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Audubon NewsVolume 14, Issue 9 May 2009
Monthly Meeting: Thursday, May 7, 2009
Monthly Meeting 1
Field Trips 2-3
Conservation Corner 4
Backyard Habitat 5
Techno Birding 5
Helping Birds 6
P.O. Box 221093 Charlotte, NC 28222
Upcoming Events
5/2 Sherman Branch (Field Trip)
5/3 Latta Park (Field Trip)
5/5 Latta Park (Field Trip)
5/7 4-mile Creek (Field Trip)
5/7 Birds of Charlotte (Meeting)
5/9 IMBD Evergreen Preserve
5/9 Latta Park (Field Trip)
5/10 Ribbon Walk (Field Trip)
5/12 Latta Park (Field Trip)
5/14 Anne Springs Close (Field Trip)
5/16 Latta Prairie (Field Trip)
5/17 Carolina Sandhills (Field Trip)
5/21 Huntingtowne Farms (Field Trip)
5/23 Cowan’s Ford (Field Trip)
5/30 Mountain Birding (Field Trip)
6/4 Annual Picnic (Latta Park)
6/12-14 Charleston, SC (Field Trip)
Taylor Piephoff from the Mecklenburg Park and Recreation’s Division of Natural Resources will update us on the status of birds in Mecklenburg County. He’ll tell us about the new species being added to the county bird list and about new breeders in the county. More then likely he’ll tell us where to find them as well. This should get us excited about getting out there and seeing new species.
So join your fellow birders for a welcom-ing program in the fellowship hall of the
Sharon Seventh Day Adventist Church (920 Sharon Amity) on Thursday, May 7th. Re-freshments start around 7:15 PM and meeting will begin at 7:35 PM. See you there.
New birds in the neighborhood
Who’sNew?
Leigh AyersPaul & Mary BuckleEric ClarkEllen FisherCarol & Alan KleinRichard & Susan PlatteJack Stutts
Join us for a fun filled day of celebrating Migratory Birds! This is part of an inter-national effort to raise awareness of the miraculous journey that takes place every year across the world. Activities will include birding 101, bird hikes, crafts, games and bird related merchandise.
IMBD was created in 1993 by visionaries at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithol-ogy. From 1995 to 2006, the program was under the direction of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Because of its consistent growth, IMBD is now the premier education project of Environment for the Americas. IMBD continues to focus attention on one of the most important and spectacular events in the life of a migratory bird -- its journey between its summer and winter homes. Today, it is celebrated in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Central America through bird festivals and bird walks, education programs, and Bird Day! We invite you to join us in this important celebration.
International Migratory Bird DayEvergreen Nature Preserve • Saturday, May 9th • 8 AM - 1 PM • All Ages • FREE
Swainson’s Warbler
Audubon News Page 2
Field TripsAll Mecklenburg Audubon Field Trips are free and open to the public. Directions for all trips can be found on the Mecklenburg Audubon website - meckbirds.org. Click on Field Trips. Please remember to contact the trip leaders several days before the trip. If you don’t, you may not receive information about last minute changes or cancellations. Also, if they don’t know you are coming, they might leave without you!!
KEY TO PHYSICAL DIFFICULTYEasy - Trails are level to slight grades usually
paved. .5-1.5 miles of walking; Moderate - Trails can be uneven with some
hills. 1-2.5 miles of walking; Strenuous - Trails vary greatly. 2.5+ miles
of walking; * - Trails are handicapped accessible.
Detailed directions to meeting spots can be found at meckbirds.org/trips
Latta Park in Dilworth is a real gem in spring migration. It is possible to have a 15 warbler day, with surprises like Wilson’s or Nashville. Add to this 4 or 5 thrushes, 3 or 4 vireos, scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak, both orioles and many others, and it’s hard to stay away. We will have many trips to this birdy park in April and May. We will be leading ‘official’ walks, which will meet at 8:30 AM, on the dates listed below. The meeting spot will be at the parking lot on East Park Ave. between Winthrop Ave. and Springfield Ave.
