Jan 2005 Apalachee Audubon Society Newsletter

8/9/2019 Jan 2005 Apalachee Audubon Society Newsletter

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Apalachee AudubonThe Newsletter Of The Apalachee Audubon Society, Inc.

January, 2005Vol. 105, no. 4www.apalachee.org

Human Habitat as Bird HabitatEric Draper, Chapter President

In early December bird lovers in Manhattan wereshocked when workers removed the nest of aRed Tailed Hawk thought to have fledged 23young over the past decade. According to newsreports the buildings residents were tired of pi-geon parts and bird poopsoiling the property.

It is curious how some birdsmake human habitats theirown. Weve grown used tofalcons, vultures and pi-geons in our cities. And Os-prey building nests on elec-tric power lines seems com-mon. These are examplesof wildlife coexisting withhuman structures. Whathappens when a decliningspecies becomes dependenton human habitat? That is

occurring now with LeastTerns.

Up to eighty percent of Least Terns along the gulfcoast nest on gravel roofs. That amazing claimraises some quick questions. Who is counting?What happened to their preferred nesting sites?What happens when those roofs are replaced bynewer roof technology?

So, who is making these claims about roof nest-ing terns? Audubon chapters in Bay County andSt. Petersburg have developed volunteer pro-

grams to monitor rooftop nests, maintain recordsand in some cases replace fledgling birds thathave fallen onto sidewalks and parking lots. Theirstories of working with building owners to securethis habitat and take care of the birds are repletewith fun. Imagine Audubon volunteers riding ahydraulic lift to inspect a rooftop and count nests.Imagine one enterprising person inventing achickaboom a telescoping pole with a basket

Program HighlightWednesday, January 26th

Social: 7:00 PM; Program: 7:30 PMSaving the Least Tern

Bradley Smith, a fisheries and wildlife biologistwith the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission,will discuss his work to save Least Tern breedingcolonies working with volunteers from Bay CountyAudubon Society.

on the end that allows a fallen chick to be liftedfrom the ground and placed back up on the roof.

These citizen scientists and volunteer wardens inour sister Audubon chapters tell us that beachnesting birds are running out of beach. Whilegravel roofs are a temporary alternative for LeastTerns, the long-term success of this handsome

little bird depends on naturalhabitat. Flat tar and gravelroofs are being replaced by

newer and better roof technol-ogy. As that happens, theterns will have to turn else-where. What if there is noplace left?

That raises the question oflooking at our coastal habitatsand making sure that someareas are still available fornests. Or if not available, re-stored?

Next time you see a LeastTern swooping near the water, ask these ques-tions? Where did you fledge and where will younest? The future of the species depends on theanswer.

Steven DAmato

Border sketches by Rosemary Bell


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OfficersPresident: Eric Draper 222-2473

[email protected]

Vice President: Sally Jue [email protected]: Harvey Goldman 385-5222

[email protected]

Secretary: Open

Board Members

Ray Bieber - 445-4682

[email protected] Collins [email protected]

Grayal Farr [email protected]

Kim Libroth [email protected]

Bill Lowrie [email protected]

Jim Shelton [email protected]

Karen Wensing [email protected]

Committee ChairsConservation:Eric Draper

Education:Judy Goldman [email protected]

Finance:Ray Bieber

Hospitality:Elizabeth PlattMembership: Karen WensingNewsletter:Bill Lowrie

Publicity: Kim LibrothField Trips: Marvin Collins

Programs: Marvin Collins

Webmaster:Hans Von TolEx-Officio, Sierra Liaison: Grayal Farr-

385-5732St. Marks NWR Liaison:Robin Will -877-9058

The newsletter is published 8 times

yearly (Sept. May, except Dec.) by

the Apalachee Audubon Society, Inc.,

P.O. Box 1237, Tallahassee, FL

32302-1237.

This newsletter is printed on

partially recycled paper.

Mission Statement

Protection of the envi-ronment through edu-

cation, appreciation and conserva-

tion.

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Visit our remodeled Bird Shop & Bird Window.We carry a complete line of wild bird supplies andquality bird seeds.

2911 Thomasville Rd., Tallahassee, FL 32312(850) 385-2162

Community Service Day at San Luis MissionParkSally Jue, Chapter Vice President

Apalachee Audubon Society continues to work with the City of Tal-lahassee to protect the natural resources at San Luis MissionPark, a prime birding location in our community. Over 150 birdspecies have been documented at this park, which is described inGreat Birding Spots in Wakulla, Leon and Franklin Counties, Flor-ida, a publication available from the chapter.

The biggest threat to the parks native habitat is the widespreadoccurrence of invasive exotic plants that are rapidly displacing thenative plant species. Julius Rios, a San Luis Ridge resident whoworks with Volunteer Florida, has arranged for AmeriCorps StateParks to spend the first week of February assisting Park ManagerChuck Goodheart with removal of some of the most problematicinvasives. These include Chinese tallow, tung tree, and Japaneseprivet. The group of volunteers will physically remove the smaller

exotic plants and treat the larger ones with herbicide.

