November-December 2004 Mobile Bay Audubon Society Newsletters

8/9/2019 November-December 2004 Mobile Bay Audubon Society Newsletters

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Mobile BayNOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 2004

VOLUME XXIII NO. 6

A CHAPTEROFTH E NATIONAL AUDUBONSOCIETYSINCE 1971Audubon Society

ContentsThe first Alabama Coastal

BirdFest was a great success. Thefour day festival featured guidedbirding tours along the 240 milelong Alabama Coastal BirdingTrail, evening socials with guestspeakers, and a free BirdFest Expofor new birders and children.

Registrants come from 16different states, and all of thedifferent events were full. It wasgood for ecotourism, good foreducation, good for the environ-

ment, and good for the birds.Thanks to generous donations

from sponsors and profits fromregistration fees, merchandisesales, and a silent auction, theBirdFest had approximately$47,000 in profits which will beused in various ways to purchasestopover habitat for migratingbirds.

The sponsors of the eventinclude the City of Fairhope,

Alabama Department of Conser-vation and Natural Resources,Mobile Bay National EstuaryProgram, Alabama Power, Missis-sippi Alabama Sea Grant, theMunson Foundation, FaulknerState Community College, TheForum, Conoco Phillips, BaldwinCounty Commission, The NatureConservancy, Eastern ShoreChamber of Commerce, AlabamaGulf Coast Convention andVisitors Bureau, US Fish and

Wildlife Service, Dauphin IslandBird Sanctuaries, Weeks BayReserve Foundation and theMobile Bay Audubon Society.

The next Alabama CoastalBirdFest is planned for October20-23, 2005. As details develop,information will be available at251-929-0922 and on theBirdFest website atwww.alabamacoastalbirdfest.com.

Alabama Coastal BirdFest 2004

Api cturesworth a thousand

words, so come along.. . .

Alabama CoastalBirdFest 2004 .................. 1

Pictures, Pictures,Pictures .............................2

Dauphin Island BirdCount ...............................8

State of the Birds .............. 9

Calendar .......................... 10

New Members .................. 11

Film Week ........................11

New MemberApplication.......................12


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Guide Eric Soehren and birders at the Forever Wild Grand BaySavanna

Dr. Bill Summerour, Roger Clay and Eric Soehren greet birdersbefore daylight at the Nix Center

Birders ready to go on field trips early in the morning at the NixCenter


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Two of our excellent guides, RogerClay and Erice Soehren

Birders make a brief stop at the Pelicans Nest in Fairhope to learnabout BrownPelicans on Gaillard Island

Birders breaking for lunch which were providedas part of most field trips

Jim Griggs and Greg Lrin show Deputy Secretary of the InteriorSteven Griles protected lands in the Mobile Tensaw River Delta

Guide and birders atBayou LaBatre

Gli mpses of fi eld tri psGl i mpses of fi eld tri psGl i mpses of fi eld tri psGl i mpses of fi eld tri psGl i mpses of fi eld tri ps

Guide Eric Soehren and birders at the Weeks BayNational Estuarine Research Reverve


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Hi ghl i ghts fromHi ghl i ghts fromHi ghl i ghts fromHi ghl i ghts fromHi ghl i ghts from

the soci al eventsthe soci al eventsthe soci al eventsthe soci al eventsthe soci al events

US Representative Jo Bonner and Azalea Trail Maids at evening reception about theUSS Alabama

BirdFest sponsors: Bernie Fogarty, Jim Griggs, John Borom, Steve Perrywith Marianne Worley and BaldEagle, evening reception, USSAlabama

US Representative Jo Bonner, ADCNR Commissioner BarnettLawley, Deputy Secretary of theInterior Steven Griles, MarianneWorley and Bald Eagle, eveningreception, USS Alabama

US Representative Jo Bonner speaking at the reception USS Ala-bama


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Evening reception on the deck of the USS Alabama,; 115 people Deputy Secretary of the Interior,Steven Griles, and John Boromat the evening reception, USS

Alabama

Dr. Van Remsen, Curator of Birdsat the LSU Museum of NaturalScience, gave a touching andinteresting presentation on theIvory Billed Woodpecker at the NixCenter

180 people attended the barbeque and seafoodsocial and heard an excellent presentationon the

Silent auction at the Nix Center


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Birders getting coffee during seafood feast at theGatra Wehle Nature Center, Blakeley.

Young birder Collin Davidson andJohn Borom at the BirdFest Expo,Faulkner State CommunityCollege, Fairhope Campus. Over1,000 people attended this even.

