The Pine Warbler
Volume XXXIV, No. 4
December 2008
President's Letter
John Wright
Well this past month has been a rewarding one with getting out and
making a difference. Ron and Lin discussed citizen science at the November
monthly meeting–ways each of us can easily document what we are already
seeing and doing that can be interpreted by researchers, allowing us to
see what is going on with species populations throughout the years. Brittney
and I were recently asked to attend the “Cranefest” at the Mississippi
Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, in Gautier, MS. Some of you may
remember Ms. Emily Neidigh who gave a program on the refuge earlier this
year. At that time, I volunteered our support for future projects. We
were happy to share this community educational outreach with ten other
organizations in the area. Brittney and I shared a blend of bird and zoo
information to many of the participants who attended. All left with a better
understanding of the challenges that birds and wildlife face everyday.
This adventure started with a request to Emily and lending our support
for the Crane Refuge’s activities. I would like to encourage all readers
to take the small steps needed to help our researchers and policy-makers
have the necessary information to make the best possible decisions. Until
next month…John
December Program Preview
Chuck Gramling
James Bell is our area hummingbird bander, trained by Bob Sargeant of
the Hummer Bird Study Group, and has a special interest in those winter
hummingbirds that have shown up in the last decade or two in our area.
On Thursday, December 4th, come join us and learn more about our cherished
winter hummers. Around Hattiesburg, we have several species of wintering
hummingbirds. Records indicate that Ruby Walker, with all her special yard
plantings, was first person enjoying the wintering hummingbirds in the area.
Now, years later, John and Eileen Atkins, Larry and Linda Smith, Mike and
Diane Lafferty, and others have had winter visitors at the feeders–and from
James since he came to band the hummers! If you have a hummingbird this
winter (November through February), please contact James Bell at (601) 798-9389
to get your winter bird banded and on record. In the meantime, come meet
James and help us welcome him back to Hattiesburg! This program is free
and open to the public, so invite all your friends to come!
Bird Quiz
Larry Smith
Answers to November Bird Quiz:
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Buff-bellied Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Bay-breasted Warbler
December Bird Quiz
In the family that includes sandpipers and phalaropes, this bird on
the MS checklist has the shortest legs of the group, is unique among sandpipers
in that it spends the majority of its life in woodlands eating earthworms,
and is the only bird I know with crossbars on the crown of its head.
WHAT IS THIS BIRD???
Field Trip Notes
Jeremy Nicholson
Today's field trip took us to the Deaton nature preserve located in George
Co., MS. The weather was cool and the wind made finding birds more difficult,
but we managed to put together a nice list. The Blue-headed Vireo was
a Mississippi first for me.
Here is a list I put together that includes birds I saw during the outing
today: Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered
Hawk, American Kestrel, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher ,
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern
Phoebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Carolina Wren, American Robin, Carolina Chickadee,
Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Nuthatch, American Crow, House Sparrow,
Blue-headed Vireo, American Goldfinch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Warbler,
Bachman's Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, and Red-winged
Blackbird. I had a great time and look forward to the next one.
Until then, good birding!
PWA's CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
Larry Smith, Count Coordinator
This year the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count runs from December
14 to January 5. This is THE event of the year for all good Audubon-ers!!
Our Hattiesburg count will be on Saturday, January 3, 2009. For the uninitiated,
this is a 24-hour count starting and ending at midnight. The idea is to count
all of the birds in a circle 15 miles in diameter that remains constant year
to year. The center of our circle is the Presbyterian Christian High School
on Tatum Road. A map will be available at the December 4 chapter meeting.
Also, a sign-up sheet will be passed around for all who wish to participate.
Remember, birds identified within the count circle on any of 3 days before
or after Jan. 3 can be separately entered as "Count Week" birds.
On count day we divide into search teams and count birds in pre-arranged
locals known to be awash in birds of all types. Newcomers, feel
free to participate - just choose a team or count in your yard
or your own private bird haven. Feeder counts are tallied separately from
field counts. Just be sure to let me know how & where you’re participating.
