The Leaflet: July/August - 2007

Contents: (pdf format)

President’s Note by John Lawrence

Happy New Year!  Yes, it's the end of the fiscal year for SAS and the National Audubon Society on June 30th, so it's time for me to review the past year's activities as I prepare to submit our yearly chapter certification report to NAS.  And once again, SAS has finished a busy and exciting year. Here are the highlights:

I think that's an impressive list for a year's work, especially for an all-volunteer organization like SAS.  Of course, we don't stop at the end of a year--fiscal, calendar, or otherwise.  Most of what SAS does--Goose Pond activities, owl banding research, our various bird counts, and our usual line-up of outings and programs to get people in touch with nature (to name a few) are all ongoing projects.  If you agree that our efforts are worthwhile, please help us continue them for years to come by making a contribution to our endowment campaign.  Your support will help SAS build a better future for birds and nature here in south central Indiana.

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Editor's Note by Bob Dodd

A surprise from reading Lynda Walker's article about people's favorite birding spots is the number who list their own backyard.  I suspect this is true of many, perhaps most, of our readers.  Probably only a small portion of our readers are really dedicated birders who do lots of birding on trips that they take just for that purpose.  Perhaps we should include more material in the Leaflet about backyard birding such as the note by Fred Churchill in the last issue concerning his woodpecker pecking order.  After reading his article I checked the pecking order at our feeder.  Not surprising, low bird on the totem pole is the downy and the king of the roost is the pileated.  The order between the hairy, red-bellied, and red-headed is not so clear; but, unlike Fred's experience, the red-headed seems to be the most shy at our feeder.  We have one hairy that will chase the red-bellies away, but more commonly it is the other way around.  We have all either had the experience of seeing or hearing about male cardinals flying at their reflection in the window thinking it is a competitor.  We have a pair of Eastern Towhees that have been attacking our bedroom window every morning for several days.  Do they think they are fighting competitors or do they just want to let us know it is time to get up?
My probable futile attempt to identify 175 species of Indiana birds in 2007 continues.  I am now at 135.  In March I received an e-mail note from Don Wiesler indicating that he was going to try for 175 this year but was not optimistic about being able to reach that goal.  His 72 species at the time was close to mine, so I thought I should be able to keep up.  But a June message said he was now at 166 and almost certain to reach his goal during fall migration.  My New Mexico son and daughter-in-law are now at 98 species, two shy of their modest 100-species goal.  It is not too late to join the fun if you keep track of the species you have seen this year.  We would be interested to know your numbers. Has anyone surpassed 200 species for the year?  Has anyone topped 50 species in their yard?

We were pleased to learn that SAS has created a Friends of SAS e-mail list for sending occasional news and announcements to participants (see the article by John Lawrence in this issue).  It will be a good way for us to communicate with you more frequently than every two months via the Leaflet.  We hope that you will add your name to the list.

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Activists' Corner by Jess Gwinn, Conservation Coordinator

How many of you use paper during the course of the day?  Silly question, right?  We all use paper, most of us using lots of it.  How many of you actually purchase the raw paper you use?  Probably quite a few of you.  Do you purchase paper with post-consumer recycled content?  How much?  Post-consumer recycled paper has been used by consumers and returned to recycling facilities to be reprocessed again into a new product.  For example, if the paper you use contains 10% post consumer recycled paper, then 90% comes from virgin stock.  Virgin stock means paper made from trees.  One ton of virgin-stock paper requires approximately three tons of wood (about 24 trees).  In addition, the manufacture of virgin-stock paper uses more energy, creates more greenhouse gasses, uses more water, and creates more solid waste than recycled paper products.  Next time you need paper products be sure to purchase the ones with the greatest post-consumer recycled paper content.

And what about the paper you use in your daily life?  Do you get the most out of it?  Do you print on the backsides of your scrap?  Printing on the backside doubles the value of the paper or more appropriately, halves your paper purchases.  If you can't use the backside of the paper for printing, how about cutting those letter-size sheets in quadrants and using them as note pads?  There are many little things we can do in our daily lives that add up to big differences.

For more information on the benefits of using recycled paper, visit our Website and click on the link there or simply go to http://americanlands.org/documents/1181136301_recycledfiberfactsheet6.2007.pdf.

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Can You Name This Bird?

You are more likely to hear this fellow than see him, but from time to time he makes a daytime appearance.  Hint:  He is the only bird feared by the Peregrine Falcon.

