Nov 2008 CAWS Newsletter Madison Audubon Society

8/9/2019 Nov 2008 CAWS Newsletter Madison Audubon Society

1/8Madison Audubon is a chapter of the National Audubon Society

222 S. Hamilton St. / Madison, WI 53703 / 255-2473/ www.madisonaudubon.org November 2008

How Development Changes Bird Communities

Madison AudubonSocietyServing Columbia, Dane,Dodge, Iowa, Jefferson,Richland and Sauk Counties

Inside This IssueKids Learn at Goose Pond ........... 2

Goose Pond Fall Report................ 3

Extreme Makeover at FG ............. 4

Sacred Ground ............................... 5

2008 CBC Dates ............................. 5

MAS Nest Box Results .................. 6Donations ....................................... 6

Membership Form ........................ 7

Education Update ......................... 8

Last Field Trip in 08 ..................... 8

By John Flicker, originally publishedAugust 27, 2008

Like canaries in the coal mine, birdsare an important indicator of our

planets health. For thousands ofyears, they have been one of our mostimportant early warning systems,predicting the change of seasons, thecoming of storms, and the rise of toxiclevels of pollution in the food chain.Today, birds are telling us that our cli-

mate is changingand in many places,it may change more quickly than theycan adapt, signaling complex ecosys-tem changes that will have seriousconsequences for wildlife and humans

alike. We know that avoiding the worstconsequences of global warming willrequire bold strategies for reducing ourdependence on fossil fuel, expanding

renewable energy, and managing our landand forests more thoughtfully. These arecommonsense approaches that those ofus concerned about the climate crisis have

been advocating tirelessly.But in most discussions of the

global warming challenge, the issueof human population growth isconspicuously absent, even thoughthe growth of the human family overthe next generation and beyond will

Slower Population Growth Would BenefitPeople, Birds, and Climate

Goog

leEart

himage

continued on page 2

Free Public ProgramWho: Anna PidgeonWhat: Development and birdsWhen: Tuesday, November 18, 2008

7:30 p.m. ProgramWhere: UW ArboretumParking: free by the building

How does an early summer walk inthe southern Wisconsin woods in 2008differ from the same walk taken in the1950s? What life history traits of birdsare associated with sensitivity to humaninfluence? How do trends in bird popu-lations in the deciduous forests of the

eastern states compare with trends ofbird populations in the Great Lakesstates, and the Rocky Mountains? Andwhat do these trends portend for the

future? Housing growth and fragmenta-tion influence birds, both directly andindirectly. For example development cre-ates more habitat edges, which are attrac-tive to predators as movement corridors

and foraging areas. As another example,in the vicinity of houses, people tendto simplify habitat structure, changingthe availability of resources for birds. A

long-term perspective on housing andlandscape patterns, and trends in birdpopulations provides some surprisingresults. Who are the winners and whoare the losers? Come to this program byavian ecologist Anna Pidgeon and findout.Dr. Pidgeon is an Assistant Professor in

the Department of Forest and WildlifeEcology at UW-Madison.

You are invited to join our speaker, MASboard members and friends at the pre-program dinner at Paisans Restaurant(131 W. Wilson St.) beginning at 5:00p.m. Please call the office at 608/255-

BIRD (255-2473) if you have questions.

Next meeting: January 20, 2009. There isno Dec. Meeting.


2/8November 20082The Audubon CAWS

be a critical factor in determining themagnitude of the problem and ourability to respond.

The numbers are staggering. By 2050,the worlds population is expectedto grow from todays 6.7 billion tosomewhere between 7.8 and 10.8billion, according to demographersat the United Nations. More peoplewill mean more cars and buses, moreelectricity used, and more pressure onthe forests and ecosystems that absorbcarbon dioxide. There is no questionthat addressing global warming overthe next 50 years will be easier withslower population growth.

The good news is that we alreadyknow how to encourage slowerpopulation growth. We can do it

through positive and cost-effectiveprograms like providing educationalopportunities for girls, expandingeconomic opportunities for women,and expanding access to effectivefamily planning information andservices to the millions of couplesaround the world who want to plantheir families. These are win-winstrategies that are desirable in their

own right, and will have the addedvalue of relieving pressure on ourovertaxed resources.

