The Yellowthroat
Voice of the
Oconee Rivers Audubon Society
November 2000
Vol. 10 No. 11
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November 2nd At the ENSAT building at Sandy Creek Nature Center at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Robert Cooper, professor in the Warnell School of Forest Resources, will present a talk entitled "Ecology and Management of Bottomland Hardwood Forest Birds." To get to the Nature Center Birdwalks and Field Trips: As you read this newsletter, millions of birds are beginning to leave their northern breeding grounds to start a long and perilous migration back to their neotropical overwintering sites in South and Central America. Tis the season to be outside with your binoculars and field guides, enjoying the colorful beauty of Autumn. Oconee Rivers Audubon has planned several fall bird walks to local migration hotspots that will focus on the identification and natural history of birds. We encourage nature enthusiasts big and small to join us and share in the excitement. For those beginners out there, the opportunities for seeing exciting new birds are great. Veterans, celebrate the migration season by sharing your birdwatching secrets with fledgling birders. Bird walks are open to all ages and skill levels and no pre-registration if required. We generally maintain an easy pace and stop frequently. Waterproof footwear and raingear are wise precautions. For more information contact David Galewski at 543-1988. Oconee Rivers Audubon/Sandy Creek Nature Center joint Spring 2000
Bird Walk Schedule:
October 28th: State Botanical Garden; Callaway Building. November 11th: Whitehall Forest, intersection of Milledge Ave. and Whitehall Rd., meet at the front gate.
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Walks are ongoing every Tuesday and Thursday morning at the State Botanical Garden from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. until October 12th. Meet at the small parking lot at the power line cut (all the way down the main road toward the river). Come out and get a good start on the morning with an hour or so of birding. Other Events On Saturday, November 11, 2000 the Athens?Clarke
County Green Party will be bringing Walkin’ Jim Stoltz and his show Forever
Wild to the One Love Music and Dance Hall in Athens. The name Walkin’
Jim stems from over 24,000 miles of wilderness travel on annual months?long
backcountry treks through America’s last wild places. His music,
recorded on seven different releases, is born from this extensive wilderness
experience and receives regular air?play on National Public Radio. Jim
Stoltz offers a spectacular view of America with his multi?media show Forever
Wild. Forever Wild combines Jim’s photography, poetry, stories and original
music while promoting consciousness toward the wildlands and deep ecological
values. Forever Wild has received an “Outstanding Achievement Award”
from the EPA for “sharing nature and wilderness with others across America
through your extraordinary words, images, and music." While several of
Jim’s songs have served as motivation for wilderness advocates and at environmental
rallies, Forever Wild does not take the form of a soapbox but serves as
a sharing and inspirational event.
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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.arches.uga.edu/~jtposey/oconee.html Oconee Rivers Audubon Society |
¨¨ Sightings¨¨ Gordon Gridley observed a Yellow-breasted Flycatcher at the Botanical Gardens on 10/01. In early October, Carol Ludwig saw a Belted Kingfisher at Harris Shoals Park in Watkinsville. A female Blackburnian Warbler visited the feeder of Sarah Cliett in Madison County. Page Luttrell observed Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at her home in Madison County on 10/01. Jane Noe reported that 2000+ Broad-winged Hawks in addition to Peregrine Falcons, Osprey, and Bald Eagles were sighted in Mid-September by migration watchers at Caesars Head State Park. Terry Russell observed a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks on Archer Groves School Rd. in Clarke County. At Magnolia Springs State park in mid-September, Deirdre Allen sighted Wood Stork, Ibis, and an otter. Highlights from the October Meeting:
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(Audubon Advisory - 10/13/00) In a White House Rose Garden ceremony this week, surrounded by lawmakers, Cabinet members, and environmental organization leaders— including Audubon's National Vice President for Public Policy Dan Beard -- President Clinton signed into law legislation that represents the largest commitment our country has made to conservation in decades. The measure will incrementally increase funding up to $12 billion dollars over the next six years for local, state and national conservation efforts. For Fiscal Year 2001, funding is broken down as follows: (1) $540 million for federal and state land and water conservation programs, such as land acquisition to protect precious lands from development threats; (2) $400 million for coastal protection programs, such as pollution control programs; (3) $300 million for state conservation programs, such as open space proposals and other state fish & wildlife conservation programs; (4) $160 million for urban and historic preservation programs; (5) $150 million for federal lands maintenance, to help reduce backlogs of maintenance needs in our National Wildlife Refuge System, and(6) $ 50 million in payments to states in lieu of taxes lost on federally owned lands. And remember, if these numbers sound high, combined they amount to less than 1% of the nation's defense budget. While not as sweeping as the Conservation and Reinvestment Act that stopped in the Senate, this new law does indeed represent the largest commitment our nation has made to conservation efforts in decades. Any time we can secure land for precious bird and wildlife habitat, and protect our coasts and other special and wild places, it is a victory for all of us. Thank you for your support over the last two years - your calls and letters to your lawmakers on CARA and all other conservation measures helped convince Congress to take this big step in the right direction! |
(From the October/November, 2000 magazine issue of the National Wildlife Federation.) Five times more wild plants, 57 percent more plant
species, 1.6 times as many insects eaten by birds and 25 percent more birds
at the edges of fields: Those are among the measures of how much more biodiversity
exists on organic farms than on conventional farms. The calculations come
from a British Soil Association review of nine studies, five of which were
published in professional journals in the United Kingdom and Denmark. The
nonprofit association, which promotes organic farming, also summarized
the findings of 14 other comparisons of wildlife on organic and conventional
farms.
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| Red-winged Blackbird
Size: The Red-winged Blackbird is a medium-sized songbird, about 22 cm long (8.5 in). Color: The male is completely black except for a red shoulder patch (epaulet) with a narrow, yellow horizontal bar at the base of the patch. The female is brown above and has vertical brown and buff streaks below. Life Cycle: Breeding season lasts from February through August. The birds commonly nest in marsh or prairie habitat. The female builds a cup-shaped nest about 1-2 m (3-6 ft) above ground or water. She weaves the nesting material, usually grasses or reeds, into several upright cattails, reeds, or grasses for support. The female lays 3 - 4 greenish-blue eggs with brown spots, which she incubates for 11 days. Young are altricial. Both parents feed insects and insect larvae to the nestlings for 14 days. Then the young fledge from the nest. Red-winged Blackbirds are often polygamous. Natural History: The Red-winged Blackbird inhabits both wetland areas, such as freshwater and saltwater marshes, and dry upland areas, such as meadow, prairies, and old fields. During the breeding season, it forages primarily on insects and other invertebrates. During the winter months it feeds primarily on grains. Large foraging flocks are common during winter and, less commonly, during the summer away from the breeding territories. Large migratory flocks may be observed during fall and early spring. Predation of eggs and nestlings is common. Nest predators include birds, snakes, and the Raccoon. Range: The Red-winged Blackbird occurs year-round throughout Georgia where suitable habitat is present. The species also ranges throughout the United States. |
Similar Species: Other black birds, such as the Grackle and the Blackbird, lack the male's the red shoulder patch. Other brown birds, such as female Grackles and female Blackbirds, do not have the conspicuous streaking on the breast and underside found on the female Red-winged Blackbird
(Source: The Georgia Museum of Natural History web page: http://museum.nhm.uga.edu/ Photo by Dan Sudia)
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Oconee Audubon Society
P.O. Box 48132
Athens, Georgia 30604-8132
