Brian Taber, Editor (253-1181)

Decemher Events

Meeti n s L1:""":1lJ;:$ 3J"*i",Instead please try to partici-pate in the bird count, whichwill be held for our club onDecember 20th, 1992. (Seearticle on page 2)

November Field TrEp

Tom Armour led the group consistingof Marilyn Zeigler, Sue Gray Al-Salam,Mary West, Emily Sharrett, DorthyWhitfield And Martha Briggs to HogIsland on the Zlst. Among the highlightswere 10 Great Egrets, a Glossy Ibis, 16Tundra Swans, 3 Bald Eagles, 2 NorthernHarriers, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, 20Greater Yellowlegs, 6 Dunlin, 50Bonaparte's Gulls and 25 Green-wingedTeal.

Can Someone Help?

Is there a eJenerous host who wouldprovide an out-of-town Bird Club speakerwith bed and breakfst for the January20th meeting? Please call Marilyn Zeiglerat220-2536

Goming Attractions

December 20th- Williamsburg Bird ClubAnnual Winter Bird Count

January 2Oth-First club meeting in 1993.

May 14-16th, 1993, VSO Annual Meeting,hosted in Norton, Va. by the CumberlandNature Club. The banquet speaker will beTed Eubanks, who runs the Piping PloverProject on the Texas and Mexican GulfCoast.

Out With the Old,ln With the ltew

Congradulations and thank you to ouroutgoing officers and board members:Dick Mahone, Marilyn Zeigler, Joy Archer,Brian Taber, Fred Blystone, Phyllis John-son and Emily Sharrett.

Good luck to the 1993 leaders: RuthBeck, president; Marilyn Zeigler, vice-president for programs; Bill Sheehan,Vice-president for the'newsletter; FredBlystone, treasurer, Alice Springe, secre-tary, and Bill Davies and David Schuster,at-large board members.

Please let the officers know of yourideas to make our great club even better!

Welcome to our newest member

Floyd P. Carmines2188 Lake Powell Road

Williamsburg, Va. 23185229-0622

THE FLYERPAGE 2

Ghristmas Gount.December 2oth

Lee Schuster has agreed to coordinate the countnext year and will assist Brian Taber this time toIearn the procedure.

The areas that will be surveyed, along withsome of the landmark locations are:

7. Gheatham Annex-Camp Peary, Oueen's Lake,Cheatham Annex, Felgate's Creek, InrlialField Creek.

2" Klngsmill-Country Road to Carter's Grove,Kingsmill, Williamsburg Airport, Parkway fromCW Information Center to just before CollegeCreek.

3. llog lsland-Ferry ride over and Hog IslandRefuge.

4. Jamestown-Parkway frour College Creek'toJamestown and Jamestown Island.

5. Gollege Woods-College Woods and campus ofW&M, Lake Matoaka, Lake Powell, CollegeLanding Park on South Henry Street, PopulationLab, Hickory Signpost Road and Treasure IslandRoad.

6. Mlddle Plantatlon-Mid-County Road, WallerMill Park (both entrances), Dnrmmond's Field,News Road and First Colony.

7. Jolly Pond-Jolly Pond, Cranston's MiIl Pond,Little Creek Resevoir.

8. Sklmlno-Barlow's Pond, Skimino Farms, Mir-ror Lakes, entrance to York River State Park andRiverview Plantation.

Please call Brian Taber at 253-1181 for furtherinformation about the count and the talley.

his year marks the 93rdanniversary sir:ce 27consewationists decided

to protest the traditional birdshoot, and instead of shootingbirds, they counted them onChristmas Day 1900. The eventoriginated as a protest to thetraditional holiday 'side hunt' inwhich teams competed to seewho could shoot the most birdsand animals in one day.

Today, volunteers from atl50states, every Canadian provice,parts of Central and SouthAmerican, Bermuda and theWest Indies will count andrecord every individual bird andbird species encountered duringone calendar day. More than1600 individual Christmas BirdCounts will be held during a twoand a half week period.

Each count group has adesignated circle 15 miles indiameter-about 177 squaremiles-where they try to coveras much ground as possiblewithin a 24-hour period. Thedata collected by each countgroup is then sent into NationalAudubon Society headquartersin New York. Count data ispublished on a special book-sized edition of. American Birdsmagazine.

Apart from its attraction as asocial, sporting, and competitiveevent, the annual count revealsinteresting and scientificallyuseful information on the early-winter distribution patterns ofvarious bird species and overallhealth of the environment.

.sF-W THE FLYER PAGE 3

From the newsletter of the Interna-tional Crane Foundation

Volunteers Make Proud ParentsBy Susan McDonald

It was a small white notecardtaped in the window of the birdseed store: "Chick ParentsWanted." I was curious, so I ap-plied. I had no idea what I wasgetting into. Although I had neverbeen to the International CraneFoundation (ICF) before, I wouldhave laughed if I had seen the"chick parents" running aboutwith crane puppets, purring and'whooping' to little fuzzball chicks.

