| MURIE AUDUBON SOCIETY CASPER, WYOMING |
| VOLUME 42 - ISSUE 9 MONTHLY PUBLICATION DECEMBER 2008 |
CALENDAR
Click HERE to return to Index page
Dec. 11—CBC Planning Mtg.
NO GENERAL MEETING THIS MONTH
Dec. 20—Casper CBC
Dec. 22—January PNP article deadline
Jan. 1, 2009—Bates Hole CBC
Jan . 9—General Meeting, 7PM—OGCC Bldg.
Brown Bag Lunch with the Birds—Every Thursday 12 NoonTABLE OF CONTENTS - (Click on title to go directly to article. Click on "partridge" at end of article to come back HERE)
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT PLANNING MEETING
AUDUBON NEWSWIRE & IN THE NEWS
EAGLE VS TURKEY AMERICAS FIRST BIRD CONTROVERSY
TOP 10 BIRD CONSERVATION IDEAS FOR YOUR BACKYARD
The organizational meeting for the annual Murie Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will be held December 11, 2008 at the Audubon Center at Garden Creek at 7PM. If you’re interested in helping with the Christmas Bird Count which will take place on Saturday December 20, or if you just want to find out more about this annual count, come on up and join us. You do not have to be an expert birder to help out on this count, and you do not even have to spend the whole day in the field.
As noted above, the 61st annual Murie Audubon CBC will be held Saturday, December 20, 2008. We will meet at the Audubon Center at 101 Garden Creek Rd at 7:15AM to assign areas to participants and for morning coffee. We will then proceed to our assigned areas to conduct the census. We will gather again at the Audubon Center at 5:30 PM to compile our data and enjoy a pot luck meal. For details about the pot luck, please contact Donna Walgren at 234-7455 or Timperley-Walgren@bresnan.net.
The Christmas Bird Count is an annual census of birds in a specific geographic area – a fifteen mile diameter circle. The center of the circle for the Casper area is on Coates Road south of Highway 220, so the circle encompasses most of the city of Casper from Wyoming Blvd on the east side clear out to the Fish Hatchery on the west edge of the circle. The North edge of the circle is out near Soda Lake and the South edge is the back side of Casper Mountain.
For more information about the Murie Audubon Christmas Bird Count, contact Bruce Walgren at 234-7455 or Stacey Scott at 265-6213.
The Bates Hole Christmas Bird Count will be on Thursday, January 1, 2009. We will meet at 7:30AM at Charlie Scott's house on the Two-Bar Ranch. For those who want to start with the owls, call Charlie to find out which area to cover. This is a wonderful way to start the New Year, and we need all the counters we can get. Drivers and counters are needed, and those with a desire to have fun and see some winter birds. After supper at Charlie's, we will find out what was seen. Call Charlie Scott at 473-2512 for any additional details. BRUCE WALGREN
Committees play an important role in the operation of the Murie Audubon Society. Among these are Banquet, Budget, Circulation, Conservation, Eagle Fund Dispersal (to be discussed in a future column), Education, Field Trips, Hospitality, Membership, Newsletter, Programs and TogetherGreen, the latter not a typo. As in many organizations, some committees are one person, grammatically incorrect but true.
