March-April 2010 Piper Newsletter Coastal Georgia Audubon Society

8/9/2019 March-April 2010 Piper Newsletter Coastal Georgia Audubon Society

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/march-april-2010-piper-newsletter-coastal-georgia-audubon-society 1/6

Coastal Georgia Audubon March – April 2010www.coastalgeorgiabirding.org/cgas

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Bring binoculars for all field trips/lawn chair birding (or contact leaders to borrow some)

& bring chairs for lawn chair birding!

RAIN MAY CANCEL PLANNED TRIPS. CONTACT TRIP LEADER TO LEARN IF TRIP IS CANCELLED!

Help!!This newsletter has been written, edited, folded (with the help of her mother, Anna Chalmers) and sentout by Carole Lyons. It has been a major undertaking and we thank Carole and her mother for all their

excellent work. We are now at a point that we have decided that we need 3 people to undertake thistask. Marge Inness will continue formatting it and providing labels but we need someone to write copyfor the newsletter and someone to fold and send it. Until we get these volunteers, we may need to sendthe Piper by email. This means that if we do not have your email, you may not receive the Piper. If youwish to continue receiving it, please send your email address to [email protected]. We will continueto send it by snail mail only if we get volunteers to perform the tasks. Until then, you may need to get itfrom friends if you do not give us your email. We will not share the list with anyone and we send outannouncements to an “Undisclosed List” to ensure your privacy. We also welcome any articles and

pictures you may wish to contribute.

Events- March-April 2010Golden Isles Elementary School Cleanup - March 14, 9 amAll members are invited to come and help us maintain this outdoor classroom for the children at theGolden Isles Elementary School. A cursory look of the area around the school (very treeless) will showthe importance of maintaining this area for education. Wear gloves and bring outdoor tools if possible.Contact: Chris Daughtry (912-265-0515) [email protected]

Membership Meeting, Tim Keyes, Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division biologist,Topic- "Conserving Coastal Birds: from the bottomland forests to the beaches", March 16, 7 pmPublic Invited- Come and bring a friend! Place: Brunswick DNR Building, 1 Conservation Way

Brunswick GA 31520Contact: Marge Inness (912-638-3986) [email protected]

Lawn Chair Birding – March 24, 9am - Jekyll Island Campground Bird Sanctuary– Meet at the south endof the Jekyll Island Shopping Mall and we‟ll carpool to the campground. Bring chairs. CGAS will provide

extra binoculars if needed. Beginners welcome. We‟ll sit and watch the feeders.Contact: John Galvani (912-638-3986) [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]














Okefenokee – March 27, 7am – Those wishing to carpool from Brunswick, meet at Harveys, which issouth on US 17 and west of Exit 29 (I-95) on the left. We will then carpool to the Folkston Entrance ofthe Okefenokee NWR. We should arrive at Folkston about 8am. For those not coming by carpool, meetthe carpoolers at the beginning of the entrance road off of Rt. 121. At 8:15, the group will move toOkefenokee Adventures inside the Park. There is a park fee if you do not have a pass or a Duck Stamp.Contact: Lydia Thompson (912-634-1322) [email protected]

Little St. Simons – April 6, 10:30 am to 4 pm – Cost $60 per person plus tax =$64.20. Check (made outto CGAS) must be mailed to Marge Inness, 881 Wimbledon Drive, St. Simons Island, GA 31522 andreceived by March 30. Places will not be saved. Only a check (not a promise of ) keeps your reservationon this trip. No refunds unless: you find a substitute or the trip is cancelled. We will keep a waiting list.Maximum participants 10 people!

Conservation Volunteer Day- April 10: Help to re-establish a trail around the Ansley-HodgesImpoundment at Altamaha Waterfowl Management Area on Champney Island in McIntosh County. Thetrail will be used by birders, hunters and anglers, as well as the management staff. We hope to havemembers of each of these groups join in.