I got the job. I learned thatchick parents are responsible forkeeping a germ-free atmospherefor these little superstars, for track-ing their physical well-being, fornoting their food and water intake,and for recording its release outthe other end. Chick parents arealso required to answer questionsfrom the public, make sure chicksexercise, and prevent fights amongthe chicks. Preventing fights wasIike trying to hold 30 corks underwater at the same time. In naturecranes may hatch two chicks ayear, but in some species, usuallyonly one survives. Vying for momand dad's undivided attention isdeadly business for a crane, butthe aviculture staff preferred wekeep them all alive on our watch.

The cranes began to steal myheart the more I learned abouttheir individual personalities. Iknew I had made a complete trans-

formation from nervous volunteer to real chickparent the day my first chick flew. The ICF staffhad told me to run into the wind and flap mywings for the chicks to imitate. This we te-diously did for weeks, much to the amusementof the visitors. But one hot gusty day in earlyAugust, as I ran into the wind flapping mywings for the 435th time that afternoon, one ofthe chicks, a beautiful gray Sandhill cranenamed Dakota, lifted off behind me. He flappedhis long powerful wings over my shoulders soclose that he grazed my ear. Higher and higherhe flew, free of gravity, free of the aggression ofhis chick-yard siblings, free of care. Like anygood parent watching her young succeed, I wasso proud.

The hours of raking the pens, scrubbing thebowls and refilling them with water-all weresuddenly worthwhile. Just like the human par-ent who forgets sleepless nights and backseatbickering while watching a child accept his highschool diploma, I was tranformed by pride asthis one accepts his diploma in the sky.

But these babies weren't going on to collegeor even into the family business of migrating tothe winter territory. They were destined to havetheir wings clipped and to stay living in captiv-ity, albeit comfortably and with excellent medi-cal benefits, in order to breed future genera-tions. Their children might be released into thewild if safe habitat can be found. My chicks areIiterally the hope of their generation. How manyother parents can say that?

There's a different volunteer every morningand every afternoon. We are all ages, men andwomen. There's a financial secretary, a school-teacher, a retired gentleman, a farm wife, anurse, a doctor.

That summer of 1991, we were trusted withthe care of almost four percent of the world'spopulation of Whooping Cranes. They trustedus. We taught them to fly. I'll always remembersweet Chip, aggressive Baratux, silly Kane. Maytheir children fly free over our heads soon.

PAGE 4THE FLYER.s

T',ffir

Bird of the SeasonHorned GrebePodiceps aurjtus

There is a small bird that comes to thesalty and brackish waters of our areaeach fall, but you may never see it fly. Itswims well on the surface and divesexpertly, beginning with a short, upwardleap, but the Horned Grebe, like othergrebes, is so attached to the water that itis rarely seen on the wing.

At 12-15 inches, it is about the size ofa Green-winged or Blue-winged TeaI. Thewinterplumage, whichwe usually see, isgrayish above and whitish on the cheeksand below, with a black cap. There ap-pears to be no tail or wings, just a com-pact body and a rather long neck. The eyeis brilliant reci.

Horned Grebes can be found mostregularly in our area on the York River,especially between Felgate's Creek andYorktown, along the Colonial Parkway.They may be quite close to shore andoften allow an observer a long look. Theyare frequently solitary, but also may occurin small groups. They mix with rafts ofother driving waterfowl, such as Canvas-backs and Ruddy Ducks.

The spectacular breeding plumagemay be seen on lingering individuals inApril or May. The gray and white bird isthen transformed into a rufous and blackbird with showy golden ear tufts whichstretch from the eye to the back ofthehead. A small, cowlick-like crest may beseen in any plumage.

The breeding grounds are far to thewest and north, mostly in Canada andAlaska, on shallow ponds and sloughs.Horned Grebes winter along both coasts,in search of arniide variety of seafood.

Proiect FeederWatch

While enjoying watching birds at yourfeeder this winter, you can contribute toscientific knowledge by registering forProject FeederWatch. Sponsored by theCornell Laboratory of Ornithology and theLong Point Bird Observatory, this programprovides data for scientists who trackchanges in resident songbird populations.

During the 1989-90 winter season,feederwatchers also recorded the number ofbirds killed in window collisions at theirhomes. Nine percent of all watchers reportone or more such incidents. Sixty-six differentspecies were involved. To prevent suchaccidents, it is recommended that blackplastic garden protection netting be mountedon fames installed about a foot away fromoffending windows. Frequently, windowsnear bird feeders are prime culprits.

The most cornmon winter feeder visitorsare Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, AmericanGoldfinches and Dark-eyed Juncos. To regis-ter for the 1992-93 feederwatch, send $12.00to:

Project FeederWatchCornell Lab of Ornithology159 Sapsucker Woods fi.oadIthaca, NY 14850

From the Virginia Wildlife Federation RecordJanuary 1992

Binoculars, Anyone?