Not so the TogetherGreen committee, comprising Jim Brown, Fred Eiserman, Laurie Fletcher, Ann Hines, Rose-Mary King, Bart Rea and Bob Yonts. The TogetherGreen Innovation Grants Program (www.togethergreen.org) is “…a major conservation initiative of Audubon, supported by a generous gift from Toyota. The goals of the program are to nurture conservation leadership, achieve conservation results, and engage millions of Americans in conservation action.” The bottom line is that the program, now in the second of five years, will award grants ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 for projects in urban, suburban, or rural areas. Audubon Wyoming will receive $24,000 for BioBlitz, which (briefly) will be collection of baseline presence/absence of flora and fauna within four identified Important Bird Areas in order to establish a long-term monitoring program. As a certified chapter of the Audubon network, the Murie Audubon Society can apply to TogetherGreen. Proposals must target at least one of three conservation goals: habitat/land preservation or enhancement, water conservation, or energy efficiency. The name of the game is partnering with one or more organizations outside the Audubon network, the more the merrier. Any ideas? If so, please contact a committee member. PRESIDENT—JIM BROWN
SUNFLOWER
SEED SALE UPDATEWith retail prices of sunflower seeds in the $25 to $30 range (except for the specials at Menards), our supplier is reluctant to buy his main supply for the season. We would like to wait until this year's harvest is in; and it seems that the growers are having quite a time getting their seeds harvested due to weather problems. We're hoping to be able to get a better price after the first of the year, although there will be no guarantees. So, with the holidays upon us, we will wait until after January 1st to schedule our seed sale. We apologize for this long wait, but we're hoping to save us all some money.
ACGC would greatly appreciate your seed donations. So when you replenish your supply, put an extra bag in the car for the birds at ACGC!
BRUCE WALGREN
Since hearing about the break in the pipeline that pumps water from the Platte River Commons area (former Amoco Refinery property) to Soda Lake, your board has been greatly concerned about whether or not repair work would be done on the pipeline. I have contacted Cynthia Hannan, Atlantic Richfield Project Administrator, and here follows my report of that correspondence.
They are absolutely committed to repairing the Soda Lake pipeline. Samples of the pipeline wrapping are being tested for asbestos, a common insulating material used 50 years ago. They intend to excavate several "pot holes" to assess the condition of the pipe. Replacement will be complicated by the fact that the line runs along a utility corridor, so all kinds of permits will likely be required before digging commences. Presently the water that had been going to Soda Lake is being distributed among the ponds on the Three Crown golf course.
Although based in Evanston, Cynthia spends every other week in Casper, so will be an excellent resource for updates. JIM BROWN
Thanks to Donna Cleveland for sponsoring a classroom bringing our total of classes sponsored up to sixty-three. Only sixteen classrooms are left needing sponsorship to make another year of one hundred percent sponsorship!
The topics for this year are: On the Go! Animals that Migrate; Critter Construction: How, What, and Why Animals Build; Stink, Bite, Hide, Fight! How animals Defend Themselves; and Plants Rule! ANN HINES
BIRD
NOTESBirds still continue to move around; waterfowl are making their way southward, but we may be seeing more elevational movements now – birds coming down from the higher areas in the mountains, notably Mountain Chickadees, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Cassin’s Finches, Juncos, Clark’s Nutcrackers, Evening Grosbeaks, and increasing appearances of Steller’s Jays. A couple species of warblers were still being seen in October – Wilson’s and Yellow-rumps. Jean Adams has usual flock of 300+ Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches at her feeders in Sundance, Bohemian Waxwings have been seen north of Buffalo, and Common Redpolls are being reported around the state. Migrating Sandhill Cranes have also been seen as they make their way south. Our small group of birders at Pineview School here in Casper reported seeing Downy Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees, an immature Golden Eagle, a Northern Harrier, and lots of Eurasian Collared-Doves.
October Birds – For the month of October, Wayne and I received 195 yard bird selections from 16 states plus Yukon Territory, Iraq, and Madagascar with 70 different species reported. Lots of Dark-eyed Juncos, nuthatches, and Steller’s and Blue Jays reported. Sparrows continue to be sighted (with 6 species reported). Also, raptors are still being in the neighborhoods, especially the accipiters, checking out the feeders. Steller’s Jay was the most reported species. Second place was a tie between Blue Jay and Dark-eyed Junco. Red-breasted Nuthatch and Cooper’s Hawk tied for third. And fourth place was a three-way tie between Clark’s Nutcracker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Bald Eagle.
