of photos on the Web. Just type in the bird you wish to check on Google and first click on images and then click on search. For example if you type in "House Sparrow" you will find 2990 photos. That surely is enough to satisfy even the most ardent aficionado of the House Sparrow! Someone posted this hint on the Bloomington Bird List a few months ago and I cannot remember who it was to give him/her credit. You can also find lots of written descriptions, range maps, and key localities by doing a regular Web search on Google. If you look up House Sparrow in this manner you will find about 671,000 Websites that mention this birder's staple. At the top of the list is a U.S. Geological Survey Website with descriptions of hundreds of North American birds in addition to the House Sparrow. The site includes tips on bird identification, distribution maps, Christmas Bird Count results, and even a video-audio recording of a couple of sparrow cheeps.

Finally don't forget to check the SAS Web page. It may not have the latest breaking news on local birds, but it does have up-to-date information about what is going on in your society--even more up-to-date than the Leaflet. For example for some time we have had the results of the Christmas Bird Counts on the Web, long before they appear in this issue of the Leaflet. The Website also includes a listing of birding hot spots in the Bloomington and Monroe County area. There is a photo gallery with lots of beautiful bird pictures. The links page can connect you to many other useful sites on the Web, including the Bloomington and Indiana listservers (be sure to bookmark those). If you have other suggestions on how to use the Web for birding, let us know so we can pass them along. Here is wishing you happy Web surfing and birding.

Our area lost one of its truly inspirational conservation spokesmen with the passing of Dan Willard on January 21. Dan will be remembered for his wonderful informal and formal teaching, his comprehensive understanding of wetlands and their importance in our world, his stewardship of significant natural areas (through the Sycamore Land Trust), his wry and penetrating wit, his infectious love of music, his boundless passion for fly-fishing, and his abiding dedication to the Bloomington community that he loved. His legacy is remarkable and enduring. He has made this a much better place for all of us. We owe Dan ever so much. Our natural landscape will forever attest to what he has accomplished on our behalf. Our debt to him is incalculable.