Michael Conroy with the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit of the U. S. Geological Association and Adjunct Professor in the UGA School of Forest Resources will present a talk entitled “Bird Research and Conservation in Northeastern Spain and Common Themes with North American Conservation Issues.”

Oconee Rivers Audubon/Sandy Creek Nature Center joint Spring 2000 Bird Walk Schedule:

March 31: Botanical Garden, meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Callaway Building lower parking lot.

April 14: Botanical Garden, meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Callaway Building lower parking lot.

April 28: Sandy Creek Nature Center, meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Allen House.

May 12: Botanical Garden, meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Callaway Building lower parking lot.

May 19: Zoo Day at Memorial Park in Athens. Meet at 8:00 a.m. in the parking lot for a bird walk. Oconee Rivers Audubon will have a booth at Zoo Day in the afternoon. Come by and see us.
May 26: Botanical Garden, meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Callaway Building lower parking lot.

March 10: The Georgia Museum of Natural History and The State Botanical Garden of Georgia present Bird Day at the Botanical Garden, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. ORAS will be leading bird walks at 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. Oconee Rivers Audubon will also have a booth and display. Bird Day is a family event including bird walks, activities for children, talks, demonstrations, displays, and exhibits. Discover ways to make your yard more bird friendly and learn how to make a simple bird feeder. Parents come sample some bird friendly coffee. There will be a live raptor show at 12:00 noon presented by The Center for Wildlife Education and The Lamar Q. Ball, Jr. Raptor Center at Georgia Southern University. For more information call 542-1663 or 542-1244 or visit http://museum.nhm.uga.edu
 

April 28: The Fourth Annual Upper Oconee River Rendezvous will be held at the Sandy Creek Nature Center beginning at 9:00 a.m. Oconee Rivers Audubon is again a co-sponsor of this event and volunteers make this event happen. Please mark your calendars for the day of the event and, if you can, get involved with the planning. River Rendezvous documents a day in the life of our watershed and the results from several different chemical analyses on various streams become part of a database of information on the Upper Oconee watershed. It is intended to: INCREASE public involvement in water quality issues by training volunteers in stream monitoring and clean?up activities; COLLECT water quality information to share with citizens and government officials working to protect Georgia's rivers and streams; and, CELEBRATE our communities' commitment to the environment. Contact Libby Ormes, Rendezvous organizer at
libbyo1@yahoo.com or Melanie Ruhlman, President, Upper Oconee Watershed Network at 549-8916.
 
 

Shan Cammick observed 2,853 birds in 5 hours while surveying birds on Jekyl Island on 1/29 including 2 Piping Plovers. Lee Meinersmann saw 2 Black Vultures feeding along the road and a Kestrel. Michael Conroy, on 6/30, observed the Woodcock courtship display. Maggie Nettles also sighted displaying Woodcock behind Russell Research Center. Liz Conroy observed a Cooper’s Hawk off Tallahassee Road. Dennis Rice observed a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks. Eugene Odum observed a Red-tailed Hawk catch and eat a pigeon (Rock Dove) near the Forestry Building at UGA. Karla O’Grady observed 2 Pine Siskins, a Baltimore Oriole, Cooper’s Hawk, Blue-headed Vireo, and male Kestrel off of Old Lexington Road. David Galewski observed a Merlin 2 weeks ago near Dyers Pasture and Blue-headed Vireos and a Common Yellowthroat at the Sandy Creek Nature Center. Roy Majors reports that four Blue Birds visited the one house in the garden about a month ago. The Robins, Blue Jays, and doves have been around for at least a month, although the Robins don't seem to be as numerous as they were last year. He saw a Red Bellied Woodpecker three times in the last two weeks. There were two Northern Flickers on the ground in the back yard on 2/12. While walking on Flat Rock Rd. on 2/3, Pileated Woodpecker was spotted flying from one isolated tree to another in a pasture. Other times Pileateds were seen as in more wooded areas. The Chickadees and Goldfinches seem to be more numerous  at the feeder this year. House Finches seem to be less numerous since a Cooper's Hawk was seen on top of the  feeder several months ago. 

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.

    Dr. Eugene Odum of the Institute of Ecology at UGA discussed the findings of avian research at the Savannah River Nuclear Power Plant Site. The University of Georgia started studies at the site in the 1940's and in 1962 UGA established the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL). During the first phase of study (1951-1965) the focus was on inventories to provide baseline data for future changes expected to result from atomic plant operations and major land-use changes. Initially, the site was 40% open farmland. Studies were conducted on field succession and the effect on bird populations. During the 1970s and 1980s bird studies mostly involved specific species or groups of species, especially the Wood Stork and Red-cockaded Woodpecker. The Wood Stork, in the mid-60s, were found to be leaving Florida in large numbers due to degradation of their habitat on the coasts of Florida. Another study involved the relationship between Bachman’s Sparrows and the economics of timber harvest. Attention during this time shifted to other taxa, especially herps, and studies were conducted on radiation ecology, thermal pollution, wetland ecology, and population genetics. During the 1990s a renewed interest in distribution and abundance of birds emerged as a result of increased interest and funding by the US Forest Service, other government agencies, and regional university forestry schools. These studies emphasized research in non-game and non-timber producing species, biodiversity, and conservation ecology. Studies are made on maintaining wildlife habitats in and around pine plantations. In addition, many of the early bird censuses are being repeated.