Marion Audubon Society The Scrub Jay December 2018

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1 Marion Audubon Society The Scrub Jay December 2018 Photos by Holly Yocum December Issue: The Scrub Jay by Marty Schwartz, Editor The Scrub Jay will be published monthly including upcoming events, news of bird sightings, and most importantly articles from our members. You will be able to quickly see articles from our event organizers from Meetup, Facebook and our website. Sandra Marraffino submitted great photos some of which will be found on the last page of this newsletter. Let s hear from you too. Please indicate photos with your name, the bird by name, location and date. Send these to mas.scrub.jay@gmail.com by mid-month to be included in the next month s Scrub Jay. I hope you enjoy the photos included in this issue of our newsletter. Upcoming Events for December, by Josie Muncy, Director Field Trips Saturday & Sunday Dec 1st & 2nd 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Fort King National Historic Park. We will have a table at the Fight for Freedom; Come out to see us! Friday Dec 7th 8:30 AM 10:00 AM Fort King National Historic Park. Nature Walk Monday Dec 17th Christmas Bird Count, Contact John Schaefer, at schaeferjo@cox.net to be assigned to a team.

2 Friday Dec 21st 8:30 AM 10:00 AM Silver Springs State Park Nature Walk Please visit our web site for details on the above events. All walks require proper walking attire, be sure to bring binoculars, water, a hat, sun screen, and bug spray. Below are Photos from our recent trip 11/19 to Sweetwater Wetlands Park and Payne s Prairie Preserve with Carolyn Retey and Josie Muncy.. President s Message by John Schaefer Photos from Marion Audubon Society Meeting held Nov 21 at the Main Public Library Birding Books Available at the library John Schaefer, President MAS

3 We had a great October program set up by Josie Muncy and we welcomed new members Michele Reyes, Valerie Wilmot, Michael Paczolt, and Lori Richards. Michele volunteered as one of our bird walk leaders. Recently you received your dues form and a new form, which is a survey of areas that interest you. Please complete the survey form and send it in with your dues to our PO Box We currently need a volunteer to manage our Facebook account and we need a coordinator for volunteers. Donna Mesmer, outgoing Facebook administrator, set up our account initially and did a great job. Donna is relocating out of state and we wish her all the best. Please me if you are interested in one of these volunteer positions. We have weekly Bird walks around the county, including Birding-by-Kayak, and monthly programs at our library system. Get involved with as much as you can and enjoy Birding by providing your expertise and enhancing your skills. Right now birds are migrating from the north and I recently saw several flocks of 50 to 100 robins passing overhead and a flock of 16 sand hill crane s flying overhead in a V formation. The month of December is highlighted with our Audubon Christmas Bird Count on Monday, December 17. This is the ultimate event for birders and you should sign up as soon as possible to join one of our Birding teams or to lead a team. Every member should participate in this event. me as soon as possible so Judy Greenberg, chairwoman, can place you on a team. Contact me, John Schaefer, at schaeferjo@cox.net Merry Christmas to you and yours! See you Birding, John Schaefer, President Marion Audubon Society We are a 501(c)3) organization and welcome all donations and will bequests. Like us on Facebook, find us on Meetup. Backyard Birding November 2018 by Larry Sutton, Treasurer The weather has finally cooled and we re starting to have migratory species visit the backyard. The first Robin of the year came for a much needed drink and bath. It s important to change your bird bath water frequently as many birds such as Robins are thirsty and dirty from their long flights. Recent newbies to my yard were a Chipping Sparrow, female Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Summer Tanager. For some strange reason some of the Cardinals in my yard are eating meal worms that are there for typical insect eaters. Cardinals are extremely competitive and do not like to share with other birds. They continuously chase one another around my yard. I have a pair of House Finches that are some of the few birds that will stand up to the Cardinals bullying. The poor Chickadees and

