In assembling the bi-monthly issues of The Leaflet, the editor needs to have some idea of the nature of the readership. It is important to have some sort of profile in mind for our readers so we can select the type of material that would be of interest to you. High circulation magazines with a big budget try to determine this with reader surveys conducted by consultants. We can hardly afford to do that, so we must be content with making an educated guess. We have about 675 names on our mailing list, most of whom are members of the Sassafras Audubon Society. We are probably safe in surmising that most of our readers have some interest in birds and/or the environment. That interest in birds may range from casual observation of our avian friends in the lawn or at the feeder to those with a full-time birding hobby. Most are probably more toward the casual end of the spectrum. Many of our readers may occasionally participate in Audubon activities but not regularly. Our monthly meetings draw 25-35 people Ð nothing like our 675 membership. Our birding outings usually have no more than 25 or so attendees. So many of our readers probably rarely participate in these activities.
In view of this range of readers, what should the goal of The Leaflet be? Probably the calendar is the single most important item. This lets our members know what is happening in our society and lists events that we hope many of our members will be interested in attending. Perhaps the second most important thing in the newsletter is articles that convey a bit of the excitement and pleasure involved in the local birding scene. One of my main goals as editor is to encourage our members to become more involved in SAS activities and to invite their friends to also become involved. One way to gauge this is to look at attendance at our monthly meetings and our field trips. I hope we will see those numbers rise. The Audubon Society is more than birding, so we should also include articles on conservation and nature that appeal to those interests. Finally, The Leaflet is an historic record of our society and of local birding activities. Thus we report the results of important birding activities such as the Christmas Bird Count and Birdathon.
What do you think? We would like to know what you think is the mission of this newsletter. Why not drop a note or send e-mail letting us know what you would like to see in The Leaflet? We would also welcome appropriate articles contributed by our readers. Don't be bashful. Please send us your ideas.
In mid-January my wife Joann and I had the opportunity to spend two days birding in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and the area around Rockport, Texas. It was great, but two days is not nearly enough time to do the area justice. Aransas NWR is very "user friendly" with a modern, nicely done visitor's center and museum staffed by helpful docents. Several miles of road loop through a large part of the refuge, but much of it is off limits to protect the birds and other wildlife. Aransas is best known as the winter home of most of the world's Whooping Cranes, some 200 of them. The remaining 39 or so winter in Florida, some of them passing through Indiana on their way. We were fortunate enough to see three whoopers from the viewing platform in the refuge. They were over a half-mile distant from us, but we got an excellent view of two adults and one juvenile through our spotting scope. The two scopes set up on the viewing platform are helpful but not much better than binoculars. Bring your own scope for the best view. We probably could have seen whoopers from a closer distance by taking one of the boat cruises to the refuge out of Rockport/Fulton, but if your time and funds are limited you may want to settle for a view from the tower.
Aransas in winter is not limited to the cranes. There is a diverse assemblage of water birds. We saw Great, Snowy, and Reddish Egrets, Tri-colored, Little Blue, and Great Blue herons. There were also many Snow Geese and lots of shore birds, some of which we even managed to identify, including Solitary and Least Sandpipers, Dunlins, Willets, and Sanderlings. There is a variety of gulls, many Double Crested Cormorants and a few Neo-tropical Cormorants.
There are lots of other great birding areas nearby. We especially enjoyed the Goose Island State Park just north of Fulton on the south end of the Lamar Peninsula. It was great for water birds this winter and is supposed to be excellent for warblers and other neo-tropical migrants in the spring. This area is the first land stop after hundreds of miles over water for many of the migrants that flock here to rest and feed before heading north.
Also be sure not to miss the Connie Hagar Wildlife Sanctuary. It is dedicated to Connie Hagar who first called attention to the wonderful birding in this area back in the 1930's. She and her husband formerly operated a motel catering to birders visiting the area. The memorial is along a bay right next to urban Rockport without much parking, but it is loaded with water birds. We saw our first ever Black Skimmers there, an intriguing bird with a longer lower bill than upper.
There are other not-to-be-missed birding spots in the area, but we missed them because two days was not enough time. There are two especially good sources of information on the area that you might wish to consult before going or soon after you arrive. They are both available in the Visitors Center of the Aransas NWR. First is A Birder's Guide to the Texas Coast by H.R. Holt, published by the American Birding Association. It is now a bit old but has nice summaries of the area we visited and some we hoped to visit but did not get around to. You may also wish to buy a copy of The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail Ð Central Texas Coast (While you are at it you might also get the companion maps for the lower and upper Gulf Coast). These are Texas State publications. In addition to the map with beautiful color pictures of many of the area birds there are brief descriptions of the marked areas. It is a real bargain at the $3 price. You might also want to consider going on a guided tour of the area with a knowledgeable local birder. It is fun to find and identify the birds on your own but if you are at my skill level it may be much more efficient to have some more professional help.
