MURIE AUDUBON SOCIETY                                                    CASPER, WYOMING
VOLUME 39 - ISSUE 3                     MONTHLY PUBLICATION             APRIL 2005

CALENDAR

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BACKYARD WILDLIFE HABITAT AND BUTTERFLIES

Sarah Bucklin-Comiskey will be our guest speaker for the April monthly meeting.  Sarah is a Wildlife Biologist with the BLM in Casper and has resided in Wyoming for 3 years.  She is a Montana native and has earned two Bachelor of Science degrees from Montana State University in the fields of Biology and Education.  She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Zoology with the University of Wyoming, exploring the roles that insects play in relation to greater sage-grouse.  She also serves on the Shirley Basin/Bates Hole Local Sage-Grouse Working Group which is charged with developing and implementing local conservation plans to benefit sage-grouse and other sagebrush obligates.

Sarah still remembers the day that she developed her interest in insects in the 5th grade, and she has continued to carry and develop this passion throughout her biological career.  She has conducted insect research for Montana State University and North Dakota State University; this research included work in the Virgin Islands, New Zealand, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, and other parts of Montana and North Dakota.  She has also been involved with rangeland research and ecology work in various parts of Montana, North Dakota, and Nebraska.
 

Prior to moving to Wyoming, Sarah worked for the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Sidney, Montana where she assisted with grasshopper ecology and livestock grazing research and with sugarbeet pathology research, cloning, and DNA sequencing.
Sarah is a long time butterfly enthusiast and will discuss how to create backyard wildlife habitat with special emphasis on butterflies.  Butterfly biology, identification, and conservation will also be covered.

 

Our program will be April 1, 2005 at 7:00 PM at the Oil & Gas Conservation Commission Building, 2211 King Blvd.  As always, the program is free and open to the public, so bring a friend and join us.

 

Bruce Walgren - Program Chair

 

FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK

We have a draft of our Strategic Plan which will be available for the membership in May.  We will have elections at the May meeting, also.  If you would like to be on Murie’s Board, please contact Merlyn Herold - 234-0196, or Donna Walgren - 234-7455.

I will be gone most of April attending a bird conference in Cortez, CO and one in Great Bend, KS, as well as seeing friends and family in Colorado.  Donna Walgren will be putting out a short newsletter the end of April with the proposed slate of officers and info. about May’s meeting (Thanks, Donna!).  If you have any items you would like in the newsletter, please contact Donna.

Rose-Mary King - President

BIRD NOTES

Winter irruption species continue to be seen around Wyoming – Bohemian Waxwings are still reported regularly, as are Rough-legged Hawks; and a Snowy Owl was found in the Keyhole Reservoir area.  However, a few signs of seasonal change are starting to appear.  A singing Marsh Wren and a Virginia Rail were reported at the Glendo Wetlands; a Mountain Bluebird was found at Grey Reef on the March 5 field trip; and an Iceland Gull was seen at the JTL ponds on March 7 (this is a very unusual gull for the Casper area).  Also of note is the large number of Bald Eagles at the Glendo dam – as many as 79 have been reported. 

 

If you have been walking out in the prairie and looking down as well as up, you may have seen some of the first wildflowers of the year – Phlox are starting to bloom, and if our unseasonably warm weather continues, we should soon be seeing sand lilies (Leucocrinum) and wild parsleys (Musineon and Lomatium).

 

February Yard Birds – Wayne and I received 194 yard bird selections from 21 states plus the Yukon, Costa Rica, and the Virgin Islands.  Sharp-shinned Hawks are still patrolling the neighborhoods; other species making appearances in many yards include robins, Blue Jays, nuthatches, and woodpeckers.   Not surprisingly, the Sharpie was the most reported yard bird.  Second place was a four-way tie between American Robin, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-winged Blackbird, and Blue Jay.  Third place was a three-way tie between Black-capped Chickadee, Pileated Woodpecker, and Red-breasted Nuthatch.           

