The Leaflet, May/June 2006

President’s Note

by John Lawrence

SAS has a long tradition of working with other groups to promote conservation. I’m proud to say that we’ve been continuing that tradition, partnering with other organizations on several projects already this year.  Perhaps the most exciting collaboration was March’s tree planting at the Sycamore Land Trust’s Powell Preserve, which involved SAS, the SLT, the National Audubon Society, and even St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. 

Our Conservation Chair, Jess Gwinn, successfully applied for a grant from NAS to pay for tree seedlings and mowing at the Powell Preserve.  He even picked up the 700 walnut and oak seedlings at the DNR’s native plant nursery in Vallonia, and delivered them to the preserve, near Stinesville, on March 18th.  Jess was met there by a group of volunteers from the SLT, SAS, and St. Mark’s.  After some instruction from the SLT’s David Welch, the group of twenty or so volunteers went to work.  It took just a couple of hours to plant all 700 seedlings, although my hands still show the evidence of blisters from the “tree bars” we used.  Afterwards, the group was treated to a chili lunch hosted by Patsy Powell at her historic home.  I enjoy the thought that a few of the seedlings we planted may outlive us all, and provide food and shelter for wildlife for generations to come.

Other partnerships this year included our participation at Eagle Watch Weekend and the Midwest Spring Birding Symposium, which we also sponsored.  We joined a long list of sponsors and participants for April’s 21st annual Brown County Wildflower Foray, which included the Bloomington and Monroe County Parks and Rec Departments, the Friends of T.C. Steele State Historic Site, the Hoosier National Forest, the Indiana DNR, the Indiana Native Plant & Wildflower Society, and the Nature Conservancy.  In addition, many SAS members are volunteering again this year to survey birds for the new Indiana Breeding Bird Atlas, a DNR project that is being assisted by Indiana’s Audubon chapters, the Indiana Audubon Society, and the US Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.  That’s a long list of groups to be working with, and I hope we can add to it in the months to come.

On a different note, I’d like to say thanks to Kris D’Atri, who has stepped down from the SAS board after almost two years of service.  Kris now has a toddler to chase around the house, plus her job to keep up with, so she already needs more hours than there are in a day without further obligations.  Thanks, Kris, for all you’ve done for SAS!

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MAY/JUNE 2006 SAS CALENDAR

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

Watch our web site http://www.bloomington,in.us/~audubon/ and the Bloomington Birds list for announcements about other upcoming outings and activities.

REPLACE "AT" with @ for all email addresses below

Saturday, May 6, midnight to midnight: Annual Monroe County Bird-a-Thon

See the article in this Leaflet or contact Cathy Meyer at cmeyerATco.monroe.in.us for details.

Friday through Sunday,  May 19-21:  Indiana Audubon Society Spring Birding Festival at Turkey Run State Park and Area

In a break with tradition, the spring meeting of the Indiana Audubon Society will be held this year in and around Turkey Run State Park in West-Central Indiana.  This area, the Sugar Creek Valley, has recently been listed as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society. Come join us as we explore as much of it as possible during one weekend!  Registration fees are charged.  Check the Indiana Audubon Society web site (www.indianaaudubon.org/) for details and registration form.

Saturday, May 20,  7:30 a.m.:  International Migratory Bird Day events at Hardin Ridge Campground in the Hoosier National Forest

The Hoosier National Forest hosts this year’s 4th annual event. International Migratory Bird Day is a day to foster appreciation for the nearly 350 species of migratory birds that travel between nesting habitats in North America and non-breeding grounds in South and Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the southern U.S.   The Hoosier National Forest invites you to join them for a variety of programs designed to increase your knowledge of these important species and the habitats that are necessary for their survival. 

Saturday, May 27, 7:00 a.m.: Late Migrants and Local Breeding Birds

We will visit some Monroe County hotspots in search of late migrant birds and to find which birds are breeding in the area.  We will meet at 7 a.m. in the northeast corner of the K-mart parking lot on East Third Street in Bloomington.  From there we will carpool to a few spots around the county and return to Bloomington by midday.  For more information contact Mike Clarke at redeyegravyATgmail.com.

