| MURIE AUDUBON SOCIETY CASPER, WYOMING |
| VOLUME 43 - ISSUE 6 MONTHLY PUBLICATION SEPTEMBER 2009 |
CALENDAR
September 10—Raptor ID Class
September 11—Membership Mtg.
September 12—Raptor ID Field Trip
September 10-12—Wyoming G&F Expo
Click HERE to return to Index page
TABLE OF CONTENTS - (Click on title to go directly to article. Click on "September" at end of article to come back HERE)
Class—September 10th, 7:00, ACGC, 101 Garden Creek Rd.
Instructors—Jim & Gloria Lawrence
Field Trip—September 12th—Location, & meeting time to be decided Thursday night
at the class. $5.00 for class. No cost for Field Trip. Please call 473-1987 for
registration and Field Trip information.
I hope everyone enjoyed the summer of her/his choice. I
suspect the robins did, judging by the appearance of three groups of fledglings
in my backyard over a period of three months. My rabbits were likewise prolific.
Perhaps our cool wet summer fostered romance!
Aside from the early migrants, a sure sign that autumn
approaches is the yearly mid-August request from National Audubon for an Annual
Chapter Report. Although the Murie Audubon Society received its charter from
National Audubon in 1971, its roots go back as far as 1949 when the first Casper
Christmas Bird Count was conducted. Our predecessor was the Wyoming Chapter of
the National Audubon Society, formed in 1954 under the guidance of Dr. Oliver
Scott. At the recommendation of Bart Rea, the chapter was re-named after the
Murie family in 1970 to avoid geographical confusion in the event that other
chapters were started in Wyoming. The 2008-2009 Chapter Report filed last month
highlights a 50-plus year’s tradition of measuring up to the Mission Statement
appearing in every edition of “Plains & Peaks.” During the reporting period,
Murie Board members and committee chairs collectively volunteered 1400 hours to
conservation, education and enhancement of natural habitats, with members and
friends significantly swelling this total. Volunteer activities included, but
certainly were not limited to, working on the newsletter, transporting injured
birds to the vet, leading field trips (the Chapter conducted nine), organizing
and teaching bird classes, keeping feeders filled, guiding school birding
groups, helping with a grant application, attending meetings, administering the
Audubon Adventures school programs (approximately 70 kits distributed), bird
banding, compiling bird surveys, enhancing habitat at the Audubon Center on
Garden Creek, managing the chapter’s finances, planning the Annual Banquet,
providing refreshments for monthly Friday general meetings, creating publicity,
working with the media, recruiting new members, and the list goes on.
Additionally, our chapter provided two $500 scholarships to help school classes
attend nature camps. It was a good year, and I look forward to great
achievements in 2009-2010. As always, we need your help! President –
JIM BROWN
It's Audubon Adventures time again. I have over fifty
classrooms enrolled and am in the process of contacting those from last year
that I did not hear from in the spring. The subjects this year are:
Feats of Nature (Stink, Bite, Hide, Fight, How Animals Defend Themselves)
On the Go! Animals that Migrate
Plants Rule!
Critter Construction (How, What and Why Animals Build)
Greg Lance was the first person to sponsor a classroom this year and is a first
time sponsor. Thanks, Greg, for getting us off, to what we hope will be a good
season.
Education Chair – ANN HINES
(Ed.'s Note - Teachers - get all the information you need about Audubon Adventures HERE)
I am thrilled to be here in Casper, and working at the
Audubon Center at Garden Creek. I must salute all who have worked to make the
Center what it is today. I feel honored and privileged to build on the
groundwork that has been laid.
The summer was a busy one, with many groups and visitors and bird banding
keeping both Larry Keffer and myself on our toes. Eagle Scout Dominique Bell put
in a bridge on the upper trail, another scout will soon start work on the trail
entrance.
Outdoor Wyoming Game & Fish Expo is Sept 10, 11, 12 The display will have
interactive ID activities, as well as membership information. We welcome any and
all help from set up on Wednesday afternoon or evening, to staffing the booth
during the day to taking down on Saturday. Just call the center or let Larry or
myself know what times work for you.
Audubon was represented at the Back to School Bash in
downtown Casper. Despite the rain and storms, we talked to more than 200 people
and introduced young ones (and their parents) to some of the birds of the area
with a matching activity.
