February 2008 Jayhawk Audubon Society Newsletter

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Volume 32, Issue 6 FEBRUARY, 2008www.jayhawkaudubon.org

Jayhawk Audubon programs arefree. Nonmembers are very welcome!MONDAY FEBRUARY 25The Ivory-billed WoodpeckerPerspective on Recent Reports

In the spring of 2005, birders were electrified by the report in the journal Sciencethat an Ivory-billed Woodpecker, a species last reliably documented by the sighting ofa single bird in Louisiana in 1944, had been seen in the Cache River National WildlifeRefuge in Arkansas. Seldom does birding news generate such worldwide optimisticexcitement. The initial sighting in 2004 was not made public until a year of intensivesearching by teams from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and others resulted in a shortvideotape of a bird flying away and sound recordings thought to be the Ivory-billedscharacteristic double-knocks and kent calls. Since then there have been claims ofsightings and more recordings made along the Choctawhatchee River in Florida andreported in the journalAvian Conservation and Ecology. However there are respectedbirders and scientists who question the validity of these sightings of the bird called the

great chieftain of the woodpecker tribe by John James Audubon. Generally theybelieve observers are seeing Pileated Woodpeckers under poor conditions and confusingthem with Ivory-billeds. What is a layman to think?

Mark Robbins, Ornithology Collection Manager at the KU Museum of Natural History, will share his informedperspective on the birds status at the February 25th JAS meeting. Mark has been the Collection Manager at KU for 14years and held the same position at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia for the previous 11 years. He wasfirst drawn to birding as a young teen in Maryville, Missouri; however, we will forgive his tigerish roots since he didleave the state to study at the University of Arizona. Six months in southeastern Peru studying Band-tailed Manakinsprovided the thesis for his Masters degree from Louisiana State University. During his career, he has lead or co-leadmore than 40 expeditions to foreign countries documenting avian diversity so he certainly has perspective on findingelusive birds. Please join us for this very current topic.

Dutch-treat dinner with Mark Robbins: 5:30pm. (In gre di ent) Restaurant10th & Mass in Downtown Lawrence

Presentation: 7:30 pm. Trinity Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall1245 New Hampshire. Ample parking east of the churchRefreshments will be served.

Pileated WoodpeckerSteven DAmato

Gustav Mutzel. 50birds.comIvory-billed Woodpecker


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JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY2

RESULTS OF THE 2007 LAWRENCE CBC

29 participants in 14 parties (plus two at feeders) found 94 species on 15 Dec. 2007 on the occasion

of the 108th National Audubon Christmas Bird Count & the 64th Lawrence Christmas Bird Count. This wasthe tenth time we have equaled or broken the 90 species threshold since 1993. It was a very good effort by allinvolved in spite of snowy cold conditions. We recorded 20 species of waterfowl and 9 species of other water-birds. Although there were decent numbers of waterbirds in general, the overall number of birds was lowundoubtedly due to the nasty weather. Sparrow and finch numbers continue to be low or just average this year.House Sparrow numbers were again very low, the likes of which we virtually have not seen since the late 1940s

The complete list (in the latest AOU order) has the unusual species and/or unusually high individualnumbers underlined. We tied or set all-time record high counts for seven species: White-fronted Goose (14),Cackling Goose (58), Coopers Hawk (5), Horned Lark (2950)exceeded the previous high by over 300%,Winter Wren (6), Common Grackle (1660) and Snow Bunting (4).

Other unusual species were Trumpeter Swan (1), Rosss Goose (3), American White Pelican (2),Merlin(1) and Marsh Wren (1). Notable misses this year include Canvasback (count week only), Red-breastedMerganser, Rough-legged Hawk, Bonapartes Gull, Long-eared Owl, Red-headed Woodpecker, LoggerheadShrike and Lincolns Sparrow (count week only) .