Wednesday May 31, 7:00 p.m.:  Presentation by John Castrale in room 1-B of the Monroe County Library

Twenty years ago, Sassafras Audubon members joined with other birders throughout the state to undertake the monumental task of mapping the distribution of Indiana's breeding birds.  Coordinated by the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife, this project is being repeated to update these maps and to make comparisons to the earlier work.   DNR Avian Ecologist John Castrale will talk about the project, its objectives and methodology and review some of the findings of the original atlas.  All are welcome to attend, and we especially hope for attendance by those who may be interested in participating in this endeavor.  The event is free for all to attend; light refreshments will be served.

Saturday, June 10, 6:00 a.m.: Grassland Birds of Universal Mines with Lee Sterrenburg

Join us for a summer trip to Universal Mines in west-central Indiana's Vermillion 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 northeast corner of the Wal-Mart parking lot at the intersection of State Roads 45 and 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 sterrenATindiana.edu for more information.

Saturday, June 17, 10:00 a.m.:  Second Annual SAS Family Flock Celebration

Join us for a celebration of our natural world at our 2nd Annual Family Flock at the Griffy Lake Nature Preserve!  See details elsewhere in this Leaflet.  This event is free and open to members and non-members. 

Sunday, June 18, 10:00 a.m.: Pate Hollow Hike with Cathy Meyer

Join naturalist Cathy Meyer on a hike of the Pate Hollow trail at Paynetown State Recreation Area.  We will look for forest breeding birds, wildflowers and other flora and fauna that make our southern Indiana forests unique and invaluable.  We will meet behind the Paynetown office on State Road 446 (across from the Fishin' Shedd) at 10 a.m.  Wear your hiking shoes and bring a lunch or snacks and water or beverages.  We will return to the parking lot by mid-afternoon.  For more information, contact Mike Clarke at redeyegravyATgmail.com.

Wednesday, June 28, 7:00 p.m.: Room 1-B of the Monroe County Library

Jeff Hammond will discuss the dos and don'ts of Nature Photography. Jeff is one of the top natural photographers in our area! Come and check out some of his work and hear how he does it and how YOU can do it! For more information on Jeff & his photography go to http://www.jghphoto.com/

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Editor’s Note:  Rare Birds and Classical Localities

by Bob Dodd

As I write this, I am in Albuquerque, New Mexico visiting our son and family.  Albuquerque has recently been a center of the birding world due to the discovery of a Yellow Grosbeak at a bird feeder in the city.  The Yellow Grosbeak, a spectacular Mexican species, is only rarely found in the U.S. in southeastern Arizona.  It is so rare that David Sibley, in his Sibley Guide to Birds, cautions birders who think they have seen this species to carefully document their find as many spottings have proven to be erroneous.  To find this bird in a city far north of its usual range is big news in the birding and even non-birding world.  The local newspaper included a major article on the bird in its March 12 edition.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of birders have flocked to Albuquerque to see it including our own Jim and Susan Hengeveld, who were quoted in the March 12 article.  Joann and I as well as our birding son and daughter-in-law were pleased to be among those who have observed this beautiful bird in the back yard of a very accommodating family near the University of New Mexico campus.  This bird is so unusual that many people suspect it may have escaped or been released from a cage, in which case by American Birding Association rules it cannot be counted as a wild bird on life lists.  Oh well, it is certainly a spectacular bird anyway.

Yellow Grosbeak in Albuquerque backyard & Black Rosy finch from Sandia Crest.(Photos by Susan Hengeveld.) - click to enlarge

There are certain areas in the U.S. that are famous among birders.  One of these places is southeast Arizona, which is special because a number of bird species occur here and nowhere else in the U.S.  Mostly these are species that have the major part of their range in Mexico and further south but occasionally fly across the border.  Within this general area are special localities that are renowned for excellent birding.  We had the good fortune of visiting some of those localities on a recent trip. 