Historically, the United Stateswas a world leader in supportingvoluntary international familyplanning programs around the world.Unfortunately, U.S. funding for theseinternational programs has declined

dramatically, even as the need hasincreased. Currently, the U.S. trailsmost of the developed world insupporting family planning.An unfortunate example of this came

when President Bush announcedthat he would once again withholdfunding for the United NationsPopulation Fund (as he has doneevery year for the last seven years).This agency works in more than 150countries to provide reproductivehealth and family planning services,

make motherhood safer, preventHIV/AIDS, and promote genderequity. Each year, the U.S. Congressappropriates funding for the UnitedNations Population Fund, butPresident Bush refuses to release thefunds. Given the important work thatthis agency does around the worldto slow global population growthand save lives, President Bushs

announcement appears callous andshort-sighted.

There are still many in the worldwho dont have the informationand services that will allow them todetermine freely and responsibly thenumber and timing of their children.When people can plan their families,they can plan their lives. They can

plan to beat poverty. They can plan onhealthier mothers, healthier children,and a healthier planet. We have aresponsibility to current and futuregenerations to ensure that all peoplehave the family planning informationand services that many of us take forgranted.

If we are going to get serious aboutaddressing the threat of globalwarming, our policymakers must domore to craft comprehensive solutionsthat address multiple facets of the

problem. Addressing rapid populationgrowth can also be a part of thesolutionfor people, for wildlife, andfor the future of the planet.

John Flicker is president of the NationalAudubon Society. Comments can be sentto [email protected]

MAS Education Committee had thegreat pleasure of hosting three groupsof elementary school students this fall.In all, we hosted over 110 children atGoose Pond, including four fth gradeclasses from Sun Prairie and twoHome School groups from the greaterMadison area.

Seed collecting was clearly one of thechildrens favorite activities, as theyfanned out over the prairie, in grassestowering over their heads Searching

out, cutting, and plucking great quan-tities of yellow coneower, thimbleweed, stiff goldenrod, and milkweedpods. Mark and Sue Martin and RickDurbin were the fearless leaders ofour ambitious and hard working seedcollectors.

Rosie Meinholz and and LarryHochman hosted the scope stationover-looking Goose Pond. The stu-dents were wowed looking throughbinoculars, and thrilled to get up closethrough the scopes, observing coots,

geese, Mallards, wigeons, and ruddies.Muskrat houses, which looked likemounds of sticks emerging from thepond, were a new discovery for mostkids. At lunch time, the hundreds ofgeese that ew in from the eastern skyand landed one by one on Goose Pond

produced an audible group WOW!Cranemania, facilitated by Gail

Martinelli, provided students with afun and engaging experience. As theylearned about the natural history ofthe Whooping Crane, and the loss ofhabitat that threatens its existence, the

Population Growth . . .(continued from page 1)

School Kids Have a Field Day at Goose Pond Sanctuary

Nearly 100 Sun Prairie 5th graders, with their teachers and several parentvolunteers, spent the day at Goose Pond on Wednesday, Oct. 1.


3/83 November 2008The Audubon CAWS

children became motivated to takeaction to ensure this majestic birdssurvival. Through collecting seedswhich they knew would later be sownto increase and enhance WhoopingCranes habitat, the students felt a

deep sense of purposeful satisfaction.Critter Quest, created by KevinRiggle, and modied by Gail Marti-nelli, generated intense involvement.The Quest involved wading throughthe high grasses and thick forbs, seek-ing to locate and gently bring backcritters found on the prairie. Studentswere invited to make up a classica-tion for their critter (non-scientic,and in their own words), to sketchtheir critter, and nally to write someobservational statements about their

critter. In the words of Joanne Herfel,Critter Quest leader, I witnessedmany small and wonderful happen-ings. The children went out eager andfree to explore. They fell over in thetall grass deliberately, for the sheerjoy of it; they hid, silently waiting fortheir critters to come to them. Someworked alone and others worked inteams.After collecting a multitude of amaz-ing critters including numerous cat-erpillars, tree frogs, crickets, spiders,

worms and a walking stick, students

set about the task ofclassifying.I saw the most amazingthings. The affection fortheir critters conveyedthrough the studentseyes and expressionswas priceless. Thestatements about the

critters that were ver-bally expressed werejust as amazing. Forsome students it was

apparent that their entireuniverse for those fewminutes was comprised

of themselves and their critter. It was abeautiful experience to witness.

