A new era of hope was spawned earlier this year when authorities announced the re-discovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker. “Wings on the Water,” an event sponsored by the Fourwinds Resort and Marina, will celebrate this renewed sense of responsibility among conservationists of all stripes throughout the world.

A three-day conference, “Wings on the Water” begins November 11 at 4 p.m. and concludes at noon on November 13, with all activities taking place on Lake Monroe. Indiana’s largest reservoir and considered by some to be the birdwatching capital of the state.

Four outings, including one by boat, will focus on some of the tougher identifications encountered during the fall season. Other programs will feature recognizing field marks, avian field research, population ecology, the ancient art of falconry, and our role as birders in the conservation of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and numerous other species worldwide. Speakers and leaders for the event include Cathy Meyer, John Lawrence, President of the Sassafras Audubon Society, Ross Brittain, Jim and Susan Hengeveld, Laura Edmunds, Mike Clarke, Jeff Riegel, Bob Kissell, and Dan Leach, President of the Indiana Audubon Society.

This all-inclusive birder’s weekend includes a 2-night stay at the Fourwinds Resort and Marina and all meals, as well as ground and water transportation for all outings.  The cost is $299 for a single and $399 for a double.  A meals-and-transportation-only rate of $149 is available for those within easy commuting distance to the conference.

For more information, including a complete listing of all programs, or online registration, log on to www.eaglesatlakemonroe.com/events/ or call the Fourwinds Resort and Marina at 1-800-824-BOAT (2628).

In the last Leaflet we described Goose Pond/Beehunter Marsh, the first in our series of articles concerning Indiana Important Bird Areas.  In this issue we profile Jasper-Pulaski State Fish and Wildlife Area (J-P), another of the list of 13 IBAs that the Audubon Society recently named.  Probably most readers of the Leaflet have heard of J-P, and many have likely visited the area to see the thousands of Sandhill Cranes that stop at the area in the fall and spring during their migration.  J-P is one of 19 Fish and Wildlife areas managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.  The state acquired the property in 1929 and originally designated it as a game farm and game preserve.  In 1965 it was designated as a fish and game area and in 1972 received its present designation.  Much of the funding for the area comes from the sale of hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses supplemented by federal funding for fish and wildlife restoration.  It is thus primarily managed as hunting and fishing property but is also a great area for bird and other wildlife observation. 

As the name implies, the area lies in Jasper and Pulaski Counties (plus a bit of Starke County) in the northwestern part of the state.  To reach the area from Bloomington, drive to Lafayette and take State Highway 43 to its junction with U.S. highway 421.  Travel north on U.S. 421 to its junction with State Highway 143, about three miles north of the village of Medaryville.  Turn west on State Highway 143, which forms the southern boundary of the area.  The visitor’s center and office are on the right, a bit more than a mile from the highway 421 junction.  Visitors are asked to register at the center before proceeding further into the property (although this is probably not necessary if your intention is just to view the cranes).  A few hundred yards beyond the Visitor’s Center is the junction with County Road 1650.  Turn right on this road for about 1/4 mile to arrive at the Sandhill Crane observation deck, which overlooks Goose (not Crane) Pasture.  There is a huge paved parking lot for the deck – big enough to accommodate more than a hundred cars.  There is a paved path through a wooded area that leads to the observation platform.  As you walk along this path you can take a self-administered quiz with signs presenting a dozen or so questions about Sandhill Cranes.  The answers appear on a sign at the end of the trail.  There is a small area near the deck for handicapped parking.  The viewing platform is large enough to accommodate dozens of people as they look out over the level field where the cranes come to socialize.  There are two or three scopes attached to the deck if you do not have a spotting scope and want a closer view.  The best times to see the cranes are a sunrise or an hour before sunset.  The cranes congregate here in the morning before going to nearby fields to feed and return in the evening before roosting.   The cranes begin arriving in the area in mid to late September and peak in abundance in mid-November.  They are gone by mid-December, but appear again on their northward journey starting in late February.  The last cranes usually leave by mid-April.  The DNR Fish and Wildlife web site gives the latest count on crane numbers.  As of October 6 the number was 2686 and rising.  In November of 2004 some 24,000 cranes were visiting J-P (a bit shy of the 27,600 or so in 1997).