Special guest speaker at the Gatra

Wehle Nature Center, Dr. DougPhillips, star of the PBS series,Discovering Alabama

Young birder Warner Wigginsand his father, Dr. WarnerWiggins, building a bird house atthe Home Depot tent during theBirdFest Expo.

BirdFest Helpers: Ottilie Halstead, George Hinds, celesteHinds, Roger Clay, Melvin Long and Alicia Craig shot atthe evening reception aboard USS Alabama

Marianne Worley holding a Golden Eagle. The AuburnUniversity Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center presenta-tions were interesting and enjoyable at the BirdFest Expo.


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Some of theSome of theSome of theSome of theSome of the

si gnts at thesi gnts at thesi gnts at thesi gnts at thesi gnts at the

ExpoExpoExpoExpoExpo

BirdFest Expo, Faulkner State, Fairhope campus.

Elizabeth Williams selling items to help birds at the

NewsletterDeadline

Any member is welcomed andencouraged to submit articles

for the newsletter. I would behappy to include anythingyou think would be of inter-est to the membership.Please send your articles forthe January/February issue toDelane Small by December20nd.Address:1 Fiesta DriveSpanish Fort, AL 36527Email: [email protected]

Lynn Garris, Conservation EducationSpecialist, spoke at the Faulkner StateCommunity College, Farhope Campus

Dr. John Dindo is Chairman of theDiscovery Hall Programs and a seniormarine scientist at the Dauphin Island SeaLab.made a slide presentation on hisreasearch at Faulkner State CommunityCollege on Saturday, October 16th.


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Dauphin Island, AlabamaOctober 16, 200406:15-18:15

Birders: Remsen, J.V.Cagnolatti, D.A.+ approx. 25 participants in theAlabama Coastal Birdfest from08:35-11:20 on Sand IslandItinerary:

06:15-06:40 Dauphin Island BirdSanctuary06:45-07:20 Airport07:50-08:20 Isle Dauphin GolfClub08:35-11:20 Sand Island with

Birdfest Group11:50-14:05 Shell Mound Park14:15-16:15 Dauphin Island BirdSanctuary16:20-16:35 East End, FortGaines17:30-18:15 Beachfront at Forney Johnson St.1. brown pelican 16002. double-crested cormorant 2003. great blue heron 224. great egret 45. snowy egret 106. tricolored heron 37. cattle egret 28. black-crowned night heron 109. gadwall 110. mallard 3011. green-winged teal 112. lesser scaup 113. osprey 114. American kestrel 115. clapper rail 20

16. black-bellied plover 1517. snowy plover 318. semipalmated plover 119. piping plover 1520. killdeer 121. greater yellowlegs 122. willet 1723. ruddy turnstone 324. red knot 12

25. sanderling 10026. western sandpiper 227. dunlin 2

28. dowitcher sp. 229. laughing gull 130030. ring-billed gull 131. herring gull 632. Caspian tern 20033. royal tern 15034. Forsters tern 435. black skimmer 6036. rock pigeon 237. Eurasian collared dove 2138. mourning dove 12039. yellow-billed cuckoo 1

40. great horned owl 141. ruby-throated hummingbird 142. belted kingfisher 743. red-bellied woodpecker 1044. yellow-bellied sapsucker 745. downy woodpecker 246. barred owl 147. eastern wood peewee 448. least flycatcher 149. eastern phoebe 150. northern rough-wingedswallow 251. white-eyed vireo 252. blue-jay 3853. Carolina wren 2254. house wren 155. sedge wren 156. marsh wren 2057. blue-gray gnatcatcher 258. eastern bluebird 259. wood thrush 160. gray catbird 2561. northern mockingbird 60

62. brown thrasher 563. European starling 1064. blue-winged warbler 165. golden-winged warbler 166. Tennessee warbler 367. northern parula 268. magnolia warbler 469. black-throated green warbler 570. pine warbler 4

71. palm warbler 272. black and white warbler 173. American redstart 20

74. northern waterthrush 475. common yellowthroat 576. hooded warbler 177. summer tanager 678. northern cardinal 1579. rose-breasted grosbeak 480. blue grosbeak 381. indigo bunting 1682. eastern towhee 383. seaside sparrow 284. swamp sparrow 385. red-winged blackbird 75

86. eastern meadowlark 487. house finch 288. house sparrow 589. reddish egret 190. American oystercatcher 191. Franklins gull 292. red-breasted nuthatch 193. clay-colored sparrow 394. northern flicker 1Brief trip to mainland acrossbridge to Bayfront Park:95. brown-headed nuthatch 1*96. boat-tailed grackle 4**not on Dauphin Island

David A. CagnolattiManager, State GovernmentAffairs, Conoco PhillipsSoutheast Region (AL, AR, FL,GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN)450 Laurel Street, Suite 1410Baton Rouge, LA 70801 W (225) 344-3201F (225) 344-4410

M (225) 603-1999

Not a bad total number of speciesconsidering the numerous fallbirds that had not yet arrived andthe summer birds that had alreadydeparted.