 

Casper:  Jim Herold – Mountain Chickadee, Pat Classen – Cedar Waxwing, Cecil Foote – Blue Jay, Chris Michelson – Sharp-shinned Hawk, Jim Brown – Mountain Chickadee, Gloria Lawrence – Sharp-shinned Hawk, Jim Lawrence – Western Meadowlark, Rose-Mary King – Townsend’s Solitaire, Patti Phillips – White-breasted Nuthatch, Jan Whitney – Hairy Woodpecker, Ed Whitney – Cooper’s Hawk, Norma McGee – Sharp-shinned Hawk, Stacey Scott – Hairy Woodpecker, Bruce Walgren – Sharp-shinned Hawk, Donna Walgren – House Finch; Atlantic City:  Jan Whitney – Pinyon Jay, Ed Whitney – Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch; Byron:  Mary Jensen – Canada Goose; Cheyenne:  Barb Gorges – Sharp-shinned Hawk; Douglas:  Billie Snell – Purple Finch; Dubois:  Anna Moscicki – White-breasted Nuthatch; Lovell:  Glen Olsen – Golden Eagle; Riverton:  Suzanne Hargis – Harris’s Sparrow, Bob Hargis – Eurasian Collared-Dove; Sundance: Jean Adams – Merlin.

 

Thanks to all who helped with the Yard Bird Project in February!!  To take part in March, watch your yard and pick the bird you most enjoyed seeing in, over, or from your yard, and send your choice to Donna Walgren (ph. 234-7455), 4311 S. Center St., Casper  82601, or email to bwalgren_AT_coffeyDOTcom.

   

To find out what birds have been seen, call Murie Audubon’s Bird Hotline:  in Casper, 265-BIRD, outside of Casper, 1-888-265-BIRD.

 

Donna Walgren

 

Thanks to Patti Phillips of Casper for sharing pictures of two of the birds that visit her yard!

 

 

 

 

 

 

PATHFINDER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE BIRD SURVEY PROTOCOL

Place:  Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge: South side of Steamboat Lake

Dates: Begin April 1 - End: May 31

Timing: Monitor 1x per week (day of week to be determined).  From 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Equipment: Binoculars for each volunteer.  Spotting scope for observer.  Tripod mount for scope.  Window mount for scope.  Clipboard, Data Sheet (one for each observation point), Writing utensils (preferably pencil), Bird I.D. books (Any equipment needed by volunteers will be provided by Audubon Wyoming (on loan basis).

Monitoring Protocol Volunteers will arrive at the monitoring site (Steamboat Lake Interpretative Site) and position themselves at Observation Point #1 no later than 4:00 p.m. All equipment will be set up and at 8 a.m. the observer will begin monitoring for shorebird, waterbird, and waterfowl activity on and around the lake.  Before beginning monitoring, the entire top half of the data sheet should be filled out completely, including date, observer name, recorder name, start time, end time, approximate cloud cover (%), approximate wind speed (mph), light conditions, and average temperature while observing.

At Observation Point # 1 the observer will scan from the orange marker on the shoreline north (towards Highway 220) for 30 minutes (this should encompass approximately ½ of the lake).  The recorder will record all specie and abundance observations on the data sheet provided.  If other species of waterbird, waterfowl and/or shorebird are observed that is not listed on the data sheet, record the species and abundance at the end of the sheet.  Other observations of avian species such as songbirds, gamebirds, and/or raptors should be recorded under “other comments/observations” section of the data sheet.   The behavior of the other species should also be sited (i.e. raptor soaring, feeding, etc).  If the observer notices ANY shift in the location of the birds while monitoring (due to a predator, loud noise etc.) the shift and reason why the shift occurred should be recorded on the space provided at the top of the data sheet.  It is especially important to note if the shift took the birds into the other observation area and if the birds were counted prior to the shift.   Do not count (double count) these birds in each observation area.

Once 30 minutes has expired at Observation Point #1, the observers should relocate to Observation Point #2 and repeat the procedure, however the observer should now scan the lake from the orange stake at the shoreline, south, to the end of the reservoir (the other ½ of the lake).  A NEW data sheet should be used at each observation point.

ALL DATA SHEETS SHOULD BE TURNED IN TO ALISON LYON, 168 N. Cedar Street, Laramie, WY 82072 307-721-8779,  alyon_AT_audubonDOTorg.

THANK YOU!!!!!! - Alison Lyon

NOTES FROM MARCH BOARD MEETING

CHEYENNE BIG DAY COUNT

Count down begins at 5:00 p.m. Friday, May 20, 2005.

The Big Day Count is traditionally 24 hours, so this year the Cheyenne count will officially start at 5 p.m. Friday, May 20. Saturday morning we will meet at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens parking lot in Lions Park at 6:30 a.m. and make the rounds of the park, Wyoming Hereford Ranch and the High Plains Grasslands Research Station.

The count will finish at 5 p.m. on Saturday. We will have a tally party potluck at 6 p.m. at the Unitarian Church, 3005 Thomes Ave. Thomes runs north-south parallel to and three blocks west of Capitol Ave. The church is between Randall and Pershing, about 10 blocks east from Exit 11 off I-25. Please park in the lot behind the church.