But there is more to J-P than Sandhill Cranes.  There is another, smaller, older, more “rickety” platform beside a large shallow lake and wetland in the center of the area.  To reach this platform drive down CR 1650 for about a mile and a quarter beyond the crane deck.  At this point a narrow lane leads to the west through a wooded wetland area.  You should check at the office to see if driving down this road is permitted at the time of your visit.   Otherwise you will have to walk about a mile to the deck.  There is a parking area a few hundred yards from the platform beside two small ponds (former gravel pits) which are good heron and duck habitat.  Our visit to J-P in early September was not optimum for water fowl viewing, but from the platform we saw a variety of herons, egrets, ducks, gulls, kingfishers, a few song birds, and just as we were leaving two Sandhill Cranes flew over – a pleasant surprise.  This area should have lots of ducks and other migrating waterfowl in the fall and spring.

If you spend much time at J-P, you will probably want to spend the night in the area.  There are no towns large enough to have motels or hotels very nearby.  The closest towns with motels that we found were Valparaiso and Rensselaer, both about 25-30 miles from the area.  Unfortunately there is no camping at J-P, but there are probably areas nearby.  The state has a website that lists campgrounds by county with several in both Jasper and Pulaski counties.  If you would like up-to-the-minute information, you can call the J-P office at (219) 843-4841.  Their website at gives some general information.

By the way, on your trip through the Lafayette-West Lafayette area we would recommend that you make a stop at the Celery Bog Nature Area just a mile or so north of the Purdue Campus.  It is a beautiful secluded spot with a wetland and pond that had many ducks and other water birds when we visited it in early September.  It should be even better during the height of migration season.  That is a popular spot for birders in the area as indicated by the frequent postings on the Indiana bird-list.  The West Lafayette Parks and Recreation Department, which administers the site, also maintains the Lilly Nature Center next to the wetlands.  Check their website at www.parks.city.west-lafayette.in.us/index.asp for details on location and facilities.

As a result of thinking about Christmas gift ideas for birders (see article elsewhere in this Leaflet) the SAS board decided that it would be a good idea to inaugurate a gift membership program.  The Board suggests that one of the best gifts you could give a birder friend who is not already a SAS member is a gift membership.  You are giving financial support for environmental causes and also allowing your friend to keep up with the latest happenings among local birders (and butterfliers on occasion).  If you choose to give a SAS membership just complete the form on page two and mail it with your check to the address indicated to arrive no later than December 10.  We will send an attractive gift card to the recipient, and they will receive their first issue of the Leaflet by early January.

Give a Holiday Gift of an SAS Membership

Why not share the advantages of a chapter-only membership in the Sassafras Audubon Society with family and friends?  Membership in SAS allows them to join a group of like-minded people concerned with wildlife and the environment, and they will receive our regular chapter newsletter, the Leaflet, which keeps them up to date on local issues and events.

Application for Gift Membership

Gift To:

Name: _______________________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________

City/State/Zip: ________________________________________________

Gift From:

Name: ______________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________

City/State/Zip: _______________________________________________

Complete this application and mail it along with your check for $20 to Sassafras Audubon Society, c/o Jeff Riegel, P.O. Box 85, Bloomington, IN, 47402.  Make check payable to Sassafras Audubon Society

What would be a Christmas gift idea for your birder friends – or what are some suggestions you could put on your own list?  The SAS Board members (present and past) came up with a number of excellent possibilities that should delight any birder.  In fact they had more suggestions than we have room for in the Leaflet, but we plan to add to the list on the SAS web site.

On a cold winter night what better thing to do than relax with a book about one of your favorite topics, i.e. birds. 

The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik – Suggested by Jess Gwinn and seconded by Susan Hengeveld and Bob and Joann Dodd. 

