50th anniv library display - Augusta Bird Club · Title: 50th anniv library display Author: Andrew Clem Created Date: 8/1/2016 11:12:45 PM

Christmas Bird CountEvery year members of the Augusta Bird Club participate in the international Christmas Bird Count (CBC), under the auspices of the National Audubon Society. The CBC coordinator for Augusta County is Allen Larner, while Crista Cabe coordinates the Waynesboro CBC. This survey covers precisely defined areas, and special protocols are observed to ensure that data gathered is consistent from year to year. The survey results, along with analytical articles, are published in a special magazine supplement.

http://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count

Augusta Bird Club 50th Anniversary Display

Great Backyard Bird CountThe Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is usually held in February, sponsored by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology. Most people would expect to find common year-round birds such as Northern Cardinals and White-breasted Nuthatches, but winter birds such as Brown Creepers and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (shown on the CBC placard) are sometimes present as well. The count is easy to do, and is a great citizen science activity for adults and youth. The Augusta Bird Club contact person is Darrell Schwalm. The results are posted at www.birdcount.org.


http://www.audubon.org/gbbc/index.shtml

http://www.audubon.org/gbbc/index.shtml

http://www.birdcount.org/

http://www.birdcount.org/

Big Spring DayThe BSD is usually held in late April, at the peak of spring migration season, when the maximum number of bird species are present in Augusta County. Participants can choose their own areas, coordinating with Allen Larner. On Sunday, April 27, 2014, for example, those participating in the Augusta County Big Spring Day logged a total of 635 miles in car, 10 miles by foot, with about 60 + hours in the field. The total number of species for the day was 141, which is the second highest count ever. A total of 20 Warblers species were seen or heard, as well as a Snow Goose (late!), a Virginia Rail, a Sora, Eurasian Collared Doves, a Swainson's Warbler, and 72 Great Blue Herons.


Breeding Bird SurveyThe Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is conducted each June, and as with the Christmas Bird Count, special protocols are observed to ensure the highest quality of scientific data. The survey begins in the pre-dawn hours, searching for owls, and lasts all day.


Rockfish Gap Hawk WatchThe Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch begins each year around the middle of August and runs through the end of November. On some days, thousands of hawks may be seen! For many years this program was coordinated by Brenda Tekin, and now Victor Laubach is assuming lead responsibilities. It is held on the grounds of the Inn at Afton, located on the southern side of Rockfish Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains, right off I-64 exit 99. The hawk watch provides panoramic views of both the Shenandoah Valley to the west and the Piedmont Region to the east. We welcome casual visitors as well as volunteers to help us spot the hawks! Please visit the Web site:

www.rockfishgaphawkwatch.org!


http://www.rockfishgaphawkwatch.org/

http://www.rockfishgaphawkwatch.org/

Grassland Bird SurveySuburban development and commercial agriculture often has a detrimental impact on birds that inhabit grasslands, such as the Grasshopper Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlark. To monitor trends in breeding, some of our members participate in this annual survey in association with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. For more information, see:

www.vaworkinglandscapes.org


DGIF Quail and Rabbit RunEvery spring, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) conducts a survey of Quail (a.k.a. Bobwhites) and Rabbits across the state. Allen Larner is in charge of the survey in Augusta County. For more information, see

www.dgif.virginia.gov/quail/


Augusta Bird Club field tripsPerhaps the most important part of the Augusta Bird Club are the field trips to locations in this county, and occasionally to other parts of Virginia. Jo King leads field trips to McCormick’s Mill several times a year, Allen Larner leads trips to Highland County every January and June, while Penny Warren and others lead trips to various other places. Sometimes these field trips are casual in nature, and sometimes they involve hiking through wilderness terrain, requiring special precautions. Adventure awaits!


Improvements on Bell’s LaneThe Augusta Bird Club has "adopted" Bell's Lane, cleaning up trash along the road, and installing a “news” kiosk with a chalkboard on which people can share their bird observations. We are also proud to participate in the annual “Kites ‘n Kritters” event to promote awareness of soil conservation.