Bird-ID
(Photo by Jeff Hammond.)

click on photo to enlarge - Answer

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SAS Launches E-Mail List for Activities Announcements by John Lawrence

Have you ever missed a birding trip or a SAS program simply because it slipped your mind? Everyone's lives seem to get busier and busier these days, and often it's hard to remember to check the Leaflet or our Website calendar to see what SAS events are coming up.  Also, we occasionally have last-minute offerings that don't make it into the Leaflet calendar, like the extra program last month on invasive species in Indiana.  Although it was mentioned in the newspaper and on the Website, you might have missed it.  That's why we're launching a new e-mail list, SAS-friends-L, to send announcements of bird and nature outings, educational programs, and volunteer opportunities. 

To sign up, all you have to do is e-mail the message "subscribe SAS-friends-L" (omit the quotes) to listserv@indiana.edu.  That's not a typo--it really is just listserv, without an "e" on the end.  And be sure to put the subscribe command in the body of the message, not the subject line, or the automated listserv server won't understand it.  No subject is needed.  You'll get a confirmation message, and once you respond to it, you'll be on the list.  We promise not to bombard you with messages--one or two a week at most--and you can always unsubscribe at any time by e-mailing "unsubscribe SAS-friends-L" to listserv@indiana.edu, so you might as well give it a try!  Alternatively, if you prefer, you may send an e-mail message to our Webmaster, Susan Hengeveld (shengeve@indiana.edu), and ask to be placed on the e-mail list.

This list is open to everyone and anyone who might be interested in SAS events, not just Audubon members.  So if you know someone who'd be interested, please tell them to sign up for our list!

Your e-mail address will not be sold or given to any third party and will be used exclusively to keep you informed of SAS news and events.

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Three Local Sites Included in New IBAs Identified by Audubon

Beanblosson Bottoms, Lake Monroe, and Morgan-Monroe State Forest are included in 14 new Important Bird Areas (IBAs) identified by the National Audubon Society in Indiana.  Organized by BirdLife International, the IBA program is worldwide with over 10,000 areas recognized in 167 countries.  The National Audubon Society is responsible for designating IBAs in the U.S. with James Cole in charge of the IBA program in Indiana.  IBAs are not simply good birding areas but are places of special value for preservation of birds of conservation concern.  The new round of IBAs contains important breeding populations of declining neotropical migrants including species such as Wood Thrushes, Cerulean Warblers, and Worm-eating Warblers.

The fourteen most recently identified IBAs include: Beanblossom Bottoms, Brookville Lake/Whitewater State Park, Eagle Creek Park, Elkhart River Corridor, Harrison-Crawford Forest, Hoosier National Forest, Tell City Unit, Jackson-Washington-Clark Forest, Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area, Miller Beach/Marquette Park, Monroe Lake, Morgan-Monroe Forest, Point Township Bottomlands, West Beach, and Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area.

These additions bring the total recognized and identified IBAs in Indiana to 41.  Other IBAs in our vicinity (and their counties) include Chinook Fish and Wildlife area and Chinook Mine (Vigo), Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center (Greene and Martin), Goose Pond/Beehunter Marsh Fish and Wildlife Area (Greene), Hoosier National Forest--Pleasant Run Unit (Brown, Jackson, Lawrence, Monroe), Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife Area/Dugger Unit (Sullivan), Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge (Jackson, Jennings), Universal Mine (Vermillion, Vigo), and Yellowwood State Forest (Brown).  Eight of the 41 IBAs are included in the SAS Birding Guide to South-Central Indiana.

For more information about Indiana's IBA program and a map and complete listing of all Indiana IBAs, visit www.audubon.org/bird/iba and click on the state of Indiana.

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Indiana Dunes and Cowles Bog IBAs, in the Migratory Funnel at the South End of Lake Michigan by Bob Dodd

With this article on the Indiana Dunes and Cowles Bog Important Bird Areas, we complete the description of the first 13 Indiana IBAs that were identified in September 2006.  But never fear, we still have plenty of IBAs to cover in future issues of the Leaflet.  With 41 Indiana IBAs now recognized or identified, we will have lots to write about in the months ahead.  We decided to include two IBAs in this article because they are close together and have a number of features in common.  In the last issue we described Beverly Shores, the other IBA in Porter County.  Unlike Beverly Shores, which is difficult to bird because of its limited parking, Indiana Dunes State Park and Cowles Bog have parking and many trails to facilitate access. 