On the Wing by Alan Tennant.  – Suggested by Bob and Joann Dodd.

The Birder's Handbook: A field guide to the natural history of North American Birds by Paul Ehrlich, David Dobkin and Darryl Wheye.  Suggested by Dawn Hewitt. 

Why Birds Sing: a journey into the mystery of bird song by David Rothenberg.  Suggested by Susan Hengeveld. 

The Grail Bird: Hot on the Trail of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker by Tim Gallagher.  Suggested by Bob Dodd.

Butterflies of North America (a Kaufman Focus Guide) by Jim Brock and Kenn Kaufman.  Suggested by Jeff Belth, who indicated that Leaflet readers might be interested in butterflies as well as birds.

DVDs or video tapes are another good idea for birders.  Susan Hengeveld suggests the David Attenborough series Life of Birds.   She says that it is a phenomenal series of 10 - 50+ minute episodes on the Life of Birds.  DVDs of the movies Winged Migration and March of the Penguins would make good additions to any birder’s library.  If you like to listen to books on tape (or CD) some of the above books and others are available in audio form.  We have been listening to The Big Year on CD while we drive to birding areas.

Mike Clarke suggests that all serious birders should have CDs or tapes of bird songs.  He especially recommends The Stokes Field Guide To Bird Songs (Eastern Region) by Lang Elliot with Donald and Lillian Stokes.  Jess Gwinn seconds this idea and suggests More Birding by Ear for those who have mastered the first series and want to take the next step. 

John Lawrence recommends clothing items.  Good hiking socks, like SmartWool brand, are a welcome present for anyone who likes the outdoors.  A nice wool sweater also makes winter birding much more comfortable.  A pair of light-weight convertible trousers is handy in the summer with cool mornings warming into mid day.  For a stocking stuffer John recommends a thistle sock for feeding finches.  Another novel idea from John is a Mother Nature's Monitor, which is a wireless, weatherproof, outdoor microphone that broadcasts on a selectable FM frequency to your home radio.  Newer ones have a wireless receiving station.  You place the microphone by your feeders, and it's similar to the outdoor microphones at viewing rooms in a state park nature center bird where you can hear every twitter and chirp. 

Sandy Belth suggests charitable gifts in the name of your birder recipient such as giving a tree through the National Arbor Day Foundation. With each $5 donation, a tree will be planted in a national forest that has been damaged by fire, insects, or disease, and you’ll receive a beautiful Give-a-Tree card with original artwork by wildlife artist Neal Anderson. The National Arbor Day Foundation also has gift packages called “Song Bird Serenade” that includes Arbor Day Gourmet Coffee (shade grown coffee), the book Songbirds in Your Garden, a CD Backyard Bird Song, and an Arbor Day Seedling Tree, packaged in a clear, recyclable tube that doubles as a bird feeder.  Along the same line, you could adopt an owl in the SAS program (see form in this Leaflet). 

Several Board members thought that the best idea of all for your birder friends who are not already members would be a gift membership in the Sassafras Audubon Society.  The Board thought this was such a good idea that we are initiating a gift membership program (see the note and form in this Leaflet).

Would you like still more ideas?  Check the SAS web site for more books – or make a trip to Wild Birds Unlimited or look on the web at the American Birding Association site.

Happy shopping!

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, November 5: Weekend Birding Trip to Northwest Indiana

Join Jim and Susan Hengeveld for a trip to some of the best birding areas in that region of Indiana. Probable destinations include Jasper-Pulaski Fish And Wildlife Area, stopover point for thousands of migrating Sandhill Cranes each fall, (see article in this Leaflet) and the Lake Michigan lakefront.  Trip itinerary will depend on participant interest, so for more information and to reserve your spot contact Jim and Susan at 988-1671 or e-mail jhengeve@indiana.edu.

Friday – Sunday, November 11-13:  Wings on the Water

See article in this Leaflet about this event at the Fourwinds Resort and Marina on Lake Montoe.