Sunday, May 3rd Contact: Dennis Lankford ([email protected] Tuesday, May 5th Contact: Ron Clark ([email protected] or 704-866-0811)Saturday, May 9th Contact: Dave Lovett ([email protected] or 704-542-6710)Tuesday, May 12th Contact: Tom Sanders ([email protected])
Saturday, May 2nd: Sherman Branch Nature Preserve1/2 day - Moderate Leader: Judy Walker ([email protected] or 704-537-8181)
Nestled in the eastern side of the county, this preserve is one of the few places where Kentucky Warblers breed in the area. Grasshopper sparrows and a variety of grassland birds can also be found in the large open field. We will meet at 8:00 AM in the preserve’s parking lot on Rocky River Church Rd. about a 1/4 mile north of Camp Stewart Rd.
Thursday, May 7th: Four-Mile Creek Greenway1/2 day - Easy* Leader: John Buckman ([email protected] or 704-541-7433)
This section of greenway has produced some good birding since it opened last fall. This will be the first spring that we have been able to bird it. There are a variety of habitats along its 1.8 miles, including an area with good rail potential. John Buckman will lead this 1/2 day trip to see how it holds up in migration. We will meet at the Johnston Rd. parking lot at 8:00 AM.
Sunday, May 10th: Ribbon Walk Nature Preserve1/2 day - Moderate Leader: Ron Clark ([email protected] or 704-866-0811)
Join Ron Clark to explore this beautiful wooded area with two creeks and large beech trees. We’ll walk about 2 miles, mostly flat with some slight hills.
Meet at 8:30 AM in the parking area. From I-85, take Statesville Rd north (away from town ). In 3/4 mile, turn right on Cindy Lane (traffic light). Follow it 1 1/4 miles to the sign for Ribbonwalk, on the left.
Thursday, May 14th: Anne Springs Close Greenway1/2 day - Moderate Leader: Dave Lovett ([email protected] or 704-542-6710)
This will be a 1/2 day trip, walking about 1- 1 1/2 miles, slightly hilly, led by Dave Lovett. If time permits, we may go to the field trial area also.
Meet at the main parking area off Highway 21 at 8:30 AM. Take I-77 south to Gold Hill Rd, Exit 88. Turn left and follow it one mile to Highway 21. Turn right and the entrance is in one mile, on the left. You can also get off at Carowinds Blvd, take a left and follow it ( Hwy 21 ) to the greenway, on the left. There is a $2 fee.
Saturday, May 16th: Latta Plantation Prairie1/2 day - Moderate Leader: Ron Clark ([email protected] or 704-866-0811)
Ron Clark will lead this trip to the prairie in Latta Nature Preserve. We should find indigo buntings, yellow-breasted chats, prairie warblers, blue grosbeaks and common yellowthroats, along with both tanagers and others. This is about 2 miles of walking, much of it in the sun.
Kentucky Warbler
Northern Parula
Scarlet Tanager by Jeff Lemons
Audubon NewsPage 3
Meet at the Nature Center just inside Latta Preserve entrance at 8:30 AM. Take I-77 north to Sunset Rd. west (exit 16 -B) Follow it to Beatties Ford. Turn right and go 4.8 miles. Turn left onto Sample Rd. at the stone fences. As soon as you enter the preserve, turn right into the parking lot.
Sunday, May 17th: Carolina Sandhills NWRFull day - Moderate Leader: Ron Clark ([email protected] or 704-866-0811)
This will be a day of birds, wildflowers and butterflies. Ron Clark and Will Stuart will take us through this beautiful refuge looking for breeding residents, blooming wildflow-ers and whatever else we find. This is an all day trip, but we’ll aim to be back in Charlotte by 6:00. Bring lunch (with cookies), water and sunscreen.