A big thank you to Larry Keffer, Chris Michelson, Ann Hines, Nyrma and Carmen
Soffel, and especially Kathie Privik who helped take down the display amidst
thunder, lightening and rain. You were all lifesavers! WANDA PETERS
There are new threats to our aquatic ecosystems here in
Wyoming. These threats are in the form of aquatic invasive species that could
soon find their way into Wyoming’s waters. Aquatic invasive species are
non-native organisms that are introduced into waters through various means. Many
of these species are harmful to the natural resources in the ecosystem, and they
also threaten human uses of these resources. They can attach to boats and
clothing used in the water, and can be transferred from one body of water to
another. Collectively, aquatic invasive species can have tremendous detrimental
impact on many of the things we value here in Wyoming, including healthy
ecosystems, recreational equipment, and secure drinking water supplies. Dealing
with invasive species in the United States costs more than $100 billion each
year.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is focusing its
attention on two particular aquatic invasive species – zebra mussels and quagga
mussels. There are no known populations of these mussels in Wyoming to date, but
they have invaded waters across the country and are now present in three of our
neighboring states. Heavy infestations can alter aquatic environments by
reducing food sources for fish. Mussels remove significant amounts of
phytoplankton from the water, which in turn are food for larval and juvenile
fish, which are in turn food for sport and commercial fisheries. The mussels can
also reduce oxygen levels in the water, further stressing or killing fish.
Mussels can also clog water intakes on motors and attach themselves to props,
ruining boat engines. They can increase the operating costs of drinking water
plants, power
plants, dam maintenance and industrial processes.
The best way you can help prevent the spread of aquatic
invasive species is to make sure you aren’t moving these organisms from one body
of water to another. Overland transport on boats, motors, trailers, and other
watercraft poses the greatest risk for spreading these species, so it is
important to properly care for your equipment.
Before leaving the area of a body of water, but while on dry land, do the
following: 1) Drain every conceivable space that can hold water, including
engines, live wells or ballast tanks or even just the inside of your canoe,
kayak, or raft; 2) Clean any and all equipment by removing plants, mud and
debris; use a potassium chloride solution (mix 1 teaspoon potassium chloride
crystals with 2 gallons of water) to wash equipment, (potassium chloride is
deadly to many aquatic invasive species, but harmless to other aquatic organisms
and humans); 3) Allow all equipment to dry thoroughly before launching in
another body of water.
It will be important for all of us to work together and do
everything we can to keep these organisms from spreading. Let’s keep Wyoming’s
waters secure!!
Robin Kepple, Wyoming Game & Fish Dept.
Submit your photos to me at my email address and when space
permits, they will be in the newsletter. Editor—Rose-Mary King
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considered and advanced for public input
three alternatives for future management of the Pathfinder NWR. These were: "(A)
the Current Management Plan (no action alternative), (B) Enhanced Refuge
Management, and (C) a Modification of Refuge Boundary (Proposed Action)." The
alternative (C) eventually chosen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
consolidates the boundaries of the Pathfinder NWR, resulting in a reduction in
area from 16,806 acres widely distributed among four parcels to a more easily
managed single block of 5,990 acres centered around the upper reaches of the
Sweetwater arm of Pathfinder Reservoir. Both Audubon Wyoming and the Murie
Audubon Society had written letters to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
opposing modification of the Refuge boundary. (Submitted by Jim Brown)
Suppose you are a naturalist in the 1800’s prowling around
looking not only for recognizable bird species but more importantly, as yet
unidentified species. It may be springtime because you know that the colors of
the feathers will be fresh & new and the males will be especially colorful or at
least they will stand out in a crowd of drab females. You see a bird and you are
wondering if it is a new species or just one you have never seen before. So you
take careful notes in your bird journal, making note of size and shape of head,
tail, and beak, and on your drawing you make note of the color of all the bird’s
parts. Next, you consult with your fellow naturalists to see if any of them have
seen a bird of your description. This may take awhile because cell phones,
email, and Internet hasn’t been “discovered” yet. It may take several years
before you are able to establish whether or not the bird you saw is a known or
unknown specie. (For purposes of this article, I’m not even going to touch
scientific naming!) At last you have established that all your known colleagues
have never seen this bird before and you have the privilege of naming it. Do you
give it your own name—after all YOU discovered it—or do you name it after your
great-aunt Martha, or your best friend?
Over the next months‘ newsletters, I will share with you who
named birds and why they carry a “human’s” name before their “bird” name.