The 2182 acres of Indiana Dunes State Park include beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline as well as the dunes, herbaceous marsh, swamp, and upland forest.  You may want to begin your time at the park with a visit to the nature center.  Not only is this the place to find maps and information on recent bird sightings, but it also has some excellent displays and an observation room overlooking several feeders and a water feature.  If you want to add the Black-capped Chickadee (as opposed to the local Carolina Chickadee) to your Indiana list, you can probably do it from the comfort of this viewing room.  Next you can venture out onto the trail system that will take you over the dunes to the beach or between the dunes to extensive wetlands.  There is even a viewing platform overlooking one of the shallow internal lakes.  Because of its location in the extreme northern part of the state with broad Lake Michigan to the north, this has the distinction of being a nesting site for both southern and normally more northerly nesting species including the watchlist Prairie Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Blackburnian Warbler, and Canada Warbler.  The area is a staging point for many migratory species such as the watchlisted Golden-winged Warbler and Bay-breasted Warbler.  The endangered Kirkland Warbler has also been spotted here.  The Lake Michigan shoreline creates a migratory funnel for hawks during spring with daily counts sometimes exceeding 100 individuals for some species.  Conservation concerns for the area include the threat of water and air pollution from large steel mills to the west in the Gary area and a coal-fired electric generating plant to the east at Michigan City.  Pressure for residential development is a potential threat.

CACHclick to enlarge

Cowles Bog, located a few miles west of the state park, is part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.  It is named in honor of Dr. Henry Cowles, noted for his studies in plant ecology.  He conducted much of his pioneering research concerning plant succession in this area.  It has been recognized as a National Natural Landmark.  The area consists of an interdunal marsh, surrounding a small fen.  The fen, which is closed to the public, is supported by a constant flow of lime-rich water from springs beneath a floating mat of peat moss.  The site includes a black oak savanna, a lowland forest, and a pristine beach (which can only be reached via a 1.7-mile trail).  Only one road traverses this area so it must be birded by trail.  The trails are easy and well maintained.  Most of the trails traverse wetlands and dunes with a small portion along the Lake Michigan shoreline.  This area has the same basic ornithological importance as the Indiana Dunes and Beverly Shores IBAs, being an important migratory stopover for many species.  It is also an important nesting area for several wetland species including American and Least Bitterns, Sandhill Crane, Virginia Rail, and Marsh Wren.  It has the same conservation concerns with heavy industry nearby and the bordering Dune Acres residential community.

To visit Indiana Dunes State Park drive to Chesterton and continue north to the terminus of State Highway 49.  You can drive straight ahead to a parking lot at the beach, but you will probably wish to turn east into the park and start your visit at the nature center.  Cowles Bog is a few miles west of the State Park.  Drive west on U.S. Highway 12 to Mineral Springs Road.  There is a parking lot on the Calumet Trail just north of the intersection and another parking lot about a half-mile farther north on the east side of the road.  If you go too far you will be at the gate for the community of Dune Acres.

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Crane Creek Caper by Jim Mitchell

"Oh, it's just another Magnolia Warbler." Thoughts that I never imagined I would have.  But after seeing over 20 of these beautiful birds within just a few hours I was looking for something else: maybe another look at a Canada Warbler or perhaps a Mourning Warbler or even a Blackburnian Warbler.

The group that traveled to Crane Creek State Park just east of Toledo, Ohio, saw 23 species of warblers--including 68 Magnolias, 44 Chestnut-sided, 25 Bay-breasted, 5 Blackburnian, and 4 Mourning Warblers--over the three days we birded there. Then there were 500 Dunlin, 4 Sora, 5 Common Moorhens, 5 American Woodcocks, etc., etc., etc.  You get the picture.  We had multiple views of birds, some less than 10 feet away, sometimes just above, at or even below eye level.  Ask Greg Hess about the bird that perched 14 inches from his nose.

ovenbirdclick to enlarge

Participants included Jerry Downs, Dan Leach, Greg Hess, Lisa Denlinger (Greg's wife), Jo Banks, and Jim Mitchell.    Jo's birder friend Vicki Sandage from eastern Kentucky joined us Saturday night.  We left Bloomington at 5:30 Friday morning, May 11.  We made a brief stop at Fox Island County Park just southwest of Fort Wayne on our way to our accommodations at the Maumee Bay Resort State Park between Toledo and Crane Creek.  Greg had reserved a really nice cabin that slept all of us.  We spent Friday afternoon and evening at Crane Creek.  There is a lengthy boardwalk through the wooded area of the park where most of the birders walked, pausing whenever a bird was spotted.  I was concerned before the trip that I would get frustrated trying to identify the many warbler species I was told to expect.  But, with the help of other birders calling out identifications and me seeing the birds so many times, I quickly found myself being able to identify several different warblers on sight.