We will meet at 7:00 AM behind the McDonalds out East Independence Blvd (Hwy 74). This is in the Windsor Square Shopping Center, just past Sam Newell Rd, on the left.
Thursday, May 21st: Huntingtowne Farms Greenway1/2 day - Easy* Leader: Dean and Vivian Sprehe ([email protected] or 704-552-1864)
Dean and Vivian Sprehe will lead us on this 1/2 day trip. There are always many good birds along this greenway. We’ll walk about 1 1/2 miles on flat terrain along Little Sugar Creek. Take Park Road South and turn right on Huntingtowne Farms Lane. Follow it to the end. We’ll start at 8:00 AM.
Saturday, May 23rd: Cowan’s Ford Wildlife Refuge1/2 day - Moderate Leader: John Bonestell – ([email protected] or 704-896-2300)
We will bird the observation field and wherever else John Bonestell decides to take us on this 1/2 day walk, covering 1 1/2 miles. This beautiful refuge is only accessible by permit, so here is your chance to see it.
Meet at 8:00 AM at the viewing stand. Take I-77 north to Exit 16-B, Sunset Rd west. Follow it to Beatties Ford Rd. Turn right, drive about seven miles, and angle left onto Neck Rd. Follow it to a “Y” intersection. Take the gravel road to the left and follow it to the end. Let John know if you’ll be there.
Saturday, May 30th: Mountain Birding (Boone/Blowing Rock area)Full day - Moderate Leader: Judy Walker ([email protected] or 704-537-8181)
The area around Boone and Blowing Rock has a wide vareity of habitats and thus birds. Many of the warblers we see in Latta Park wind up there to breed - Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green and many more. We target these breed-ers and some flycatchers. If we are really lucky we might get all four empidimox flycatchers (alder, acadian, willow and least).
Boone is about 2 hours from Charlotte by way of I-77 and Rt. 421 so we will meet at 8:00 AM at place the will be determined. You can also go up the night before if you wish.
June 12th-14th: Charleston, SC areaWeekend - EasyLeader: Ron Clark ([email protected] or 704-866-0811)
This is a weekend trip to four areas west and southwest of Charleston, SC on June 12-14. This will be Friday afternoon, Satur-day and Sunday morning. The areas are Caw Caw County Park, a great place for Mississippi and, hopefully, swallow-tailed kites, Donnelley and Bear Island Wildlife Management Areas and Dungannon Heritage Preserve, where you will be surrounded by 60+ active wood stork nests. The fledglings will still be in the nests and are very vocal.
Land’s Inn (2545 Savannah Hwy., Charleston, SC 29414) as our meeting place. The rooms are $79.95 and are very nice, with refrigerator and microwave, Also continental breakfast. If we end up with 10 or more, the rate will drop to $73.95. The number is 843-763-8885, if you wish to reserve.
Field Trips
Blackburnian
Swallow-tailed Kite
Audubon News Page 4
ConservationCorner
America is blessed with amazing wildlife and wild places: bald eagles and peregrine falcons flying in our skies, gray wolves and grizzly bears roaming the wilderness, Canada lynx and spotted owls in ancient forests, salmon and steelhead spawning in wild rivers, and whales and sea turtles in our coastal waters. Having just celebrated Earth Day, here are some things you can do every day to protect our environment.
1) Learn about endangered species in your area. Teach your friends and family about the wonderful wildlife, birds, fish and plants that live near you.
2) Visit a national wildlife refuge, park or other open space. These protected lands provide habitat to many native wildlife, birds, fish and plants.
3) Make your home wildlife friendly. Secure garbage in shelters or cans with locking lids, feed pets indoors and lock pet doors at night to avoid attracting wild animals into your home.
4) Provide habitat for wildlife by planting native vegetation in your yard. Native plants provide food and shelter for native wildlife. Attracting native insects like bees and butterflies and help pollinate your plants.
5) Minimize use of herbicides and pesticides. Herbicides and pesticides may keep yards looking nice but they are in fact hazardous pollutants that affect wildlife at many levels.