In conjunction with AmeriCorps efforts, Apalachee Audubon issponsoring a Community Service Day at San Luis Mission Parkon Saturday, February 5th, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. We will fol-low up on the work completed by AmeriCorps volunteers with addi-tional invasive exotic plant removal (using muscles, clippers, andshovels) and general trash cleanup around the lake and along thenature trails. There will also be opportunities to learn about theparks plants (both native and exotic) and diverse birds throughguided walks. Please join us at 9:00 AM at the park entrance onSan Luis Road, at the bottom of the hill (San Luis Road connects

to Tharpe Street just west of Ocala Road). For more information,call or e-mail Sally Jue (386-1393 evenings; [email protected]).Watch for additional information in the Tallahassee Democratandon the chapters website


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8th Annual Great Backyard Bird CountBy Fran C. Rutkovsky

This years Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC),a Citizen Science project of the Cornell Lab ofOrnithology and the National Audubon Society,will be on February 18-21. This years theme is

"North America's Great Backyard," chosen as away to celebrate the beauty of birds foundacross the continent. Your data will help Cornelland Audubon learn more about bird ranges,populations, migration pathways and habitat re-quirements. Everyone is invited to count birdsat birdfeeders, in yards, local parks, or otheroutdoor locations and report their findings onlinethrough the BirdSource website atwww.birdsource.org/gbbc. Last year over42,500 checklists reported 554 species and over4.3 million individual birds!

It's easy to participate. You can count alone oras part of a group. You can count on only oneor on each of the four days of the event. Youcan count for as little as 15 minutes or a full day.You simply make a separate list for each dayand location and report your findings on theBirdSource website. If you do not have accessto a computer, find a friend with one or go to thelibrary (or get one for Christmas!).

For each species, track the highest number of aspecies you see at one time during the day. For

instance, if you observe one chickadee in themorning and two in the evening at the same lo-cation, count them as two. When you input thezip code location, make sure it is the zip codefor the count location. All of the instructions forreporting your tallies are at www.birdsource.org/gbbc. (Visit the site now to see last years re-sults.)

On the first morning of the count, when peoplestart submitting their tallies, the map on thewebsite will be updated periodically to reflect theentered data. You can watch the map grow;

you can go to any particular state and watch thetallies come in; you can read what birds are be-ing reported for each location all over the USand Canada. It's a lot of fun, so do join in andhelp our area become one of the Top Ten countareas for the state of Florida.

AUDUBON OF FLORIDA & ITS CHAPTERSANNOUNCE AUDUBON ACADEMY 2005

(Apalachee Audubon needs skilled volunteers.This is a great opportunity to get those skills.)

Audubon chapter leaders and other volunteersare very generous with their precious time. The

experience of being a volunteer in an AudubonChapter should reward you by giving you the op-portunity to accomplish something personally ful-filling while contributing to meaningful conserva-tion goals. Chapters that are well organized andeffectively led are much more likely to provide thatexperience. This is the underlying rationale forthe Academy.

WHEN: March 18 20, 2005

WHERE: Eckerd College in St. Petersburg

PROGRAM: A selection of 11 participatory work-

shops on all aspects of chapter leadership plusgreat field trips and social events

WHO: Participation is open to Florida chapterofficers and directors, committee chairs, other vol-unteers and future leaders

COST: $25 plus travel and accommodations.

Complete details about the academy are onwww.audubonofflorida.org. Contact Bill Lowrie([email protected] or 962-4138) if youhave questions or would like a copy of the regis-tration materials. If you want accommodations on

the Eckerd campus or at economical motels youmust act quickly as March is a busy season inSt. Pete. There are camping facilities at a nearbycounty park as well.

NATIVE NURSERIES

The Store for Nature Lovers

See our newsletter at www.nativenurseries.com

1661 Centerville Rd.Tallahassee, FL 32308

(850) 386-8882


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Non-Profit

Organization

U.S. PostagePaid

Permit No. 30

Tallahassee, FL

Apalachee Audubon Society, Inc.

P.O. Box 1237

Tallahassee, FL 32302-1237

To check membership status, or to change address, call the National Audubon Society Office at 1-800-274-4201 or email

[email protected]

Monthly meetings, field trips, conservation activities and bird walks

Audubon CalendarMonthly meetings are free and open to the public. They are held at the United Church at 1834 Mahan Drive.

Most evenings begin with an informal social at 7:00 p.m. followed by announcements and the program at 7:30.Unless otherwise stated, field trips depart from the Wachovia Bank at 3400 S. Monroe Street (opposite the Fair-

grounds). Note the time of departure in the description for each trip. For more info check out our web site at

www.apalachee.org

Saturday, January 15. Bird Walk. Meet at 8:00 AM at the Wachovia Bank for a casual morning bird-walk in the Tallahassee area.

Wednesday, January 26. Membership program. See page one for description.

Saturday, February 5. Community Service Day at San Luis Mission Park. See description inside.

Saturday, February 12. Fieldtrip. (Date change) Bradley Smith will show us important bird areasaround St. Joseph State Park. This is one of his favorite areas and we should see good birds and otherwildlife and match them to their habitat. To carpool, meet at the Wachovia Bank on North Monroe

(across from Fairgrounds) at 7:30 AM or the St. Joseph State Park entrance on Cape San Blas at 9:30AM EST.

Friday Monday, February 18 - 21. Great Backyard Birdcount. See description inside.

Wednesday, February 23. Membership program. Pat Casselberry, former President of CitrusCounty Audubon, will describe efforts to protect Floridas growing flock of migratory and residentWhooping Cranes.

Saturday & Sunday, February 26 27. Field Trip. Paynes Prairie. Leaving early Saturday, return-ing Sunday night. Hiking and birdwatching. Camping or local motel. Details TBA.

Friday Sunday, March 18 20. Audubon Academy 2005. See description inside.

Wednesday, March 23. Membership program. Jim Cox will discuss the current research findings at

Tall Timbers on Bachmans Sparrow and the Brown-headed Nuthatch.

Documents

Jan 2005 Apalachee Audubon Society Newsletter