We will meet for lunch at Shoney’s in town for a preliminary count and afternoon
planning.
Bird counts will be tallied at a compilation party at 6:17 p.m. Saturday night
at Linda and Larry Smith's house - 3207 Arlington Loop in Hattiesburg. For
more information on the local and other counts, go to http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc.
Questions? Call Larry Smith at 601-818-9158 (cell).
Counting Cranes
John & Brittany Wright
While at CraneFest, Brittany & I met Scott G. Hereford, who was in
charge of the yearly crane counts. I told him that we would be interested
in assisting anyway we could, and we were invited to fill a vacated counting
slot. Spotters from the Audubon Zoo, White Oak Conservation Facility, USM,
and the coast joined us at the Welcome Center at 5:00 a.m. (yes that’s O-dark
early–especially having to drive first). From there we were sent to various
blinds around the refuge in order to count and identify individual cranes.
After about two hours of sharing a one-person blind with Brittney, I need
to stretch my legs. As it happens, as soon as I got ten feet from the blind,
there was a crane in the road about fifty feet away. Because there was a
bush blinding that angle, I did not see it until I flushed it, but I did confirm
a juvenile un-banded bird. Shortly after that, I heard a couple of more
calls in the distance and immediately went back to the blind; we waited for
another hour, seeing Blue Herons, Blue Birds, even a Northern Harrier, along
with two Whitetail Deer. Shortly after 9:00 a.m., another crane appeared,
approaching from the marsh into the open field. We were able to identify
two colored bands and a radio band. We watch as he slowly and silently walked
around the area, stood motionless for ten minutes, and slowly walked away.
Wow!
This last sighting was fortunate as we due to be picked up at 10:00 a.m.
Our driver had managed to track down a group of three cranes as we went
about picking up other observers. We also saw an eagle nest during the return
trip to the Center. We consider ourselves fortunate to have seen the birds
because some observers saw none, and the information we gathered will contribute
to better understanding this population of Mississippi Sandhill Cranes.
It is my also hope that we will return with more volunteers for future citizen
science efforts and contribute to conservation efforts of not just the cranes
but also other species of importance in our area.
Calendar of Events
December 4, 2008 (Thursday): Pine Woods Audubon Society Board Meeting,
6:15 p.m. in Hattiesburg Zoo Education Center. The Public is invited to attend.
Contact any Board Member or officer for more information or to add something
to the Agenda.
December 4, 2008 (Thursday): Pine Woods Audubon Society Chapter Meeting,
7 p.m. in Hattiesburg Zoo Education Center.
PROGRAM: Winter Hummingbirds
(James Bell). Contact Program Chair Chuck Gramling (601-408-0499)
for information.
December 6, 2008 (Saturday): Field
Trip: Seaman Lagoons in Pascagoula with the Gulf
Coast Audubon Society. Meet in Rose’s parking lot at 5:30 AM to travel together.
For details, call Ronnie Blackwell @ 601-545-2437.
December 9, 2008 (Tuesday): Pine Woods Audubon Society Birding Committee
Meeting, 5:30 p.m. at the Keg & Barrel Restaurant. Contact Ron Blackwell
(601-545-2437) for information.
December 16, 2008 (Tuesday): Christmas
Bird Count for South Hancock County. Contact Ned Boyajian
(nedlucyboyajian@bellsouth.net) to sign up or, locally, call Ronnie Blackwell
@ 601-545-2437.
December 19, 2008 (Friday): Christmas
Bird Count for Jackson County. Contact JoRee Pease to sign
up (wpjp@earthlink.net) or, locally, call Ronnie Blackwell @ 601-545-2437.
January 3, 2009 (Saturday): Pine Woods
Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count. Contact Larry Smith,
Count Coordinator to sign up (601-818-9158).