On The Wing€¦  · Web viewFloating underneath a Great Blue Heron rookery, we were awed by the...

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Remember, much of the search for the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker has been done by boat.

Volume 33, Issue 5 May 2009

For the past eight months or so, our chapter has been focusing on "Nature in Your Neighborhood." Through speakers, bird walks, field trips and newsletter articles we have tried to give everyone a greater appreciation and understanding of the natural world around us.

On Saturday, May 16, we bring it all together at our annual meeting -- a Celebration of Nature in Your Neighborhood -- which once again will take place at Sugar Grove Nature Center, Funks Grove.

For those willing to make an early start, we will gather in the parking lot at 7:30 a.m. for a nature walk, looking at birds, plants and whatever animals might be "in the neighborhood." It could be a herd of deer, a soaring hawk or young wild turkeys taking a stroll through the woods.

The actual meeting/talk will get under way at 10 a.m. with a light brunch. The chapter will provide such treats as bagels, donuts, juice, fruit, coffee and other goodies. That's why we need to have an idea of how many people are coming. Please see registration information below.  You can bring treats to share, but it's not required.

Carrying on our year's theme, our featured speaker will be David Shiley, Champaign Extension Educator in Natural Resources Management at the University of Illinois, who will talk about "Wildlife in Your Backyard." He will present techniques to enhance backyard habitat, but also to reduce wildlife nuisance conflicts.

There will also be opportunities to explore the Nature Center and watch birds from its special viewing room. Come out and socialize with your nature-loving neighbors who belong to the John Wesley Powell chapter of the Audubon Society. Bring a friend and introduce them to our great organization.

ANNUAL MEETINGDATE: Saturday, May 16, 2009WHERE: Sugar Grove Nature Center, Funks GroveWALK: 7:30am – meet at centerBRUNCH/TALK: 10:00am SPEAKER: David

Nature in Your

PLEASE RSVP:By mail to: Lenore Sobota,507 N. Oak Street, Normal, IL 61761Number attending _________OREmail Lenore at Lssclimb@aol.comNumber attending __________No phone calls please

Directions from Bloomington, IL to Sugar Grove:Take I-55 South (toward St. Louis).

Take the Shirley exit (the first exit) #154.

Turn right at the top of the off-ramp, on County Road 34.

Turn left at the T-intersection onto Old Route 66.

Proceed approximately 4.5 miles to Funks Grove Road.  Turn right and go over railroad tracks, and take first left.

At this point, there will be signs for Sugar Grove Nature Center.  Follow this road.

At the Dead End sign, continue straight.

The road will open up to prairie and you will see the nature center buildings on your right.

When you come to the gravel lane, turn right, and proceed to the parking lot.

Spring Field Trip JWP sponsored several outdoor events in 2008/09. This is the last one of the spring season. It will provide an opportunity for participants to see nature through the lens of an experienced birder and, therefore, observe wildlife otherwise overlooked or unknown. Bird calls are also identified and many interesting discussions always arise. Come, bring a friend, grandchild or neighbor, and find out what you’ve been overlooking. Although binoculars are not required they will enhance your appreciation of the wildlife identified and are highly recommended.

Sunday, May 17 / Parkland’s Merwin Preserve:  We will meet at 7:00am on the west side of the Menards parking lot in Normal.  We will carpool out to Parklands

Birding by BoatBy Lenore Sobota, JWP Vice President

If we could have paid the birds and animals to turn out for our Birding by Boat trip down the Mackinaw River on April 4, we couldn't have done much better than we did.

Floating underneath a Great Blue Heron rookery, we were awed by the site of dozens of nests clustered in sycamore trees on both banks of the river. The birds themselves gave us a noisy welcome -- well, maybe "welcome" is the wrong word.

Too many Wood Ducks to count, some probably the same birds over and over, flew ahead of us around every bend. There were mallards and blue-winged teal, too, along with Canada geese of course. We even came across a test of eggs at one of our two portages around risky areas of downed trees in the river.