Activities at the prairie hike sta-tion, facilitated by naturalist JenniferSchehr, included hiking through theprairie and discovering scat, wood

frogs, toads, woolly bear caterpillarsand feathers; nding and sketchingScavenger Hunt items, singing theAwakenings Bird Chorus, measur-ing the prairie (tallest Big Bluestemwas over 8 feet, roots go up to 15 feetdeep), and joyfully running down thehill.

We learned about the history of prai-ries, and discussed what it would belike to encounter an endless prairieImagining a prairie stretching fromGoose Pond to Sun Prairie and be-

yond. Watching a large toad eat itslunch inspired a huge wow reaction;several students were brave enoughthe hold the toad as well.

Nancy Hylbert led the Prairie Reec-tions walks, which included awak-ening our senses to the prairie, andpracticing the skills of receptive obser-vation. Together we practiced feelingthe wind on our skin, breathing in thescents of the prairie, noticing all thecolors present on a cool fall day, andlistening to the prairie sounds. Weheard crickets, geese, laughing voices,wind rustling the grasses and acrossour ears, and rattling seed pods.

On our walk we used our senses tolearn about a variety of plants.We identied the prickly seed headsof the purple cone ower, the uffyyellowish seeds of goldenrod, bristlyrattlesnake master, bright pink, indigo,and white asters, yellow coneowerseed heads, and the awesome cupplant, whose leaves wrap around its

stem to create a tiny cup from whichbutteries, birds, bees, and insects sip.

At the top of the hill, we paused towrite Nature Cinquains. Some chil-dren read theirs aloud.

Wooly Wormby Maddie

FurrySoft and Cuddly

Crawly, eatingSilent, fuzzy, squiggly, calmSits right in your handWooly worm

Come share the magic of the prairie,and learn about the creatures, largeand small, who call our sanctuariestheir home. We welcome school, homeschool, club, and scout groups to oursanctuaries. If you are interested inarranging a eld trip, please contactNancy Hylbert, (608) 271-0956, [email protected]

Goose Pond Early FallBy Mark and Sue Foote-Martin September was dry but water levelsremain high. Goose Pond is still fivefeet deep (the water has gone downless than two feet since mid-June).Muskrats are busy every eveningbuilding houses that appear larger

than in most years.In early October, there were roughly

200 acres of water and we recordedhigh numbers of ducks and cootsincluding 1,300 Mallards, 600 Blue-winged Teal, 150 Northern Shovelers,and 2,100 American Coots. These arethe most coots we have ever recordedat Goose Pond.

Prairie seed quality is very good andvolunteers have been busy harvestinglarge quantities of many speciesincluding thimbleweed, pale purple

coneflower, milk vetch, and potentilla.On a recent field trip to the sanctuary,nearly 100 fifth grade students fromSun Prairie helped by collecting largeamount of seeds.They especiallyenjoyed collecting and cleaningcommon milkweed.

Plans are to plant 10 acres at theLapinski-Kitze Prairie on November 8or 15. If you would like to help handbroadcast seed, contact us at (608) 635-4160 or [email protected]

Enthusiastic students walked through the prairie

flling their buckets with seeds that will be used torestore more prairie habitat.



Extreme Makeover Remodeling work on MadisonAudubons house at Faville GroveSanctuary is moving along nicely. By thetime you read this, work should be nearlycomplete, resulting in an updated, hand-some, and energy-efficient residence forthe sanctuary ecologist, and gatheringplace and restroom facility for summerinterns and volunteers.

