The Yellowthroat
Voice of the
Oconee Rivers Audubon Society
December 1999
Vol. 9 No. 12
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Upcoming Meetings December 2nd: Paul Sykes, premier Georgia birder, will headline our annual Christmas Bird Count preparatory meeting with a presentation on the identification of winter birds in Georgia. This meeting will be informative for birders of all levels, whether you want to identify birds at your feeder or you are a hardcore bird seeker and need a few more birding tips. This is the 100th year of the Christmas Bird Count and we are celebrating by holding this special joint meeting with the Sandy Creek Nature Center. We also expect to have a little history of the bird count and some holiday treats thrown in. To get to the Nature Center, take the Highway 441 exit off the north side of the perimeter, go north on 441 approximately 1 mile, and turn left at the Sandy Creek Nature Center sign. Go left at the end of this short road and the new ENSAT building will be a short way down the road on your right. December 2nd
ORAS Shirts Available— The ORAS millennium sweatshirt in a variety of colors is now available. Sweatshirts and T-Shirts (long- and short-sleeved) can be purchased at the meetings or by calling Gary Crider at 543-8823. Audubon Adventures 1999-2000— We have a number of local teachers who are interested in presenting the Audubon Adventures material to their 4th to 6th grade children. We are looking for people to sponsor a classroom for the school year for $35 or whatever portion you can spare. This is a great way to introduce young people to the natural world. Contact Maggie Nettles at 543-8823 if you wish to sponsor a classroom.
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Time to Join Project Feeder Watch— Now is the time to sign up for Project FeederWatch at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Sightings reported by feeder watchers in the past years have provided valuable data on the population trends of winter species. This season, based on a trend observed in previous years, a large southward eruption of Northern Finches is expected in the eastern and central United States. Winter finches include Pine Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills, White-winged Crossbills, Common Redpolls, Hoary Redpolls, Pine Siskins, and Evening Grosbeaks. The fee is $15 to help defray expenses and participants will receive great resources and watching tips. To join, call the Cornell Lab at (800) 843-2473 or write at Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology/AMW, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850 or visit the web for more info at <http://birdsource.cornell.edu/>. Christmas Bird Count
The 1999 Athens-Clarke Christmas Bird Count will be held on December
18th. People are still needed on some birding teams and all are welcome
to participate regardless of birding experience. For more information contact
Mary Case at 548-3848 (mcase@arches.uga.edu) or Eugenia Thompson at 548-7208
(erthomps@negia.net). The countdown dinner will be held in the evening
at 7 p.m. following the bird count at the ENSAT center at Sandy Creek Nature
Center.
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Published monthly by the
Officers President
Chairs Conservation
Submit sightings or articles by calling the Editor
Articles, artwork, notices, and sighting reports welcomed. The deadline for submissions is the 15th of each month. All articles and artwork or copyrighted, and all rights are reserved by the authors. Opinions expressed in articles are those of the respective authors, and do not necessarily reflect the official views of Oconee Rivers Audubon Society. http://www.audubon.org/chapter/ga/oconee Oconee Rivers Audubon Society |
Sightings reported at November 4th meeting: Sarah Cliett saw a flock of 12 Wood Ducks on her pond; Carla O’Grady, a Pine Siskin at their feeder in mid-October; Mark Freeman, a Cooper’s Hawk at UGA stadium during Homecoming Game (GA-KY); David Galewski, spotted a Brown Creeper and Water Pipet at Lake Herrick, a male Northern Harrier, and 6 species of sparrows— Song, Vesper, Savannah, Chipping, Field, White-throated— at Satterfield Park, near Athens airport; Glynn Hatchell, a Bobwhite on his property; Page Luttrell, sighted a Black-throated Blue Warbler, Solitary Vireo in Madison County on 10-30-99; Chris Cannelis saw Gadwalls in Walton County; John Willis, saw Palm Warblers, near Dillard, GA off Highway 441, mid-October. John Posey observed a dozen Wild Turkeys crossing Jones’ Woods Rd., between Hwy 186 and Snows Mill Rd. in Walton, on 11/6— two weeks earlier there were ten and five the previous day at the same spot. Maggie Nettles and Gary Crider saw a Brown Creeper and Winter Wren at the Botanical Gardens on 11/13. Highlights of the