We will work from 9am until 3pm. Some of us will arrive at dawn to do a bit of bird watching and see thebeautiful sunrise. We‟ll provide light snacks and a big cooler of water, along with some tools. It would

help if some volunteers could also bring a tool or two, as well as gloves. Dress for whatever weather wehave that day, and bring a bottle or thermos for water. This is a chance for birders to have directinvolvement in the Altamaha area.Please contact Important Bird Areas Coordinator Charlie Muise:[email protected] http://www.atlantaaudubon.org/iba/

CGAS Board Meeting, April 14, 7 pm – All members invited- Place will be announced by email (the DNR

building is being renovated and not available for meetings in April).

Membership Meeting, April 20, 7 pm. Topic and Place to be announced by email and on the website.

Sapelo Island Trip-April 24 ? Give us your email and we will tell you prices, etc., when the trip is firmedup. We hope to rent a vehicle to go to Cabretta as well as Nanny Goat beach.

Lawn Chair Birding, Whimbrel Watch, Gould‟s Inlet at East Beach, St. Simons Island – April 27, 7:30 pmCome and see the whimbrels gather and fly together to their nightly roost. Binoculars available for thosewho need them. Beginners welcome. Bring a chair and dress warmly if it is cool.

Contact: Lydia Thompson (912-634-1322) [email protected]

Future trips- Family picnic at the Amphitheater on Jekyll Island (May)Crooked River and Etowah Park TBAHuguenot Park, Florida TBA





http://www.atlantaaudubon.org/iba/











Team up for Birding for Great Backyard Bird

Count 2010 Summary by Lydia Thompson

This was our seventh annual Team up for Birding.This year, it was held on Sunday, Feb. 14, 8:30A.M.-Noon at Jekyll Island Convention Center,Jekyll Island, Georgia.

Coastal Georgia Audubon Society hosted a uniqueopportunity for beginners and experiencedbirders to work in teams to identify and countbirds on Jekyll Island. It is an introduction tobird watching beyond the back yard. We met atthe Jekyll Island Convention Center in front ofthe Caldwell Hall lobby at 8:30 A.M. From 8:30a.m. to 9:00 a.m. there was an opportunity to mixand mingle and look over the various groups and

leaders. There were five groups. A sign was putup that described the amount of walking and theplaces groups would visit. Participants chose thegroups they wanted and at 9:00 A.M left toexplore their area. At noon, the groupsreturned to the convention center. A largeposter board bird list displayed what birds wereseen by each group. We also had a computer toenter each group‟s sightings into the officialwebsite. This was a time to do some talking

about the birds we had seen. Afterwards therewas time to browse through the fine arts andcrafts show benefitting Tidelands NatureCenter.

Summary of this year‟s groups -Group 1, North end, Clam Creek area toDriftwood Beach and Campground, Leader:Carole Lyons. Special birds were TuftedTitmouse, White-throated Sparrow, and Bald

Eagle- Group 2, Middle Island from the Amphitheaterthrough the golf course and neighborhoods tothe Beach Pavilion. Leader: Gene Keferl. Specialbirds were Northern Gannet, Cooper‟s Hawk,

Common Moorhen, both Night-Herons, Anhinga,Prairie Warbler and a wintering hummingbird(possible Ruby-throated)

- Group 3, Historic District, Crane Road &Tideland‟s Pond. Leader: Priscilla Fleshman.Special birds were Brown-headed Nuthatch,Pileated Woodpecker- Group 4, Beach Deck to causeway and WelcomeCenter. Leader: John Galvani: Special birdswere Horned Grebe, Wood Stork, Clapper Rail,

American Avocet, Wilson‟s Snipe and SeasideSparrow- Group 6, South End from 4-H east to Birdcorner (Southwest dune & Scrub area) Leader:Lydia Thompson. Special birds were AmericanWhite Pelican, Orange-crowned Warbler, SongSparrow and Eastern Blue Bird,

The total number of species was 84 for themorning. These species were seen by all groups:

Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant,Turkey Vulture, Ring-billed Gull, Eastern Phoebe,Carolina Wren, & Yellow-rumped Warbler

Groups 1, 2 and 4 all had Red-throated Loons,which are more common this year than in yearspast. It was good to see the Yellow-rumpedWarblers back in large numbers. We had 625that we counted at the southend.We missed a White-eyed and Blue-headed Vireoand Loggerhead Shrike. For more information,contact Lydia Thompson,[email protected] .