Portal, Arizona is a remote village far from major highways that lies a mile or so from the New Mexico border at the foot of the Chiricahua Mountains.  The mountains themselves are spectacularly beautiful and geologically interesting, but our reason for going to Portal was the birds.  Portal has a population of about 50 full-time residents and has an economy largely based on birds.  It has one motel, one café, one grocery, no filling station, and one street that is lined with a few dozen houses, practically all of which have numerous bird feeders in their lawns.  The birds love Portal because it has a semi-permanent steam, Cave Creek, flowing from the mountains providing water in this desert area.  A road follows Cave Creek up a canyon into the mountains and the Coronado National Forest.  There are several excellent birding spots along the creek.  Some of our most productive birding was in the village of Portal itself.  Special birds that we saw in the area were the Scott’s Oriole, Blue-throated Hummingbird, and Painted Redstart. 

Another area famous among southeast Arizona birders is the small town of Patagonia.  A very special place there is the backyard of the house belonging to the Patton family.  They welcome visitors to enter their back yard where they have several hummingbird feeders as well as numerous seed feeders.  They have even installed an awning above folding chairs and have a copy of the Sibley Guide for your convenience!  Our trip was too early in the season to see a wide variety of hummingbirds, but we did see the Violet-crowned and Broad-billed Hummingbirds as well as numerous other southeastern Arizona specialties such as the Bridled Titmouse and Gambel’s Quail.  Near the town of Patagonia is Patagonia State Park, just a few miles from the Mexican border and noted for its rarities.  Unfortunately we missed the Elegant Trogon and Black-capped Gnatcatcher, which recently had been reported there. 

A final special destination in southeast Arizona is Madera Canyon, which is cut into the west flank of the Santa Rita Mountains above the town of Green Valley.  The Santa Rita Lodge, located near the end of the road up the canyon, caters to birders and is usually full during prime birding season.  They have a cluster of seed and hummingbird feeders and each morning an organized trips is led by an experienced local birder.  We managed to see three species of vireos (Bell’s, Hutton’s, and Cassin’s) and two new (for us) warblers (Townsend’s and Orange-crowned). 

If your travels take you to the Tucson area, we strongly recommend that you take a few extra days to visit these and other classic localities such as Ramsey Canyon and the San Pedro Riparian Area.  And be on the lookout for rare birds even at your own backyard feeder.  You probably will not see a Yellow Grosbeak in Bloomington, but who knows?

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Activist’s Corner

by Jess A. Gwinn, Conservation Chair

Sometimes I would rather be wrong.  As predicted, our compliant legislature gave Our Man Mitch everything he wanted this session.  Two of the worst as detailed in the last Leaflet are HB 1008, which should have been called “Major Mistakes” instead of “Major Moves” and SB 354, “Don’t tell us how to manage forests, we’re the experts”.  

HB 1008 was rammed through a short legislative session that was traditionally reserved for emergency legislation.  Not any more.  This horrific bill will leave Hoosiers in the lurch for up to 75 years.  In order to persuade a few hesitant Republican lawmakers leery of the overwhelming opposition to the selling of state assets to a foreign consortium, concessions were made to move the proposed route for I-69 west out of Perry Township in Indy where State Road 37 now traverses and to make the I-69 route north of Martinsville toll free.   The catch being that these provisions can be changed by the legislature.  Promises made to swing those few deciding votes will assuredly be revoked in the next legislative session.

SB 354, which had some good forestry provisions in it, unfortunately also exempts the Department of Natural Resources from adhering to the Indiana Environmental Policy Act.  This provision was added to the bill with the express purpose of thwarting a lawsuit that has been working its way through the courts for three years.  Department head Kyle Hupfer admitted as much in a committee hearing.  Remember that IDNR has never followed the provisions of IEPA for over 30 years and the first time they are sued over that deficiency they cry foul and ask to be exempted from the law because of all of the lawsuits.  One of the more insidious aspects of this bill was the behavior of Senate Majority leader Bob Garton.  Twice this past session he refused to allow bills to proceed because of pending lawsuits.  When confronted about the impact SB 354 would have on an existing lawsuit, he immediately wavered and offered a lame excuse about the bill only affecting future lawsuits.