At 7 p.m. Terry McEneaney, Yellowstone National Park bird biologist, will speak on Yellowstone's birds. He will also be joining us in the field during the day to look for warblers. He is the author of Birds of Yellowstone.

We always appreciate the Casper birders coming down and helping us count. The more eyes the merrier! Anyone staying for the potluck can contact Barb and Mark Gorges, 634-0463, bgorges2_AT_junoDOTcom, about food, refrigerators, etc. as well as other Big Day information.

Count down ends at 5:00 p.m. Saturday, May 21, 2005.

BROWN-CAPPED ROSYFINCH SURVEY

Join the Laramie Audubon Society in the first attempt to count and map sightings of the Brown-capped Rosyfinch on the Snowy Range on July 16.  

In November 2003, Wyoming Audubon designated a site on the Snowy Range as one of Wyoming’s  Important Birds Areas.  The island of tundra above timberline was nominated by the Medicine Bow National Forest for its value as habitat for Wyoming’s only breeding population of the Brown-capped Rosyfinch. 

The Brown-capped Rosyfinch has a very limited global range, breeding only in the Snowies and on mountain peaks in Colorado and northern New Mexico.  If the warming trend continues, their mountain islands of habitat are likely to shrink and to be invaded by avian riff-raff currently excluded by the harsh conditions.  These changes would threaten the future of these rosyfinches, especially in places at the edge of the range, like the Snowies.

The first step in helping this population stay alive is finding out basic facts - how many birds are there, and where do they feed and nest. 

When:  July 16, 9:00

Where:  Forest Service Visitor Center, on WY 130,  just west of Centennial WY.  We will have a training session by Dave McDonald (on recognition by sight and sound).  The group will divide into teams and will select areas to be searched. 

What to expect:  Be prepared to hike through snow in places (though this year’s low snowpack and warm weather may leave less snow than usual).  The birds are not in predictable locations, so considerable walking may be required.  You may be sitting still to observe birds at a specific site, so be sure to have warm clothes along.

What to bring:  Binoculars and/or spotting scope; a field guide; maps; all your birding friends.  Warm clothes (including wind protection), food, water.

Contact Alison (Lyon) Holloran with questions or for additional information.   307-721-8779,  alyon_AT_audubonDOTorg

I SPY....IT'S TIME TO GRAB YOUR BINOCULARS AND PICK A PERCH

By Barb Gorges (Excerpt from March 16, 2005 article that was published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle)

A hot spot by definition is where a lot of species of birds can be found, or a lot of a few species. Practically speaking, it is also publicly accessible. Because birds spend so much time eating, all you have to do is look for bird food—aquatic creatures and plants, small birds and mammals, insects and other arthropods, fruits, seeds and other vegetable matter—and you’ll find it in a wet place.

Even though Wyoming’s dry climate makes it a simple task to catalog them—lakes, reservoirs, streams and rivers—you can shorten your search by consulting local birders.

In response to my posted question on WyoBirds, “What local places would you recommend to Cheyenne readers?” I received several replies.

Sundance - I heard first from Jean Adams of Sundance reminding me of Sand Creek, east of Sundance. It is mentioned by all the state guides. U.S. Forest Service Road 863, beginning at Beulah, runs south through the steep-sided valley into the Black Hills National Forest.   In his book, A Birder’s Guide to Wyoming, Oliver Scott says to look for lazuli buntings, canyon wrens, vireos and white-winged juncos, a locally common sub species of the dark-eyed junco. Published in 1993 by the American Birding Association as part of its series of state “birdfinding guides,” the book is organized into three major routes across the state that include many hot spots. Its charm is in the personal narrative.

Oliver says of Sand Creek, “Occasionally, Canyon Wrens have been found here. If they are here, their remarkable song is easily heard. In fact, I have heard them on most of the canyon walls in this valley, but they can’t be counted on—which is true of this bird over most of Wyoming.”

Jean also mentioned Whitelaw Creek in the Warren Peak area of the forest, north out of Sundance on Road 838 and then east along Forest Service Road 851.

Laramie - Deb Paulson of Laramie recommended her city’s Greenbelt along the Laramie River on the west side of town, as well as the University of Wyoming campus with its mature trees which attract ruby-crowned kinglets and other small forest birds. Fall migration is also good on campus—lots of warblers and pine siskins.