After the new roof was put on, volun-teers removed the old siding, windowsand doors and we had rigid foam sprayed

between the studs, with plywood sheath-ing and insulating foam board appliedover the studs. This will provide insula-tion value of about R-30 in the walls whilestrengthening the walls and sealing all

the leaks in the once-drafty house. Thecrawl space and base-ment sills have beenfoamed, and we plan to have the atticinsulated to R-50. New siding, and ener-gy-efficient windows have been added,with new doors coming.A deck has been added that will permit

access for summer interns and volunteersto the screened porch. The interior layout

of the house has been modified to allowdirect access to the first-floor bathroomfrom outside while improving the layoutof the kitchen and dining area. And thegarage under the house has been elimi-nated to keep the basement warm and thehouse exhaust-free.New oak flooring has been installed, and

new kitchen cabi-nets are in place,and we hope tocomplete structuralwork on the porchsoon. Volunteershave been busypainting the interior.The electric servicehas been buried,and the ugly utilitypole and glaringyard light have beenremoved.We extend our

thanks to a numberof local businesses

that have made in-kind contributionstoward the house remodeling. UlrichBuilders of Lake Mills has done a ter-rific job as general contractor and hasgiven Audubon a nice break on the costs.RenewAire of Madison has donated aheat exchange ventilator to efficiently

provide fresh air in the now airtighthouse, and TemTec in Lake Mills willinstall the unit free of charge. Other busi-nesses that have provided discountedservices or supplies include Gene BurrowPlumbing and Empire Electric, both inLake Mills; Country Wood Floors in FortAtkinson; Premier Paint in McFarland;and EvenAire in Madison.We would also like to thank many gen-

erous donors whose contributions havemade all this work possible. We alsothank Sally and Dick Keyel for donating

an electric range, and Epic Systems ofVerona for a used computer. And noneof this work would be possible withoutgenerous financial contributions froma number of individuals. We still needa variety of household furnishings, aswell as a rider mower and other yardequipment, so if you are looking to partwith anything that might be of use at thesanctuary residence, please contact DavidMusolf at [email protected] or(608) 265-4562.



SACRED GROUNDNature and RealityBy Terrill Knaack The Madison Audubon Society recently held an AudubonAdventure Day at Faville Grove Sanctuary in Jefferson County,entitled Prairies in Bloom. Bird watching, the lifecycle of but-terflies, a look at the world of snakes, turtles, and salamanders,were all part of the day. People learned about prairies and wet-lands as plant and animal communities. These ecosystems are alook at the unity of nature itself.As the late afternoon breeze picked up, the nearly oppres-

sive heat of the day waned, and the compass plants and othersilphiums seemed to wave at the sun as they followed its paththrough the sky. We caught flashes of yellow from a warblerand a meadowlark. As the prairie moved with the breeze, it wasmore than just alive. The impressions of light, color, sound, andsmell called us to explore.What would bring children, their parents, and grandparents

out on a hot July day to experience prairies and wetlands, thoseparts of our landscape that were nearly erased from Wisconsin

over the last century?Prairies, woods and wetlands invite our attention. They haveto be experienced to be understood, not read about, not watchedon TV, or browsed on a monitor. Many who have experiencedthem recognize our prairie remnants, undrained wetlands, andrestorations as some of the most beautiful and inspiring places inWisconsin. These aspects of nature are not a distant reality. Theyare our reality, shaped by forces that across eons shaped our

bodies, and the remarkable phenomenon of human intelligenceitself.When we learn about the plants and trees indigenous to an

area, we see how they are one with the soils, geology, and cli-mate of the region. We discover a sense of place and that we too

are part of that place. Rather than being a population that is basi-cally not native to anywhere, we might find a feeling of belong-ing, by becoming aware of plant and animal communities thatare an extension of our own communities.Protecting our few intact natural areas, and the restoration of

the vast acreage of biologically degraded lands and waters inWisconsin, perhaps can come about through this awareness and

sense of belonging.For ourselves, as well as our youth, learning about nature

enhances our awareness of what it means to be human, andthat the order and beauty of natural systems are fragile. A sense

of responsibility can possibly grow from these insights. Theman-induced disintegration of the natural world by means ofclimate change, the spread of invasive species, and pollution,are not degrading the existence of some other world. They aredegrading the potential of our own children, the quality of lifefor millions, as well as our own health.There are many ways we can expose our children to nature,

including hunting, fishing, and hiking. In addition, try walk-ing through an old-growth woodland this fall, canoeing oneof Wisconsins incredible wild rivers, or listening to the windthrough the prairie grasses. Get away from the din of the trafficand listen to the distant calls of grassland and woodland birds.Around every bend, there is life, beauty, and order.