If anyone knows of any used Zeiss binocu-Iars for sale, please call Brain Taber at 253-1181.

PAGE 5THE FLYER,s

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Birds From Around the Area

On 11119, Tom Armour found 2Clapper Rails at College Creek, 120Forster's Terns at Kingsmill Marina, aSharp-shinned Hawk at his feeder and2 Pied-billed Grebes, a Bufflehead anda Cooper's Hawk at Kingsmill Pond.The day before, at Kingsmill, Tom hadwatched as a Red-tailed Hawk dinedon a squirrel. On the 24th, Tom saw amale Purple Finch at Bill Sheehan'sfeeder. He found 2 Brown Pelicans atthe marina on the 28th and 3 there onthe 29th. on the 30th he added 2Common Loons and 2 Common Mer.gansers on the James near Kingsmill.

Bill Snyder reports 2 Pied-billedGrebes on Lake Matoaka on the 12thand 3 Mute Swans there on the 15th;Lucille Thornley found a late BIue-gray Gnatcatcher on the 22nd at herMill Neck Road yard; Ruth Beck re-ports 5 Brown Creepers frorn herBarhamsville property on the 23rd;Julie Hotchkiss watched 200 CanadaGeese and 2 Snow Geese near FirstColony on the 25th.

BilI Sheehan reports a Pine Warblerat his feeder on !2/1,, the first feederwarbler of this season. He has alsorecently seeing both kinglets there,Brown Creepers, Hermit Thrushesalmost daily, and Sharp-shinnedHawks checking the feeder regularly.

BiIl Sheehan and Tom Armourtoured Surry County and Hog Isiandon the 13th, where they found RustyBlackbirds, Snow Geese, Shovelers,

Hooded Mergansers, a Northern Harrier, 2BaId Eagles and a Tree Swallow.

On the 8th, 7 Red-tailed Hawks were seenmigrating very high over Mill Creek, nearJamestown, in a one-hour period; l0loonspassed over the same area in 30 minutes onthe 15th; a Fox Sparrow was there on the18rh.

On the 271h.,9 Brown Pelicans were on theYork River, between Felgate's Creek andYorktovvn; 14 were there on the 29th; North-ern Gannets were present both days at theYorktown waterfront.

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THE FLYERPAGE 6

Red.cockaded Woodpecker

The Red-cockaded Woodpecker iscertainly a bird of a different feather.Though many birds raise their youngias acouple, the red-cockaded chooses a coop-erative family style for raising young,soliciting the help of younger birds andunmated males. Family groups can rangefrom 6 to 8 individuals and be as large as15 individuals. Everyone in the familyhelps with protecting their territory aswell as feeding the young. These familygroups are more productive than a singlemated pair, showing an apparent advan-tage for the family life style.

Why has this type of cooperativebreeding evolved? For many years it wasthought that this was a selfless effort onthe part i.if ti^e sooiierators to perpeiuatethe species. However, as more studieswere conducted it was found that coop-erative breeding is an indication of envi-ronmental constraints. As optimum habi-tat is lost or utilized the opportunities foryounger birds to breed become limited.Also, a shortage of sexual partners oravailability of other resources may forcefamily groups to evolve.

In Virginia vve're down to our last 4sites with 11 adults spread among thesesites. This year they raised a total of 5young at three of the sites. Not a verygood return for a family effort that shouldproduced two to five young per site. Sowhat's going on here? In Virginia, thered-cockaded appears to be stressed bythe lack of suitable habitat, specificallyopen mature pine forest. With competi-tion between the lumber industry and thedevelopment of southeasterri Virginialittle roorn has been left for this bird.

Identified as a federally endangered

species, the Red-cockaded woodpeckerhas received protection status sine 7970.Despite this status, timber practicesthroughout the southeast discourage thedevelopment of mature pine stands.Conservation efforts are constrainedbecause a large portion of remaininghabitat is on private land.

In addition to competition with man,the Red-cockaded Woodpecker facesother obstacles. A natural competitor forcavity space is the red-cockaded's cousin,the Pileated Woodpecker. A pileated wiIImove in and push out its smaller cousin,forcing the red-cockaded to move else-where.

Cavity restrictors have been success-fully used to discourage the pileatedtakeover of red-cockaded cavities. Therestrictors, pieces of metal placed aroundthe cavity, Iimit the size of the cavityopening forcing the larger pileateds tolook elsewhere.

While these manag:ement efforts help,they are not a cure for the problem, lossof habitat. If we are to maintain the Red-cockaded Woodpecker in Virginia, thenwe will have to make the commitment toprotect the habitat necessary to the sur-vival of this species.

(FromVolume 1, Number 1of NongameNews, Newsletter of the Va. Department ofGame & Inland Fisheries Nongame & Endan-gered Species Program)