By the way, don't forget to sample the seafood while you are there. We can vouch for two excellent seafood restaurants and especially good shrimp, which is harvested locally.
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
The Board of Directors meets on the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. 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
The Leaflet Staff
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.
SAS Web Site
http://www.bloomington.in.us/~audubon/
Terri Greene / Webmaster (tgreene@indiana.edu )
You may have noticed that the annual Monroe County Birdathon is scheduled for May 7. Have you ever wondered just what a birdathon is? It is a birding competition between birding teams to see which team can identify the largest number of species of birds in a 24-hour period. The time limits on this year's birdathon are from midnight until midnight all day during May 7. Teams consist of 3-6 members. They must obtain sponsorship from an environmental organization or a corporate sponsor. Each team member contributes $15 and is encouraged to obtain pledges to help support the sponsoring agency (in the case of environmental organizations) or Monroe County environmental education programs (in the case of corporate sponsors). SAS, Wild Birds Unlimited of Bloomington, and the Monroe County Parks and Recreation Department are the event sponsors.
A number of rules apply to the competition. The birds must be seen in Monroe County, but birds in the air or on the water in an adjoining county can be counted as long as the observer is in Monroe County. The team members must travel together. All members of the team must identify at least 95% of the birds listed. Birds must be conclusively identified by sight or sound (if in doubt it does not count). The team may call a time out (perhaps to take a nap) during which time no birds can be identified. Team members can receive no help from non-members, and no team can intentionally flush birds to prevent another team from seeing them. This is only a portion of the list. Be sure to obtain an official list of rules before your team embarks on the competition.
The teams meet for a dinner and tally on the day after the event. Wild Birds Unlimited will be presenting a prize to the team that has the highest species total. A rookie-of-the-year award goes to the team of new participants with the highest species total. Be sure to check your next issue of The Leaflet to learn the winners of this year's event.
It is too late to register a team this year (the deadline was April 15), but why not put it on your schedule for next year? Either form your own team or encourage a birding friend to apply and include you on the team!
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, May 7: Annual Monroe County Birdathon
Birding teams must have registered by April 15. See birdathon article in this issue and watch for results in the July/August issue.
Saturday, May 14: Birding Yellowwood with James Cole
We will join the new coordinator for Indiana's Important Bird Area Program, James Cole and the Amos Butler Audubon Society from Indianapolis for a morning of looking for neotropical migrant birds in the Yellowwood Lake area. Come and do a little birding with our neighbors to the north and maybe learn a little about Audubon's I.B.A. Program. Meet at 7:45 a.m. in the parking lot of the Yellowwood State Forest Office. We'll look for warblers and other migrants in the Yellowwood area until late morning. For more information, contact Mike Clarke at miclarke@bloomington.in.us.
Jess Gwinn leads a tree identification outing in Feb 2005 at Lake Griffy.
(photo by J Lawrence)
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Saturday, May 14: International Migratory Bird Day Celebration
International Migratory Bird Day is a festival celebrating the journey of migratory birds from their winter to summer homes. It is celebrated in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Central America. Its U.S. sponsors are the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Events are planned at Hardin Ridge Recreation Area on the south side of Lake Monroe. Contact Cindy Basile at 812-547-9229 for details.
Saturday, May 14: Owen County May Day Bird Count
This is the annual spring bird count for Owen County. For details contact Jess Gwinn at jagmo@bluemarble.net
Wednesday, May 25: "Keeping it Wild"
Kim Novick, Great Lakes Organizer of the Alaska Coalition, will present our May 25 program at 7:00 p.m. entitled "Keeping It Wild." She will explain the importance of preserving public lands in Alaska, work to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and what you can do to help. The program will be in Room 2-C of the Monroe County Library and is free to all. Refreshments will be served.
Saturday, May 28: Breeding Birds of the Hoosier National Forest
Join us for a trip to the Deam Wilderness area of the Hoosier National Forest to look and listen for the breeding birds of this special Indiana ecosystem. This large, contiguous block of hardwood forest represents an important breeding location for many neotropical songbirds, which have experienced population declines in recent years. We will work on learning birdsongs, and hope to find Wood Thrushes, Hooded, Black-throated Green, Cerulean and Worm-eating Warblers and other birds of the deep forest. We'll meet at 6:30 a.m. in the northeast corner of the K-mart parking lot on East Third Street in Bloomington. From there we'll caravan to locations in the Deam Wilderness and return to Bloomington by late morning. For more information, contact Mike Clarke at miclarke@bloomington.in.us.