Casper - Members of Murie Audubon Society were quick to list the multitude of opportunities in the Casper area. First on their list is Edness Kimball-Wilkins State Park, a few miles east of town. It is also listed in the Wyoming Wildlife Viewing Tour Guide available from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Murie member Rose-Mary King wrote, “From the first parking lot on the east side of the main road, take the path going east and you will walk about three miles around the entire park. This will take you through varied habitats along the North Platte River. Dogs must be on leashes.”

Ann Hines added, “If you leave the paved path after you pass the gazebo and follow the human paths into the woods on the east side, there is some very good birding all the way back to the fence and the east end of the park.  We often find good warblers in the hedges in the spring.”

Ann also recommends the two miles of path along the river in Casper which can be accessed from Crossroads Park. From I-25, exit at Poplar Street and head north a few blocks to the entrance.

Should you head south on Poplar instead, toward Casper Mountain, you can see about birding at the Audubon Center at Garden Creek. Call 307-473-1987 for permission. Further up is the sign for Rotary Park, the location of Garden Creek Falls. “Hummingbirds come here early in the spring.  Spotted towhees (formerly known as rufous-sided towhees) and green-tailed towhees can be seen singing in the top of the shrubs as you go up to the falls,” wrote Ann.

Eventually, Poplar Street joins up with Casper Mountain Road. “Mountain bluebird, black-throated blue warbler, Townsend’s warbler and blue-gray gnatcatchers are among species found on this road,” wrote Ann about the climb up and over.

Rose-Mary also mentioned Grey Reef and Alcova reservoirs as good birding spots for water and shore birds. In their book, Wyoming Birds, Jane and Robert Dorn include the reservoirs in one of their suggested state birding routes. They say best birding is April through November—weekdays especially. The book is available through the Laramie Audubon Society. Call Deb Paulson, 307-742-5623.

Riverton - Riverton-area birders flock to Ocean Lake, a Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wildlife Habitat Management Area, created by a reclamation project in the 1920s. It is on local birder Bob Hargis’s map for exceptional migrating birds such as the parasitic jaeger, Sabine’s gull, dunlin and other great shorebirds. There’s also a bit of a migrant trap at Long Point. Bob said it has “yearly produced warblers galore including Virginia’s, chestnut-sided, and blackpoll, also tanagers, orioles and three types of vireos.”

Ocean Lake is 17 miles northwest of Riverton on U.S. Hwy. 26. Turn north onto Gabe’s Road, then east on Long Point Road.

This and other Wyoming Game and Fish public access areas are mapped in the book, Access to Wyoming’s Wildlife, available from the department. Frequently, what attracts fishermen also attracts birds, but be aware of hunting seasons.

Lander - Lander is only 25 miles from Riverton, but it is at the base of the Wind River Mountains and local birders like Jim Danzenbaker are likely to head up Sinks Canyon, so named because the Middle Popo Agie River suddenly disappears underground at the Sinks and re-emerges at the Rise. This geologic phenomenon is protected within Sinks Canyon State Park.

Jim wrote, “During both spring and fall migrations, the area around the Sinks and the Rise can yield Virginia’s warblers (more than 50 percent of visits), chestnut-sided warblers (fall), many buntings, tanagers, orioles, vireos and other warblers. Summer produces many breeders including dusky flycatcher, red-naped sapsucker, canyon wren, blue and ruffed grouse and prairie falcon.” He adds that should you arrive before winter leaves the canyon, you might also see chukar, goshawk, Bohemian waxwing, Townsend’s solitaire and golden eagles.

Jim also mentioned Dry Lake as a good place for shorebirds and ducks. “I’ve had fifteen shorebird species there on a single visit.” From Lander, head eight miles south on U.S. Hwy. 287. Look for a pullout on the east side of the highway, just before the Rawlins turnoff. You’ll need a spotting scope since the lake itself is not publicly accessible.

Another hotspot Jim likes is Ray Lake and Marsh, visible to the west on U.S. Hwy 287 about eight miles north of Lander.

Jackson - Bert Raynes, longtime president of the Jackson Hole Bird Club, wrote, “I don't consider anywhere in Jackson Hole meets the definition of "hotspot" but Birds of Grand Teton National Park is still useful despite its age.” Perhaps Bert is unfairly comparing Wyoming to Costa Rica. He wrote the book in 1984. He also co-authored the book, Finding the Birds of Jackson Hole, with Darwin Wile in 1994. The earlier book has color photos of 60 bird species taken by famous wildlife photographers and describes the different habitats. The second book is a collection of explicit directions for bird walks, hikes and drives.

