may-june 2009 brown pelican newsletter coastal bend audubon society

8/9/2019 May-June 2009 Brown Pelican Newsletter Coastal Bend Audubon Society

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On the Web at http://www.coastalbendaudubon.org

Brown PelicanMay/June 2009

The Newsletter of the Coastal Bend Audubon Society

The

Migration

april 2009

Western Tanager

Yellow Headed Blackbird

Billy Sandifer, who does birding tripsand fishing charters. The Lazuli Buntingphoto was taken in Live Oak County byBlair and Sandy Sterba-Boatwright,members of the Coastal Bend AudubonSociety.

To see these photos in color, pleaseview the newsletter on our website:www.coastalbendaudubon.org.

CBAS Monthly MeetingsTuesday, May 5 at 7 pmSpeaker: Bart Ballard ofCaesar Kleberg Wildlife Re-search Institute,TAMU-Kingsville

Topic:Conservation Strate-gies for Wintering Redheadsin the Laguna Madre of

Texas

Location:Corpus Christi Museum of

Science and History1900 N. Chaparral

Corpus Christi, Texas

Time: 7:00 p.m.All members and the public

are invited!

___________________________

Three western species, aWestern Tanager, a Yellow-Headed Blackbird, and a Laz-uli Bunting showed up asSpring Migration continued inthe Coastal Bend. All wereseen on the weekend of April11-12, following passage of afront. They are not rare, butoccasionally show up in our

area.The Western Tanager and

Yellow Headed Blackbirdphotos were taken by Captain

Lazuli Bunting


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10th ANNUAL DRAGONFLY DAYS

May 21-24, 2009 WeslacoFocusing on the diversity of these flying wonders found in theLower Rio Grande Valley, this event offers field trips, seminarsand lots of opportunities to see birds, butterflies, and of course,

dragonflies, in one of North Americas most diverse regions.Contact: Valley Nature Center, Weslaco, TX(956) 969-2475

RANCH OPEN HOUSE

May 23-24 Texas Hill CountryThe Texas Hill Country Nature Photography Alliance will openranch gates to visitors wishing to see what nature photographyis all about. Visitors must contact each ranch to reservespace. Free.Contact: 512-264-1741Web site: www.hillcountryphoto.org

WINGS OVER THE WETLANDS

May 30, 2009 Matagorda Bay Nature Park

Beginners birding program. Learn about birding equipmentand migration routes, how to identify common Texas bird spe-

cies. Binoculars provided on request. 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

$10 per person.

Contact: 512-369-4740

Web site: www.lcra.org/matagorda

KIDS BIRDING 101

June 6, 2009 Mitchell Lake Audubon CenterKids Birding 101 - San Antonio. Kids learn the basics of birdidentification and binoculars, and go out in the field with

trained docents. 9 - 11 a.m. Free, reservations required.

Contact: 210-628-1639

Web site: www.mitchelllakeaudubon.org

INTRODUCTION TO ORNITHOLOGY

June 25, 2009 Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, HoustonThe first in a series of classes to study the physiology of birdsthat makes them such amazing creatures of flight, migrationand beauty. Instructor: Glenn Olsen. Call for cost and time.

Contact: 713-932-1639Web site: houstonaudubon.org

BEGINNERS BIRD WALK

Judson Nature Trails, Alamo HeightsSecond Saturday Each Month (7:30 a.m. or 8 a.m.)Binoculars are provided. Helps beginners learn the birds ofthe area. Free.Contact: 210-342-2073 Web site: www.saaudubon.org

13th ANNUAL GREAT TEXAS BIRDING CLASSIC

April 26 May 3, 2009 Texas CoastThis friendly but serious birding for conservation tournament isheld each year to coincide with the spectacular spring migra-tion. To date, $651,000 has been contributed to direct habitat

conservation through this event.Contact: Gulf Coast Bird Observatory Carol Jones(979) 480-0999Web site: www.birdingclassic.orgE-mail: [email protected]

