Upcoming Meetings
November 5th: Dr. Joe Meyers will present a talk on his research entitled, "Painted Buntings of the Southeastern United States: Can We Reverse Their Population Decline?" As leader and research wildlife biologist at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center of the Warnell School of Forest Resources, Dr. Meyers has been the principle researcher for neotropical migratory bird studies on Atlantic coastal islands and for the GIS/Breeding Bird Survey research on Painted Buntings.

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 afield at the crack of dawn five days a week to watch birds 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

Fall Bird Walks
Oconee Rivers Audubon field trips focus on the identification and natural history of birds and we  encourage nature enthusiasts big and small to join us and share in the excitement. Bird walks are open to all ages and skill levels and no pre-registration is required.  We generally maintain an easy pace and stop frequently. Waterproof footwear and raingear are wise precautions. For more information contact David Galewski, 543-1988.

November 6th: Lake Herrick, 8:00 a.m., at the end of the road past the UGA sports fields.

November 13th: Rum Creek WMA and Lake Juliette, meet in the Bi-Lo parking lot at the intersection of South Milledge Ave. and Highway 441/15 at 6:00 a.m. (yes, that’s 6:00!) to carpool. Situated on the shores of Lake Juliette, this is a great place to observe water fowl and enjoy the beautiful fall weather. We will have a guided tour to all the hot birding spots. Bring a lunch and a spotting scope if you have one. Call Page Luttrell at 788-2973 for more information.

Other Events and Walks:

November 5-6: BIRD SEED SALE! SANDY CREEK!!
November 20-21: Fourth Annual Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Thomasville, GA. Over 50 well-known artists from across North America will bring the finest in original wildlife paintings, sculpture and photography to the festival. Numerous activities and attractions will be taking place on the grounds including Jim Fowler from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom who will entertain audiences with amazing animals, including tigers, boa constrictors and bears. Proceeds benefit the Thomasville Cultural Center. For more information call the cultural center at 912-226-0588 or the Thomasville Welcome Center at 800-704-2350.

ORAS T-Shirts Are Still Available— The new and improved 1999 version of the ORAS T-Shirt are still available for sale. T-Shirts 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.
Breeding Bird Atlas Results are Due— This is a reminder to send in your sightings of breeding bird activity from 1999 or from previous years if available to the Georgia Breeding Bird Survey. If you are not sure where to send the information contact Page Luttrell at luttrell@calc.vet.uga.edu or by phone at 788-2973

Sightings
Sightings reported at the October meeting: Maggie Nettles, a Wilson’s Warbler at the Botanical Gardens; Roy Majors, a Great Blue Heron and Red-headed Woodpecker on the Chattahoochee River; Dennis Rice spotted a Barred Owl on the ground in front of his house; Eugenia Thompson saw an accipiter after the pigeons at Five Points, before the meeting; also reported 158 species seen at the GOS meeting at Jekyll Island, 10/2-3, including a female Vermillion Flycatcher and a Red-necked Phalarope; David Galewski, a Ovenbird, Yellow Warbler, at the Botanical Gardens; Terry and Linda Russell, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, Hooded Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Pine Warbler, on their property. Whitehall Forest Birdwalk sighting highlights, on 10/9: Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-eyed Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Yellow-throated Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Pine Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Bluebird, Tennessee Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Gray Catbird, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Swainson’s Thrush, Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Gary Crider saw more than 1000 Chimney Swifts at Lumpkin and Clayton at dusk on 10/9. Maggie Nettles saw two Black-throated Green Warblers kayaking on the N. Oconee. Jonathan Fite sighted an immature Red-tailed Hawk being harassed by crows 9/23 near Jennings Mill subdivision, Bogart, as well as several Goldfinches feeding off the seed heads from cone flowers.

Highlights of the October Meeting:
Chris Skelton, aquatic zoologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Natural Heritage Program, presented a talk entitled "From Rocks to Jewels: Georgia's Aquatic Treasures" in which he discussed some of the fresh water aquatic species found in Georgia including fishes, mussels, snails, and crayfishes. Chris had beautiful slides and presented some especially interesting facts on fresh water mussels. The southeastern U. S. is the center of diversity for fresh water mussels with approximately 100 species found in Georgia alone. Each mussel species has an unique appendage used to attract fish to which the mussel larvae attach for a portion of their life cycle. Chris had some stunning photographs of these appendages in action. Chris also discussed reasons for the population declines of many of the aquatic species with the most important reason being sedimentation, something we should all be aware of every time we look at the Oconee River. Unfortunately, the pollution problems in our waterways are only getting worse but, fortunately, due to the funds generated for the Georgia Natural Heritage Program, we have someone like Chris Skelton keeping track of the populations of rare fishes and mussels in the state and calling attention to the plight of our aquatic treasures.