Red-tailed Hawks soared over head and we saw a couple owls, too, including a Great Horned Owl in a nest right over the river. The lucky paddlers in the front of our seven-boat flotilla even caught a glimpse of a herd of deer bounding through the trees.

If you are interested in engaging in another birding by boat outing this summer, email Lenore Sobota at lssclimb@aol.com to

WWW.JWP-AUBUBON.ORGCheck our website designed and updated by our web manager Catherine Holland. Check the blog site for recently sighted spring birds and post something yourself. Also check the site frequently for programs, local updates and links.

Audubon Magazine’s Photography AwardsSubmissions: Accepted May 15 - July 15, 2009. Up to 10 images per entrant. For details, visit www.AudubonMagazinePhotoAwards.com (note, the microsite will be up and running shortly)

Right:Kayakers Nate and Catherine Holland on the Mackinaw.

Above: The Mackinaw River group led by Lenore Sobota at right.

Left: Passing under the Great Blue Heron rookery on the Mackinaw River.

Photos by Lenore Sobota

Ewing Park Bird Walks: May10 (Sun), 16, 23

The remaining walks are on Saturday mornings except the May 10th walk, which is on a Sunday. We start our walks at around 8:00 a.m. from the Towanda Avenue parking lot.  Everyone is welcome on these walks, but they are especially good for new or beginning bird watchers. Bring binoculars if you have them and keep in mind the trails in the park can be

Welcome to the Flock New National and John Wesley Powell Audubon Society MembersNew NAS Members:  Carl Behr, Dr. Mary Broad, Kristin Dykstra, Sharon Heitz, Wendy McGuire, Jeanna Powell, Laurie Sanderson, R.L. Wegman  

Membership Information: Keep your membership up to date.  We wouldn't want you to miss a single issue of Prairiewind!  Memberships may be renewed at the National or the Local level.  Renewal forms are available on the chapter website: www.jwp-audubon.org or contact our Membership Chair: Sue Arnold, 309-728-2614 to check your status or renew.

Nature in Your NeighborhoodBy Lenore Sobota, JWP Vice President

Have you noticed the new neighbors moving into your neighborhood? No, not the folks with the U-Haul and lots of boxes. We're talking about the ones using sticks and mud and leaves to build their homes and raise their children.

Yes, a housing boom is going on in your neighborhood -- and, most likely, a baby boom. Some birds, such as owls, hawks, herons and geese began their construction long ago and some may already have feathered toddlers. Songbirds, many just arriving, are or will be busy building.

And don't forget the others raising families in our neighborhoods, from bunnies to baby squirrels, even foxes, right in Bloomington-Normal and beyond.

It's not just the fauna, but the flora that catches our eyes this time of year. With all the April showers we've had, there should be plenty of May flowers -- at least that's what the old adage claims.

The chapter's year of focusing on Nature in Your Neighborhood is drawing to a close; now it's time for us as individuals to remain aware of nature in our neighborhoods, help others appreciate it and protect it.

WIND TURBINES’ EFFECTS ON BIRDS AND BATSBy Meredith Schroeer, JWP Past President

Those of us who had felt that wind power was a hopeful and fairly benign alternative energy source may have come away from Ron Larkin’s March 31 Audubon presentation distressed. Dr. Larkin, of the Illinois Natural History Survey, showed slides and data from his radar-based research on the “Aeroecology of Flying Animals Encountering Wind Turbines.” Larkin began by questioning whether wind power can significantly reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuel. Under present growth rates, wind power could reduce electrical energy’s present contribution to CO2 emissions by 4.5% by 2020. But U.S. energy consumption is growing by 2% a year. Larkin also noted that the location of wind farms is often defended as being away from migration corridors. Larkin questions whether “migration corridors” actually exist. The research Larkin presented focuses on the ways in which flying animals change their flight patterns in response to hill and mountain ridges. Larkin feels that high-flying birds are not at risk when flying over level areas with wind turbines, but this changes with hilly terrain. Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area in California, for example, was shut down completely for a time because of the high number of golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, American kestrels and burrowing owls being killed there. (I followed this up and found that although specific conservation measures have been implemented at Altamont, including a winter shut-down program and removing high-risk turbines, the number of fatalities does not appear to be decreasing. Ten times as many bats as birds are killed by wind turbines. While birds are killed simply by being hit by the enormous blades, Larkin wonders if bats’ unique physiology is not also involved in their high mortality rate. Larkin is concerned that our installation of wind farms is outstripping our knowledge of its dangers to wildlife, and of possible means to