Dauphin Island Bird Count


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On Tuesday, October 19, TheNational Audubon Society releasedthe The State of the Birds, a

report documenting the health andabundance of North Americasbirds. Appearing in the Octoberissue ofAudubon Magazine, TheState of the Birds paints a disturb-ing picture. Almost 30% ofAmericas bird species are in signifi-cant decline, a situation thatsignals seriously degraded environ-mental conditions in the habitatsthese birds call home.

The bottom line: the state of

the birds in 2004 is not sound. Inparticular, a disturbing 70 percentof grassland species; 36 percent ofshrub-land bird species; 25 percentof forest bird species; 13 percent ofwetland species; and 23 percent ofbird species in urban areas areshowing statistically significantdeclines.

According to State of theBirds, these declines are abnormal.Not part of the natural, cyclical riseand fall of bird populations,statistically significant declines aredue to outside factors such as loss ofnative grasslands, overgrazing,development of wetlands, bad forestmanagement, invasive species,pollution, and poor land usedecisions.

Audubons President JohnFlicker sees a clear message in thisreport. Like the canary in the coal

mine warning the miner of dangerahead, our birds are an indicator ofenvironmental and human health,he said. Birds signal that we are atrisk next.

But, Flicker also sees a clearpath out of trouble. People mayhave created these problems, butpeople can solve them, if we act

now, he stated. To that end,Audubon is now addressing thefindings of State of the Birds in its

conservation agenda at the legisla-tive and policy making level, and inthe states where the greatestconservation challenges exist.

Compiled by Audubon Scien-tist Greg Butcher, State of theBirds analysis makes th case forprivate and public action. Based on

the reports findings, Audubon isadvocating for improved grassland,forest, and wetland protectin,stronger pullution controls, partner-ships with private landowners, andbackyard habitat programs forhomeowners.

State of the Birds summarizesthe status of nearly 700 birdsspecies native to the continental

United States, focusing on thecondition of species in each of fivehabitat types: grasslands,shrublands, forests, wetlands, andurban areas (the fastest growinghabitat type in the U.S.). Writtenusing USGS Breeding Bird Surveyand Audubons WatchList - cross-referenced with Audubons Christ-

mas Bird Count data, the reportwill be issued on a yearly basis, and will inform Audubons conservation

agenda, identifying key areasrequiring immediate action.Birds not only serve as reliable

indicators of environmental condi-tions, they also contribute greatly tothe U.S. economy. Keeping birds -and their home habitats - in goodcondition is not only a goodconservation policy, it is also goodbusiness. The worth of birdsbeyond their aesthetic and conser-vation value is something that is

beginning to be more fully appreci-ated, a situation that has createdallies for bird conservation in smalland large business, and localgovernments - entities that havebeen historically unlikely conserva-tion partners.

According to the U.S. ForestService, 70 million Americans -one-third of all adults in thiscountry - call themselvesbirdwatchers. The U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service notes that theycontribute at least $32 billion inretail sales, $85 billion in overalleconomic output, and $13 billionin state and federal taxes, creating863,406 jobs, continued Flicker.Birds also contribute to thebottom line in more subtle ways,providing free pest and weedcontrol, distributing seeds, andpollinating flowers and crops.

American businesses and communi-ties simply cannot afford to ignorethe state of the birds.

A digest of the report waspublished in the October issue ofAudubon magazine and a furtheranalysis is available on the Audubonwebsite, www.audubon.org/bird/stateofthebirds.

National Audubon Releases State of the Birds


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November9 Board Meeting, 6:30 pm

General Meeting 7:00 pmNature video Audubon Societys Video Guide to Birds of North America III (61 minutes)Faulkner State Community College, Fairhope Campus, Centennial Hall. Bring a friend. Formore information, contact John Borom at 990-0423.

