November-December 2009 Brown Pelican Newsletter Coastal Bend Audubon Society

8/9/2019 November-December 2009 Brown Pelican Newsletter Coastal Bend Audubon Society

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CBAS Monthly MeetingsTuesday, November 3Speaker: Jim BlackburnTopic: Can the WhoopingCranes be Saved?

Location:Corpus Christi Museum ofScience and History

1900 N. Chaparral

Corpus Christi, Texas

Time: 7:00 p.m.Tuesday, December 1

All members and the publicare invited!

On the Web at http://www.coastalbendaudubon.org

Brown PelicanNovember/ December 2009

The Newsletter of the Coastal Bend Audubon Society

The

CBAS OctoberMeetingCancelleddue to Bird Re-searchPhotos of research are on page

4 and 5, story on page 6.

Novem ber Speaker : Jim B lackbur n , Nov . 3 , 7 : 00 p mThe recent winter loss of more than 8% of the whooper population was tied to low flows offresh water from the Guadalupe River into San Antonio Bay. Recent research by Blackburnand his team of experts shows that low-flow problems will become worse as diversion ofupstream water increases. This threatens the survival of the whooping crane as well as theproductivity of local bays.

Can the Endangered Species Act help avert this threat to the last and only natural mi-grating population of whoopers? Are local bays going to be starved of the fresh water theyneed to sustain fisheries and bird populations? What are the implications for the local econ-omy? Blackburn will present the results of this research and discuss its implications. JimBlackburn is the preeminent environmental attorney of the Texas Gulf Coast, a veteran ofover 30 years of efforts to preserve our coastal heritage. He is the author of The Book ofTexas Bays.

There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion. Please save the date and bringyour friends.

Look for color, web-linked version of newsletter on the web atwww.Coastalbendaudubon.org

We apologize for cancelling theOctober CBAS meeting. Dr.

Larry Niles was in theCoastal Bend conducting re-search on the shorebird, Red Knot. He and volunteers were in the middle of his project cap-turing birds (knee deep in shorebirds waiting to be processed) and it was crucial that he com-plete this task. He didnt have time to get to the museum for the meeting. He was disap-pointed that he could not talk to us about his work withRed Knots and sends his sincere regrets. Photo of Red Knot by Tony Amos


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WHATS UP AROUND TEXAS

BIRD WALKEvery Tuesday and Saturday in NovemberWorld Birding Center, Resaca de la Palma SP, BrownsvilleWalk the trails of the park with an experienced birder and learnwhy the park is important for bird abundance and diversity.

Bring plenty of water, sunscreen and insect repellent. 8:30 a.m.to 10:30 a.m. $4 per adult; free for children 12 and under.Phone: 956-350-2920Website: www.worldbirdingcenter.org/sites/brownsville

ENRAPTORED

November 7, 2009 Kinkaid School, HoustonJonathan Wood takes attendees on a wilderness expedition withhis raptor entourage, which includes live birds of prey fromevery type of habitat on the planet. Lunch is included. 11 a.m.to 1 p.m. $100 per person.Phone: 979-480-0999Web site:www.gebo.org

16th ANNUAL RIO GRANDE VALLEY BIRDING FESTIVAL

November 12-15, 2009 HarlingenThis festival will focus on field trips, a trade show and specialpresentations by internationally renowned birders and authorsof wildlife biology. Field trips offer glimpses of parrots,Chachalaca, Great Kiskadee, Altamira Oriole and Green Jayamong many other birds found in this region.Contact: Harlingen Chamber of Commerce 311 East Tyler,Harlingen, TX 78550Phone: 800-531-7346; (956) 423-5440Web site: www.rgvbirdfest.com

BIRD WALKNovember 14, 2009 Lewisville Lake Environmental LearningArea

Birders of all skill levels are invited to join a master birder asthe group searches the wetlands, prairies and woods for a fewof the 289 avian species documented there. Ages 10 and up.Reservations required. 7:30 a.m.Phone: 972-219-7980

Web site:www.ias.unt.edu/llela

FESTIVAL OF THE CRANESNovember 1722, 2009 Bosque del Apache NWR, Socorro,NMThis festival highlights the world renowned Bosque del ApacheNational Wildlife Refuge. It features refuge tours and bird,biology, geology and art workshops and fantastic keynotespeakers.Phone: 575-835-2077,Email: [email protected] site: www.festivalofthecranes.com