Saturday, November 19, 8:00 a.m.: Local Waterfowl Outing

It’s that time of year again. Our area lakes and marshes fill up with waterfowl.  Join us to look for some ducks, loons and grebes and any other birds that we may find.  We will meet in the northeast corner of the K-mart parking lot on E. Third Street in Bloomington.  For more information, contact Mike Clarke at miclarke@bloomington.in.us.

Saturday, December 3, 2:00 p.m.: Short-eared Owl trip           

Early winter is the time when migrating raptors descend on the mine and marshlands of western Indiana.  On this afternoon trip, Lee Sterrenburg will lead us to his favorite haunts in Greene and Sullivan Counties to look primarily for Short-eared Owls, but also to investigate the other raptors, waterfowl and sparrows that spend their winter in this area.  Arriving in the late afternoon to Hawthorn Mines should give us a good chance of seeing the Short-eared Owls as they come out from their roosts in the tall grass and begin their evening hunting.  We will meet in the northeast corner of the Wal-Mart parking lot on west 2nd Street (State Road 45) in Bloomington.  From there we will carpool to our destinations.  We should return to Bloomington by 7:00 p.m.  For more information, contact Lee at sterren@indiana.edu

Saturday, December 10th: CBC Warm-up Birding

For this outing we will head to Lake Monroe for a half-day of birding in anticipation of the following Saturday’s annual Christmas Bird Count.  We should find some ducks as well as our usual winter visitors like Common Loons and Golden-crowned Kinglets and maybe a Bald Eagle or two.  We will also keep an eye out for more irregular winter birds like Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Siskin and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  Join us and hone your winter bird skills for the Christmas Bird Count.  We will meet at 8:00 a.m. in the northeast corner of the K-mart parking lot on East Third Street in Bloomington.  We will caravan to the lake and should return before noon. For more information, contact Mike Clarke at miclarke@bloomington.in.us.

Saturday, December 17th: Lake Monroe Christmas Bird Count

Check the SAS web site and/or Bloomington Bird List for details as they develop.

Sunday, December 18th: Spring Mill Christmas Bird Count

Contact John Castrale at jcastrale@dnr.IN.gov for more information.

Tuesday, December 20th: Patoka Christmas Bird Count

Contact John Castrale at jcastrale@dnr.IN.gov for more information.

Saturday, December 31st: McCormick’s Christmas Bird Count

Contact Sandy Belth at BelthBirds@aol.com.

(Note:  We will not have Wednesday evening programs during November and December, but see the next issue of the Leaflet for our January and February programs.)

In the middle of September My Man Mitch threw a real curve ball to all those who care about Indiana’s state forests.  Along with the new State Forester, John Seifert, they announced a broad new plan for the state forests that actually contained several good programs.  Unfortunately, however, they plan to finance these new programs with a potential quintupling of logging on state forests, from 3.4 million board feet currently up to 17 million in the future.  This logging supposedly will remove up to 70% of the annual growth on the state forests.

There are a few points to consider about this proposed increase in logging.  According to Indiana law, our state forests are managed for multiple uses with logging specifically mentioned as one of the uses.  As with the national forests, unless this basic law is changed, logging will continue to occur on our state forests. 

That said, the question then becomes how much logging, where and when?  The state forests belong to the people of Indiana with our government entrusted as stewards.  Before any forester undertakes a new forest plan or logging operation, he consults with the client.  We the citizens of Indiana are the clients.  Why were we not consulted on this huge change in the management of our forests?  Polls have indicated that the majority of Hoosiers want no or reduced logging on our state forests not 5 times as much. 

As with the recently published management plan for the Hoosier National Forest, increases in logging are offered up in the guise of improving wildlife habitat.   The sad fact is that virtually all habitat types are declining statewide, primarily through human activity and development.  When habitat is lost, the species dependent upon that habitat suffer as well.  Altering mature forests to create young forests is like robbing Peter to pay Paul.  Why impair a healthy functioning habitat simply to create a different habitat?