Terrill Knaack has been painting Wisconsin landscapes and wildlifefor 30 years. He is also a photographer and a perpetual observer ofWisconsins natural history.To learn more about his work, see www.terrillknaack.com. This article was originally published in OnWisconsin Outdoors, Sept./Oct. 2008

Area Christmas Bird Counts 2008These are the scheduled dates for Madison area Christmas BirdCounts. All the counts can use more volunteers. If there is one

youd like to participate in, please contact the coordinator assoon as possible, to help them in their planning.

Baraboo - Tuesday, Dec. 23Scott Swengel, (608) 356-9543,[email protected]

Cooksville - Thursday, Jan. 1, 2009David and Anna Marie Huset,(608) 882-5648, [email protected]

Madison - Saturday, Dec. 20Aaron Stutz, (608) 294-9618,[email protected]

Mt. Horeb - Saturday, Dec. 27

Ken Wood, (608) 767-3343,[email protected]

Poynette - Saturday, Dec. 27Mark and Sue Martin,(608) 635-4160, [email protected]

Sauk City - Saturday, Dec. 27Karl and Dorothy Legler,(608) 643-4926, [email protected]

Waterloo - Tuesday, Dec. 16 (tentative)Bob Domagalski, (262) 251-6259,[email protected]

Painting of Marsh Hawk over Faville Grove SanctuarySeptember Morning - Faville Groveby Terrill Knaack.



2008 Songbird NestBox ResultsBy Mark and Sue Martinand Pat ReadyThe Madison Audubon Society 2008

nest box results are in. Twenty-fivevolunteers monitored 21 nest box trailswith 329 nest boxes and fledged 1,576

songbirds (567 Eastern Bluebirds, 789 TreeSwallows, 192 House Wrens, 26 Black-capped Chickadees, and 2 Great-crestedFlycatchers). This does not include treeswallow nest box trails at Faville GroveSanctuary and Zeloski Marsh that arecleaned out at the end of the nesting sea-son.The great increase in numbers fledged

is due to additional trails, changes in boxlocations, and more birds returning fromlast year.Goose Pond and Erstad Prairie provide

ideal Tree Swallow habitat and limitedEastern Bluebird habitat due to the tallgrass. However, this year three bluebirdnests were successful at Goose Pondcompared to one successful nest in 2007.Numbers of Tree Swallows that fledged atGoose Pond increased from 140 in 2007 to193 this year.The two trails with 24 boxes at the DNR

Poynette Game Farm & MacKenzieCenter fledged 114 bluebirds with anaverage of 4.75 young per box.

Curt and Arlys Caslavka established a18 box trail at the Pope Farm Park west ofMiddleton and fledged 45 bluebirds, 13swallows, and 21 wrens the first year.On two of Pat Readys trails he had

Cowbirds that laid eggs in two bluebird

nests and also a chickadee nest. One ofthe bluebird nests failed but the other pro-duced one cowbird and 2 bluebirds. One

bluebird chick disappeared at the 10 dayold stage. Dont know why? The chicka-dee nest had 5 eggs plus the cowbirdegg. One egg failed but the rest from that

brood all fledged. The cowbird was daysahead of the others and caused 2 chicks todevelop several days behind schedule.Despite all the rain in early June and a

massive hatch of gnats in early July noneof the trails in eastern Dane County hadchick losses due to excessive feeding bythe gnats. Black fly gnats are known tofeed on young chicks inside the box and

can cause death.Some areas of the state had unprecedent-ed losses from black fly gnats.Problems included nest predation by

raccoons and wrens. We thought rac-coons could not climb up the conduit butwere wrong. Next years goal is to addPVC below the boxes to reduce raccoonproblems. It is hard to believe that wrenspuncture eggs or kill young bluebirds.Some boxes will be moved away fromwren habitat. One swallow nest at GoosePond that was placed along a waterway