SOUTH TEXAS WILDLIFE AND BIRDING FESTIVALNovember 19-22, 2009 KingsvilleThe festival will include workshops and seminars, birdingtours, vendors and exhibitors.Contact: Kingsville Convention and Visitors Bureau 1501 N.Highway 77, Kingsville, TX 78363Phone: 800-333-5032Web site: www.kingsvilletexas.com

OPEN HOUSE/HOLIDAY SALEDecember 5, 2009 Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, Lake JacksonGreat gift items on sale range from bird books to hummingbirdfeeders. There is a 10 percent discount for GCBO members. All

items are sales tax free. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.Phone: 979-480-0999Website:www.gcbo.org

Thursday, November 5

10 am to 2 pm

Whataburger Field


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Seven hundred sixty-five acres of relatively undisturbed wood-lands along the lower Nueces River comprise the San Patriciode Hibernia Preserve, protected and studied by the CoastalBend Bays and Estuaries Program since October 2004. Habitatsoccurring along the river are significant because they represent

remnant sub-tropical forests that once were common in thisarea.

Three hundred eighty acres along the river are checked forbreeding bird activity annually in late May or early June. Habi-tats occurring there support a mixture of temperate and sub-tropical woodland plant species: live oak (Quercus virginiana),not commonly found along the lower Nueces River, andTamaulipan thorn scrub, represent approximately 35 percentcover. The remaining 65 percent is mainly trees: cedar elm(Ulmus crassifolia), anacua (Ehretia anacua), net-vain hack-berry (Celtis laevigata var. reticulate), sugarberry (Celtis laevi-gata), Mexican ash (Fraxinus berlandieriana), Western soap-

berry (Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii), coma(Sideroxylon lanuginosum), black willow (Salix nigra), andcolonies of mustang grape (Vitis mustangensis); ball mossTillandsia recurvata and Spanish moss (T. usneoides) is lo-cally abundant; understory is partly open with some densestands of Tamaulipan thorn scrub. In addition, several season-ally wet sites occur. Brush holly (Xylosma flexuosa), rarelyseen this far north, Neotropical, occurs mainly along the south-west edged of the property. Regrettably, guineagrass (Urochloamaxima), an exotic grass, is becoming increasingly more abun-dant throughout the preserve.

SURVEY METHODS

Three participants walked designated trails documenting allmale birds that were heard or seen; mapping approximate loca-tions of each one on aerial map. All methods, counts and trailshave been accomplished in the same way since June, 2005. Dueto space limitations, only species of special interest are listedhere.

SPECIES OF SPECIAL INTERESTJune 07, 2005: (high counts): green jay, 5; tropical parula, 2;and olive sparrow, 13. Birds observed that do not breed in thisarea: northern waterthrush, 7; mourning warbler, 1.

May 26, 2006: Species of special interest (high counts): greatKiskadee, 4; white-eyed vireo, 19; black-crested titmouse, 24;long-billed thrasher, 8; northern parula, 10; red-eyed cowbird,10. Birds observed that do not breed in this area: least fly-catcher, 1.

May 23, 2007: Species of special interest (high counts): greatblue heron, 10. Birds observed that do not breed in this area:long-billed curlew, 1; eastern wood-pewee, 2; yellow-belliedsapsucker, 1; least flycatchers, 5; red-eyed vireo, 3.

June 12, 2008: Species of special interest (high counts): cattleegret, 22; wood stork, 30; black vulture, 23; white-tipped dove,23; yellow-billed cuckoo, 20; barred owl, 7; ladder-backedwoodpecker, 8; Carolina chickadee, 2; summer tanager, 10;and northern cardinal, 38. Birds seen that do not breed in this

area: wood stork, 30; red-eyed vireo, 2.

May 22, 2009:Species of special interest (high counts): black-bellied whistlingducks, 10; mourning dove, 14; and white-winged dove, 5. Birdsobserved that do not breed in this area: eastern wood-pewee, 1;yellow-bellied sapsucker, 2; willow flycatcher, 1; red-eyed, 9;Philadelphia vireos, 3; magnolia, 6; blackburnian, 2; chestnut-sided, 2; Canada warbler, 1; American redstart, 2.