Our state’s illustrious leaders continue to wonder why Indiana suffers from such a brain drain of educated college graduates fleeing the state.  With leadership like we have in Indiana now, who can blame them?  As the brain drain continues, these folks can still stay connected to Indiana.  With much of the state government proposed to be privatized and sold, out of state/country corporations will own much of Indiana in short order giving these ex-patriot Hoosiers a chance to stay connected.  Always look for the silver lining!

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Audubon Committee Identifies 13 New Indiana Important Bird Areas

James Cole, the Audubon Society’s Important Bird Areas (IBA) coordinator, announced that the IBA technical committee has identified 13 new Indiana IBAs.  This is in addition to the 13 IBAs recognized by the committee last fall.  Included in the new list are two within the SAS area:  Hoosier National Forest Pleasant Run Unit in Monroe County, and Yellowwood Lake in Brown County.  Also included are nearby Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in Jennings County and Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center in Martin County. 

The major goal of the IBA program is to call attention to the areas in an effort to encourage their preservation and restoration.  The Audubon Society defines an IBA as “…sites that provide essential habitat for one or more species of bird.  IBAs include sites for breeding, wintering, and/or migrating birds.  IBAs may be a few acres or thousands of acres, but usually they are discrete sites that stand out from the surrounding landscape. IBAs may include public or private lands, or both, and they may be protected or unprotected.”  Audubon has a list of criteria,  at least one of which the area must satisfy in order to qualify. 

Earlier Cole announced that Indiana has as many as 100 potential IBAs that may ultimately be recognized.  The 13 areas identified in this round include:

American Golden-Plover Staging Area (Benton Co.)
Bendix Meadows (St. Joseph Co.)
Boot Lake Nature Preserve (Elkhart Co.)
Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center (Martin Co.)
Fort Harrison State Park (Marion Co.)
Hoosier National Forest, Pleasant Run Unit (Monroe Co.)
Lynnville-Squaw Creek Mine Complex (Warrick Co.)
Minnehaha FWA-Dugger Unit (Sullivan Co.)
Muscatatuck NWR (Jennings Co.)
Patoka River NWR (Pike Co.)
Potato Creek State Park (St. Joseph Co.)
State Line-Calumet Region (Lake Co.)
Yellowwood State Forest (Brown Co.)

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Eagle Will Star at Second Annual Family Flock Celebration on June 17

by Tom Platt

Join us for a celebration of our natural world at our 2nd Annual Family Flock at the Griffy Lake Nature Preserve!  We will kick off the event with a one-hour paddle around the lake (thanks to Bloomington Parks and Recreation for donating the use of canoes).  After the paddle, cool down and relax with some nature journaling and drawing led by naturalist Cathy Meyer.  Then explore Griffy Lake Nature Preserve’s trails with naturalists Dan Johnson and Dawn Hewitt. Finally, we will cap off the day with an exciting demonstration of several impressive birds of prey, including a Bald Eagle by the folks from ‘Return to the Wild’.

Bring the family and enjoy this celebration of nature!  This event is open to both members and non-members, so feel free to bring along your friends.  Snacks will be provided, but please bring a lunch.

Schedule of events (Saturday, June 17)

10:00 am — 11:00 am: Group Paddle on Griffy Lake
11:15 am — 12:15 pm: Nature Journaling (with Cathy Meyer)
12:30 pm —   1:30 pm: Guided hike (with Dan Johnson and Dawn Hewitt)
1:45 pm —   2:45 pm: Raptor Presentation featuring a Bald Eagle (Return to the Wild)

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Grant from National Audubon Will Support Birding Booklet Cost

The National Audubon Society has made a tentative grant of $1500 to SAS to help cover the production cost of a birding guide for our local area.  The grant is contingent on our completing copy and having a firm estimate of production costs by the end of June.  Another requirement of the grant is that any money earned from sale of the guides be used for a conservation-related project.  The SAS Board is currently considering assistance in construction of a viewing platform at Beehunter Marsh as that project.  Special thanks go to Jess Gwinn and John Lawrence for preparing the grant proposal for this project.