Casper: Jim Herold – Evening Grosbeak, Pat Classen – Northern Flicker (red-sh.), Cecil Foote – American Goldfinch, Chris Michelson – Steller’s Jay, Judith Key – Black-billed Magpie, Ann Hines – Steller’s Jay, Doris Von Holdt – White-throated Sparrow, Rose-Mary King – Steller’s Jay, Casper College Greenhouse – Canada Goose, Dick Von Holdt – Steller’s Jay, Garden Creek Audubon Center – Harris’s Sparrow, Sandy/Miguel Leotta – Steller’s Jay, Stacey Scott – Lesser Goldfinch, Gary Timperley – Golden Eagle, Bruce Walgren – Ferruginous Hawk, Donna Walgren – Mountain Chickadee; Buffalo: Deane Bjerke – Cooper’s Hawk; Douglas: Billie Snell – Rose-breasted Grosbeak; Evanston: Patti Gorman – Rufous Hummingbird; Riverton: Suzanne Hargis – American Tree Sparrow, Bob Hargis – Cooper’s Hawk.
Thanks to all who helped with the Yard Bird Project in October!! Many of you are getting ready for Christmas Bird Counts – and we never know what might show up on these outings!! Send your bird notes and yard bird reports to Donna Walgren, 4311 S. Center St., Casper, WY 82601, or email to Piranga@bresnan.net, or phone 234-7455. DONNA WALGREN
(Vol.6, No.19, Thurs., Nov.24th, 2008)
TogetherGreen
Audubon and Toyota launched the five-year TogetherGreen initiative earlier this year to fund conservation projects, train environmental leaders, and offer volunteer and individual action opportunities that significantly benefit the environment. To date, TogetherGreen volunteers in 40 communities have donated more than 15,000 volunteer hours to community conservation efforts. Funding totaling $1.4 million was recently awarded for the first year of innovative conservation projects nationwide. Read about a few of the Innovation Grant recipients in the stories below.
The New York Times mentions Toyota's $20 million grant to Audubon.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review describes Innovation Grant to launch Three Rivers Rain Garden Alliance.
Kansas City Star features TogetherGreen funding for 21st Century Green Block.
St. Pete FL Audubon receives Together Green grant to protect beach nesting birds.
In Birds in Flight: The Art and Science of How Birds Fly, wildlife biologist Carrol Henderson, a twenty-year veteran of bird-watching around the globe, offers his insights into spotting and identifying birds in flight. With more than 170 close-up color photographs of airborne birds, as well as diagrams illustrating the principles of flight and detailed information based on firsthand research, this book is as informative as it is wonderful to look at.
Carrol L. Henderson is a nature photographer, writer, and wildlife biologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. His bird photography has appeared in the New York Times, Audubon, Birder’s World, and the World Book Encyclopedia Yearbook of Science. He and his wife, Ethelle, have been leading international birdwatching trips since 1987, traveling throughout Central and South America, New Zealand, Kenya, and Tanzania and he is an enthusiastic nature photographer who has photographed over a thousand species of birds.
As editor of a birding organization publication, I am excited to offer you the opportunity to receive a free review copy.
Please contact me directly at 612-344-8154 or e-mail to msalenger@mbipublishing.com and provide your mailing address for your free review copy. Also, be sure to let me know what I can provide so that you can share this exciting book with other birding enthusiasts and thank you in advance for your interest in Birds in Flight: The Art and Science of How Birds Fly.
Author: Carrol L. Henderson, Illustrator: Steve Adams; ISBN-13: 978-0-7603-3392-1; Retail: $25.00 US; Hardcover / 8.5 x 10 / 160 pages / 150 color photos, 15 diagrams; Imprint: Voyageur Press; Pub Date: October 2008. For additional details go to: Voyageur Press
Maurrie Salenger - Marketing Manager; Quayside Publishing Group, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401; Phone: 612-344-8154 msalenger@mbipublishing.com
(Ed.’s Note – This would make a great addition to our raffle table at Murie’s Banquet – any takers?).