6) Slow down when driving. Many animals live in developed areas and this means they must navigate a landscape full of human hazards.
7) Recycle and buy sustainable productsBuy recycled paper, sustainable products like bamboo and Forest Stewardship Council wood products to protect forest species.
8) Never purchase products made from threatened or endangered species Overseas trips can be exciting and fun, and everyone wants a souvenir. But sometimes the souvenirs are made from species nearing extinction.
9) Report any harassment or shooting of threatened and endangered speciesHarassing wildlife is cruel and illegal. Shooting, trapping, or forcing a threat-ened or endangered animal into captivity is also illegal and can lead to their extinc-tion.
10) Protect wildlife habitatPerhaps the greatest threat that faces many species is the widespread destruction of habitat. Scientists tell us the best way to protect endangered species is to protect the special places where they live.
For more information, visit our 10 Easy Things You Can Do at Home to Protect Endangered Species.
To get involved, contact the Endangered Species Coalition
10 Things You Can Do at Home to Protect Endangered Species
Win a Great Horned Owl Limited Art Print
Once again we are raising funds for our Audubon Adventures educational pro-gram by raffling a framed wildlife picture. The 18” x 26” limited edition print is of a great horned owl and was donated by the artist, Lou DePaolis, uncle of our field trip coordinator, Ron Clark.
This beautifully framed picture will be on display at the Mecklenburg Audubon meetings in April and May. Framing was provided by The Frame Warehouse in the Arboretum Shopping Center so stop in and thank them if you get a chance. And be sure to take the 10% discount coupon on page 6.
The winning ticket will be drawn at our annual picnic in June. You do not need to be present to win. Tickets are just $5 for one or $10 for three and can be purchased at the meetings or by sending a check along with the form on page 6.
If you are not aware of it, the Star-bucks at Cotswold Shopping Center
provides coffee for our monthly meet-ings. So the next time you in the neigh-borhood and need a cup of joe, stop in and thank them for us.
Audubon NewsPage 5
Many people think once they put up their hummingbird feeders they should take down the other feeders. That doesn’t have to be the case though. Feeding birds in the summer can be a very rewarding endeavor. Although you might not have as wide a variety of spe-cies, you will be surprised at who does show up.
It is true that during the summer birds switch to a diet made up more of insects and there are a wide variety of other natural foods. However, birds are like people they like the convenience of fast food. Especially when they are trying to feed their offspring. Watch-ing cardinals, titmice, chickadees and even finches bring their progeny into the feeder is a real delight. It is fascinat-
Backyard Habitat: Summer Feeding
On April 16th Cornell Lab of Orni-thology launched a redesigned and improved version of their excellent web site – All about Birds. They have put a huge amount of work into updating the site, expanding information, adding sound and video from our Macaulay Library archives, inventing new tools, and incorporating photos and ID tips. The new site is bigger and more infor-mative. New features and improve-ments include expanded information on 51 common species; four keys for identification; lots of photos; similar species are included in the right up; tabs to keep you organized; links to up-to-the-minute data; and links to more species specific information. Check it all out at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/
Another service provided by Cornell Lab of Ornithology is eBird (ebird.org) , a real-time, online checklist program that has revolutionized the way the birding com-munity reports and accesses information about birds. It provides rich data sources for basic information on bird abundance and distribution. If you have participated in the Great Backyard Bird count you have already used the eBird program. But we would like to encourage everyone who watches birds in anywhere the Charlotte area – backyard, greenway, park, campus, etc. to register with eBird and enter your data. Recently folks on the MAS-L listserv folks were posting about recent spring arrivals. Several commented that the birds
ing to watch the variety of behaviors that unfold through the summer.
