The Pine Warbler. March/April Meetings Joshua Hodge. March/April Field Trips & Events Diane Lafferty. Pine Woods Audubon Society

Transcription

1 The Pine Warbler Pine Woods Audubon Society March/April 2015 Volume 2014/ Officers President Joshua Hodge Vice-President Kelly O Neal Secretary Larry Basden Treasurer Lin Harper Newsletter Larry Basden Committees Field Trips Diane Lafferty Education Diane Lafferty Conservation Joshua Hodge Hospitality Jerri Simmons Membership Kelly O Neal Historian Linda Basden March/April Meetings Joshua Hodge March 5 The Winter Ecology of Yellow Rails in Coastal MS & AL Dr. Mark Woodrey Dr. Mark Woodrey (Research Coordinator at the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve) will highlight results of winter Yellow Rail research that he and his collaborators have been conducting in the coastal marshes in MS & AL for four years. He will discuss how Yellow Rail ecology relates to current management of coastal habitats such as wet pine savannas and emergent tidal marsh. April 2 Ecology & Conservation of Reptiles and Amphibians at Camp Shelby Jim Lee Jim Lee (Wildlife Biologist with the Nature Conservancy) will discuss his work at Camp Shelby with the federally threatened Gopher Tortoise, state endangered Black Pinesnake, and state endangered Camp Shelby Burrowing Crayfish. Jim also manages a cooperative agreement between the Nature Conservancy and the MS Dept. of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks that is focused on head-starting and translocation of the federally endangered Dusky Gopher Frog. Jim will bring several live reptiles to his presentation. IMPORTANT NOTICE Due to the zoo s quarantine policy the April meeting cannot be held at the zoo. The April meeting only will be held at 7pm at Hardy Street Baptist s Activity Center. This is located at the corner of Hardy Street and S. 17th Avenue next to the zoo. March/April Field Trips & Events Diane Lafferty Mar. 5 Wildlife Day at Crosby Arboretum, Picayune, MS. PWAS will again have an information table at this event. We will leave Hattiesburg at 7:45am. Contact Diane for more details and to volunteer to help with the event. Mar. 7 Seaman Road Lagoons with Miss. Coast Audubon Society. We will leave Hattiesburg at 6am. Additional details later. Meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month (September through May) in the Education Building at the Hattiesburg Zoo. Refreshments at 6:30 pm. Meetings begin at 7:00 pm and are open to the public. Pine Woods Audubon Society is a chapter of National Audubon Society, Inc. Mar. 14 Ship Island Birding with Miss. Coast Audubon Society. Leave Hattiesburg at 7am. Fee for ferry ride required. Additional details later. Mar. 28 Big Branch Marsh NWR, Lacombe, LA. Leave Hattiesburg at 7:30am. Additional details for this event will be announced later. Apr. 18 Birdfest at the Hattiesburg Zoo. This is our annual rent event for our meeting room. We will set up several stations to inform zoo visitors about PWAS and birds, in general. Contact Diane to volunteer. Apr Spring Migration at Dauphin Island, AL. Make your own reservations for this weekend. Compilation meeting will be held at the Gulf Breeze Motel Saturday evening. These, as well as other events, are included in the calendar pages included with the version of the newsletter. This can also be seen (and downloaded) at the PWAS website.

2 President s Message Joshua Hodge Dear Pine Woods Audubon Members, It is an exciting time of year for nature lovers and our Chapter. We had a great Window Watch thanks to Mike and Diane Lafferty hosting on short notice. We followed that with an excellent President s Day Gull Run where we were able to study all of the usual gulls, terns, and shorebirds encountered on the Gulf Coast. Spring always brings a busy schedule of field trips. Check out the information listed in this newsletter. In addition to field trips, we have several outreach events this spring where we spread the word about Audubon and the environment. These include Wildlife Day at Crosby Arboretum, Bird Fest at the Hattiesburg Zoo, Hattiesburg s Earth Day Celebration at Town Square Park, and the Southern Miss Earth Fair. If you can help with any of these events, please contact Diane Lafferty or myself. I believe that we also have three great programs coming up this spring. In addition to the two great guest speakers, we will have a Show and Tell program in May. Please share any amazing photos, interesting artifacts, and incredible stories that you would be willing to share with members. I will be collecting the photos and combining them into a presentation. If you would like to be included in the program, please me with any photos and a brief description of your story to be included. If you cannot , call me, but is preferred. Joshua Hodge Did St. Francis preach to the birds? Whatever for? If he really liked birds he would have done better to preach to the cats. - Rebecca West - Something to Think About In a recent issue of Bird Watcher s Digest there were a couple of Letters to the Editor that gave me pause. Perhaps there is something for all of us to think about as we read them: Thanks for Kenn Kaufman s column in the September/October issue. I recall a friend once marveled at a shiny, speckled starling. I said, trashbird. Later, I was so ashamed that I resolved never to use that phrase again. If we don t take care of all birds, some day there will be nothing left but trashbirds. Kenn s column also struck a note because my first experience in bird watching was also a cardinal in my neighbors backyard. Cardinals were not common in Indianapolis those days. I was seven years old. I marveled at the cardinal s vivid color, black mask and bright orange bill. How could anything in creation be so beautiful? I was hooked for life! Trash bird? Bah! The September/October issue of BWD was another good one, even though I wonder about your arbitrarily declaring the ivory -billed woodpecker and Bachman s warbler extinct. Anyway, congratulations to Kenn Kaufman for his piece about trashbirds. He s quite right to suggest such attitudes turn off newcomers to the hobby at a time when we need as many interested people involved as possible. I keep year, life, state/province lists too and get excited when I see a lifer or even a rarity for a region but that does not keep me from stopping and admiring the antics and song of mockingbirds in the garden, the beauty of the iridescent plumage of grackles, or the grace of a circling turkey vulture overhead almost daily. I find it sad so many birders have long since stopped noticing such things and consider anything that doesn t expand a list to be a waste of time. Keep up the good work. While compiling a list can be a worthwhile venture, shouldn t our birding activities include taking the time to just enjoy the bounty and variety of nature? I know that it is sometimes hard for me to keep from referring to some birds as just another or trashbirds. But that doesn t mean that I couldn t (or shouldn t) approach each sighting as an opportunity to see or learn something new. Even for those most common birds. Just like I did when I saw them with wonder the very first time. Page 2