was abandon when water rose over 5 feetand flooded the box.The most unusual nest box predation

was having a black bear destroy 2 broodsof wrens and 1 brood of bluebirds onthe Unimin trail south of Portage. BrianDoverspike thought vandals were mess-ing with the boxes at first and then sawthe claw marks. The bear was later photo-graphed in a backyard where it was feed-ing at bird feeders. Brian and Becky alsofledged two Great-crested Flycatchers in

a box that had a larger entrance hole dueto squirrels. They also had a pair of flyingsquirrels raise young in one box.Thanks to Jerry Martin, Curt Caslavka,

and William Damm for building andrepairing nest boxes, the Pope Farm Parkand anonymous donor for providingfunding for material, and the volunteerswho erected, maintained and weeklymonitored nest boxes. In addition totime, volunteers also spend many dollarsin gas. Also thanks to Kent Hall, Directorwith the Bluebird Restoration Associationof Wisconsin, who toured our trails andprovided comments on placement of nest

boxes.

Donations Received inSeptemberACRE MAKERJill and Jerry Martin Philip MilesDavid Musolf and Roger PackardLois Smithies

QUARTER-ACRE MAKER Helen Baldwin

MY OWN VISION Emily Earley

GIFTS IN MEMORY OF A PERSONIn Memory of Mary HabermanMargaret OlsonIn Memory of Edwin E. Raymond, Jr.Jane Raymond and Bob MouginIn Memory of Jan StilesJane Raymond and Bob Mougin

GIFTS IN HONOR OF A PERSONIn Honor of David MusolfMarsha Mailick SeltzerThis nest box was destroyed by a

black bear near Portage.



THE AUDUBON CAWS is publishedSeptember through June by:

Madison Audubon Society,

222 S. Hamilton St., Madison, WI 53703,

(608) 255-2473.

Birding hotline, 255-2476.

[email protected]

E-mail services donated by Berbee

The mission of the Madison Audubon

Society is to educate our members and

the public about the natural world and the

threats that natural systems are facing,

to engage in advocacy to preserve and

protect these systems, and to develop and

maintain sanctuaries to save and restore

natural habitat.

MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY

President: Stan Druckenmiller

Vice-president: Debra Weitzel

Goose Pond resident managers:

Mark and Sue Martin

Faville Grove Sanctuary managers:David Musolf, Roger Packard

Editor: Patrick Ready

[email protected]

Graphic design: Patrick Ready

[email protected]

CAWS printer: Roemer Printing

Submissions for the December CAWSare due November 1st.

Madison Audubon WishlistWe greatly appreciate anydonations, or contributions, for thefollowing items.

Quality binoculars Digital (LCD) projector

Mule utility vehicle

Rider mower in workingcondition

Energy efcient washing ma-chine

Household/ofce/patiofurniture in good condition

NEW MEMBERS WELCOME!

Join Madison Audubon Society, or give agift membership.

TIME TO RENEW?

Check your Madison Audubon CAWS ad-dress label to determine your renewal date.

Please renew two months before that dateto keep your membership current and avoidmissing any issues of the CAWS.Tip: Renewing through the MAS office

directs more of your donation to local

activities and conservation projects.

Update: We now send an annual renewalnotice. In the future we plan to offer a re-newal option via the MAS website.

MAKE A DONATION

Help make Madison Audubons vision areality. We offer education about the natural

world, opportunities to advocate for the en-vironment, and two wildlife sanctuaries withnatural habitat where you can learn aboutthe beauty and value of nature.

MAIL TO:MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY222 S. Hamilton St., Suite #1Madison, WI 53703

Madison Audubon Society, Inc. is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization underSection 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue

Code. Donations are tax deductible to theextent allowed by law. Madison Audubonsfinancial statement is available uponrequest.