There are a couple things you need to keep in mind if you feed through the sum-mer. It is very important to keep the feed-ers clean. The warmer temperatures can promote disease if feeders aren’t cleaned regularly. Also keep the area under the feeders relatively clean. Some people switch to seed that has already been hulled to eliminate the debris under the feeders. If you want to continue to provide suet for the woodpeckers make sure you get the kind made for summer use. Provid-ing fruit such as oranges and apples may bring a few species such as orioles and tanagers, which would not frequent the seed feeder. But remember they need to be changed regularly.
Even if you choose not to feed birds in the summer, remember to provide a good supply of water, which will entice a wide variety of birds to your yard.
Which ever you do (feed, water or both), once the spring migration has past and the warmer days of summer have settled in, you can sit back in your air conditioning and watch the birds in your backyard work hard at raising their young.
were several days early or late. They knew this because they have kept this data personally. It would be really help-ful to everyone if we put this kind of data into eBird. The data you enter can be used by fellow amateur and profes-sional birders alike.
eBird also allows you to look at data from any where in North America. This can be very helpful if you are planning a trip and want to do some birding along the way. It lists hot spots for the area and will tell what birds to expect during the time you are there. It will also help you maintain your own lists. We will be asking all of our field trip leaders to en-ter all of our field trips into eBird. If you are also registered with eBird they can easily share that list with you and you can incorporate it into your own lists.
Please take some time to check out this wonder tool. Register and start contributing to the scientific database. You will then truly be a citizen scientist!
Audubon News Page 6
The small, agile, fast-flying Chimney Swift is readily identified by its charac-teristic “flying cigar” profile. These swifts breed across much of eastern North America from southern Canada east of Saskatchewan, south through Texas and to the Atlantic seaboard. They nest and roost in chimneys and other building open-ings, and can be helped by making these structures safe for the birds or by building specially designed swift towers.
What Chimney Swifts Need
Food: Swifts eat a wide range of flying insects that they capture by flying high over cities, fields, forests, and wetlands.
Nesting: Chimney Swifts apparently nested in hollow trees and possibly caves before European settlement of North America. Now they prefer nesting in chim-neys and other artificial sites, including air vents, open wells, cisterns, out buildings, garages, silos, barns, and lighthouses. Nest sites need to be shaded from sunlight and the elements. When chimneys are not available, they may nest in the shadier side of a silo or high on a sheltered barn or garage wall. Nests are constructed of small twigs and swift saliva, and are at-tached directly to the side of the chimney or other surface.
Helping Backyard Birds: Chimney SwiftShelter: Chimney Swifts roost in chim-
neys and similar structures at night, as pairs during the breeding season or in flocks that may number hundreds of indi-viduals during the non-breeding season.
Other: These swifts bathe and drink on the wing by dipping low to break the surface of rivers, lakes, and ponds.
How You Can Help
• While difficult to provide food for swifts directly, avoid using pesticides that kill flying insects the birds depend on for food.
• Allow swifts to nest in uncapped chimneys, but close the damper to keep nestlings from falling into the fireplace, and avoid sweeping the chimney until after the birds have finished nesting.
• Have functioning chimneys cleaned of creosote build-up so swifts can safely attach their nests to the side of the chim-ney.
• Make sure that your chimney sweep is educated about how to protect nesting swifts.
• Consider building an artificial nest-ing structure. For more information see http://www.audubonathome.org/chim-neyswifts
• Maintain residential chimneys uncapped and with the damper closed when swifts are present.
• Make sure that large commercial or industrial chimneys in the neighborhood are allowed to remain standing as com-munal roost sites, even if decommis-sioned by heating system upgrades.
• Support efforts to keep rivers and lakes free of pesticides and other pol-lutants.
• Additional Chimney Swift conserva-tion efforts are detailed online at www.chimneyswifts.org.
For more information on helping birds visit www.audubonathome.org
© National Audubon Society, Inc., 2007
Win a Great Horned Owl Limited Art Print and support a local Classroom
Enter at the Mecklenburg Audubon Meeting or mail your check to: Lucy Quintilliano, Treasurer, Mecklenburg Audubon, P. O. Box 221093, Charlotte, NC 28222
Name: ___________________________________________________________
Address: _________________________________________________________
City, State Zip: ____________________________________________________
Amount Enclosed: $ ___________ for ____________ tickets
Tickets: $5 each or 3 for $10.