3 Welcome, New Members! Kelly O Neal Here are the new members who have joined Audubon at the national level since the last issue of The Pine Warbler. If you know any of these people, please take a few minutes to welcome them, to tell them about PWAS, and to invite them to join us at a meeting, field trip, or other activity. Scottie Whigham Hattiesburg Michael O Neal Hattiesburg Aaron Green Hattiesburg Jimmy Lung Collins Allison Bullock Columbia Joanna Arauz Ellisville Shelley Boss Laurel Spring Migration at Dauphin Island One of the PWAS annual activities that should not be missed will occur the weekend of April The annual trip to Dauphin Island, AL to experience the spring migration. All types of species will be stopping off at the island after their long, continuous flight from Central America to the US. If we are there when a front, with bad weather, is sitting just north of the island, we might get the chance to experience what is commonly called a fallout. The migrating birds have had an unusually strenuous non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico and are in dire need of refueling before heading further north to their breeding grounds. Since I have not personally experienced this event, I will only relate what I have heard from others who have been fortunate enough to see one. I have been told that the birds are so exhausted and hungry that you must watch where you are stepping as they are everywhere underfoot. They are concerned with resting and refueling so a very close approach is possible. While it is a very stressful event for the birds, it can be exhilarating for the human bird watchers who are present to observe it. If you are planning to spend the weekend on the island, there are 2 popular choices available. The Gulf Breeze Motel is the usual site for the Saturday evening compilation meeting and typically has several Chapter members in residence for the weekend. The contact number for the motel is (251) The motel is located on the western part of the island. For those who enjoy camping, the Dauphin Island Campground is available. It is located at the eastern end of the island near the ferry terminal. The campground adjoins the Audubon Bird Sanctuary and has entrances to the sanctuary. The contact number for the campground is (251) Even if you are not planning to spend the weekend, Dauphin Island can be an easy day trip from this area. You can always find birders (including PWAS members) at Cadillac Square Park, the Shell Mound, the Airport, or the Goat Tree. Come join us for the chance to experience warbler neck as we scan the treetops for migrating warblers. Page 3

4 We re on the Web! The Pine Warbler Pine Woods Audubon Society 544 West 4th Street Hattiesburg, MS Address Service Requested Reminder April meeting will be held at Hardy Street Baptist Activity Center next to the zoo at the corner of Hardy Street and S. 17th Avenue Bird Sightings & Field Trips As noted elsewhere in this newsletter, spring brings a busy schedule along with it. The winter visitors are changing before our eyes. Goldfinches are beginning to suit up for the breeding season. Some of last year s hatchlings are warming up their voices and practicing their songs. And, most exciting of all, we will soon be seeing migrating species coming through our area on their way to their breeding territory. I m ready!! Bring on the Buntings, Grosbeaks, and Warblers. I m waiting. The January Sparrow Trip was another success. We saw several Sparrow species including Vesper and White-crowned. It sure was nice to see something besides Chipping Sparrows in the backyard. The Window Watch resulted in seeing several species not usually seen in my backyard. I am still baffled about how Mike & Diane arranged a flyover of three Red-tailed Hawks simultaneously. What a sight that was. I m not sure how future hosts will top that trick. All reports of the Gull Run indicated that it was successful and the variety of gulls, terns, and other shorebirds was enjoyed. The late month field trip to Country Girl Creamery resulted in a great list of species seen. It even included a rare one Inca Dove with multiple birds seen. It is a bummer that instead of seeing this rare MS species, I spent my day trying to shake a cough that still hangs on. I may need to see if a special trip could be arranged so that those who couldn t make the scheduled event can add Inca Dove to their MS list.

5 notes PWAS Calendar Click to add a photo or drag your photo here. march 2015 monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday sunday Crosby Arb. and PWAS Mtg. Zoo Educ. Ctr. 7:00pm Seaman Rd. Lagoons with MCAS Keg & Barrel Mtg. Keg & Barrel 5:30pm Ship Island Birding with MCAS Big Branch Marsh NWR Lacombe, LA Thursday, March 5 Wildlife Day at Crosby Arboretum, Picayune, MS Joint Field Trips with Mississippi Coast Audubon Society March 7 Seaman Road Lagoons in Jackson County. Leave Hattiesburg at 6am. March 14 Ship Island Birding. Leave Hattiesburg at 7am. Ticket for Ship Island ferry required.

6 notes PWAS Calendar Click to add a photo or drag your photo here. april 2015 monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday sunday Keg & Barrel Mtg. Keg & Barrel 5:30pm PWAS Mtg. Hardy Street Baptist Activity Ctr. 7:00pm Birdfest Hattiesburg Zoo Spring Migration Dauphin Island Spring Migration Dauphin Island Spring Migration Dauphin Island IMPORTANT NOTICE Meeting this month will be held at Hardy Street Baptist Activity Center located next to the Zoo at the corner of Hardy Street and S. 17th Avenue. Spring Migration at Dauphin Island, AL April (Make your own reservations)