Saturday morning we returned to Crane Creek and walked the boardwalk again. This time the number of birders had more than tripled. In addition to more warbler sightings we had great views of a Winter Wren and an American Woodcock foraging and preening within a few feet of the boardwalk.  After the boardwalk, we made our way to Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area (next door to Crane Creek) where we saw several species of sandpiper and other shore birds including Dunlin, Semipalmated Plovers, Black-bellied Plovers, and Glossy Ibis.  Next we headed to the new Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge visitor center where an open house was being held.  There were displays by various wildlife groups including one that displayed an albino Red-tailed Hawk that had been living and breeding in the wild until it was struck by a train.  On the self-guided auto tour of the NWR we saw a Bald Eagle, a Yellow-headed Blackbird, and Common Moorhens.

Saturday evening we were joined by Frank Prosser and his wife Brenda who were camping at the park.  We enjoyed a good spaghetti and chili supper cooked by Greg and Lisa.  The nine of us spent Sunday morning at Crane Creek where we encountered fewer crowds than on Saturday, saw more warblers, etc.  The highlight of the day was seeing Snowy Egrets along the roadway.  You might want to put a trip to Crane Creek on your calendar for next May.  I heartily recommend it.

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Greene County Big May Day Bird Count Nets 153 Species by Lee Sterrenburg

On Saturday, May 12, 2007, SAS sponsored a new Big May Day Bird Count for Greene County.  Jess Gwinn was the main instigator of this new count.  Part of our goal was to ask how the new Goose Pond FWA wetlands are altering Greene County birding.  We fielded three teams.  Jess's team with Angelo Dattilo, Donald Hall, and Joan ten Hoor did fields and forests in the eastern part of the county; Dick Repasky and Steve Dunbar did Hillenbrand FWA and the Linton Conservation Club; and Lee Sterrenburg's team with Jim Brown and Terri Greene did Goose Pond FWA and Greene-Sullivan State Forest.  The overall count total was 153 species.

The biggest surprise was (3) BLACK VULTURES seen by Jess and Joan ten Hoor flying over her property in Solsberry. This is only the second Greene County record for BLVU according to Ken Brock's database.

BLVUclick to enlarge

The morning started chilly, breezy, and pretty dead in the western part of the county. Winds were north, which did not help.  Jim Brown and Lee met at 3:00 a.m. to do night birds in Greene-Sullivan State Forest.  It took a long while to finally hear (2) CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOWS. They eventually found (5) GREAT HORNED OWLS.  Marsh birds were eerily quiet in the chilly morning.  (1) LEAST BITTERN called at County Line Marsh and (2) BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS called early at Beehunter.   Locating some expected marsh species took all day.  At Beehunter Marsh after sunset Lee finally heard (3) KING RAILS doing kek calls simultaneously.  An AMERICAN BITTERN flying as it was getting dark scored as the last species of the day.

We had gratifying shorebird action at Goose Pond FWA. An impressive eighteen species of shorebirds were tallied on the day.  Highlights included (14) BLACK-NECKED STILTS, (3) WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, (3) STILT SANDPIPERS, (44) SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, and (1) LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER visually and by call.  GPFWA helped out with (4) BLACK TERNS and (2) FORSTER'S TERNS.  We logged (5) SEDGE WRENS on a walk in at Goose Pond Unit GP5S.
The count produced 24 species of warblers.  The highlight was (1) MOURNING WARBLER at Hillenbrand FWA by Steve and Dick.  The (2) HOODED WARBLERS by Jess' party were a species that seems scarce in Greene County, based on Atlasing results.  The count recorded 11 species of sparrows including (1) VESPER SPARROW, (13) HENSLOW'S SPARROWS, and (1) LINCOLN'S SPARROW, the latter by Jim in Goose Pond GP1.  At Beehunter Marsh in the afternoon we briefly saw an orange Ammodramus sparrow that was either a Nelson's Sharp-tailed or a Le Conte's.  The bird darted off into cover and did not allow for identification by species.