With the added incentive of needing to complete copy for the guide by the end of June, the Birding Guide Task Force is making good progress.  Entries for several localities are complete or nearly complete and authors have been found for the remaining ones.  Each entry will include a description of the locality, directions for finding it, and what birds to expect during various times of the year.  In addition we plan to include a checklist of birds from the local area showing relative abundance during each season.  It will also contain a listing of the Indiana Important Birding Areas. 

Localities currently scheduled for inclusion in the guide are:
Bottom Road Sewage Lagoon
Brown County State Park
Bryant's Creek Road
Cedar Bluff
Crooked Creek Launch Ramp
Cutright Launch Ramp
Deam Wilderness Fire Tower
Fairfax
Flatwoods Park
Friendship Road
Goose Pond FWA/Beehunter Marsh
Griffy Lake
Hawthorne Mine
Leonard Springs Nature Park 
Little Africa
Lingle Road Wetlands
Lower Woodall Road
McCormick's Creek State Park
Muscatatuck NWR
Orleans Reservoir
Paynetown Launch Ramp
Pine Grove Launch Ramp
Restle Unit
Riddle Point
Shuffle Creek Inlet
Spring Mill State Park
Stillwater/North Fork
T.C. Steele/Gilmore Ridge Road/Deckard
Ridge Road
Upper Woodall Road
Yellowwood Lake

If one of your favorite areas is missing, let one of the task force members know.  We cannot guarantee that we can include it, but we would like to know if we are missing any key areas.  Members of the Birding Guide Task Force include Mike Clarke, David Daniels, Bob Dodd, John Lawrence, Tom Platt, and Jeff Riegel.  We are pleased that Susan and Jim Hengeveld and Cathy Meyer have agreed to write some of the entries.

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Spring Feeder Cleaning Nets $920

by David Daniels

The Spring Feeder Cleaning held April 8 was a great success.  Thanks to everyone who brought their feeders by for cleaning, the Sassafras Audubon Society received donations totaling $920.  The proceeds will be used for SAS conservation and education programs and events.

SAS especially thanks Vickie Temple Davidson and her helpful staff at Bloomington Hardware for hosting the event.  And the feeder cleaning would not be possible without the volunteers who took time on a Saturday to work.  We had help from John Daniels, Dawn Hewitt, Greg Hess, Cathy Hiatt, John Lawrence, Nancy Martin, James Mitchell, Tom Platt, Jeff Riegel, and Joan Ten Hoor.  Many thanks to Dawn Hewitt for the use of her pressure washer, and to Nancy Martin who lent us her steam cleaner and tent.

Watch for announcements for the Fall Feeder Cleaning, when we will clean out all the accumulated gunk from the summer season.

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Pine Creek Important Bird Area

by Bob Dodd

At 700 acres Pine Creek Gamebird Habitat Area (or Robert Feldt Marsh) in Benton County is one of the smaller Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Indiana.  Despite its small size it has a variety of habitats ranging from shallow ponds, mud flats, marshes, grasslands, and limited wooded areas.  The area, which had been utilized for farming, was purchased by the state in 1993 for a pheasant hunting preserve.  In 1996 Ducks Unlimited and the state Department of Natural Resources collaborated to restore as wetlands about 150 acres of the area, which had previously been drained for agriculture. The wetlands consist of two fairly extensive areas of open water plus marsh, mudflats, and wet grassy meadows.  The upland areas are undergoing field succession and consist of tall grasses and other vegetation.

The Audubon Society selected Pine Creek as an IBA because it supports one of the most diverse wetland and upland bird communities in central Indiana.  During spring and fall migration the area hosts large concentrations of waterfowl and shorebirds, particularly a large concentration of Blue-winged Teal.  The area also hosts a large assemblage of migratory shorebirds including Golden and Semipalmated Plovers; Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs; and Solitary, Spotted, Least, Semipalmated, and Pectoral Sandpipers.  Other birds of note found in the area include Sora, Virginia Rails, American Bitterns, Least Bitterns, and Sandhill Cranes.  Upland areas support several Audubon WatchList and state-endangered species including Willow Flycatchers, Bell’s Vireos, Dickcissels, and Sedge Wrens. We visited Pine Creek on a cold, windy February day, not the optimum time for a visit.  We did see numerous ducks and geese, including Greater White-fronted Geese on the pond in the southeast part of the area.  Water birds should be more numerous later in the spring, and the area is noted for its variety of shorebirds during migration season.  Summer is a good time to look for the upland specialties.

