The Pine Warbler
(Text-only Version)
September 2006, Vol. XXXII, Issue 1
President's Message
John Wright
Greetings. This is a first for me: first newsletter,
first time to lead such an organization, first time going to
non-meeting gatherings, and I’m sure there will be many more
firsts. I would like to thank previous leaders of the chapter.
May this year’s board be as successful for the membership as it has in
the past!
I was asked to volunteer to be president as was Josh Hodges to be vice
president. We are both greatly honored that the organization
would rely on us to lead the chapter. We hope to increase
membership and involvement of all members. Normally, I am bogged
down with work and personal life events, making it difficult to attend
the extra-curriculars that the chapter holds. However, this year,
I plan to be more involved.
I believe leaders should lead by example. As such, I challenge
each one of you to volunteer to do one new thing for the chapter this
year. Help organize food for the meetings, help put up a guest
speaker if needed, help with organizing a trip, assist with a
conservational effort, assist with Bird-Fest, etc. The hardest
thing for anyone is the first time we do something; then we learn and
have fun doing it better.
As there are so many things this chapter can do, we, as leaders, need
to know what interests our members have and want to participate
in. I would also like to see these interests accomplish the goals
of national and state Audubon objectives. The mission of the
Audubon Society is “To conserve and restore natural ecosystems,
focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit
of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.” With that in
mind, our chapter will do our best to meet this mission.
Please feel free to contact me with your ideas or assistance and we
will work hard on implementing the chapter’s contributions to this
mission. Thank you all once again for entrusting us and for your
participation.
-- John Wright
September Forestry Field Trip
Chuck
Gramling
How do you measure a tree with a penny? Come find out when
we go to Forester John Lambert’s land. Bring the kids and
grandkids for this trip, since they will learn faster than we
will. We will see the older woods, meadow, the early
fall wildflowers in the middle of the woods there, birds and
butterflies. John will tell us about the Safe Harbor programs for
private landowners to protect our endangered woodpeckers and
tortoises. Sound good yet? It will be neat as trees
are! Bring your lunch (big sack lunch and sodas). Due to
heat of summer time, we will do this by car with several stops as we
go. We will depart from Rose's parking lot on Hardy St in
Hattiesburg Saturday 9/9 at 9AM. We should be done by noon. We
especially welcome all new folks to join us.
Delta National Forest Butterfly Count, July 2006
I really enjoyed seeing y’all Saturday, and did miss seeing some of you
who were obligated or had better sense than to do the Hot Day Butterfly
Count in the Delta! First, it was a lowest ever count day for us. I
would blame it on the very dry conditions (no mud puddles, dry as a
bone, no mosquitoes even, and corn crops looked very sick), but I do
not know the reason as far as picking a date for next year.
I was amazed that I did not get beheaded or lynched Saturday since the
count was very low. Thanks to the many “hunter camps,” at least we were
able to count 20 or 30 butterflies each time we stopped (more moisture
sources in them than on the dry roads.
On Friday, Sarah, Jean and I drove in on Dummy Line Road. Sarah,
having never been before but having read our reports of the dreamy
clouds of butterflies everywhere, asked, "Where are the butterflies?" I
told her to wait, thinking we are in the fields around the forest, not
to it yet. Soon I realized it was not a good year. I was
ready to hide under a rock! What to do?? Not many butterflies at all.
In many ways, much as I would have loved to seen the uncountable
numbers of butterflies as the first four years, I am just as
entertained by wondering why they were not out there this year; my
first thought was the very dry, dry and hot conditions (102 per the
weather on the news), but who knows? We never know what a butterfly
will do, and cannot predict anything about tomorrow, just assume that
we will never know what the butterflies will do in any given year or
season.
So, … no butterflies? Well, we just watched birds! We found
a Prothonotary Warbler nesting in a Wood Duck box, Mississippi Kites
flying overhead, and Painted Buntings resting on fences. We did have
fun (as always) – “enjoyable day” is not good enough to describe it --
it was great!!! And I will be back later this year when the
butterflies are out!
--Chuck Gramling
2006: The Big Year
Larry "Birdman" Morgan
I hope everyone is participating in the Pine Woods’ Big Year birding
event. Of course, the Biggest Year to record was 1998, a still-standing
745 species recorded that year by Sandy Komito. Just think, one
of our Pine Woodies could possibly do that well. We've got people going
to Florida, Alaska, Oregon, Texas, in search of our elusive
fine-feathered friends. I've even heard one member is close to finding
the shadowy figure of the resurrected Ivory-billed woodpecker. But we
Pine Woods birders don't need much of an excuse to search far and wide
to find new birds or new restaurants. Birding sure makes a person
hungry; I know for sure!