Thanks to all of this year's participants, to Jayhawk Audubon for covering the participation fee, and tothe Prairie Park Nature Center for providing us with a place to hold the compilation dinner. Hope to see youall again next year for the 109th National Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

Species List for the 2007 Lawrence CBCGreater White-fronted Goose 14 (High) Wild Turkey -- 104

Snow Goose 4800 Northern Bobwhite -- 1Rosss goose -- 3 Pied-billed Grebe -- 4Canada Goose --3540 American White Pelican -- 2Cackling Goose -- 58(High) Double-crested Cormorant -- 8Trumpeter Swan 1 Great Blue Heron -- 10Wood Duck --1 Bald Eagle -- 18Gadwall 59 Adult - (12)American Wigeon 4 Immature - (6)Mallard 1920 Northern Harrier -- 32 Northern Shoveler 5 Sharp-shinned Hawk -- 3 Northern Pintail 1 Coopers Hawk --5Green-winged Teal 41 (Tied for High)

Rock Pigeon -- 153(Canvasback count week) Red-tailed Hawk -- 58 Eurasian Collared-Dove - 30Redhead 1 American Kestrel -- 16 Mourning Dove -- 148Ring-necked Duck 52 Merlin -- 1 Eastern Screech-Owl ---3Lesser Scaup -- 12 Prairie Falcon -- 1 Great Horned Owl -- 3Bufflehead 22 American Coot -- 3 Barred Owl -- 3Common Goldeneye 128 Killdeer -- 4 Belted Kingfisher -- 2Hooded Merganser 38 Ring-billed Gull -- 1890 Red-bellied Woodpecker -56Common Merganser 11 Herring Gull -- 9 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 10

Downy Woodpecker -- 64(continued on page 7) Hairy Woodpecker -- 11

Red-tailed HawkN. John Schmitt


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JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY KIDS PAGE 3

SNOW SNOW SNOW RIDDLE: Why is snow like a magic trick?

ANSWER:

FLAKEY SNOW FACTS Snow flakes form in the cloudswhen water vapor gathers on tiny ice crystals and theygrow and start branching. Snowflakes are not frozen rain. Frozen rain is sleet.As the ice crystals grow they become hexagons= six sided crystals. This is why most

snowflakes have 6 points. Sometimes when the air is dryer, snow falls in little pelletsor clumps and not as beautiful snowflakes. Dry snow also makes crummy snowballs!

Snowflakes can grow to be 3 inches across. In Montana in 1887,

snowflakes 15 inches wide and 8 inches thickcame down.

Use a ruler to help imagine these. A snowflake bigger thanyour head!! What a snowball fight that would be!Everysnowflake is unique= one of a kind. This is because the

inside of a cloud changesfrom one second to the next. The

growing snowflake crystals are changed too. Scientists saythere maybe some snowflakes that are alike in the billions

that fall every year...BUT WHO could look at every one??

THINGS TO DO:

SEE awesome snowflake pictures & movies of snow-flake crystals growing. Go to www.snowcrystals.com

READ Snow Crystalsby Wilson Bently The SnowflakeMan. He lived in Vermont from 1865 to 1931 and

was the first person to photograph a snowflake.

He made over 5,000pictures of snowflakes!

TRY the projects on the next pagePage content adapted from http://nsidc.org, website of the National Snow

and Ice Data Center and SnowCrystals.com. The riddle is our own

Itturnsaboring,freezingdayintoasnowman-building,snowball-throwing,sleddingparty

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2

3

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JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY KIDS PAGE4

EXAMINE SNOWFLAKES FOR YOURSELF:1. Before the next snowstorm put a piece of black paper, felt or velvet in the

freezer. (You can color a piece of paper black with a crayon or pen.)2. Find a magnifying glass if you can, but you can see the flakes without one too.

3. When it snows, get out the blackpapersicleand go out to catch snowflakes on it.

The cold paper will keep the snowflakes from melting before you can look at them.

4. Are any of the flakes the same?? Use the magnifying glass or your sharp eyes to decide.

If there are no good hexagonalflakes, you may have to wait for the next snow stormDont be

sad or angry. Science is like that...experiments may not work the first time. Try again!

5. Try drawing some of the snowflakes you see.

MAKE A SNOW AND RAIN GAUGE:1. Cut off the top of a clear plastic two-liter bottle. Use a permanent marker to mark

the outside of the bottle in centimeters or inches (measuring from bottom to top).2. Put the bottle outside in a place where it can collect falling snow.