Nations often adopt animals as symbols: England has its lion, India its peacock. On the afternoon of July 4, 1776, just after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress appointed a committee made up of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin to select a design for an official national seal.
The three
patriots had different ideas and none of them included the bald eagle. They
finally agreed on a drawing of the woman Liberty holding a shield to represent
the states. But the members of Congress weren't inspired by the design and they
consulted with William Barton, a Philadelphia artist who produced a new design
that included a golden eagle.
Because the golden eagle also flew over European nations, however, the federal lawmakers specified that the bird in the seal should be an American bald eagle. On June 20, 1782, they approved the design that we recognize today.
At the time, the new nation was still at war with England, and the fierce-looking bird seemed to be an appropriate emblem. But from the start, the eagle was a controversial choice. Franklin scowled at it. "For my part," he declared, "I wish the eagle had not been chosen as the representative of this country. He is a bird of bad moral character; he does not get his living honestly. You may have seen him perched in some dead tree where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the fishing hawk and, when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish and is bearing it to his nest for his young ones, the bald eagle pursues him and takes the fish. With all this injustice, he is never in good case."
Some people
have since questioned whether the eagle would have been chosen to adorn the seal
had the nation not been at war. A year after the Treaty of Paris ended the
conflict with Great Britain, Franklin argued that the turkey would have been a
more appropriate symbol. "A much more
respectable bird and a true native of America," he pointed out. Franklin
conceded that the turkey was "a little vain and silly," but maintained that it
was nevertheless a "bird of courage" that "would not hesitate to attack a
grenadier of the British guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with
a red coat on." Congress was not convinced, however. The eagle remained our
national symbol.
In truth, both the turkey and the bald eagle are native to the Americas. But if the issue is a bird that represents our nation, Americans can't really lay exclusive claim to either species, since both traditionally ranged in Canada and Mexico as well.
(From the National Wildlife Federation website)
(by Bill Thompson, III)
10. Create Habitat. There are countless ways to create habitat in your backyard. Perhaps the easiest is to let things "go wild" in one part of your property. Chances are the plants that grown in your "wild" area will be natural sources of food for the birds. A more focused approach involves providing birds with the four things they need: food, water, shelter, and a place to nest. Many published resources exist for making a bird-friendly habitat. A good place to start is with a local nursery that specializes in native plant species. Another good resource is Creating Your Backyard Bird Garden, one of the titles in BWD's Backyard Booklet series.
9. Hello, Silent Spring! It's widely known that seemingly innocuous lawn and garden insecticides and herbicides can be harmful to birds. Many of these chemicals target the pests that are a food source for birds, so any birds eating treated insects or seeds are also ingesting toxic chemicals. The quest for the perfect lawn often results in a bug-free, bird-free habitat.
8. Recycle Your Trash. Although it seems far-fetched to think that recycling can help the birds in your yard, it's not so far-fetched when you visit your favorite local bird spot and see trash everywhere. Each plastic, glass, aluminum, or tin item you recycle is one less piece of trash cluttering up the planet, and one less ugly and hazardous item that we (and the birds) have to deal with in the environment. Recycling also saves money, eases pressure on habitat, and reduces pollution created by the production of first-generation materials such as glass, tin, plastic, and aluminum.
7. Keep Your Feeders and Nest Boxes Clean. I know I harp on this, but feeder hygiene is very important. A once-a-month scrub cleaning will go a long way toward reducing disease transmission. Use a solution of one part bleach to nine parts hot water. Keeping your nest boxes clean is equally important. I suggest cleaning out old nesting material several weeks after the nesting season is over. If the inside is really fouled with droppings, clean it out with the same bleach solution described above. We replace the old nesting material with a fresh handful of dried grasses to give the birds some insulation if they use the box for fall and winter roosting.