Conservation Legislation Briefs
(Audubon Advisory, 10/1/99)
New Forest Service Regulations Emphasize Sustainable Use— The Clinton administration on Sept. 30 proposed a significant change in how the United States manages its national forests, recommending for the first time that ecological health take precedence over timber harvests and other commercial uses. Adapted from recommendations by a scientific panel appointed in 1997, these rules would reduce current timber harvest levels, which grew out of recent court decisions and administrative policy. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said that the proposed rules, if implemented, would return the Forest Service to its "conservationist roots." The rules would promote sustainable forest use, scientific review of forest management plans, and increased public participation in the development of these plans. They also would represent the first comprehensive overhaul since 1982 of the process of land management planning for the 192 million acres of federal forests and national grasslands.

Shark Finning Finale?
    Rep. Randy Cunningham (R-CA) introduced the first of two anticipated bills intended to end shark finning in U.S. waters. This practice entails cutting off a shark’s fins and dumping its dead or dying carcass overboard. Cunningham’s bill urges regional fishery managers to stop finning in the U.S. Pacific, and later this fall he also plans to introduce legislation to prohibit the practice by amending US law. While finning is illegal in federal waters of the U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, the practice is still permitted in the Central and Western U.S. Pacific, where it has dramatically increased. Introduction of the resolution follows the failure of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WESPAC) and the Hawaiian state legislature to halt the practice earlier this year, despite concerns expressed by conservationists, fishers, scientists, and the public. Neither WESPAC nor Hawaii has rules restricting the catch of sharks. The National Marine Fisheries Service has pressured WESPAC to prohibit shark finning without success.
    The number of sharks killed in the Hawaiian longline fisheries, which are characterized by long fishing lines armed with thousands of hooks, has climbed from 2,289 in 1991 to 60,857 in 1998--a 2,500 percent increase. Over 98 percent of these sharks were killed solely for their fins to meet the demand for shark fin soup. And because shark fins comprise only one to five percent of the animal’s body weight, 95 to 99 percent of the shark goes to waste. Because of sharks’ limited reproductive capacity, the massive increase in shark landings and poor information regarding the status and health of Pacific shark populations are cause for concern. To find out how you can help to stop shark finning, go to
<http://www.audubon.org/campaign/ol/ow/>.

Colonial Coast Birding Trail Announced
    The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR), Wildlife Resources Division, officially opened the Colonial Coast Birding Trail on October 9, 1999.  The trail is a driving route that meanders through historic and natural areas along the coast of Georgia.  More than 300 species of birds, such as Wood Storks, Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, and Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, can be seen at the 18 sites along the trail.  Sites include:  J.F. Gregory Park/Richmond Hill City Recreational Area and Fort McAllister State Historic Park in Bryan County; Crooked River State Park and Cumberland Island National Seashore in Camden County; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Charlton County; Fort Pulaski National Monument, Savannah-Ogeechee Canal, Skidaway Island State Park and Tybee Island in Chatham County; Altamaha Waterfowl Management Area, St. Simons Island, Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation State Historic Site and Jekyll Island in Glynn County; Fort Morris Historic Site and Melon Bluff nature Preserve in Liberty County; and Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge in McIntosh County.
    Together with increased interest in birds and nature-based tourism, GA-DNR hopes to bring positive economic benefits to coastal areas.  Trends show that nature-based tourists such as bird watchers have low impacts on the environment and high impacts on local economies.  GA-DNR will work in partnership with the tourism industry, local municipalities and other agencies to promote nature-based tourism and to determine economic potential for coastal communities.
    Trail maps will be available at stores, motels, and other businesses along the coast and at visitors centers along I-95 and at some of the sites.  For more information, contact the Wildlife Resources Division at (912) 994-1438; 116 Rum Creek Drive, Forsyth GA 31029-6518.  The Colonial Coast Birding Trail is partially funded by monies raised through sales of wildlife license plates. (Sources of information were the Atlanta Journal/Constitution and GA-DNR.)

Migratory Bird Bill To Nest With Snow Goose Legislation
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee took action last Wednesday to move two important bills dealing with bird conservation. In early August, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2454, the Arctic Tundra Habitat Emergency Conservation Act. This legislation would give the Fish and Wildlife Service the necessary tools to reduce the number of snow geese, which is negatively affecting Arctic tundra resources. On Wednesday, the Senate committee combined the Arctic Tundra bill with Sen. Spencer Abraham’s (R-MI) Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (S. 148) and favorably reported the joint bill. This new legislation will help to increase the prospects for passage of both bills.

Sandy Creek Nature Center’s 15th Annual Bird Seed Sale
November 5th and 6th 9:00-Noon
You can order by phone or mail October 1-30 and pick-up or have your seed delivered. A variety of wild bird foods, sunflower seeds and thistle are available and samples of all the kinds of seed being sold will be out in the ENSAT Center through the month of October. Orders must be picked up on Saturday, Nov. 6th, between 9:00 am and noon. “Early Bird” pick-up will be on Friday November 5th from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm Any seed not paid for or picked up by noon on Saturday will be made available for purchase by the general public on Monday, Nov. 8th. Upon request, free delivery will be provided for Senior Citizens and anyone ordering over $50 worth of seed.
 
 

Oconee Audubon Society

P.O. Box 48132

Athens, Georgia 30604-8132
 

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