CONCLUSIONSFifty-one bird species have been observed during the 5 years ofsurveying; all but eight are expected to breed here, eight were

migrants. Three species, northern parula, tropical parula andsummer tanager, were previously not expected to breed alongthe lower Nueces River. From information collected, the north-ern parula and summer tanager breed seasonally at Hibernia: InJune 07, 2005, a breeding pair of tropical parula warblers wasdiscovered; they were in full song and were observed defendingterritory. This discovery was published in the Texas Bulletin ofthe Texas Ornithological Society, Vol.40 (1), 2007; pp. 14 17:Three Noteworthy Species of Woodland Birds in a RiparianForest of the Lower Nueces River, San Patricio County,Texas.

Two additional bird species found during the counts suggest

that these may breed along the lower Nueces River. On severaloccasions red-eyed vireos were observed singing and possiblymaintaining territory but breeding was not confirmed.Two Carolina chickadees were observed at Hibernia on June12, 2008. Breeding could not be confirmed. Chickadees haveoccurred as residents infrequently east to southeastern NuecesCounty, Encinal Peninsula, Flour Bluff (Gene W. Blacklock,1969); locally along the lower Aransas River, Welder WildlifeRefuge, San Patricio County, and in winter along the lowerNueces River, San Patricio and Nueces Counties (Gene W.Blacklock).

MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS:Take care to minimize the spread of guineagrass and other exot-ics in this remnant tract of native riparian forest. The existingguineagrass should be treated with herbicide. Clearing of nativebrush should be avoided; disturbance and clearing opens upareas for exotic species such as guineagrass, to colonize. It isimportant to control exotic species because once they becomeestablished, overall diversity is reduced, and fewer wildlifespecies can be supported. The changes brought about by theintroduction of an invasive species such as guineagrass arenearly impossible to reverse, unless action is taken early.

Hibernia Preserve breeding bird surveyBy Gene W. Blacklock, Mary Kay Skoruppa, and Jake Herring


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Red knot project: south texas coast

Photos on this page and the facing page were

taken by Winnie Shrum and Linda Fuiman,

members of Coastal Bend Audubon Society, who

volunteered to assist with the project.


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Dr. Larry Niles, of Conserve Wildlife Foun-dation of New Jersey, has made studying thered knot his area of expertise. Dr. Niles anda group of colleagues and volunteers bandedred knots on Padre Island during the firstweek of October. The red knots were cap-tured using a canon fired net, after beinglured into the area by recorded red knot

calls. Once in the net, researchers weighed,measured and fitted the birds with tags foridentification. Red knot populations haveplummeted in recent years, and little isknown of their migratory patterns. Moreabout the research can be found at the SanAntonio Express-News at this link: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Texas_a_stop_in_20000-mile_migration.html


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By David Newstead

L to R: Winnie Shrum, David Newstead, Jackie and Humphrey Sitters, April Anderson, Ron Kratzer, LarryNiles, Brent Ortego, Cliff Shackelford, Cullen Hanks. Photo by Winnie Shrum.

From October 4-11 a group of researchers and a hardy team of volunteers spent long days searching the beaches of Mustangand Padre Islands for Red Knots. The objective: capture and band up to 200 of the birds.

The rufa subspecies of Red Knot migrates from breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic to wintering grounds in Tierra delFuego at the southern tip of South America one of the longest shorebird migrations on earth. On their way, they depend on stop-over areas to rest, molt flight feathers, and store critical energy reserves to make their next journey. Most birds take a more easterly

route, but every spring and fall the gulf beaches of the Texas Coastal Bend host up to several thousand of this sharply decliningshorebird.

Research throughout the range is being conducted by Dr Larry Niles, of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, and DrHumphrey Sitters, of the International Wader Study Group based in Exeter, England. Their work was coordinated locally by CBASpresident David Newstead. But setting and firing a cannon net is a major undertaking, so the effort relied heavily on a group of vol-unteers from US Fish & Wildlife Service, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, The Nature Conservancy, Padre Island National Sea-shore, and many CBAS members.