6. Monitor Your Nest Boxes. Cavity-nesting birds face almost constant competition from nonnative species that want to use these same cavities (hollow trees, old woodpecker holes, or nest boxes) for nesting. Two of the most violent competitors are the house sparrow and the European starling, both European birds that have become widely established in North America. By checking your nest boxes regularly you can discourage these introduced species, and keep your nest boxes available for other species that need a place to nest or roost. Chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, woodpeckers, tree swallows, purple martins, wrens, and bluebirds are among the species that commonly use backyard nest boxes. For more information on how you can be a better landlord to the birds, get a copy of one of the following booklets from our online store: Enjoying Bluebirds More, A Guide to Bird Homes, or Enjoying Purple Martins More.
5. Participate in Bird Counts. It's a great time to be a bird watcher. There are so many resources and great products at our disposal. These days it's easier than ever to help contribute to bird conservation by helping to collect bird population data. And you don't have to be an ornithologist. There are dozens of national, local, and even international bird counts in which bird watchers can play a part. The National Audubon Society's annual Christmas Bird Count is one of the longest-running counts. The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology conducts Project FeederWatch and the Great Backyard Bird Count, as well as several other specific annual counts.
4. Reduce Window Kills. Mylar strips, crop netting, branches, screens, and hawk silhouettes have been suggested as foils to keep birds from flying headlong into your windows. Placing these items outside, in front of the problem panes, breaks up the windows' reflection of the surrounding habitat, thus the windows do not "fool" birds into flying into them. Last fall we placed plastic wrap in long sheets across the center of the inside surfaces of our large panes of glass. From the outside the plastic wrap looks opaque -- almost like spider webs in the middle of the windows. So far this seems to have worked in greatly reducing window strikes on these panes. Even better, our view is not drastically affected.
3. Keep Cats Indoors. Even the most slothful, couch-potato cats can catch birds if given a chance. Cats evolved over the ages to be supremely gifted hunters. The fact that we've domesticated them and that we keep them well fed on cat food doesn't remove this innate desire to hunt. It's been estimated that house cats kill many millions of birds each year --bird deaths that could be avoided if these pets were kept indoors. If you are a cat owner and you can't bear the thought of your kitty staying inside all the time, please consider stopping your bird feeding. This only brings cats and birds into close and lethal contact. Inside cats are safer and healthier, too.
2. Support Conservation Initiatives. Every day there are a thousand battles we bird watchers can fight on behalf of birds. The key is picking your spots so you can make the most effective impact. Not all conservation initiatives are created equal, so be sure you're fully informed about the issues. In most cases, if bird habitat is preserved or created, it's a good thing. After you've created healthy habitat for birds in your own backyard, you may wish to contact one of these organizations to see how else you can help: The American Bird Conservancy or The Nature Conservancy.
1. Make a New Bird Watcher Today. Why not take a friend along on your next bird-watching trip, to the next bird club meeting, or on a tour of your bird-friendly backyard? The more bird watchers we have today, the more good we can do for the birds tomorrow.
(From BirdWire)
At the 2009 Murie Audubon Banquet, we will be doing something a little different. We will have bird boxes as centerpieces which will also be silent auctions items. The monies collected from these items only will be donated to Audubon Center at Garden Creek.
The boxes are of wooden construction and need painted. You can be as creative or whimsical as you like using LEAD-FREE paints and coating the finished job with a protectorant against the elements so that you and the birds may enjoy them for several years. NO AGE LIMIT!
Please contact Ann Hines (266-3160) is you would like to paint a bird box. Finished product will be turned into Ann by Feb. 14, 2009.
Many, Many Thanks to Bart Rea, Larry Keffer and Dwaine Wagoner for the new poles and lines at ACGC for the bird feeder system. Jessica and Larry report that the BOSS consumption has been greatly reduced because the feeders now hang too high for the deer to reach. HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Click on thumbnail to see larger picture)