Membership, Renewal and Donation Form

MY NAME _________________________

Address ______________________________

City __________________________________

State_____ ZIP _________________________

Day phone: ( ) ______________________

E-mail ________________________________

YES! I want to___ Join Madison Audubon

Society

___ Give a gift membership to:

Name ________________________________

Address ______________________________

City __________________________________

State_____ ZIP _________________________

Day phone: ( ) ______________________

E-mail ________________________________

___ Renew/upgrade my membership

___ Make a donation

[ ] In memory of _______________________

[ ] In honor of _________________________

Please send notification of this gift to:

Name ________________________________

Address ______________________________

City __________________________________

State_____ ZIP _________________________

Day phone: ( ) ______________________E-mail ________________________________

[ ] Please do not acknowledge my

Gift in Madison Audubon CAWS.

PAYMENT INFORMATIONNew membership

[ ] $25 New or Gift $_________Renewal _________

[ ] $25 Student/senior[ ] $60 Family[ ] $40 Renewal

[ ] $20 CAWS newsletter Only(non-member)

Over and Above Member _________[ ] Patron $1,000[ ] Benefactor $500[ ] Partner $250[ ] Contributor $100Donation _________

[ ] Acre-Maker, $2,500 or morecan purchase and restoreone acre of land

[ ] Half-Acre-Maker, $1,250-$2,499[ ] Quarter-Acre-Maker, $625-$1,249[ ] Adopt-an-Acre, $100 a year for

three years ($300 total). Here ismy first installment.

[ ] Nest Egg, $50 a year for threeyears ($150 total). Here is myfirst installment.

[ ] My Own VisionTotal enclosed/charged $_________Please make check payable toMadison Audubon Society,OR please charge my

[ ] VISA [ ] Master Card

Name on card _______________________________

Card # _____________________________________

Expiration date _______/ _________

Signature __________________________________


8/8

Madison Audubon Society, Inc.

Stan Druckenmiller, President

222 S. Hamilton St. Suite #1

Madison, WI 53703

MAS Nest box resultssee page 6

Education Committee Update:Bird Mentoring ProgramBy Dee WylieThe Madison Audubon Bird Mentoring Program is off to a

great start sharing bird identification and observation withkids from 3 to 93+. During the past year, more than 500children and adults have participated in the program. The 15volunteer Mentors visited 14 elementary schools, 1 high school,7 senior centers, 1 Boys & Girls Club, and 3 day camps!! WOW!What a wonderful program that helps others to identify andlearn about the importance of our feathered friends! It is fun andexciting to help a child discover the wonders of birding or listento the stories from older adults.So . . . What is the Bird Mentoring Program??? It is centered

around a kit that we acquired with collaborative funding from

National Audubon. It includes a PowerPoint program on birds,guide books, binoculars, and a viewing scope. We receive arequest from teachers, parents, or group leaders; then a volun-teer birder (Mentor) visits the group to share PowerPoint pic-tures of either Common Wisconsin Birds or Attracting Birdsto Your Backyard. After learning about birds, their habitats, andhow to use binoculars, the group goes to a nearby area and usesthe binoculars to actually observe the birds. For many schoolstudents, it is their first time to use binoculars.If you are interested in being a Bird Mentor or having a

bird presentation for your group or classroom, its easy! CallMadison Audubon at (608) 255-2473 or Dee Wylie at (608)833-2744.

Last Field Trip of the YearSaturday, Dec. 6: Madison Lakes BirdingAs winter sets in, ponds and smaller lakes of south-central Wis-

consin freeze, causing migrating birds to become concentrated on

Madisons large lakes, which remain open longer. Al Shea, expertbirder and long time MAS eld trip leader, will lead us in observ-ing waterfowl, gulls and winter birds. This trip has producedsome unusual birds in the past, including Redthroated Loons, sodont miss it!We will carpool and leave at 7:30 a.m. from the middle of UW

Parking Lot 60 at the north end of Walnut Street, near UniversityBay. The trip will last about four hours. Bring a scope if you haveone and dress warmly. If you have questions, call Al Shea at (608)825-6232.

Eas

tern

Blue

birds

/Jac

kBart

ho

lma

i

Tree

Swa

llows

/Jac

kBart

ho

lma

i

Black-capped Chickadee/Pat Ready

Documents

Nov 2008 CAWS Newsletter Madison Audubon Society