DAY ON THE BAY WETLAND KAYAK TRIP

May 2 and May 23, 2009 Matagorda Bay Nature ParkPaddle through a wetlands habitat and discover why MatagordaCounty is number one in the nation for bird species diversifica-tion. Bring water shoes, sunscreen, bug spray, water andsnacks. A 2.5-mile excursion. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. $50 with boat

and equipment rental, $25 with your own boat and equipment.Additional dates: June 20 and August 15. Ages 8 and up.Contact: 512-369-4740Web site: www.lcra.org/matagorda

FESTIVAL ON THE BAYOU

May 2, 2009 Festival on the Bayou

Houston Audubons Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center

Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day with the Houston

Audubon Society. Fun for all ages. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ticket

prices vary.

Contact: 713-640-2407

Web site: www.houstonaudubon.org

5th ANNUAL BIRDATHON

May 9, 2009 Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, San Antonio

Annual fundraising event where birders raise pledges based on

species seen. Expert guides make this event fun for birders of

all experience levels. Call for details.

Contact: 210-628-1639

Web site: www.mitchelllakeaudubon.org

GUIDED BIRD WALK, LEWISVILLE

May 9 and June 13, 2009 Lewisville Lake EnvironmentalLearning Area (Second Saturday of every month)Accompany a master birder on a guided hike for birders of allskill levels. 7:30 a.m. $5 person, reservations required. Ages 10and up.Contact: 972-219-3930Web site: www.ias.unt.edu/llela

WHATS UP AROUND TEXAS


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Sunday 5/3/09 Migrant Hot Spots, Mustang Island. LindaFuiman, leader. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED, NO FEE.Minimum 6 / maximum 12 participants, deadline May 1. Tripstarts at Paradise Pond, 7:00 am at the Birding Center, and willalso visit shorebird sites and the North Jetty in Port Aransas.

Friday 5/8/09 through Saturday 5/9/09 Bracken Cave and

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. David New-stead, leader. Fee $30, members. Non-members pay additionalmembership fee. Limited to the first 20 people registered. Con-tact David Newstead at [email protected], or 361.885.6203for details on local hotels and other arrangements.

Upcoming field trips

Tuesday, May 5 at 7 pm

BART M. BALLARD, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Insti-

tute, Texas A&M UniversityKingsville

Conservation Strategies for Wintering Redheads in the La-

guna Madre of Texas

The lower Texas Coast supplies important wintering habitat for

a large portion of North Americas redheads. Spending much

of the non-breeding season here, they forage predominately inthe saline waters of the Laguna Madre and make daily flights

inland to obtain fresh water from coastal ponds. The distribu-

tion and abundance of these coastal ponds may play a role in

the grazing intensity that the large number of redheads has on

shoalgrass meadows. Thus, a conservation strategy that helps

improve the distribution of freshwater adjacent to the Laguna

Madre during dry years may help reduce the concentration of

Upcoming meeting

In 1934, Larry Walkinshaw experienced a sight of cranes that

completely changed his life. Consequently, his inspired workestablished him as father of international crane research. Atthe April meeting, Lowell Schake, the author ofOn the Wingsof Cranes: Larry Walkinshaws Life Story, told the story ofhow Walkinshaw, an amateur birder since childhood, was dedi-cated to understanding and recording the habits of birds, includ-ing the 14 crane species. His expertise, meticulous field notesand leadership helped save Whooping Cranes, Greater SandhillCranes and Kirtlands Warblers from extinction. For more infosee www.lowellschake.com.

April meeting

Georgean and Paul Kyle, of the Driftwood Wildlife Associationspoke about Chimney Swifts: Why We Should Care. The Kylesexplained the life cycle of Chimney Swifts, with excellent pho-tographs of nests, nestlings and fledglings. This insect-eatingspecies nests only in chimneys and other column-type shapes,and are in need of additional nesting sites. The presentation

also included how to build chimney swift towers. More infor-mation can be found at www.chimneyswifts.org, or by [email protected].

