Beth Fraser, Community Coordinator for the Community Watershed Project, will be speaking about the TDML process and how it is being implemented in the Oconee River Watershed. Beth Fraser graduated from Berkmar High School in Gwinett County. After watching the explosion of growth near her home, she decided to move to Rome, Georgia where she received her bachelors degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Berry College in 1992. After working as operations manager for a small gift manufacturing company for four years, Beth went to work with the Coosa River Basin Initiative, where she served as the Executive Director for three years. CRBI works to inform and empower citizens so they may become involved in the process of creating a cleaner, healthier, economically viable Coosa River Basin. Because CRBI is a plaintiff in the landmark Georgia TMDL case, Beth remains close to the process and moved to Athens to help coordinate the Community Watershed Project under Doug Haines' direction. The CWP works to engage communities in the TMDL process. By providing legal, technical, and community support the CWP hopes to make the Georgia TMDL process a benchmark for the rest of the nation. Beth served on the Alabama Water Watch Association board of directors for two years and is an Adopt-A-Stream chemical monitoring trainer. She continues to advocate for meaningful citizen volunteer water monitor efforts and works hard to get citizens to decision making tables regarding water quality issues.

…in December 1900, the Christmas Bird Count was started by Frank Chapman who wanted to begin a new holiday tradition of counting birds, rather than shooting them, as had been tradition. The efforts of those first 27 CBC participants have blossomed to some 50,000 participants covering 800 count circles across the Western Hemisphere. The 100th Christmas Bird Count period begins Thursday, December16th, 1999 and ends on Monday, January 3rd, 2000. Beginning in December, 2000, the Official CBC period will always run from December 14th through January 5th. This will ensure that compilers and participants always know the dates of the Count period, and should usually include an extra weekend to conduct CBC's.
 

ORAS Millennium Shirts Available—

The 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.
 

Library Donation

Oconee Rivers Audubon recently donated a new video series to the Athens-Clarke County Public Library. We purchased "The Life of Birds" by David Attenborough, a 10-hour production that aired on PBS this past fall. There are five 2-hour tapes, boxed separately, and they can be checked out individually for a 3-day period. The call number is VC598.15, Life, v. 1-5. The library also has the companion book entitled the same. If you have not seen this program, you are in for a visual treat of spectacular bird photography. All you need is a library card.

President
          Elizabeth Little                                                                  795-5017
          E-mail: elittle@arches.uga.edu
Vice-President
          Mary Case                                                                        548-3848
Treasurer
          Tom Shelton                                                                    795-3959
Secretary
          Page Luttrell                                                                     788-2973

Conservation
          Marta Daniell                                                                   546-9808
          Carrie Straight
Education
          Maggie Nettles                                                               543-8823
Field Trips
          David Galewski                                                               543-1988
Hospitality
          Mary Case                                                                       548-3848
Membership
          Sarah Cliett                                                                      795-3927
Programs
          Gary Crider                                                                      543-8823
Publicity
          Deirdre Allen                                                                  769-4628
Yellowthroat Editor
          John Posey                                                                     769-1417

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.

A pair of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were seen at the Callaway Building at the Botanical Gardens by Lee Meinersmann. Marianne Happek spotted a Brown Creeper near the North Oconee River. A White-Fronted Goose was seen in South Carolina on the Tugalo River and a Barn Owl was spotted in Athens. Roy Majors saw a Downy Woodpecker.

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/.

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. Go to:  Audubon Adventures
 

2 grebes, 1 heron, 2 vultures, 1 goose, 3 ducks, 6 hawks, 3 shorebirds, 1 gull, 2 doves, 4 owls, 1 kingfisher, 7 woodpeckers, 1 flycatcher, 1 vireo, 3 corvids (crows and jays), 2 parids (titmice and chickadees), 1 nuthatch, 1 creeper, 3 wrens, 2 kinglets, 3 thrushes, 2 mimids (mockingbirds and thraashers), 1 pipit, 1 waxwing, 1 shrike, 1 starling, 4 warblers, 1 cardinal, 10 sparrows, 5 blackbirds, 3 finches, and 1 weaver finch.
 
 

The National Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology need the help of North Americans of all ages to count birds this winter in the Great Backyard Bird Count which will be held from February 18 to 21, 2000. By participating, bird watchers, regardless of skill level, will help scientists document the status and health of our winter bird populations at the start of spring migrations. Widespread citizen participation will assist scientists to understand the effects of changing weather and landscape on the health and movement patterns of birds. Last year 42,000 people participated in the count with over three million birds and 350 species tallied. Reports were received from every state and province. There is no official sign-up and no fee. Participants log on to the user-friendly, state-of-the-art Birdsource website at <http://birdsource.org> and click on the Great Backyard Bird Count button to report their sightings. The estimated 60 million North Americans who feed or watch birds can spend as little as 15 minutes on any or all days of the count recording the numbers and kinds of birds they see during their regular daily activities. Participants tally the highest number of species seen at one time and report the sightings to Birdsource. The site features many fascinating resources on birds and birdwatching. For more information, prospective counters can call toll-free 1-800-843-BIRD.
 

The trip will include 11 days of birding in a wide variety of habitats, and visits to a few shade coffee and sun coffee plantations. Three days will be spent on the coast, where swimming and snorkeling are options. We will have a bilingual naturalist guide who knows the birds well. The trip is scheduled for March 11-23, 2000. The land tour price (i.e., not including airfare to Costa Rica or airport taxes) is $1895.

For more information or a brochure describing the tour, contact Dan May at 404-377-6326 or sdmay@mindspring.com -- or contact Sarah Strommen at Preferred Adventures Ltd., 1 West Water St., Suite 300, St. Paul, MN 55107;800-840-8687; Fax 651-222-4221; paltours@aol.com.

Distribution: Breeds from eastern Canada west to Manitoba and south to Florida, Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. Breeds in west from Montana and Washington to southern California. Winters from Massachusetts, southern Ontario and Wisconsin to Florida, Gulf of Mexico and Cuba.
Habitat: Wooded swamps, rivers, lakes, ponds.
Nesting: Tree cavities lined with fine wood chips. Will use artificial nest boxes.
North American Status: Wood Duck populations are stable or increasing. The Breeding Bird Survey shows a 6.0% annual population increase between 1966-1996 across the United States.
Status and Conservation: Wood Duck comprises greater than 10% of hunted waterfowl, second only Mallard. Protection and restoration of forested wetland habitat should maintain populations at current healthy levels.