Public outreachAmong our club’s many public outreach endeavors is the annual Earth Day event in downtown Staunton. Darrell Schwalm and Catherine Kohus coordinate this effort, seeking to raise interest in birding among local youth.

In addition, we publicize our various activities via the Web site:

www.augustabirdclub.org

On it, you can find information about upcoming meetings and field trips, as well as alerts about rare birds such as the Purple Gallinule that visited Waynesboro in 2014.


Programs at monthly meetingsFrom September through April, at 7:00 PM on the second Monday of each month, the Augusta Bird Club holds meetings at Covenant Presbyterian Church on North Coalter Street in Staunton. Except for December, when we have a Christmas party, there is a guest presentation on birding or nature-related topics. Some recent programs include:

• Bobby Whitescarver: Chesapeake Bay Foundation• Peg Sheridan: Appreciating Birds Through Art• Justin Folks (Virginia DGIF): Bobwhite restoration• Doug Rogers: Audubon Society's Project Puffin• Steve Rannels: Birding Ethiopia• Ed Clark: Wildlife Center of Virginia


Annual bird seed saleEach October, the Augusta Bird Club holds an annual bird seed sale, which is our primary fund-raising effort. The vast majority of the net proceeds are used to provide scholarships for local teenage students to participate in Nature Camp, located east of Raphine. Beginning in late September, orders can be made either online or by mail, and in mid-October customers can pick up their purchased seed at the Augusta County Government Center in Verona, or (for a modest fee) delivery for customers who live within 20 miles.


All nests and bird specimens in this exhibit are from the collection of the

Biology Department at Mary Baldwin College.


Ruby-throated Hummingbird• Nest is made of thistle or dandelion down held together with spider silk and

then decorated for camouflage purposes with bits of lichen and moss.• Eggs: 2; white color, incubation by female, who takes care of feeding the young

as well.• During migration, some Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fly non-stop over the

Gulf of Mexico, a distance of 525 miles!• Beats its wings about 53 times a second.• Only males have the ruby-red throat.• Cannot walk due to very short legs.• Prefers to feed on red or orange flowers.

Also feeds on insects.• *** If you put out nectar for a

hummingbird, please do NOT put red dye in the nectar! ***


Scarlet Tanager• Medium sized American song bird found in forests during warmer months.• Insectivore, although will eat fruits during migration season. Winter diet

poorly known.• Nest: usually in a deciduous tree, 20-30 feet above ground. Built by female,

shallow cup of twigs, weeds, grass, lined with fine grass and rootlets.

• Eggs: 2-5, usually 4; pale blue-green with spots of brown or reddish brown.

• Incubation by female; both parents feed the nestlings.

• Females, juveniles, and non-breeding males are dull yellow and black, rather than red and black.


Indigo Bunting• One of the most abundant songbirds in parts of the East.• Characteristic loud, shrill, repetitive song.• Males (dark blue) sing from tree tops and utility wires throughout the

countryside, until early August. Females (dull beige) stay near their nests in the brush.

• Eggs: 3-4, rarely 1-2, white to bluish-white.

• Incubation by female as well as the majority of feeding young.

• Diet: mostly seeds and insects, sometimes berries.


Baltimore Oriole• A brilliantly colored songbird of the East, sharing the heraldic colors of the coat

of arms of the 17th century Lord Baltimore.• Nest: Artfully woven bag-shaped hanging

nests, built mainly by female, consisting of plant fibers, strips of bark, grapevine, grass, yarn, string, Spanish moss, lined with fine grass, plant down, hair.

• Eggs: 4-5, sometimes 3-6, bluish white to pale gray with brown and black markings.

• Incubation by female; both parents feed young.• Diet: Insects, berries, nectar.• Conservation: Still widespread and common

but surveys show declines in recent decades partially due to Dutch elm disease killing American elms, their favorite nesting tree.


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50th anniv library display - Augusta Bird Club · Title: 50th anniv library display Author: Andrew Clem Created Date: 8/1/2016 11:12:45 PM