March meeting

Georgean and Paul Kyle

Lowell Schake

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CBAS received funds several years ago in memory of Mr.& Mrs. William Byrd Harris, longtime residents of the CorpusChristi area and wildlife enthusiasts. Work has begun on amemorial bird and butterfly garden located at the BlucherHouse (currently the Texas Nature Conservancy office). Path-ways have been laid out and the beds are being prepared. Abench with a commemorative plaque will be located with aview of the garden and the water feature. Plants will be or-dered soon and we'll need help with the planting. If you're in-terested in volunteering to help with the completion of the gar-den, please contact David Newstead at [email protected],or 885.6203.

Byrd and Bea Harris

Memorial Garden
http://www.lowellschake.com/http://www.chimneyswifts.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.chimneyswifts.org/http://www.lowellschake.com/


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By David Newstead

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Helping Red Knots

Red Knots are on their way back through the Texas coast,showing up on area beaches and some of the flats in the bays.Your sightings of knots are important information that will helpscientists better understand the distribution and timing of mi-gration of knots in Texas. When you see a group of knots, lookclosely to see if you can detect a plastic flag on one of theirlegs. If you see one, record the color of the flag, the leg it is on,and the three-digit alphanumeric code if you can read it, andreport it to http://www.bandedbirds.org/, or contact David New-stead at [email protected]. You can also report otherbanded birds besides Red Knots at the website.

The Great Plains breeding habitat for Piping Plovers may be tooflooded to support much nesting this summer. With this inmind, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service serving the Great

Plains area is asking birders to keep an eye out for Piping Plov-ers that may return south early if they've encountered floodednesting habitat. The month of June is of special interest. Duringa normal year, most Piping Plovers have left Texas by late May,and then early breeders start showing back up on the Texascoast in late July.

Carol Aron is the lead FWS biologist for the Great Plainsbreeding population. Contact her about unusual Piping Ploversightings at [email protected] or 701-355-8506.

Piping plovers

If anybody from out of town has asked you how things are go-ing down here recently, you have probably answered - "dry."Through most of March, the sanctuary looked totally parched,though there was some agarito putting forth a meager effort atblooming by the end of the month. We put up two Purple Mar-tin houses on the observation tower near the new wetland inFebruary, but the wetland had dried up in mid-winter, andthings looked pretty bleak.

Then, all of a sudden a freak storm blazed through the area,

dropping a relatively small amount of rain in a very short time.This rain ran off the surrounding land quickly, filled theditches, and overflowed into the Prairie Wetland Projectexactly as it was supposed to do! The wetland did not quite fillto capacity, but there is now substantial water for migratingshorebirds and waterfowl, and we hope it gets topped up bysome late spring showers. Ranchers in the area have put upMartin houses in years past, and had established colonies. Byearly March, Martins had begun to show interest in our newhouses, and in early April it appeared we will be hosting at leastsix pairs of them through the breeding season. Many thanks toBuddy McDowell for donating two houses.

In other news, we have received approval for installation of ashallow-water feature at the sanctuary. This will be in the formof a recirculating drip bath with shallow basins, placed in asheltered area for the benefit of resident and migratory song-birds. The new water feature will be installed by Aquaria Ser-vices, who are generously donating their expertise and labor forthe project. Look for details on the completed project in thenext issue of theBrown Pelican newsletter.

North Bay Sanctuary Update

View of sanctuary pond in August 2008, after a rainy summer.

CBAS has received a grant from the Audubon Foundation ofTexas for $7,000, for a project in conjunction with the PurpleMartin Conservation Association. This project involves track-ing purple martins from local colonies using tiny geolocatordevices that track light levels, revealing the location and move-ments of the birds for up to two years. A similar project con-ducted in Pennsylvania has already yielded important informa-tion about migratory patterns, roosting and wintering sites, and

daily travel distances during migration. Martins in south Texasare presumed to follow different migratory routes. This studywill help us learn about migrating and wintering site dynamicsof our Purple Martins, and hopefully help identify critical mi-gratory roost sites in Latin America. Look for more informa-tion in the next newsletter.