MAS Board
Judy Walker - [email protected]
Rob Bierregaard - Vice [email protected]
Larry Barden - [email protected]
Lucy Quintilliano - [email protected]
Ron Clark - Field [email protected]
Jack Meckler - [email protected]
Carol Ann Tomko - [email protected]
Jill Shoemaker - [email protected]
Louise Barden - [email protected]
John Buckman - [email protected]
Jeff Lemons - [email protected]
Audubon News is published monthly from September through May by the Mecklenburg Audubon Society, a chapter of National Audubon. Local members receive the newsletter via postal mail and/or electronic mail. It is also posted on the Mecklenburg Audubon web site - meckbirds.org.
Join now and your membership will be effective until June 2010.
Return to: Lucy Quintilliano, Treasurer, Mecklenburg Audubon Society, P. O. Box 221093, Charlotte, NC 28222
q Individual Membership [$10] q Family Membership [$15]
q Please, save trees and send me [us] the newsletter electronically.
q Please, add me to Meckbirds, the local listserv about birds and the environment.
q I [we] would be willing to lead a field trip. q I [we] would be interested in participating in a work day.
q I [we] would be willing to do a program.
Mecklenburg Audubon SocietyBecause National Audubon has reduced the chapter share of the national membership, Mecklen-burg Audubon now must offer a Local Membership to cover the cost of the newsletter, web site & cost of meetings.
Name:
Address:
Phone: E-mail:
It’s Time to RenewTo guarantee that you don’t miss the fall issue of the
Audubon News please remember to renew. Subscrip-tions go from July 1st through June 30th.
At the May 7 meeting four new members of the Mecklenburg Audubon Society board of directors will be elected. The terms of three long-time board mem-bers will expire, in accordance with the by-laws, and the board will be expanded from 11 to 12 members. That creates four board vacancies.
The departing board members are: Judy Walker (Board Member and Presi-dent); Larry Barden (Board Member and Secretary); Louise Barden (Board Mem-ber and Publicity Chair)
These three people have been instru-mental in leading MAS for many years and creating a highly effective organiza-tion with interesting and educational monthly programs, more field trips than any other Audubon organization in North Carolina, supporting environmental education through donations of Audubon Adventures kits to the public schools, adoption of Evergreen Nature Preserve and an outstanding web site and monthly
Board Elections in May
For those who travel for work or pleasure you probably keep you binoculars packed carefully in a corner of your suitcase. But it’s not always easy to find the best place to look for birds in an unfamiliar place or to know exactly what kinds of birds you might encounter. Not to worry. There’s now a global website, www.birdingpal.org, that lists local bird watch-ers all over the world who would love to treat you to a birding expedition when you’re in their neighborhood. And they do it for free – simply because they love to share their passion with others. Vol-unteers are listed country, state, town or region; languages spoken; and availability (usually anytime). You can e-mail them directly to make arrangements for your next adventure.
newsletter. Judy will continue to manage the web site and produce the newsletter.
The nominees for the four board seats are all proficient birders and excited about the opportunity to continue the high quality programs, field trips and community support of Mecklenburg Audubon. They are: Chris Hanna, Dennis Lankford, Jill Palmer, and Tom Sanders.
Chris, Dennis and Jill are all veteran MAS members. Dennis has led field trips for us. Tom and his wife Tami recently moved to Charlotte from Florida. Tom led the Evergreen field trip last week.
According to the by-laws, the board directors will elect new officers, (Presi-dent, Vice President, Treasurer and Sec-retary) each year prior to the September meeting. Directors serve for a term of 3 years with a maximum of 2 three-year terms. Each year, four directors’ terms expire. Elections will be held each year during the May meeting.
For the Traveling Birder