3. Measure and record the depth of snow in the container.

4. Let the snow melt, then measure & record the depth of water in the bottle. Did you think there

would be more or less water? Usually it takes 10 inches of snow to get 1 inch

of water, but remember those clouds. Each snowfall is unique= one of a kind!

MAKE A BIRDSEED ANGEL:1. Next snowstorm, make a snow angel where you can see it from a window.

2. Scatter birdseed inside the angel in your own design.

3. Enjoy watching the birds becauseYOU helped them find food.

MAKE A CRYSTAL SNOWFLAKE:MATERIALS NEEDED: wide-mouth jar, 3 white pipe cleaners, scissors, string,pencil, spoon, boiling water with adult help, borax (use 20 Mule Team Borax Laundry Booster.

Boraxo does NOT work). Blue food coloring if you would like a blue crystal.

1. Make a giant snowflake frame from the pipe cleaners and string. Twist all 3 pipe cleaners together in the

center so that 6 spokes are pointing out. Make sure it fits into the jar.

2. Use the string to connect the spokes so it looks like a snowflake or the start of a spiderweb.

3. Tie a few inches of string to the end of one of the spokes. Tie the other end of the string around the

pencil so that the pipecleaner snowflake will dangle freely inside the jar. Take it back out for now.

4. Ask an adult to pour boiling water into the jar filling it within a few inches of the top. Add coloring now.

5. Slowly add borax to the hot water while you stir. Keep adding borax until you see undissolved borax

powder at the bottom of the jar. You will need to add at least 3 Tablespoons per cup of water.

This is called a supersaturated solutionbecause no more borax willgo into solution= dissolve.

6. Hang the snowflake back in the jar and leave it at leastovernight. Your snowflake will be

covered with beautiful crystals. As the water cools during the night, even less of the Borax will

stay dissolved. As it comes out of solutionit forms crystals on your snowflake!

From www.enchantedlearning.com with permission.

www.Familyfun.com


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JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY 5

Snow Way by Ken LassmanIn December, the local daily newspaper had an article stating that wed had around 20 inches of snow

in 2007, the highest accumulation in seven years. They went on to say that 2006 had no snow at all, whichreally got my attention since I remember that we had snow the last two winters. At that point it struck me thatthe reporter had fallen prey to the all-too-common slip-up that the map is the territory when the map, or inthis case our annual calendar, is actually an imposed cultural category that can distort reality.

Ask any bird, tree, river, or rock on the planet when the year begins or ends, and at best youll get afrightened look and at worst stony silence or be completely ignored. All right, thats pretty much true withabout any question youd ask, but in this case the coincidence is entirely appropriate since the year doesntbegin or end at any particular time at all. Our planet just goes smoothly around the sun in its slightly ellipticalorbit without starting or stopping along the way. The same is true of the seasons and the ways of nature.Our particular species has created a cultural overlay we like to call a year to mark one complete revolution

around the sun, and modern westernized humans have agreed upon Dec. 31/Jan. 1 to draw that invisible start-ing line in time. Of course the Babylonian, Indian and old Roman calendars started their year after the springequinox, the Egyptians started their year in summer, the Hebrew calendar begins after the fall equinox, and theIslamic calendar is lunar, meaning that the beginning moves throughout the solar year over time.

All of this is to say that deciding to start and end a year at a particular moment cuts up acontinuous process and distances us from reality as experienced by the rest of nature. In this case, it splits eachwinter into 2 different years, so you have to combine snowfall totals from October, November and Decemberof one year with January, February, March and April of the next year to get an accurate view of the season.