Saturday, June 11: Grassland Birds of Universal Mines with Lee Sterrenburg
Join us for a summer trip to Universal Mines in west-central Indiana's Vermilion County. Lee Sterrenburg will help us search for the unique birds of this grassland habitat. On previous trips to this location, Lee has shown us Least Bittern, American Bittern, Upland Sandpiper, Bell's Vireo, Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Bobolink, and Sedge Wren. The introduced Ring-necked Pheasant is also fairly common on the property and several are usually seen and heard. In order to get to the mine property early we will meet at 6:00 a.m. in the Sam's Club parking lot at the intersection of State Road 45 and highway 37. From there we will carpool to the mine property. We will return to Bloomington in the afternoon. Those wishing to join us from outside the Monroe County area may wish to contact Lee to arrange a meeting place at Universal. Contact Lee at: sterren@indiana.edu for more information.
Saturday, June 18: The Summer Flora and Fauna of North Fork
Lake Monroe Property Naturalist Jeff Riegel will lead us on a walk around the North Fork wetlands of Lake Monroe to investigate the plants and animals that make this area a unique part of the Lake Monroe watershed. A host of interesting amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects, birds, plants and mammals call North Fork home. Join us to appreciate the biodiversity of a southern Indiana wetland. We will meet at 8:00 a.m. in the northeast corner of the K-mart parking lot on East Third Street in Bloomington. From there we will caravan to the North Fork area. We will return to town by late morning. For more information, contact Mike Clarke at miclarke@bloomington.in.us.
Saturday, June 25: Ninth Annual "Fourth of July" Monroe/Brown County Butterfly Count
Teams will observe and count butterflies found in a circle centered on the Crooked Creek Launch Ramp on Lake Monroe. The procedure is much like the Christmas Bird Count. If you are interested in participating, please contact Jeff Belth at jeffreybelth@aol.com for assignment to a team. See the article about the butterfly count elsewhere in this issue of The Leaflet.
Wednesday, June 29: Selection and Nomination of Indiana Important Bird Areas
James Cole, Coordinator for Indiana Important Bird Areas, will discuss the selection and nomination of Indiana Important Bird Areas and what they mean for bird conservation in Indiana. The program will be in Room 1-B of the Monroe County Library at 7:00 p.m. and is free to all. Refreshments will be served.
It's easy to become depressed reading the news. In addition to wars, earthquakes, economic problems, and health issues, the environment is under serious attack. The results may make our other concerns moot. Even our concerns about endangered species and habitat loss pale next to the bigger issues.
The problems go way beyond the current administration. We continue to pollute our air and waters and soil. The human population continues to rise and the US continues to thwart family planning efforts. We use resources like there is no tomorrow. Maybe there isn't.
There can be no doubt that global warming is real and we are doing nothing to stop it. By refusing to participate in the Kyoto treaty, the US has shown that we don't intend to change any of our wasteful ways. This is not just a matter of warmer winters. Events have been set in motion that will likely change the circulation of water in the oceans in as little as 10 years. If the Atlantic "conveyer" stops, northern Europe and North America will be plunged into a new ice age. Droughts will sweep the major grain producing regions of the world. The polar ice caps will melt, triggering flooding along the coasts, where half the world's population resides.
Meanwhile, the oil companies are hopeful that there will be access to new reserves under all that melting ice, so no one will have to park that SUV. We are determined to suck every last drop of oil out of the earth, including the pristine arctic areas and coral reefs, before we consider alternate energy sources.
The only consolation I find in all of this is that the Earth continues to orbit around the sun. The seasons change. The Earth has undergone major climatic changes in the past and life has survived and evolved. Let's just hope we are around to see what happens next.
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Annual Monroe/Brown Fourth of July Butterfly Count Scheduled for June 25 by Sandy Belth
On Saturday, June 25, we will conduct the ninth Annual Monroe/Brown County "Fourth of July" Butterfly Count. We encourage all who are interested in butterflies to join us, no matter what your level of identification expertise. The Fourth of July butterfly counts are conducted in the same fashion as the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Counts: a 15-mile diameter circle is mapped and split into sections, or territories. Our circle is centered at Crooked Creek boat ramp and includes Paynetown, Cutright, Allens Creek, portions of Brown County State Park and Yellowwood State Forest, the Deam Wilderness, and more. The sections are parceled out to field parties, or teams, which cover as much varied habitat as possible and count as many butterfly species and individual butterflies as they can find during the course of the day (usually from about 8:00am to 5:00pm). At the end of the day we meet and tally our results. Last year our count once again had the highest species count in the state, and the second highest count in the Midwest region.