Buried within one of their studies used to justify the increase in state logging is a simple statement that old growth forests eventually provide the broad mosaic of habitats the new state plan seeks to create, only that the old growth forests take centuries to develop.  Implicit in this statement is the concession that habitat improvement in the new plan is simply an excuse to increase logging for more revenue.  Increased logging is therefore not necessary, just desired by the administrators of our state forests.  Let them know these are our state forests and we want a say in how they are managed

[Editor’s note:  This article, written by James Cole, Indiana IBA Coordinator, in part duplicates the report of his June SAS program, which was reviewed in the last Leaflet.  The original list of 15 nominees for IBA designation included in that report was modified by removal of the Hoosier National Forest, Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center, and Savannah/Beaver Lake Nature Preserves.  Indiana Dunes State Park was added to the list.]

The National Audubon Society, which is celebrating its centennial year of protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitats that support them, announced this fall the designation of the first 13 Important Bird Areas in the state of Indiana.  The IBA program is Audubon’s lead conservation initiative and is part of a global partnership striving to identify and inventory key areas throughout the world that are critical to the survival of birds, and to promote the conservation of these areas in order to maintain healthy bird populations.

The nearly 150,000 acres of land encompassed by Indiana’s first identified IBAs range in size from the approximate 55,000 acres of the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge near Madison, Indiana, to the relatively smaller 700 acres of the Pine Creek/Robert Feldt Marsh in Benton County.  Habitats included within the IBAs are equally diverse, such as the tallgrass prairies of The Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands (Newton County), the dunal ridges and blowouts of Indiana Dunes Sate Park (Porter County), the restored wetlands of Beehunter Marsh (Greene County), and the beautifully forested riparian corridor of the Sugar Creek valley (Montgomery and Parke Counties).

Perhaps more significant is the abundance and diversity of birds supported by these newly designated areas.  Birds of conservation concern, which can be found at the various IBAs, include such Audubon WatchList species as Bell’s Vireo, Worm-eating Warbler, and Henslow’s Sparrow.  The IBAs also provide critical habitat for species listed as endangered or threatened by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, such as the Sandhill Crane, Black Rail, and Hooded Warbler.  In fact, more than 40 species of threatened or endangered birds utilize these Important Bird Areas during breeding, non-breeding, or migratory seasons.

With the assistance of the IBA coordinator, the Indiana Important Bird Areas Technical Committee evaluates and identifies the state’s IBAs according to a rigorous set of standardized selection criteria.  Potential areas must support at least one of the following in order to qualify:  (1) species of conservation concern (e.g. Cerulean Warbler, Henslow’s Sparrow, etc.); (2) species that are vulnerable because their populations are concentrated in one general habitat type or biome (e.g., Wood Thrush, Dickcissel, etc.); (3) an outstanding example of a rare or representative habitat type (e.g. Sedge Meadow, Oak Savanna, etc.); (4) species, or groups of similar species (such as waterfowl or shorebirds), that are vulnerable because they occur at high densities due to their congregatory behavior.

While the IBA program confers no regulatory status for designated areas, the information gathered about each site can create model ordinances for local governments, and serve as the basis for educational materials and programs to increase public awareness and stewardship of habitats critical for bird populations.  Other opportunities generated through the identification of IBAs may include direct conservation measures, such as public acquisition, conservation easements, and guides for property managers.

Currently, work is underway to prepare nominations for the second round of IBA evaluations.  Examples of properties that may be analyzed by the technical committee include the Hoosier National Forest, Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center, Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge, and Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, plus a few smaller, more local areas such as Bendix Meadows in St. Joseph County and the Scott Starling Sanctuary or Fort Harrison State Park, both of which are located in Marion County.  Audubon members and interested birders who would like to nominate a site as an Important Bird Area can contact James Cole, Indiana IBA coordinator, for a nomination sheet and instructions (email:  jcole@audubon.org).  For a full review of Indiana’s Important Bird Areas, please visit www.audubon.org/bird/iba and click on the state of Indiana.