Pine Creek is located about 25 miles northwest of Lafayette in an area surrounded by rolling agricultural fields.  Drive northwest from Lafayette on Interstate 65 and take exit 188 to State Highway 18.  Drive west on SH 18 for about 9.5 miles to Benton County road 850.  Drive for two miles to CR 200N and turn east.  The refuge begins a few hundred yards to the east.  There are several numbered parking areas along the road.  The most convenient area for accessing the wetland is parking area number 3.  A mowed path to the south and east leads to a shallow pond several acres in size, which provides good habitat for a variety of waterbirds.  An even more extensive pond (but hosting fewer birds when we visited) can be reached from the north side of the road.  Other parking areas along CR200N give access to the grasslands as well as the wetlands beyond.  A part of the area adjoins CR 850E north of its intersection with CR 200N.  CR 300N forms the north boundary of part of the refuge, and there is a parking area along this road providing access to that part of the area.  Access throughout the IBA is relatively easy with several parking areas and numerous mowed paths through the fields.  The area is in part managed for hunting, so birders are advised not to enter the refuge during waterfowl season at selected times from September through December or during pheasant hunting season in the late fall.

The nearest town with extensive accommodations is Lafayette.  Kentland is slightly closer to the area (about 20 miles) but has a more limited selection of motels and restaurants.  Kentland is close to other good birding areas at Willow Slough State Fish and Wildlife Area and Kankakee Sands, another IBA.  You might wish to make a full weekend trip by visiting all of these areas.  We plan to include a detailed description of the Kankakee Sands IBA in a later issue of the Leaflet. Before visiting Pine Creek you should check the Indiana Audubon Society’s Online Birding Guide, which includes a detailed description of the area with suggestions on how to access various parts of the area and a list of birds to be expected at various times of the year.  The Audubon Society IBA website includes a brief description of the area, its history, and importance.

Two notes about our last featured IBA: Cathy Meyer pointed out that one of the best ways to bird the Sugar Creek IBA is by canoe.  You can rent a canoe at one of the area liveries or bring your own.  Sugar Creek flows through the middle of the IBA and you are sure to encounter many birds as you paddle quietly along.  If you would like to visit the Sugar Creek IBA with an organized group this is your chance.  The Indiana Audubon Society is having its annual meeting and field trips at Turkey Run State Park on May 19-21 (see the calendar in this Leaflet).  They will have birding trips to several parts of the area.

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2006 Monroe County Bird-a-Thon Takes Place on May 6

The 2006 annual Bird-a-Thon takes place from midnight to midnight on Saturday, May 6.  It is too late to register for this year’s event, but you may wish to plan ahead and assemble a team for next year’s event in early May.  Teams of 3-6 birders compete for prizes by finding as many bird species as possible within Monroe County.  Each team solicits pledges for their favorite charity, usually a conservation-oriented organization.  Prizes go to the team with the highest overall total and to the best rookie team.  Each participant also receives a Bird-a-Thon t-shirt. Cathy Meyer (cmeyerATco.monroe.in.us),  organizer of the event, can provide you with information and a list of rules for the event.  The next Leaflet will include the results for this year’s competition.