Grant Awarded

The Spring 2009 Audubon Texas Coastal Stewardship Programnewsletter is out! CBAS members may want to view the news-

letter by visiting this web page: http://www.tx.audubon.org/pdfs/Coast_Newsletter_Spr09.pdf

Audubon Texas

coastal newsletter
http://www.bandedbirds.org/http://us.mc362.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://www.tx.audubon.org/pdfs/Coast_Newsletter_Spr09.pdfhttp://www.tx.audubon.org/pdfs/Coast_Newsletter_Spr09.pdfhttp://www.tx.audubon.org/pdfs/Coast_Newsletter_Spr09.pdfhttp://www.tx.audubon.org/pdfs/Coast_Newsletter_Spr09.pdfhttp://www.tx.audubon.org/pdfs/Coast_Newsletter_Spr09.pdfhttp://www.tx.audubon.org/pdfs/Coast_Newsletter_Spr09.pdfhttp://us.mc362.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://www.bandedbirds.org/


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The Birds of North America (BNA) provides comprehensivelife histories for each of the 716+ species of birds breeding inthe USA (including Hawaii) and Canada. Although the original

print version was completed in 2002, anyone can now accessthe material at the Cornell Lab of Ornithologys website. Infor-mation is frequently added to species accounts, resulting in themost up-to-date information available anywhere. In addition,BNA Online contains image and video galleries showing plum-ages, behaviors, habitat, nests and eggs, and more. Mostonline BNA accounts now feature recordings of the songs andcalls of their species from the extensive collection of Cornell'sMacaulay Library of Natural Sounds.

Ordinarily, BNA costs $40/year, but anyone with a CorpusChristi Public Library card can access the collection for free.If you have been accessing the BNA by this method, you need

to know that the Corpus Christi Public Libraries has a new web-site and the old links are no longer active. The new address is:http://www.cclibraries.com/library_branches/northwest/bna_login.htm.

More than 20 hardy souls visited the Coastal Bend Bays & Es-tuaries Program's Nueces Delta Preserve just south of Odem onthe morning of March 7, 2009. Local birders from the CoastalBend Audubon Society, Audubon Outdoor Club, and

the Aransas Bird & Nature Club along with some participantsfrom far-flung places, including Canada, participated. Despitethe wind that increased to 30-mph, the group was not discour-aged.

We visited many habitat types, including freshwater marsh,deep freshwater wetlands, brackish marshes and tidal channels,Tamaulipan thornscrub in various stages of succession and sa-cahuiste prairie. We discussed a number of habitat manage-ment projects in progress on the property. Several White-tailedand Red-tailed Hawks were still present, following some pre-scribed burns that took place on the property in February. Manyspecies of ducks including a drake Mallard were present in the

wetlands along with Dowitchers, Western and Least Sandpi-pers, and other shorebirds. Participants also saw a Wilson'sSnipe shamelessly walking along the edge of the wetland.

Many of the South Texas regulars were present including GreenJays and Great Kiskadees. A pair of Barn Owls was observed inone of the nest boxes on the southern end of the property. Afterbirding, the group returned to the pavilion and enjoyed a pot-luck-style spread of snacks and the fellowship of kindredspirits.

Field Trip Report:

Nueces Delta Preserve

By David Newstead

Birds of north America

& CC Public LibraryEarth Day 2009

CBAS celebrated Earth Day2009 with a Booth on the Bay-front. Above, Laura Cooper &Scott Large distribute age ap-propriate information to ayoung visitor. Left, the Toucanwas the best bird of the migra-tory fallout this weekend!

Right, Pat Suter tries herhand windsurfing. Below,Scott Large connects with afamily. Photos courtesyLinda Fuiman.