OUR RECENT

BIRDING

TRIPS!

Summary of BirdingEvents Sponsored byCGAS in January andFebruary, 2010.

January 2, 2010110th Christmas Bird

Count, Glynn County –

John Galvani & Linda Daniels lookfor the White Pelicans!






Intrepid counters (It was extremely cold!) found138 species and a total of 18, 484 individualbirds. Significant birds were a Buff-breastedHummingbird, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, 2Common Eider, 16 Roseate Spoonbills, 107Woodstorks, a Painted Bunting, a Swainson‟s

Thrush and 7 Bald Eagles. For more detail,

Contact Mike Chapman, Count [email protected]

Jan. 5, 2010, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, Lawn Chair

Event, Gould’s Inlet, St Simons Island.

Twelve of usassembled andscanned theshorebirds and sea

birds on the sandyshores of the Inlet,finding a few wadingbirds and raptorsalso. 17 specieswere sighted.Noted sightings: 1Cattle Egret, 2Peregrine Falcons,

100s of Red Knots, and a side-by-side march by

two adult Great Black-backed Gulls that wasunfamiliar to us, and may have been territorialbehavior.

Jan. 20, 2010, 9:30 am to 11:00 am, Lawn

Chair Event, Wildlife Observation Towers,

Jekyll Island.

This event drew 18 participants to the tower at

the Welcome Center, many of whom wentafterwards to the new tower at the St. AndrewsPicnic Area. 33 different species of birds wereseen in total.Highlights at the Welcome Center included: aGlossy Ibis (rarely seen in Glynn Co.), over 50American Avocets, 4 Marbled Godwits, 5Whimbrel, and a Clapper Rail visible in themarsh. A Belted Kingfisher also showed off histalents for us. From St, Andrews we were able

to see Scaup, Buffleheads and Red-breastedMergansers off the sandy shore of LittleRaccoon Key across the sound in Camden County.

Jan. 23, 2010, 10 am, Birding Trip, Glennville,

Tatnall County Leaders: Carole Lyons, Gene Wilkerson (local

guide)

Several CGAS members led by Carole Lyons joined others in Glennville to be guided by localexpert Gene Wilkerson in a birding adventure atthe local Water Treatment Facility and in thenearby yard of the Griffins. The greatgenerosity of these local hosts and guidesresulted in a great day of 38 species, includingsuch treats as: Red-shouldered Hawk, Sora,

Wilson‟s Snipe,Barred Owl,American Pipit,Rusty Blackbird,and BaltimoreOriole. Somegreat picture-taking completedthe day‟s

treasures

Picture by Carole Lyons

Jan. 30, 2010, 8 am (very high tide)Birding Trip seeking Sparrows, Andrew’s

Island Causeway and Paulk’s Pasture WMA

Leader: Gene Keferl

7 CGAS members were joined by 2 OkefenokeeBird Club friends in this annual rather wetsearch for Ammodramus and other sparrows.

Gene Keferl led us into some great sightings ofthese species. 8 species of sparrows weresighted. Highlights included: about 2 dozenNelson‟s, Saltmarsh, and Seaside Sparrows at

the causeway, a dozen Henslow‟s and 2 LeConte‟s

Sparrows at Paulk‟s, and also at the causeway

Clapper Rails, Horned Grebes, and a flock of 3dozen Killdeer.