4 Bob, Barbara, Titmice must sneak to the feeders when no Cardinal is present. It s so much fun watching the interactions of the various species of birds. Hope to see you at The Christmas Bird count in December. Conservation Chair Report by Barbara Schwartz Marion Audubon Conservation Report National Audubon in Action EDI Grant: On November 1 st, Carolyn Retey, our Chapter Educator, presented a birding basics program to 15 Environmental Science honors students. She also covered near-shore freshwater birds in preparation for the birding by kayak trip at Silver Springs State Park on November 8 th. On November 8 th, the weather was perfect and everyone was on time! Our Chapter president, John Schaefer, led the field trip. Fourteen students with Professor Steve MacKenzie kayaked to the Mammoth Springs (headsprings). The water was clear and the students were able to visually experience the information presented by Dr. Knight of the Florida Springs Institute. In addition to birding (11 species; 41 birds), the students got to see Manatees, alligators, a variety of turtle species, and the invasive Rhesus Macaque monkeys. The response was just what we hoped for: a new appreciation and love for the nature.

5 Photos top line: Bob Knight, Barbara Schwartz, Steve MacKenzie, CF students, Bob in kayak Next line: Great Blue Heron, foot gator, rhesus macaque AUDUBON FLORIDA 2019 CONSERVATION ACTION AGENDA SYNOPSIS This was presented at the Audubon Assembly held in West Palm Beach last month (October). COASTAL CONSERVATION: by employing sound science to guide conservation WATER: protect water at the source; aquifers, wetlands, lakes and springs. The focus is on water quality, quantity and sustainability. Continue the long-standing work to protect and restore America s Everglades. CLIMATE: by advocating for the reduction of greenhouse gasses, encouraging energy conservation in homes, business, and communities, and by promoting ecologically sound sea level rise adaptation strategies. WORKING LANDS: protect conservation lands, conservation easement programs, engage and improve volunteer participation in the Scrub Jay Watch and Eagle Watch programs. BIRD-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES: as our state is a significant portion of the Atlantic Flyway, we have over 500 species of birds. They require ample food, clean water, and appropriate habitat to survive. Native plants are the foundation of the food chain, as well as providing shelter and spaces for birds to raise their young. We must all choose, and encourage other to also choose, native plants for our yards and public spaces. Marion Audubon Society chapter is part of the Northeast Florida Regional Conservation Area. Therefore, we have varied areas of focus. The beaches, dunes and coastlines are significant nesting sites for shorebirds and seabirds on the Northern East Coast of the state. The coastal marshes are essential nurseries for fish and invertebrates. The coastal scrub and maritime hammocks are home to resident bird species and provide essential breeding/foraging areas for migrating birds. Other special areas in North East Florida include multiple first magnitude springs that flow into area rivers. The Ichetucknee, Ocklawaha, St. Johns, Silver and Suwannee Rivers are all spring

6 fed. These springs are impacted by excess nutrient run-off and over-pumping of the aquifer. Our Region is also home to the Ocala and Osceola National Forests, state forests, parks and preserves. Many of the resident bird species there are of conservation concern. A FINAL WORD As Conservation Chair, I want to remind you to be aware of the impact of single-use plastics on our environment. This includes Styrofoam. We can all make a difference by reducing our use of these items; reusing and repurposing are also effective. A good place to start is to eliminate the use of plastic straws and Styrofoam cups and take-out containers. I ll provide tips on this effort each month. I hope to hear from all of you any ideas we can share to decrease our environmental footprint and have a positive impact on our community. me at vallabha@cox.net. Barbara Schwartz, Conservation Chair Pickles by Brian Crane Photos by Sandra Marriffino follow on the page below.

7 Just a few of the many beautiful photos submitted by Sandra Marraffino Thank you Sandy Grey Catbird House Wren Hooded Warbler Female Red Start Yellow-throated-Warbler Bob White Quail Oven Bird White Eyed Vireo Palm Warbler