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Conservation Legislation Briefs (Audubon Advisory, Nov. 1–12, 1999) HOUSE COMMITTEE: In a rare bipartisan moment, the House Resources Committee passed H.R. 701, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 2000 (CARA), by a vote of 37-12. The result of months of negotiations, this legislation would be monumental in its impact on land conservation. The legislation was sponsored by Congressman Don Young (R-AK), sponsor of the original version of H.R. 701, and Congressman George Miller (D-AK), who had introduced H.R. 798, the Resources 2000 Act. The bill passed this week was a carefully drafted compromise between the Young and Miller bills, and was notable in that it brought these two congressmen, whose positions are usually diametrically opposed, into partnership. The bill would earmark about $2.9 billion in revenue from offshore oil and gas drilling for conservation-about $2 billion more than is currently allocated. The bill's cornerstone is that it would fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million, removing it from the annual appropriations process. The LWCF funds land acquisition and has been authorized to receive this amount since its creation in 1965, but it typically loses more than half of these funds during annual budget negotiations. The LWCF allocation would be split evenly between the federal government and the states. In addition, CARA would provide new funds for wildlife conservation, historic preservation, and urban parks and recreation. The bill has found opponents on both sides of the issue. Property rights advocates oppose the bill on the grounds that it would increase the amount of land owned by the federal government. The legislation has also divided the environmental community. Some environmental groups fear that the legislation would create new incentives for oil drilling. Although the bill specifically excluded revenues from coastal areas currently under drilling moratoria, these groups believe that the bill's language is not stringent enough. Furthermore, some conservation groups believe that some of the new wildlife funding should be specifically directed towards wildlife that are not hunted or fished. Although these species account for almost 90 percent of wildlife, they receive only 10 percent of all wildlife funding. Other conservation groups, including Audubon, believe that the bill's benefits far outweigh its drawbacks, and support the bill while planning to work for improving amendments when the bill is considered by the full House. |
This measure likely will be taken up by the full
House next year. While it has gained substantial support, its chances for
passage are uncertain. It is unknown whether the Senate will replace its
versions of this legislation, which resemble Young's and Miller's original
bills, with the new House version. Both the White House and presidential
candidate George W. Bush have expressed their support for this legislation.
NATIONAL PARKS TO BENEFIT FROM LAND CONSERVATION BILL: Bipartisan
Effort Called Major Legislative Accomplishment (Friday, November 12, 1999)
Washington, D.C. -A bill approved today by a key congressional committee
could ultimately fill out the boundaries of hundreds of national parks
across the country. The bill, known as the Conservation and Reinvestment
Act (CARA), would provide $450 million annually to help complete the protection
of sensitive lands inside national parks. The National Parks and Conservation
Association (NPCA) said that the park system includes more than 1 million
acres that are currently unprotected. NPCA is extremely pleased that the
bill also would provide $200 million annually for the restoration of degraded
federal and Indian lands.
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Report on the Trip to Rum Creek WMA,
Eight hardy birders… led by David Galewski, set off on a chilly, foggy morning at 6 a.m. to meet up with Jim Ozier, wildlife biologist at the Rum Creek WMA. In a green DNR van, we had an extensive tour of the Lake Juliette shoreline including areas owned by Georgia Power which are normally off-limits to the public. The fog persisted for a few hours as we birded in the woody habitat near the lake. A large flock of Wild Turkey on the ground and Canada Geese in the air were observed. Eventually the sun came out to reveal the massive cooling towers of the power plant on the shores of the lake. We then traveled to several good shore destinations for looks at waterfowl including large numbers of Pied-billed Grebes and American Coots. In addition, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, American
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Widgeon, Lesser Scaup, Double-crested Cormorant, Ring-necked Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, and Ruddy Duck were observed in the water. Common Moorhen, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, many Water Pipits, Belted Kingfisher, numerous Great Blue Herons, and a Great Egret were feeding along the shores. Cruising the skies or poised for action in a high tree were Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Black and Turkey Vultures, and a first year Bald Eagle that sat patiently in a tree as the best birders available argued about its identity. Other notable sightings included Fish Crow, Solitary Vireo, Eastern Meadowlark and six species of sparrows. Fifty-seven species were observed in all to make for a successful and enjoyable day. |
Oconee Audubon Society
P.O. Box 48132
Athens, Georgia 30604-8132