Feb. 20, 2010, 8:30 amBirding Trip to Ashantilly, with side trip to

Open Gates B&B in Darien

Leader: Carole Lyons; Hosts : Harriet Langfordat Ashantilly and the Spratts at Open Gates

The trip to Ashantilly was part of a survey of

bird speciesfound atvarious seasonson thatproperty inDarien.Several CGASmembers haveparticipated todate in this

effort. Some of the notable birds on this daywere: White-eyed and Blue-headed Vireos, alarge flock of American Robins, and 2 SwampSparrows. After leaving our good friends andassociates at Ashantilly we stopped by the OpenGates B&B in Darien where Darien Mayor Kellyand Jeff Spratt invited us into the B&B for goodlooks at a White-winged Dove that has beenhanging out in the Southern Magnolia outside thewindow near the bird feeders. A lifer for some

of our group!

Feb. 27, 2010, 9:00 am to 3:00 pmBirding Trip, Raccoon Key, Camden County

Leader: Carole LyonsThis half-hour boat trip from the Jekyll Wharfto Raccoon Key in St Andrews Sound drew 32participants who felt the experience was worththe price. We walked the dikes and viewedponds and beaches for five hours and found

close to 70 species of birds. Different peoplehad different highlights, but some certainlywere: 35 or more American White Pelicans, anoisy flock of Black-crowned Night-Herons, atleast 3 Sora seen well and at length, 4 MarbledGodwits, 3 Orange-crowned Warblers, severalspecies of ducks, and from the boaton the return an adult Bald Eagle (Camden) andmany American Avocets (Glynn)

Carol Lyons and Rachel Markham show

a new way to bird!

BIRDING COMPETITION GEARS UP

Here are the results for our new year. Please feelfree to send your numbers to [email protected]

Carole Lyons- Glynn County 77Chris Daughtry- Camden County 32John Galvani – Glynn: 125, McIntosh County: 92,Camden: 74, Georgia: 154Gene Keferl- Glynn: 141, McIntosh: 70, Georgia:161Lydia Thompson- Glynn County: 123 and forJekyll Island: 106

What are your counts?

President: John Galvani (912-638-3986) [email protected]. President: Bob Churi (912-437-4477) [email protected]: Trish McMillan (912-729-4004) [email protected]

Treasurer: Gene Keferl (912-265-0143) [email protected] of Directors; Lydia Thompson (912-634-1322); Marge Inness(508-728-9599) : Fredi Fenster (413-885-1015)Birding/Field Trips: Lydia Thompson – (912-634-1322)

` [email protected]: Debbie Sue Mumford (912- 265-8046)

[email protected]: Chris Daughtry (912-265-0515)

[email protected]: Fredi Fenster (413-885-1015) [email protected]: Harriet Roberson (912-265-6729)

[email protected]: Harriet Roberson (912-265-6729)

[email protected]: Marge Inness (508-728-9599) [email protected]

(temp)Membership: Marge Inness (508-728-9599) [email protected]

Lawn Chair Birding: John Galvani (912-638-3986) [email protected]

Webmaster: Mike Chapman ([email protected]















Coastal Georgia AudubonP.O. Box 21726St. Simons Island, GA 31522

Return Mail Requested

JOIN AUDUBON!

Local Dues are due!$10.00 - Coastal Georgia Audubon Society OR $20- National Audubon Society

P.O. Box 21726 P.O. Box 51001St. Simons Island, GA 31522 Boulder, CO 80322-1001

(Includes local „Piper‟ Newsletter) (Includes full Audubon benefits, AudubonMagazine & „Piper„ Newsletter)

Name:___________________________________________ Address:_________________________________________

City:____________________________________________ State/Zip:______________ Phone Number ______________ Email address:_____________________________________

(Pay by check or money order) F017XCH

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage PaidBrunswick, GA 31520Permit #312

Documents

March-April 2010 Piper Newsletter Coastal Georgia Audubon Society