3 Sponsored by The Coastal Birding Associatoin: Baldwin County for winter hummingbirds.Meet at 8:00 am at the Spanish Fort Overlook (northwest corner of I-10 and Hwy 98). [forinfo: Bill Summerour, (251) 945-3188]

20 Sponsored by The Coastal Birding Association: Bayou la Batre/Coden ponds and shoreline forducks and shorebirds. Meet at 8:00 am at the Hardees on Hwy 188 in Bayou la Batre. [forinfo: Mike Wilson, (251) 649-5760]

December14 Annual Christmas Party 7:30The program will be John and Bev Winns trip to Poland at the

Government Street Baptist church in Mobile. Bring your favorite finger food and a friend. Wewill share food and fellowship around the waissal bowl.

Calendar

Happy Thanksgi vi ngHappy Thanksgi vi ngHappy Thanksgi vi ngHappy Thanksgi vi ngHappy Thanksgi vi ng


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Welcome to the Mobile Bay Audubon Society, the local chapter of the National Audubon Society. We thank you foryour support. A few facts about our chapter: Monthly meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday from September thruMay at 7:30 PM alternately in Fairhope and Mobile (See calendar for details of programs and locations.) Programs

of interest are planned for each meeting and field trips are scheduled regularly. We are a non-profit organizationalldonations are tax deductible. A list of officers is listed in the newsletter; feel free to call any of them for information.Join us as often as you canwe want to get to know you.

Ottilie Halstead, Membership Chairman

New Members

Bay MinetteLuke AdamsJanice E StyronCodenCamilo AmezquitaDaphneAnn L Humphrey

Katie Evans Jeanne MaesFairhopeElaine LittletonDiane Findley

Tress HessFoleyValerie PrestonGrand BayDevin SprinkleGulf ShoresVerla Nicholas

MobileCarolyn Cranford Jerri DavisJimmie L HallGaynell Van Hoof

Renee DillardRobert GardAllen ReimberKimberly SaxtonRichard VinsonRobertsdaleEdith Staley

SemmesChas H CaldwellTransfer into ChapterGerald E LindenmuthKimberly Collum

Film WeekJanuary 24-28, 2005There will be two night

showings of the film,An

Alaskan Autumn.

Tuesday, 7:30 pm, January 25,

Faulkner Community College,

Fairhope and Thursday, 7:30

pm, Government Street Baptist

Church, 3401 Government

Blvd, intersection I-65 andGovernment Blvd.

Tom Sterling, artist,

photographer and award

winning naturalist, will narrate

his film,An Alaskan Autumn in

10 public and private schools

during the week of January 24-

28, 2005, and at two night

showings for the public. Tom

forsakes the hurried pace of most

Alaska films.

Instead, we stop, sit down and absorb

the essence of Alaskaher wildness.

Well visit bird rookeries on coastal

islands, watch a grizzly family

preparing for winter, brown bears

praying, swimming and capturing

chum salmon. Striking fall and winterscenery are a backdrop for rutting

bull moose, caribou and a wolf taking

a dall sheep.

Foxes, parka squirrels, ptarmigan, pike

marmots and beaver play intriguing

roles in this feast for the senses.

Come see and enjoy,An Alaska

Autumn at one of the night showings.


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NationalAudubonSociety

MobileBayAudubonSociety

POBox483

Fairhope,AL36532

www.mobilebayaudubon.org

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PAIDFairhope,AL

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Mobile Bay Audubon Wants You!

Join Us Today!Every membership supports Audubons vital efforts to protect birds, wildlife and natural habitats.

As a member, youll become an important part of our dynamic chapter and receive a host of benefits including:

A 1-year subscription (6 bi-monthly issues) of our chapter newsletter.

Automatic membership in National Audubon Society, and a 1-year subscription (4 issues, one per quarter) of

Audubon, its award-winning magazine;

Admission to Audubon Centers across the country

A 10% discount on products at select Audubon Nature Stores, and more!

Yes! I want to join Mobile Bay Audubon and National Audubon Society!

$20 1 year Introductory Rate

$15 1 year Studen t/Senior Rate $1,000 Individual Life Membership

$30 2 year Special Rate $1,500 Dual Life Membership

My check is enclosed. Please bill me.

Name:

Address:

City/ST/Zip:

Telephone:

Make check payaable to National Audubon Society and Mail to :National Audubon Society, Membership DataCenter, P.O.Box 52529, Boulder, CO 80322-2529

ChapterCode: A01

7XCH

The long fight to save wild beauty represents democracy at its best. It requires citizens to practice thehardest of virtuesself-restraint. Edwin Way Teale, Circle of the Seasons, 1953

Documents

November-December 2004 Mobile Bay Audubon Society Newsletters