Christian Freitag, executive director of the Sycamore Land Trust (SLT) discussed the history and mission of the Trust at the September 28 SAS meeting.   In 1990 the owner of a small piece of land at the end of West Eighth Street offered the Sassafras Audubon Society the land for protection from development.  SAS had no experience or expertise in this area, so some of our members founded SLT as a way to protect this and future property that might be donated.  SLT operated as an all-volunteer organization for ten years, before hiring Christian in 2000 as its first paid employee. In the past five years, SLT has experienced rapid growth.  In that time, the organization’s protected acreage has grown by 700% to 3,500 acres in seven counties, and the membership has tripled to over 700.  It is the fastest growing land trust in the U.S. 

Christian emphasized that SLT is not anti-development and is not political.  It attempts to help those who wish to preserve the natural environment that adds to our quality of life.  They do this by receiving donated property, negotiating conservation easements, and occasionally buying property.  Although they have property in seven counties, they are basically a local organization.  Christian emphasized that their motto is to think locally and act locally.   Simply owning the property is not enough.  Some 40% of the SLT budget goes to managing the property.

The largest tract of land owned by SLT, and its “flagship property” is the 700 acres of the Bean Blossom Bottom, which is northwest of Bloomington near the intersection of Bottom and Woodall Roads.  They plan to make this property more user friendly to nature lovers, including birders, by adding boardwalks in the wetlands.

A short business meeting at which five new board members and a new president were elected preceded the program.  The board members are David Daniels, Bob Dodd, Nancy Martin, Tom Platt, and Jeff Riegel.  The new president is John Lawrence.  Present and outgoing board members presented outgoing president, Cathy Meyer, with an inscribed letter opener as a gift of appreciation for her service to the society.

At the August 31 SAS meeting Jeff Riegel, Naturalist with DNR, discussed  “Cogs in the Amphibian Wheel at Stillwater Marsh”.  Jeff gave a progress report on a five-year project to monitor amphibian numbers and diversity at Stillwater Marsh, a heavily managed wetland in the upper reaches of Lake Monroe east of Bloomington.  Working with Jeff on this project are volunteers Don Glass, Gillian Harris, Cecelia Topp, Jeff Hammond, and Laura Hammond. 

Stillwater Marsh is unusual because it is artificially flooded from October through March and drained during the remainder of the year when crops are planted but not harvested.  This maximizes the duck population for hunting.  Draining the marsh results in a dramatic change in habitat for amphibians just as many species are reaching their maximum spring abundance.  Jeff and his team use several methods of estimating amphibian numbers, but much of the emphasis of this talk was on quantitative data obtained from funnel trap surveys.  The trapping has yielded approximately 15 species of amphibians, including both salamanders and frogs.  Although abundance has varied over the three-year period of the survey, several species showed marked increases in the spring 2005 survey, probably as a result of the mild winter.  Non-amphibians sometimes get caught in the traps.  The most exciting non-amphibian discovery was a Kirtlands Snake, an endangered species.  The team has made no firm conclusions about the effect of wetland management practices on amphibians as the project still has two years remaining.  One possible solution to the drastic environmental change caused by draining of the marsh is to build a dike enclosing the affected area to retain water throughout the year.  We will look forward to the completion of the study and recommendations to maximize amphibian diversity and abundance.

Ross Brittain is looking for a few good men and women.  Would you like to spend three plus hours at night in the middle of a forest that is so cold that you may need many layers of clothing plus blankets or sleeping bags to keep warm?  That may not sound too inviting until you learn that the purpose of this “suffering” is to capture and band Northern saw-whet Owls as part of an ongoing project conducted by Ross Brittain and Jess Gwinn.  Ross invites a limited number of volunteers to help him with the banding project in Yellowwood State Forest.  He can accommodate as many as five volunteers per night, although two or three is better to keep the noise down.  The sessions start at sunset or sometimes later and usually last for three or more hours.  Be sure to bring water, snacks, and a chair.  If you are interested, contact Ross at rabritta@indiana.edu.

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