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Spring Birding Symposium Asks Many Questions and Gives Some Answers

by Jeff Riegel

Most birding events seek to provide answers to the folks in attendance.  The Spring Birding Symposium, held March 23-26 at the Fourwinds Resort and Marina, took the other route and asked questions, a lot of questions.  But the answers to many of these questions can be found with careful observation from average, everyday birders.  For instance, we know that the amount of mast available during the winter months will determine whether Red-headed Woodpeckers will stay put or migrate.  But we know almost nothing about the habitat they require when forced to migrate.  That is just the tip of the iceberg of what we don’t know about these highly identifiable members of the woodpecker family.  We don’t know what their various calls mean, the size of territory they need during any part of the year, the spacing of those territories, or even their nesting success.  The Spring Birding Symposium not only brought these gaps in our knowledge of the Red-Headed Woodpecker to light, but similar unknowns were pointed out with the other six woodpecker species, five species of spot-breasted thrushes, and the accipiters and buteos that call Indiana home for all or part of the year.

click on photo to enlarge
Susan Hengeveld assists a young birder spotting eagles at one of the many outings she leads each year. Susan and her husband, Jim, were recipients of the 2006 Avian Educator of the Year Award at the 2006 Spring Birding Symposium. (Photo by Jeff Hammond)

But just like all other birding events, the symposium provided some answers as well. James Cole, National Audubon Society’s Important Bird Area coordinator for Indiana, pointed out the many steps the IBA program is taking in the state to start us on the road to providing many of these answers and protecting unique avian habitats. Don Gorney, Chairperson of the Indiana Bird Records Committee, explained reporting options and procedures that can help put some of the answers to the questions in the hands of the right people. Ross Brittain brought us up to date with the Northern Saw-whet Owl banding operation that has been in place at Yellowwood State Forest for the last four years.  Steve Bailey, Research Scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, explained the massive Critical Trends Assessment Program ongoing in that state and how it may help provide answers so all of us can better manage for avian conservation.

After the Saturday night banquet, Steve Bailey was awarded the “2006 Conservationist of the Year” award for his work, both professionally and as a hobby, toward avian conservation. As SAS member Jim Hengeveld said, “Steve is a relentless field researcher.” All you have to do is take one look at the list of projects he is involved in and all would agree.  The “2006 Avian Educator of the Year” award was also presented that evening – twice. Two people were presented with this award because they are basically inseparable, both in the field, the classroom, and at home. This year’s award went to Drs. Jim and Susan Hengeveld, both SAS members, former members of the SAS Board of Directors, and two of the best birders in the state. The work that they do at Indiana University, leading outings for SAS, and contributing their knowledge and expertise at numerous other events throughout the year makes both of them the obvious choice for this year’s award.

After presentation of the awards, a panel of experts including Steve Bailey, Ross Brittain, James Cole, and Don Gorney, took their rightful places at the front of the room and provided us with answers to conservation questions such as “Should birders purchase hunting and fishing licenses to help conservation?” and “Does the Ivory-billed Woodpecker exist in Arkansas?” After considerable discussion on the last one, most in the room decided the best answer, which was also the first answer provided by Don, is simply, “I don’t know.”

Field trips weren’t left out of the weekend with expeditions to Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area, Flatwoods Park, Griffy Lake, and a Lake Monroe outing by boat. The Goose Pond trip participants tried their best for early season rails, but luck wasn’t with them. The same held true for the boat trip. While participants found the Ramp Creek eagle nest, they were unsuccessful at seeing any of the eagles. They opted instead for finding and watching a Red-tailed Hawk nest and numerous water birds scattered across the lake. The weekend finished with a demonstration on the use of the Birds of North America Online and a short session on how the next event can be even better.

Any event of this type would not be possible if not for assistance of numerous people, some on the front lines and others working behind the scenes. Special thanks go to Steve Bailey, Sandy Belth, Ross Brittain, James Cole, Don Gorney, Jim and Susan Hengeveld, John Lawrence, Dan Leach, Cathy Meyer, Jim Mitchell, and Lee Sterrenburg for all their help with the event. And we also want to thank Jeff Hammond, General Manager, and Michelle Smith, Sales Director, of the Fourwinds Resort and Marina, as well as their entire staff for providing us with such fine facilities for our event. Mark your calendars: Our fall event, “Wings on the Water,” will be held November 2-5, 2006 and next spring’s festival will be April 12-15, 2007. We hope to see all of you there.