We had some notable misses including Cooper's Hawk and Broad-winged Hawk. The warbler and flycatcher count could be improved upon with a better migration day and more scouting for good passerine migration spots.  Things will change at GPFWA once the large impoundments of the Main Pool area are finished in 2009.  The larger Main Pool impoundment is planned to be 1400 acres.  Having some big water might attract gulls and a few more lingering ducks.  With the expanding wetlands at GPFWA and good forest tracts scattered around the county this count could have an interesting future.  Thanks very much to all who participated.

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Peregrine Falcon Reintroduction Huge Success in Indiana  by Bob Dodd

The Bald Eagle gets most of the press with the Osprey coming in second while the poor Peregrine Falcon hardly is mentioned.  But all three of these raptor species are ornithological success stories in Indiana after being on the verge of extinction in the state.  Indeed, the Peregrine was locally extinct in Indiana and the entire eastern U.S.  They had been decimated by habitat loss and DDT poisoning that caused egg thinning, as had so many other raptor species.  A single pair of Peregrines successfully nested in East Chicago in 1989, the first known nesting since 1900.  In 1991 the Indiana DNR released 15 young captive-bred falcons in Indianapolis.  Over the next three years additional birds were released in Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Evansville, with a total of 60 falcons released during the program.  After this "jump start" the DNR has released no additional falcons.  But the number of falcons and successful nests has increased through the years.  In 2004 peregrines had 10 successful nests in the state and fledged 30 young.  In 2006 there were 13 known nesting territories in Indiana.  Although the figures are not all in, there are many successful nests in 2007. 

Peregrineclick to enlarge

Where could you go to see a peregrine nest?  You might imagine an isolated rock cliff in a sparsely inhabited area.  Indeed this was probably the typical nesting site before the 20th century.  But the place to go today would be a skyscraper in a large city or perhaps a high smokestack, grain elevator, or bridge superstructure.  One of the reasons for the successful reintroduction of the falcon has been their adaptation to these human-produced nesting sites.  The urban setting gives the birds a ready source of pigeons, starlings, and sparrows for food; provides a lofty unobstructed perch from which to dive; gives isolated ledges (or boxes) for nesting; and offers freedom from their only natural enemy, the urban-avoiding Great Horned Owl.  Perhaps the urban habitat and dependence on humans takes away a bit of the "romance" of this marvelous avian predator, but it joins a list of "nice" birds that have benefited from interaction with humans including Eastern Bluebirds, Purple Martins, Chimney Swifts, and American Robins.  Even the majestic Bald Eagle has benefited from artificial reservoir construction. We will not mention the "not-so-nice" birds that humans have benefited!

It is too late for the current nesting season, but next year you may want to visit one of the falcon cams in the state that can be accessed through the Web (e.g., http://blog.indystar.com/falconblog/).  At this site one camera is focused into the nesting box and another shows the ledge of the 34th floor of the Market Tower building on the Circle in Indianapolis.  The parents at that nest produced four chicks this year, all of which fledged, although one apparently hit the building on its maiden flight and was found dead on the sidewalk.  The other three were alive and well as of this writing.  The blog includes lively reports on progress of the nestlings and then fledglings by designated falcon watcher Laura James-Reim.  The first egg in that nest was laid on March 17 and the fledging began on June 4.  So make a note to check the falcon cam during that time frame next year.  If that is not enough falcon viewing for you, go to http://www.aep.com/go/FalconCam to view a Fort Wayne peregrine or http://www.nisource.com/environ/falcon.asp to see a falcon on a smokestack near Wheatland.  How is that for birding from the comfort of your computer?

Now for the commercial.  The falcon reintroduction program and current monitoring is financed entirely from the Indiana Nongame Wildlife Fund.  This fund receives money from Indiana taxpayers who donate all or a portion of their tax refund on line 34 of their Indiana tax return.  If you were not fortunate enough to receive a refund, you can still contribute to the fund by sending a contribution to Nongame Wildlife Fund, Division of Fish and Wildlife, W-273, 402 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN  46204.

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Endowment Campaign Letters Mailed by Bob Kissel

By the time this issue of the Leaflet is mailed, each member of Sassafras Audubon should have received a letter detailing our current endowment campaign, giving levels, and the associated gifts of appreciation.  We also will be making personal calls to many members of SAS, local businesses, and other individuals who believe that conservation and natural resource stewardship are critical issues locally and beyond.