J.W. POWELL AUDUBON SOCIETYP.O. BOX 142NORMAL, IL 61761

www.jwp-audubon.org

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

US POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO. 224NORMAL, IL

Rhea Edge (309) 829-2373President

Patricia Carlson (309) 829-1084Newsletter Editor

Recycled and Recyclable Paper Nature in Our Neighborhood

JWP Audubon Society is a Chapter of National Audubon Society, Inc.

Officers 2008-2009President Rhea Edge 309-829-2373 rhea@rheaedge.comVice President 309-452-4249 Lenore Sobota Lssclimb@aol.comSecretary 309-452-5001 Kim Vercimak kestrel.climbing@verizon.netTreasurer 309-829-9985 Les Allen OPHILE@aol.com

PrairiewindEditor Patricia Carlson 309-829-1084 carlsonpatricia@hotmail.com\

CommitteesConservation 309-454-7432 Angelo Capparella, Chair apcappar@ilstu.eduEducation 309-829-7970 Betty Keough, Chair bkeoug@ilstu.eduMembership 309-728-2614 Sue Arnold, Chair maze@frontiernet.netStewardship 309-452-8086 Dale Birkenholz, Chair dbirke@ilstu.edu Given Harper 309-556-3056 gharper@iwu.edu Mike Callahan Margaret HollowellPrograms 309-556-3056 Given Harper, ChairBird Seed Sale 309-452-8086 Dale Birkenholz dbirke@ilstu.edu

Field Trips 309-829-9985 Les Allen Dale BirkenholzPublicity 309-829-2450 Gretchen Monti gretchen.monti@verizon.netWebmaster www.JWP-Audubon.org Catherine Holland chollan@ilstu.edu carlsonpatricia@hotmail.com Notify both addresses please.

On The WingMay 9 Spring bird count.May 16 JWP Annual Meeting. Sugar Grove Nature Center in Funks Grove.

David ShileySat on “Wildlife in Your Backyard.” Talk at 10:00am – Walk at

7:30am. See page 1.May 17 Field trip, Parkland’s Merwin Preserve:  We will meet at 7:00 a.m. on

the west sideSun of the Menards parking lot in Normal. See page 2 for details.May 21 “Adventures with John James Audubon.” Local storyteller Brian “Fox” Ellis

givesThu a living history of Audubon’s travels as he finishes drawing every known bird in

JWP Audubon board meetings are held monthly from September to May, with the exception of December. There are many volunteer opportunities and members are always welcome and encouraged to join in a variety of committees – whatever amount of time you can give. To find out how to become more involved in your chapter contact any of the officers listed at the left of this page.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS BIRDING FORUMThe Central Illinois Birding Forum is an Internet / email discussion group on Google Groups.  Birdwatchers in McLean, Woodford, Tazewell and Peoria counties use the forum to discuss birds they are seeing on their birding outings or in their backyards.  Local birder Matt Winks formed the group several years ago and it has been a great resource for Central Illinois birders.  The forum gets especially active during the spring and fall migrations; or when a rare bird(s) shows up in our area.  For instance, this past January local birders knew immediately when birder Todd Bugg discovered a Hoary Redpoll (an uncommon winter finch) at Parklands Merwin Preserve.

If you want to read the messages on the Central Illinois Birding group, go to http://groups.google.com/group/CILB .  You will also find instructions there if you would like to join the group and post your own bird sightings.