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Species Up, Checklists Down in Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) results are in and they show that 77 Bloomington lists included 60 species.  That compares with 106 lists and 56 species last year.  Birders from several other SAS area towns also participated.  The second largest species total in our area was 58 from four lists from Unionville (last year Unionville had a higher species total than Bloomington).  Other area towns and species numbers include Mooresville (39), Bedford (28), Avoca (26), Martinsville (26), Spencer (26), Gosport (26), Nashville (23), Paragon (17), Morgantown (12), Eminence (10), Bloomfield (9), Worthington (8), and Oolitic (5).  Evansville was the state champion in terms of number of lists submitted with 100, Indianapolis was second with 97, and Bloomington was third with its 77 lists.  The Northern Cardinal was on more Hoosier lists than any other species (893 lists), but the American Crow was the most abundant with 12,822 individuals recorded.   The species total for Indiana was 117.  Among the more unusual birds reported was a Rufous Hummingbird (one bird over wintered in the Evansville area) and 16 Common Redpolls, a bird that is not at all common in Indiana.

Nationally the GBBC set new records for species number and number of individuals.  Participants submitted over 60,000 checklists including 623 species and approximately 7.5 million individual birds during the four-day event.  Again this year a small town (Fultondale, AL) was the national champion in terms of the number of lists submitted with 505.  Completing the top five were Charlotte, NC (362), Mentor, OH (340), Cincinnati, OH (287), and Richmond, VA (262).  The all time record was Virginia Beach, VA with 593 lists submitted in 1999.  The top three states were New York (3978), Pennsylvania (3173), and Virginia (2863).  With 1132 checklists, Indiana was not in the top 10.

Several trends emerged from this years GBBC results.  The number of American Robins in the northern states and southern Canada increased greatly, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.  Numbers for several warbler and swallow species were also up in the more northerly states.  Probably because of the West Nile virus, American Crow numbers were down (despite the fact that they were the most abundant bird in the Indiana count).   Aside from the recreational value of the GBBC, it provides a “snapshot” of bird distribution across the US and Canada for the four-day period.

February 16-19 is the time for next year’s GBBC.  You probably do not have your 2007 calendar yet, but make a mental note to participate next year.  Wouldn’t it be great for Bloomington and the surrounding area to be the state champion?

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Can you name this bird? 

This is a test of your bird identification skills.  Can you identify this bird without going to your field guide?   If you cannot, feel free to use your guide.  CLICK here answer. (Photo by Jeff Hamilton.)

JOIN SAS Chapter Code H04 7XCH

When you join the Audubon Society, you not only join a group of like-minded people concerned with wildlife and the environment, but you will also receive the Audubon magazine, which includes some of the world’s finest nature photography.  You will stay informed with our bimonthly newsletter, the Leaflet .   As an additional benefit you will receive a 10% discount on selected items at WildBirds Unlimited and Bloomington Hardware.

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For more information about membership contact us at contactsas@yahoo.com.

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Sassafras Audubon Board of Directors

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.

Board of Directors -

John Lawrence, President
Vice President  vacant
John Byers, Treasurer
David Daniels
Bob Dodd
Nancy Martin
Jeff Riegel
Tom Platt
Kelly Rockhill, Secretary
Mike Clarke
Kris D’Atri
Jess Gwinn

Committee Chairs -

Conservation Coordinator: Jess Gwinn
Database Manager:  Jeff Riegel
Education Coordinator:  Tom Platt
Field Trip Coordinator:  Mike Clarke
Fund-raising Committee:  Bob Kissel
Membership Coordinator: Kris D’Atri
Program Coordinator:  Nancy Martin
Publicity Coordinator:  Vacant

The Board of Directors meets on the first Monday of each month.  All SAS members are welcome to attend.  Please call the president or another board member to learn more details or send an e-mail to contactsas@yahoo.com.

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SAS Web Site

http://www.sassafrasaudubon.org

Susan Hengeveld / Webmaster  (shengeve@indiana.edu)

Leaflet Staff

Bob Dodd / Editor
Bob Kissel / Contributing Editor
Joann Dodd / Editorial Assistant
Maureen Forrest / Mailing

Fine Print / Layout & Printing Services

Please direct address changes and requests for single issues to:

Jeff Riegel, 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 or 339-2976.

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BIRD Identification - ANSWER: American Kestrel