In the end, the team was able to capture 65 birds in four separate netting events. Birds were immediately removed from the net,placed in keeping cages, and then processed including attachment of leg flags and for some, geolocator datalogging devices, meas-urements, molt staging, weighing, and feather samples which will be used for isotope analysis.Red knot numbers began to diminish on area beaches the week before the research began, which made finding catchable numbers ofbirds challenging. Several possible reasons were likely responsible for this, including the rather sudden arrival of large numbers ofstaging Peregrine Falcons on the barrier islands (which make shorebirds very nervous), atypically high beach traffic associated with

a beach fishing tournament, and perhaps most importantly, the onset of a major red tide event that caused major fish kills in the near-shore surf, and likely impacted the Red Knots preferred food in the surf zone the coquina clam.

Nevertheless, the data collected so far indicates that the Texas birds likely use a distinct migratory route than the east coastbirds, that the adults begin the molt of their primary feathers here, and probably do not make any major migratory movement untilthat process is complete (roughly 90 days), and that while they are in Texas they may wander north and south in search of suitablehabitat conditions.

Any resighting of a flagged bird writes an important chapter in the full life-cycle history of that bird and helps researchers iden-tify areas of conservation importance. Dr Niles has established a website for birders to input their resighting information atwww.bandedbirds.org. If you enter a resighting, the site will provide you with the known history of that individual and let you trackit through future resightings.

The research effort in Texas will be continuing with aerial surveys for wintering birds, and another trapping effort during the

spring migration. Stay tuned for more information, and for opportunities to help with the research in the future.



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By Leatrice KochAugust 1-September 30, 2009

Beginning balance. .................................... $17,072.59Income. ........................ $ 3,735.81

Expenses ........................... 691.73.............................................................. ...... $3,044.08

Ending balance .......................................... $20,116.67Less reserved fund. ...................................... 542.12Less Collaborative Chapter grant ................ 600.00Less Purple Martin research grant .......... 1,484.97Less sanctuary improvement . ................. 2,000.00Less sanctuary maintenance donations ........ 330.00

Operating fund .......................................... $15,159.58

Treasurers report

Robert M. White, Corpus Christi, sent this mes-sage to the Coastal Bend Audubon Society:

"Please accept the enclosed donation of $250 inmemory of my wife, Sheryl White."

Coastal Bend Audubon Society thanks Mr.White for the donation in memory of his wife, amember of the National Audubon Society. Thefunds will be used to further our mission ofeducation and conservation.

Memorial donation

New or Renewing Membership


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DIRECTORS

Education Linda Fuiman, [email protected]

Sanctuary Dick DuBois, [email protected]

Conservation Scott Large, [email protected]

Membership Laura Cooper, [email protected]

Newsletter Sally Bickley, [email protected]

At-Large Gene Blacklock, [email protected]

At-Large Ray Sutton, [email protected]

The Brown Pelican

P.O. Box 3604Corpus Christi, Texas 78463

The Newsletter of the CoastalBend Audubon Society

This newsletter is compiled, written and publishedevery other month. Articles of interest are gathered from

various sources and compiled by the editor,volunteers, and/or contributing authors.

All contributions and comments are welcomed.

Regular CBAS meetings:First Tuesday of the month, Septemberthrough May, 7 p.m. at the CCMuseum of Science and History

Non-Profit Org.

U. S. Postage

PAID

Permit No. 1080

Corpus Christi, TX

The Coastal Bend Audubon Society is a non-profit 501c(3) organization dedicated to the con-servation of birds and bird habitat, and to conser-

vation education in the Coastal Bend.

The organization is supported by contributionsfrom local memberships and from the National

Audubon Society.

Your CHAPTER needs you! You can help steerthe course of growth and change in our

community by working together Please contact usat 361-885-6203 about getting involved!

PRESIDENTDavid [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENTvacant

SECRETARY

Cherie [email protected]

TREASURERLeatrice [email protected]

Coastal Bend Audubon Society Board of Directors

Phone: 361-885-6203

Email: [email protected]

http://www.coastalbendaudubon.org

Documents

November-December 2009 Brown Pelican Newsletter Coastal Bend Audubon Society