Yellowstone - While no one responding mentioned Yellowstone National Park, Birds of Yellowstone, a book by park bird biologist Terry McEneaney is essential. He lists 75 “suggested intensive birding areas,” but he also treats 20 species in depth. One of the most useful parts of the book is the checklist that graphically shows when and how likely and in what habitat a species may be seen.

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATORY BIRD DAY – MAY 14, 2005

IMBD was created in 1993 by visionaries at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Now under the direction of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, IMBD continues to focus attention on one of the most important and spectacular events in the life of a migratory bird -- its journey between its summer and winter homes. Today, it is celebrated in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Central America through bird festivals and bird walks, education programs, and Bird Day! We invite you to join us in this important celebration.

The closest IMBD event to our area is the Wyoming Children's Museum on Saturday, May 14, 2005. The annual IMBD will feature hands-on activities, arts & crafts, food, raffle and door prizes. Come try your skills at the miniature golf course highlighting this year's IMBD topic of collisions. The day is hosted by USFWS, Laramie Rivers Conservation District, US Forest Service, the Laramie Raptor Refuge, WY Game & Fish, and Audubon.

Address:  Wyoming Children's Museum 968 North 9th Street Laramie, WY 82072, 307/745-6332 or email abergman_AT_wyomingDOTcom

Collisions: Clear the Way for Birds

Flight is a magnificent means of transportation, allowing bats, insects, birds, and even humans to travel great distances. For many birds, however, a journey across the skies may be a veritable obstacle course of human-related hazards. In 2005, International Migratory Bird Day examines the obstacles birds may encounter in flight and explores the many ways we may minimize their impacts.

Some of the advances we have made in technology unfortunately contribute to loss of bird life. The towers erected for our cell phones and pagers, the lines that bring us power, our vehicles, the windows on homes and office buildings, and even sources of renewable energy, such as wind turbines, create obstacles for birds in flight. The number of birds killed as a result of aerial collisions each year in the U.S. alone is estimated to be in the billions. The facts about birds and collisions are alarming, but the collaboration of biologists, communities, and corporations to develop innovative solutions is promising.

Tower lighting often confuses birds migrating at night, resulting in collisions with towers or the guy wires that support them. Biologists are working to encourage construction of towers that are under 199 feet tall, avoiding the requirement for safety lighting.

Glass kills more birds than any other human related factor. Architects are working to develop new methods of installing glass windows in homes.

Power cables may not be very visible to birds in flight.  Markers, such as metal triangles, help to significantly reduce collisions when placed on the cables.

Raptors often perch on wind turbine towers and blades, which may lead to collisions. Turbine blades that are easily visible and that discourage perching help to reduce bird collisions.

As many as 50 to 100 million birds are killed by cars and trucks on U.S. highways each year.

David Sibley - IMBD 2005 Artist

International Migratory Bird Day - 2005

BANDING DATES - 2005(Click on logo for MAPS website)

Casper - Audubon Center at Garden Creek

Bird Banding Training May 25th (from 9-12pm)

BANDING: Meet at Audubon Center at Garden Creek - begin banding at 5:15am - end at 12pm

June 7, 14, 21

July 5, 12, 26

August 2

Laramie Banding Dates

June 5, 12, 26

July 3, 10, 24

August 7

Contact Alison (Lyon) Holloran at alyon_AT_audubonDOTorg or 307-721-8779 with questions or for additional information regarding both banding locations.

WHEN CUTE DEER GO BAD

(The following is an editorial that was published in the New York Times on March 20, 2005.  I think we can identify with this article’s sentiments all the way west in Wyoming!  Thanks, Bart for sending it. - Editor)

Forgive us if you are among the millions of gardeners, farmers, bird-watchers, drivers, fence builders, claims adjusters, body-shop operators, roadkill scrapers, 911 dispatchers, physical therapists and chiropractors who know this already.

White-tailed deer are a plague.

In their overwhelming abundance, they are prime examples of an ecosystem badly out of balance. They denude forests, making life impossible for vulnerable native plants and birds while allowing invasive species to thrive. While deer profoundly vex suburban gardeners, that annoyance pales next to the lethal danger they pose to drivers.

Now, even bird lovers want the deer subdued. The New Jersey Audubon Society, in a report last week, urged the consideration of lethal means to solve the problem, arguing that fencing, contraception and other gentle tactics have proved largely ineffective. The group wants the government to rethink conservation policies it says are intended to maximize herds for hunters, and to consider - especially in the suburbs, where hunting is too dangerous - bringing in sharpshooters.