By Margie Di Clemente & Nancy Devlin


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Three birding classes will be held for students aged 7-16 yearsat 3 different locations around the Coastal Bend. These intro-ductory classes are designed to help students identify birds andgive students a greater awareness of the environment. Studentswill learn how to use binoculars, how to identify birds using

field marks, make a bird feeder and sketch a bird or plant justlike the famous ornithologist, James Audubon.

Students are asked to bring their own binoculars if possible butwe do have 8 pairs that we can loan out on a first come basis.Please dress for the weather and wear sunscreen, hat etc.Classes are free. To register: contact Linda Fuiman at 361-728-4635, or [email protected].

SPONSORED BY:

The University of Texas Marine ScienceInstitute (www.utmsi.utexas.edu)

The Coastal Bend Audubon Society

(www.coastalbendaudubon.org)

Thursday, June 4, 2009Location: Hans Suter Park

Corpus Christi9-11 a.m.

Thursday, June 11, 2009Location: Indian PointPortland9-11 a.m.

Thursday, June 18, 2009Location: The BirdingCenter

Port Aransas9-11 a.m.

Ages 7-16 yrsClasses are Free

BringBinoculars

RegistrationRequired

Summer Birding 101

for KidsExcerpts from Turns out the red knot is not alone in its

plight by Brian T. Murray. Published in the New Jersey Star-

LedgerA team of five New Jersey Audubon researchers along

with a Dutch scientist have found evidence that the semipal-

mated sandpiper is in serious decline. Aerial surveys of Suri-name and French Guiana, where 85 percent of the birds winter,indicate that the numbers of the birds has declined from 2 mil-lion in the 1980s to 400,000.

"We had already found a 50 percent decline over 15 yearsby 2006. Now, this is a 70 to 80 percent decline since the sur-vey in the 1980s. I think it's alarming," said David Mizrahi, theteam leader. The problem, he said, appears to be in the Dela-ware Bay also the controversial source of the red knot's trou-bles.

For eons, most of the Atlantic Coast population of horse-shoe crabs have arrived at the bay to lay their eggs. In turn,millions of shorebirds migrating from southern wintering

grounds land to feast on those eggs a crucial meal as theycontinue their trek to northern breeding grounds.

New Jersey and Canadian biologists have insisted foryears that a decline in horseshoe crab eggs in the Delaware Bayis causing the decline in red knots. Where the birds once found50,000 eggs per square meter, there are now 20,000. Biologistsalso have concluded the red knots are arriving in Arctic breed-ing grounds too underweight to mate.

"About 80 percent of the world's population of red knotsgo through the Delaware Bay on their return north. About 60percent of the world's population of semipalmated sandpiperscome through at the same time," Mizrahi said.

"There just doesn't seem to be a major change down in the

wintering areas of either the red knot or the semipalmated sand-piper to explain a decline in either species. The Arctic breedinggrounds of the red knot also have not changed ... But what wedo know is that there have been changes in the stopover areaboth birds share in North America," he said.

"But in order to nail this all down, we must ultimately getto the breeding grounds as well to confirm that the problem isin the North American stopover," Mizrahi said.

Semipalmated Sandpipers

& Red Knots

Photo: Kevin Edwards, IAN Image Library (www.ian.umces.edu/

imagelibrary/)


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New Member Renewal Chapter:C9ZW130Z Name: __________________________________ Address: ________________________________________

City _____________________________________ State _______________ ZIP ______________

Phone (optional) ___________________________ Email (optional) ____________________________________

Indicate Membership Preference: I would like to become amember ofNational Audubon Society and Coastal Bend Audubon Society (local W-13). Your membership includes the NationalAudubon Magazine, chapter membership and other benefits. Your chapter receives part of your dues. Dues: One year $20 Makechecks payable to National Audubon Society

member ofCoastal Bend Audubon Society (local W-13) ONLY.No NAS membership and no National Audubon magazine. Your chapter only membership includes all other Audubon membership bene-fits. Your chapter receives all of your dues. Dues: One year $15Make checks payable to Coastal Bend Audubon Society

Additional Tax Deductible ContributionPlease consider making a tax deductible contribution to the local chapter, Coastal Bend Audubon Society. You may designate the cate-gory you would like your contribution applied to. Designate category of support.