Jennifer Schack, Sunflower 6News meteorologist, has generously shared monthly snowfall totals from

January 2001 through December 2007 with me. I poked around the internet and found the snowfall recordsfrom 1939-2003 from the Lawrence Coop Weather station (glamorously given the title: 144559). Climaticaverages are re-figured every 30 years or so; current averages are based on data from station 144559 betweenthe years 1971-2000. Finally, in researching my bookWild Douglas County, I used information from the SoilSurvey of Douglas County published in 1977. Collecting all this information, I created the following tables:

Table 1: Snowfall averages for Lawrence, KS, 2001 to 2007 (Sunflower Cable data)

*Using data only from complete seasons. If early 2001 and late 2007/8 included, avg is 10.59

(continued p.6)

2000/1 2001/2 2002/3 2003/4 2004/5 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 Avg.*

Oct. -- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Nov. -- 0 0.1 0 5 0 0 0.1 0.85

Dec. -- 0 0.2 0.2 0 12 0 8.7 2.07

Jan. 3.2 5 5 0 3 0 3.2 5** 2.7

Feb. 6.3 3 3.7 7 3 0 6.1 -- 3.8

Mar. 1 3.8 0 0 0 0 0 -- 0.63

Apr. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 -- 0.01

Total 10.5 11.8 9 7.2 11 12 9.4 13.8 10.07


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Snow W ay by Ken Lassman (continued from p. 5)Looking at the data seasonally, it becomes readily apparent that the lack of snow in 2006 and the highest totals

in 7 years both disappear, as the two halves of the season are re-combined to reflect the way that we - and all otherforms of life - experience winters. So are we receiving more snow than average this winter, i.e. Oct 2007 through April2008? Maybe, maybe not. On the maybe side, the average first three months of snowfall in the past 7 years has beenonly 3.75 inches, and if you dont include this year, its only 2.92 through December. On the maybe notside, however,the entire snowfall for the 2005/6 season (12) came in December.

Putting these data collected by Sunflower 6News into a larger context, Table 2 below compares the data to alarger dataset collected over a longer period of time:

Table 2: Snowfall averages for Lawrence, KS using different datasets

1Sunflower 6News weather station data230 year avgs. from 144559 Lawrence, KS station (National Climate Data Ctr. website)364 year avgs. from 144559 Lawrence, KS station (High Plains Climate Center website)4Soil Survey of Douglas County, Climate description (published 1977), using data analyzed by Dean Bark,Kansas climatologist for the National Weather Service, using records that go back to 1868.

The longer datasets appear to show LESS snowfall in the past 6 years or so. Even if you include the incompletedata seasons of 2000 and 2007/8 and use the higher average of 10.59 it still looks like we used to get more snow thanwe have since the beginning of the new millennium. Interestingly the 30 year average is slightly higher than the 64 yeartotal though its less than the sketchier 100-plus year records. Does global warming increase snowfall around here ordecrease it? Are there other cycles at play, like the sunspot cycle? All good questions, but unanswerable by my cursory

analysis. Like so much of our weather in these parts, the average is pretty theoretical when your standard deviation is solarge. Suffice it to say that lately snowfall totals have been 8 to 12 inches compared to the longer term average of atleast 17 inches. Thus even if we get twice as much snow as weve already received for the season, we will be well within

long term normal ranges.

So if it snows some more, keep those bird feeders filled, enjoy the unifyingeffect a substantial snowfall has on the landscape, brush up on your trackidentification and learn about wildlife activities in your neighborhood. Enjoythe deep blue skies this time of year after a cold front has passed through, & ifthe snow is fresh & deep, get a glimpse of the cold blue shadows in the snowas you shovel. And stay warm!

Month 2001/2 to 2006/71 1971 to 2000avgs.2

1939 to 2003avgs3

SCS Climateavgs4

October 0.0 0.2 0.14 -

November 0.85 1.1 0.77 -

December 2.07 2.9 3.88 -

January 2.7 6.5 5.38 -

February 3.8 5.0 3.83 -

March 0.63 1.6 2.59 -

April 0.01 0.3 0.41 -

Total avg. 10.07 17.6 17.0 18 to 20

raccoon tracks


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2007 Lawrence CBC Results continued from p.2Northern Flicker -- 32Pileated Woodpecker -- 4Blue Jay -- 61

American Crow -- 193Horned Lark -- 2950 (High)Black-capped Chickadee - 158Tufted Titmouse -- 94Red-breasted Nuthatch -- 18White-breasted Nuthatch -- 33Brown Creeper -- 15Carolina Wren -- 37Winter Wren 6 (High)Marsh Wren -- 1Golden-crowned Kinglet 8