Aiken’s Screech Owl - Named in honor of C. E. Aiken, of Colorado Springs, Colo. The first specimen collected by C. E. Aiken, May 29, 1872, in El Paso County, CO
Abert’s Towhee - Described June, 1852, and named in honor of Lt. Abert, from whom the first specimen was obtained in NM
Anna’s Hummingbird - Named by M. Lesson in honor of Mme. Anna, Duchess de Rivoli.
Allen’s Hummingbird - Named in honor of Mr. Chas. A. Allen, who first discovered it at Nicasio, CA and furnished a series of fine specimens
Anthony’s Green
Heron - Named in honor of Mr. A. W. Anthony, who contributed so much to the
avifauna of the west, collected by Dr. Mearus in the Colorado desert, April
12, 1894.
Audubon’s Warbler – John James Audubon says, “Was discovered by Mr. Townsend, who has done me the honor of naming it after me.”
Audubon’s Woodpecker – John James Audubon says, “Presented to me by its discoverer on account of the honor which he conferred upon me,” 1.e. by naming it in his honor.
Bachman’s Sparrow - Named in honor of Dr. Bachman, who furnished the first account to Mr. Audubon. Discovered on the Edisto, near Harper’s Ferry, SC, April 1832.
Bachman’s Warbler - This specie was discovered a few miles from Charleston, SC, July, 1833, by Dr. Bachman, for whom it was named.
Baird’s Bunting - Named in honor of his young WHY BIRDS ARE SO NAMED friend, Spencer F. Baird, of Carlisle, PA. First discovered on July 26, 1843, by John G. Bell.
Bailey’s Mountain
Chickadee. Grinnell. “I take pleasure in naming this well-marked new
chickadee for Mrs. Florence Bailey, whose accurate accounts form an
important component of the ornithology of the west.”
Baird’s Hawk - Named in honor of Spencer F. Baird of the Smithsonian Institution.
Barlow’s Chickadee - Named for Chester Barlow, an ornithologist of California.
Bartram’s Sandpiper, or Bartramian Sandpiper - I have honored it with the name of my very worthy friend, near whose botanical gardens I first found it.
Batchelder’s Woodpecker - Common, given in honor of the collector and describer. First found at St. Vegas, Hot Springs, NM, December 18, 1882.
Bell’s Sparrow - Named in honor of John G. Bell, who first discovered it in San Diego, CA.
Bell’s Vireo - Named in honor of John G. Bell, who first discovered it near Black Snake Hills, May 4, 1843.
Bendire’s Thrasher - Named in honor of the discoverer, Lt. Bendire.
Berlandier’s Wren - This species has been named by its discoverer, Lieut. Couch, for Dr. Berlandier, of Metamoras, Mexico.
Bewick’s Wren - Named in honor of the reviver of engraving on wood in his country. Found October 19, 1821, in Louisiana, five miles from St. Francisville.
Bicknell’s Thrush - Named in honor of Mr. Eugene P. Bicknell, who first discovered it in the Catskill Mountains.
Bischoff’s Song Sparrow - Named in honor of Fred Bischoff, who first discovered it at Kadiak Island, 1869.
Blandig’s Finch - Was discovered in Rocky Mountains by Dr. Gambel and named in honor of the scientist, Dr. Blandig.
Bonaparte’s
Flycatcher - Discovered by John James Audubon and dedicated to Prince
Charles Bonaparte.
Brewer’s Blackbird - Collected by R. Kennicott at Pembina, Minnesota September 20, 1857, and named in honor of Thomas M. Brewer.
Brewer’s Sparrow - Named in honor of Dr. Thomas M. Brewer, of Boston.
Brewster’s Lirmet - Named in honor of Mr. Wm. Brewster, of Cambridge, who first discovered it at Waltham, MA November, 1870.
Brewster’s Warbler - Named in honor of Mr. William Brewster, who first discovered it at Newtonville, MA, May 18, 1870.
Bryant’s Cactus Wren - In honor of Mr. W. E. Bryant, an ornithologist of Lower California. Discovered by A. U. Anthony at St. Telmo, Lower California, April 30, 1893.
Bullock’s Oriole
- Named in honor of the discoverer.
(From Why Birds Are So Named, compiled for the Wilson Bulletin by Katie M. Roads—named after ornithologist Alexander Wilson.) Editor—Rose-Mary King
Please call or email me if you would like to help fold the
newsletters once a month—usually done in an hour!
Thank you, Internet readers, for getting your newsletter here—postage rates have gone up!
Editor—Rose-Mary King