Although our count has been conducted since 1997, the first Fourth of July counts were started over 25 years ago by members of the Xerces Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of invertebrates. The name was chosen to mimic the popular Christmas Bird Counts, and like the bird counts, the counts are rarely held on the actual holiday. They are usually conducted two or three weeks before or after July Fourth; the time is adjusted to correspond with the annual peak of butterfly diversity within the area of the count. For our area, that peak usually occurs around the end of June. Several years ago the administration of the counts was transferred from the Xerces Society to the North American Butterfly Association, (NABA), an organization formed to educate the public about the joys of non-consumptive, recreational butterflying, including observation, photography, listing, gardening, rearing, and conservation.
The butterfly counts are a fun way to learn more about butterflies, meet others with similar interests, and help to monitor our local butterfly populations. We hope you can join us! If you are interested, please call Jeff or Sandy at 825-8353 or contact Jeff at jeffreybelth@aol.com.
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Birding in Antarctica
SAS president Cathy Meyer recently received the following letter from Bill and Edith Overlease.
"We thought some of the members would enjoy what we saw on our recent cruse ship tour to Antarctica. We just got back on Saturday from Cape Horn. This year is our 50th wedding anniversary Ð so our present to each other was this trip on the deluxe French ship, MS Le Diamant. The tour represented participants from the Big 10 and universities all over the United States and Canada, through their alumni associations - 200 people all hungry to learn about Antarctica! We had four lectures a day about all aspects of the continent Ð what fun to learn and ask questions when you are there! And we had no exams either! What a barren, beautiful, and intriguing world it is. It was a truly unique and priceless experience."
The Overleases noted that there were two ornithologists on board, Pepper Trail and Peter Zika. Also in their letter they included a checklist of birds observed in Antarctica. They saw four species of penguin, six species of albatross, and 14 species of petrels and relatives. They estimated that they saw 308,000 Chinstrap Penguins and 25,000 Gentoo Penguins.
What a great trip it must have been, and what a fantastic anniversary present! We congratulate them on their 50th.
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Odds and Ends
The results are in for the Great Backyard Bird Count, which was held on February 18-21. A total of over 52,000 lists were submitted, up 24% from the previous high. Participants identified 613 species (the previous record was 567) and counted over 6,500,000 birds. The most numerous bird this year was the Snow Goose with 835,369 counted. More people saw the Northern Cardinal than any other species. New York State had the most lists submitted but Pennsylvania, boosted by many snow geese, had the largest number of birds. The mayor of Gautier, Mississippi issued an official proclamation asking citizens of his town to submit lists. As a result there were more lists from Gautier than any other town. The Bloomington total was aided by Nancy Martin's Jackson Creek Middle School science class. Nancy asked her students to participate in the program as a class project Ð a great way to get the younger generation involved in Bloomington.
April 2005 was Audubon Centennial month marking 100 years since the founding of the National Audubon Society. April 26 was John James Audubon's 220th birthday.
Notes from newsletters of other Indiana Audubon chapters: The Sycamore Audubon Society in West Lafayette reported results from two Christmas Bird Counts in their area. The Lafayette count totaled 71 species and 67,878 individuals counted by 26 observers. The Willow Slough count totaled 68 species and 4464 individuals counted by 12 observers. The Evansville Chapter reported 72 species and 55,770 individuals for the Vanderburgh County count and 64 species and 13,098 individuals for the Posey County count. For comparison, the SAS Lake Monroe count totaled 98 species and 11,652 individuals with 61 observers.
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Alicia Craig Describes Eastern Whooping Crane Migration at February Meeting by Bob Dodd
We all have probably heard about the endangered Whooping Cranes that migrate through Indiana on their way from Wisconsin to Florida. But how was this migration started and how is it accomplished? Alicia Craig, an employee of the American Bird Conservancy and a board member of Operation Migration, answered this question to the delight of an audience of 25-30 people at the February SAS meeting at the Monroe County Library. Her talk was illustrated with numerous striking photos, many taken from the ultra-light aircraft used in the migration.