The cornerstone of Sassafras's conservation efforts and endowment campaign is Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area.  While SAS contributed a small portion of the total purchase price for this 8000-acre wetlands in Greene County, we have been and will continue to be at the center of the monitoring and conservation activities.  This occurred even before National Audubon declared Goose Pond as an Important Bird Area (IBA) in 2005.  And all credit should be directed to SAS member and master birder Lee Sterrenburg who has logged countless and decisive hours in bringing this dream to reality.

SAS is in the process of putting together for this fall a comprehensive program about its present and future stewardship in the multiple conservation and monitoring activities at Goose Pond.  Sassafras Audubon will use this program to launch publicly the endowment campaign.  We want to excite our membership and inform our community about the important conservation and education work we are doing and would like to do in the future.

When SAS calls, we hope that you will join in this effort to solidify SAS's financial foundation.  Please help us reach our two-year capital endowment goal of raising $50,000 over the next two years.  In future issues of the Leaflet, we'll update our endowment campaign's progress.

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Prothonotary Wanderers Birdathon Champions by Cathy Meyer

Saturday,  May 8, the 15th Annual Monroe County Birdathon took place, with four teams participating.  The winning team, the Prothonotary Wanderers, comprised of Susan and Jim Hengeveld and Bob Kissel took top honors with 141 species identified during the 24-hour event.  They also raised over $600 for Sassafras Audubon Society through pledges.  They will receive prizes from the Bloomington Wild Birds Unlimited store, owned by David Daniels, and their team name will go on the "Monroe County Birdathon Don Whitehead Excellence in Birding" plaque.   The second place team with 133 species was the Mudhens (Jim Brown, Jo Hargesheimer, Cathy Meyer); next was the Wringnecks (Jiri Dadok, Carolyn Begley, Kris Grube) with 127 species; and Fish and Wildlife Partners (Gary Langell, Adam Phillips, Jeff Kiefer) with 126 species.  A total of 154 species was found by the four teams.  Shorebirds were scarce, but a good showing of warblers was seen. The day started calm and foggy but warmed up quite a bit, developing winds late in the afternoon.  There were some spotty rain showers, but not bad weather overall.

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So, What Are Your Favorite or Interesting Places to Bird?  by Lynda Walker

In the last issue of the Leaflet, some SAS members shared their favorite birding spots.  We asked you to respond with your favorites--and here's what some of you said.  This list includes some of my favorite spots, as well as some new ones that I can't wait to check out!

We'd love to hear from you, too.  Tell us about favorite or interesting birding spots by sending an e-mail to wdcreeperATaol.com.  We'll publish your responses in future issues of the Leaflet.

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SAS Calendar - July/August 2007

All SAS-sponsored outings and programs are free and open to non-members.  Watch our Website (http://www.sassafrasaudubon.org/) and the Bloomington Birds e-mail list for announcements about other upcoming outings and activities.

Saturday, July 21, 7:30 a.m.
Summer Residents
Jeff Riegel will lead participants to local hot spots in search of summer residents.  Meet in the northeast corner of the K-mart parking lot on E. Third St. in Bloomington at 7:30 a.m.  We will carpool and return before midday.  For more information, contact Jim Mitchell at jmitchel01ATinsightbb.com.

Saturday, August 25, 7:30 a.m.
Early Migrants
Don Whitehead will lead us on an outing to search for early migrating waterfowl and shorebirds.  Meet in the northeast corner of the K-mart parking lot on E. Third St. in Bloomington at 7:30 a.m.  We will carpool to the lake areas and return before midday. For more information, contact Jim Mitchell at jmitchel01ATinsightbb.com.

Wednesday, August 29, 7:00 p.m.
Program to be announced 
We do not yet have the program set, but mark this date on your calendar and watch the SAS Website.  The event will be held in Room 1-B of the Monroe County Public Library and is free for all to attend.  Light refreshments will be served.

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Which type of membership best fits you?

National Audubon Society (NAS) members are automatically chapter members of the local Sassafras Audubon Society (SAS), so they are not required to become a Friend of SAS to receive the chapter newsletter, the Leaflet.  We ask NAS members, however, to please consider also becoming Friends of SAS to support our local conservation and education projects.  You can be just a Friend of SAS, just a member of NAS, or--best of all--do both! (click on here to JOIN SAS NOW)

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Answers to ID:

Bird ID: Great Horned Owl

last updated July 14, 2007