Just a reminder there are no rules to the Big Year: any bird, anywhere,
any time. Oops, I gotta go. I thought I heard the nasal honk of a
Red-Breasted Nuthatch outside. See you at the meeting in
September!
Book Review
Ron Blackwell
Identify Yourself: The 50 Most Common Birding Identification
Challenges
Authors: Bill Thompson III, Julie Zickefoose, Kenn Kaufman, The Bird
Watcher's Digest editorial Staff. 392 pages.
Okay, the hardest thing about this book is sorting
out who did what to produce this invaluable resource. Bill Thompson
wrote it, his wife, Julie Zickefoose supplied the illustrations, Ken
Kaufman wrote the foreword, and the rest of the Bird Watcher’s Digest
staff jumped in to add tidbits and to edit the book.
The result is not as scattered as you might expect.
Thompson’s strong voice holds the thing together, even when it seems
that you can’t possibly deal with another slippery, indistinct field
mark on an already drab sparrow. The book delivers on the promise of
the title. There are at least fifty bird puzzles here—dividing
yellowlegs, sorting sea ducks, winter gulls, or soaring buteos. The
book is an easy read but not something you’re likely to sit down and
read in an afternoon. It takes time to digest the wealth of
information. Thompson takes the reader on a hard journey into the fine
points of the craft, but he is always supportive, reassuring, and quick
to point out that birding should be an enjoyable activity not a
stressful one.
But, like I said at the beginning of this review it
is an invaluable resource for all birders who want to sharpen their
field abilities. The Hattiesburg Library has a copy of this book, but
for birders this is a Must
Buy.
Birding Quiz
Larry Smith
(From the Archives, March 1996)
What very noticeable field mark is shared by three otherwise very
different birds: Northern Harrier, Common Flicker, and Black-bellied
Plover?
Hope you remember this one, Larry Smith!
Preview of Things to Come . . .
Dauphin Island October 6-8, 2006
--Chuck Gramling, Field Trip Coordinator
I made my reservations for Dauphin Island the other day. As some
of you know the Gulf Breeze was not taking reservations until after
August 1 (waiting to see what hurricanes would do this year).
They are taking them now, and rooms are available. Sarah and Jean
& I are going down Thursday Oct 5. It is a good time to make
reservations before the last minute. Mike (Gulf Breeze) told me
island is pretty much like it was this spring for
facilities. The only change he noticed was a restaurant has
opened on the bottom floor of the Pelican Pub since we were there in
April.
Relevant numbers: Gulf Breeze/Harbor Lights 800-286-0296 (also
251-861-7344), Dauphin House B&B 251-861-3514. (see year book
for others, note area code is now 251, not 334).
This Space is for YOU!
Our President has challenged us each to do something new for the
organization this year that we haven’t done before. That can
include writing a short article for the Pine Warbler, a book review,
signing up for refreshments if you haven’t done that in awhile,
volunteering to help with a standing committee, or anything else you
feel called to do.
This could be YOUR spot….Have you read a good book lately about birds,
birding, wildlife, conservation, butterflies? Write it up and let
us print it for all to enjoy. Have you taken a great trip and
want to report about it? Have you seen something really special
driving around in our community that you could share with other
members? Tell us about it and let us put it in the newsletter!
If you will email any story or review to Lin Harper
(lin.harper@usm.edu) or Ron Blackwell (ronpb@aol.com), we’ll make sure
it finds its way into the newsletter in some form or fashion during the
year. You can also fax stories to Lin at 266-4409.
Pine Woods Audubon Calendar of Events
September 7: PWAS Board
Meeting, 6:15 p.m., Hattiesburg Zoo Education Center.
September 7: PWAS Chapter
Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Hattiesburg Zoo Education Center; Program: K.
Rushing on “Wildlife Rehabilitation.”
September 9: Forestry
Field Trip to John Lambert’s Property; Meet in Rose’s Parking Lot at 9
a.m. to depart with group.
September 16: Fall Partners in
Flight Bird Count; Contact Larry Smith to participate.
October 5: PWAS Chapter
Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Hattiesburg Zoo Education Center. Program: M.
LaSalle on “Effects of Hurricane Katrina on Coastal Bird Habitat.”
October 6-8: Dauphin Island
Fall Migration Field Trip. Make your own reservations.