Most of the something less than 500 living individual Whooping Cranes spend their winters at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Texas (see Aransas trip article elsewhere in The Leaflet) and their summers in Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada. Until recently the eastern population was extinct. That is where Operation Migration comes in. Elisa told us that eggs produced in captive breeding centers are hatched at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland. In early summer training starts for the birds at the Necedah NWR in Wisconsin. Work with Sandhill Cranes demonstrated that to avoid their becoming dependent upon humans it is important not to let the chicks (and older cranes) come in direct contact with people. The workers cannot even speak within hearing range of the cranes. Personnel working with the cranes dress in white outfits to make them look as much as possible like adult cranes. Alicia donned one of these outfits and showed us the "puppets" used for feeding and working with the cranes.
In the fall it is time to start the migration to Florida. But without parents the young cranes have no idea which way to go. So they are trained to follow ultra-light aircraft as surrogate parents. The migration route, which goes through Indiana, covers some 1200 miles and takes as many as 50 days. Because the ultra-light planes are restricted to relatively low altitudes, the cranes cannot fly and soar like wild adults using wind currents. Thus the birds tire and can only fly for a short time each day. The cranes spend their non-flying time in undisclosed rural sites along the way. Again, it is important that the cranes not have contact with people, hence with a few exceptions the resting localities are not revealed. In the past one of the sites has been the Muscatatuck NWR near Seymour, Indiana, where people can observe the cranes from a distance. The end of the migration is Chassahowitzka NWR North of Tampa in Florida.
After the first guided migration the cranes are on their own, although they wear radio monitors which allow tracking. Almost unbelievably the high-altitude flight back to Wisconsin takes only 3-4 days and the cranes have learned the route from just that one guided trip.
Operation Migration encourages financial contributions and can use volunteers (especially if they have an ultra-light plane!). You can contact them at www.operationmigration.org
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Owls and Crow Stars of Show at March Program by P.J. Pulliam
Susan Davis, Education Coordinator for WildCare Inc., and some of the dedicated staff of volunteers gave a very interesting and informative presentation for our March 30 program. WildCare provides critical help for injured and orphaned wild animals brought to them. They work diligently to help the animals recover so they can be released to their natural environment. Volunteers include Molly Wright, as well as SAS board members Staci Radford-Vincent, John Lawrence, and Kelly Rockhill. John and Molly gave us fascinating, up-close looks at an Eastern Screech Owl, Great Horned Owl, and Eurasian Barn Owl used in their education programs. Staci informed everyone of the remarkable things DaVinci, the American Crow, has been able to learn. In his debut appearance, Da Vinci entertained the audience with his antics and continuous attempts to free himself from his jesses! The birds and materials provided by WildCare as well as the knowledgeable staff of volunteers gave everyone who attended an educational and entertaining program. Many thanks to the dedicated staff at WildCare Inc. for their presentation.
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The Activist’s Corner by Jess Gwinn
After several years in the making the Hoosier National Forest (HNF) has released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Land and Resource Management Plan. This is the next step in the preparation of a new management plan for the HNF. All National Forests are required to update their management plans approximately every 15 years. The last HNF plan was created in 1985 and was a real stinker allowing clear-cuts on 80% of the forest as well as Off Road Vehicle (ORV) use. After SAS and several other groups protested, the plan was heavily modified in 1991. This modified plan, referred to as the Conservationists Alternative, drastically reduced the amount of allowed logging and outlawed ORV use.
Thankfully, the new plan does not depart too far from the old plan. ORV use is still not allowed. Oil, gas and mineral exploration would not be allowed. Timber harvesting would be allowed on 41% of the forest. Pretty much the same as the old plan. The greatest change in my opinion is the expanded emphasis on early successional forest management. Basically this means that more areas of the forest will be managed so that a young forest is growing. There is also an expanded emphasis on oak-hickory forest management.
My prime concern is with the early successional forest management. The HNF, if left alone, would revert to an old growth forest. Within this old growth forest would be pockets of early successional forest created by natural means such as disease, insect infestations, natural mortality and weather events. Last summer, several thousand acres of the HNF were impacted by strong storms, creating many large openings in the forest. Why do we need to manage (i.e. create) these openings when they are being created naturally? The species that depend upon this habitat type can find it abundantly on non-HNF lands. The HNF should be managed for closed canopy forest, protecting the many species that depend upon this forest type, a forest type uncommon to rare in the Midwest.
I have other concerns about the new plan but space prohibits a full review. If you are interested in helping with the new plan, contact me at 876-8623 or jagmo@bluemarble.net. There are others working on the plan as well, and hopefully we can craft a better plan. The HNF plan can be reviewed on the web at www.r9.fs.fed.us/hoosier/forestplaninfo.htm. The HNF is the largest block of public forest in Indiana and needs to be protected for those species that depend upon it as well as for the humans that utilize it.
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