It may sound harsh, even strange coming from an organization whose mission is to foster "environmental awareness and a conservation ethic." But the group - which does not speak for the National Audubon Society - has it exactly right.

Deer are simply heeding the biological imperative to go forth and multiply. With no natural predators, and the suburbs a year-round salad bar, they have slipped out of their ecological niche - and it's our fault, not theirs. The deer did not ask human beings to create the kind of predator-free suburban landscapes in which they now thrive. But the mountain lion, gray wolf and bobcat are not about to return, and the houses and highways are staying put. People, therefore, must own up to their place in a compromised food chain, and assume the responsibility for managing it well.

Unfortunately, deer contradict our innate assumption that only ugly creatures can be vermin. As the recent release of the "Bambi" DVD reminds us, they seem miscast as villains. But wise conservation means looking at the environment as a whole - from the smallest wildflower on forest floor to the biggest brown-eyed herbivore. The whole system - not just the prettiest mammals - needs protection. 

   

Deer eating BOSS from feeders at Audubon Center at Garden Creek, Casper, Sept. 2004.

BECOME A CITIZEN SCIENTIST AND HELP HOUSE FINCHES

(Audubon Newswire Vol. 3, No. 4  Tuesday, March 8, 2005)

Coast to coast, House Finches have become afflicted with a debilitating form of conjunctivitis.  Two projects through Cornell’s Laboratory of Ornithology, Audubon’s partner in the Great Backyard Bird Count, offer budding Citizen Scientists the opportunity to take part in tracking and understanding this disease.  Neither requires any experience and both are offered free of charge. 

Citizen Scientists participating in the “House Finch Disease Survey” help monitor the spread and prevalence of the disease.  Participants observe their feeders and submit data on the presence or absence of healthy and/or diseased birds in their particular location.  Data can be submitted either on paper or online.  The only equipment you need to participate is a feeder and the ability to observe your feeder visitors.  Sign up at House Finch Disease Survey Sign Up and you’ll receive a kit with instructions and information in the mail. 

Citizen Scientists participating in the “House Finch Nest Survey” are helping to determine if differences in breeding biology are the cause of seasonal and geographic variation in disease prevalence.  Participants locate and monitor House Finch nests around their homes and neighborhoods and keep detailed nest records (nest cards provided).  Sign up at House Finch Nest Survey Sign Up and we’ll send you an information packet to teach you how to safely observe House Finch nests. 

You can also write to House Finch Disease Survey or House Finch Nest Survey, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 with your name, address, phone number, and Lab ID number (Each participant must have an ID number for Cornell’s database. If you are a Lab member or project participant, your existing ID number will be used; if not, one will be assigned to you and sent with your House Finch Disease Survey materials or House Finch Disease Survey Materials. Participation is free.)

Questions welcomed at E-Mail or visit the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology at Cornell Lab of Ornithology - Research, Citizen Science, Conservation, Education(Click on logo for Cornell Lab)

WELCOME TO FALCON WATCH 2005

Amelia has laid three eggs this season. The eggs are expected to begin hatching around March 28.

Woodmen has played a unique role in the efforts to save the near-extinct peregrine falcon by establishing a suitable habitat — on the 28th floor of the Woodmen Tower.

Sponsored by the Nebraska Peregrine Falcon Project, a group of public and private organizations, the effort began in 1988 with the release of seven peregrine falcon chicks in a hack box. Since that time, peregrine falcons have been returning each year to make their home at the Tower and raise their young.

To allow the people of Omaha and others interested in the falcons to view the birds, especially during egg laying and hatching, a closed-circuit television has been installed in the Woodmen Tower lobby.  Falcon Cam is available on their website.

Seven falcons were successfully hacked from the Woodmen Tower in 1988. They were named Woody, Newf, L.C., Happy, Falco, Willa and Pappy. Five of the seven chicks survived (Happy and Pappy died), but none returned the following year.

In 1989, the group released falcons at nearby Mutual of Omaha and atop the Woodmen Tower. In 1992, Woody, and a mate named Windy, hatched three chicks, Aerial, Zenith and Skywalker. They were the first confirmed peregrine chicks to hatch in Nebraska since the early 1900s.

Since that time there has been a nesting pair of falcons atop the Woodmen Tower. Each year, the young birds provide great entertainment to the public as they learn to fly and become at home in their element.

(From Falcon Watch 2005)

(Thanks, Bruce Walgren, for providing this information.)

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