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4Eastern Bluebird 74Hermit Thrush 2American Robin 140Northern Mockingbird 2European Starling 1400Cedar Waxwing 31Yellow-rumped Warbler -- 17Spotted Towhee 1American Tree Sparrow 1280Fox Sparrow 7

Song Sparrow 207(Lincolns Sparrow count week)Swamp Sparrow 40White-throated Sparrow -- 63Harris's Sparrow 80

White-crowned Sparrow 6Dark-eyed Junco 2760Lapland Longspur 209Snow Bunting 4 (High)Northern Cardinal 476Red-winged Blackbird 28,500

Sturnella, spp.-- 83Rusty Blackbird -- 49Common Grackle 1660(High)Great-tailed Grackle - 200Brown-headed Cowbird 200Purple finch -- 56House Finch 76Pine Siskin 6American Goldfinch 357House Sparrow 217

--Galen Pittman, Lawrence CBC compiler

Screech-owl red phase.Steven DAmato

JAS officers & Board MembersPresident: Chuck Herman: 913-301-3921

[email protected] President: Pam ChaffeeRecording Secy: Joyce Wolf

Corresponding:: Susan IversenTreasurer: Jennifer DelisleMember ChapterChange Report: Chuck & Ruth HermanMembership Promotion: Dayna Carleton Newsletter: Susan Iversen: 785-843-1142

[email protected]: Michael FraleyPrograms: Jennifer Delisle/Joyce WolfEducation: Rex PowellField Trip: VOLUNTEER NEEDEDPublicity: Dayna CarletonElectronic Communications: Karyn Baker-Riney

Bird Seed Sale: Linda LipsBirdathon: Richard BeanChristmas Count: Galen PittmanMigratory Count: VOLUNTEER NEEDEDEagles Day: Ed & Cynthia ShawHospitality: Esther SmithHistorian: Ron WolfBooks & Feeders: Ron & Joyce WolfBoard Member: Sharon AshworthBoard Member: Dena FriesenBoard Member: Lisa GrossmanBoard Member: Ed ShawBoard Member: Cynthia ShawBoard Member: Jake Vail

Have you heard??

eBird is the Word

National Audubon encourages all birdersto make a habit of reporting their birdingsightings to the eBird database developed byNAS and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

CBCs, Great Backyard Bird Counts &Migratory Counts provide good snapshotdata, but regular, widespread reporting toeBird is becoming a powerful tool for under-standing where the birds are and how theyare faring at all times of the year.

It can also be useful for managing yourpersonal records. You can create maps andtables for your own use and easily updateyour lists. Go to http://ebird.org to check itout and contribute to the pool of knowledge.

Snow BuntingRoyal Society for theProtection of Birds


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Jayhawk Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 3741Lawrence, KS 66046Return Service Requested

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDLawrence, KS

Permit No. 201

Application for New Membership in both: National Audubon Society and Jayhawk Chapter___$15 Student; ___$20 Introductory for NEW members; ____$15 Senior Citizen.(Make check payable toNational Audubon Society.)

Application for Chapter-only Membership (Jayhawk Audubon Society). No Audubon magazine.___$7.50 Chapter-only (Make check payable toJayhawk Audubon Society.) Those with National Audubonmemberships are encouraged to support the chapter by voluntarily paying these dues. Chapter membershipexpires annually in July.

National Audubon Society members receive four issues per year of the Audubon magazine and are alsomembers of the Jayhawk Chapter. All members also receive 10 issues of this newsletter per year and areentitled to discounts on books and feeders that are sold to raise funds to support education and conservationprojects. Please send this completed form and check to Membership Chairs at the following address:

Ruth & Chuck Herman; 20761 Loring Road, Linwood, KS 66052; e-mail contact:

[email protected] . {National Members Renewing: please use the billing form receivedfrom National and send it with payment to National Audubon Society in Boulder, CO}.

Name __________________________; Address ___________________________________________;

City ___________________________; State ______; ZIP Code (9) digit __________

Telephone (with Area Code) ___________________J02: 7XCH

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February 2008 Jayhawk Audubon Society Newsletter