Tern One year $50

Osprey One year $100

Pelican One year $500

Designate specific area of support (Optional).

General Fund Education Program Sanctuary Maintenance Newsletter Fund

AMOUNT Enclosed: ___________________Date: ________________

MAIL TO: COASTAL BEND AUDUBON SOCIETY, P.O. BOX 3604, Corpus Christi, TX 7846302/09

New or Renewing Membership

By Leatrice Koch

February 1 - March 31, 2009

Beginning balance $18,305.27

Income .................................. $3,439.43Expenses ................................ 4,652.77

( 1,213.34)

Ending balance $17,091.93Less reserved fund 1,590.00Less sanctuary improvement donation

2,000.00

Operating fund $13,501.03

Treasurers report Cornell Nest Watch

Cornell Lab of Ornithology is enlisting the help of birdersin its study of the effects of climate change on nesting habits ofbirds. Studies have shown that some birds are laying their eggssooner than in the past--as much as nine days earlier in the caseof tree swallows.

You can help by registering your nesting boxes with the

Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Nest Watch program atwww.RegisterYourNestbox.org. The website gives informationon how to provide boxes for bluebirds, swallows, chickadees,and other cavity-nesting birds and instructions as to how tomonitor nest boxes without disturbing the birds. Participantsalso can monitor the nests of backyard birds that don't use nestboxes, such as phoebes, robins, and goldfinches.Participation involves visiting nests once or twice per week andreporting observations, such as types of birds using nest boxes,when first eggs are laid, and the total number of eggs andyoung.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers birders live videoof the nesting activity of eastern bluebirds, northern flickers,Carolina wrens, and barn owls athttp://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/camera/index.
http://www.registeryournestbox.org/http://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/camera/indexhttp://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/camera/indexhttp://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/camera/indexhttp://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/camera/indexhttp://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/camera/indexhttp://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/camera/indexhttp://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/camera/indexhttp://www.registeryournestbox.org/


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DIRECTORS

Education Linda Fuiman, [email protected]

Sanctuary Dick DuBois, [email protected]

Conservation Scott Large, [email protected]

Membership Laura Cooper, [email protected] Sally Bickley,[email protected] Gene Blacklock, [email protected]

At-Large Ray Sutton, [email protected]

The Brown Pelican

P.O. Box 3604Corpus Christi, Texas 78463

The Newsletter of the CoastalBend Audubon Society

This newsletter is compiled/written and publishedevery other month. Articles of interest are gathered from

various sources and compiled by the editor,volunteers, and/or contributing authors.

All contributions and comments are welcomed.

Regular CBAS meetings:First Tuesday of the month, Septemberthrough May, 7 p.m. at the CCMuseum of Science and History

Non-Profit Org.

U. S. Postage

PAID

Permit No. 1080

Corpus Christi, TX

The Coastal Bend Audubon Society is a non-profit 501c(3) organization dedicated to the con-

servation of birds, and bird habitat, and to conser-vation education in the Coastal Bend.

The organization is supported by contributionsfrom local memberships and from the National

Audubon Society.

Your CHAPTER needs you! You can help steerthe course of growth and change in our commu-

nity by working together Please contact us at 361-885-6203 about getting involved!

PRESIDENTDavid [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENTMary Ellen [email protected]

SECRETARYCherie [email protected]

TREASURERLeatrice [email protected]

Coastal Bend Audubon Society Board of Directors

Phone: 361-885-6203

Email: [email protected]

http://www.coastalbendaudubon.org

may-june 2009 brown pelican newsletter coastal bend audubon society

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