March 2009 Scrub Jay Newsletter Audubon of Martin County

8/9/2019 March 2009 Scrub Jay Newsletter Audubon of Martin County

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Non-profit

Organization

U.S. Postage Paid

Permit #57

Stuart FL 34995

Audubon ofMartin County

621 SE Palm Beach Road, Stuart FL 34994

Florida Scrub-Jay Art Logo

By Brian Sylvester

Office hours are generally 10 am2pm

Monday through Friday.

Please call ahead at 772.288.2637

Birgit AgerNancy AllenStacei Ankrom

Maryann Armstrong

Diana Balasky

Ruth & Art Campbell

Anne Coughlan

Simone D'Addario

Jane Doggett

William Feagin

Raymond Fredrick

William Glover

Irvin N. Goldberg

Billy Hankins

Helen D. Hoffman

Lloyd & Linda Kelman

Brenda King

Graham Monk

Bill & Val Nichols

Jean Oakes

John Ordway

Ann Powell

Edna Prescott

Shannon Pritchard

Bernadette Russell

Pauline Russell

Annamaria Staguhn

Robert Strauss

Myron Wick

L. Wiley

Joe Zelenski

Welcome New Members!

EagleWatch

AoMC EagleWatchers continue to report rapidly-growing eaglets atmost of the nests we monitor. Our thanks to Bill Borger, Pat Caruso,Dale Doc Hipson, Jim Kearman, Linda Wishney, Joette Smith, Franand Greg Stewart, Paul Yorke and AoMC Eaglewatch CoordinatorClare-Rue Morgan for their dedication to helping track our local baldeagles. If youd like to join AoMCs Eaglewatch team, give Clare-Rue Morgan a call at 772-286-9833.

Juvenile Bald Eagle by Doug Galbraith

Mark Your Calenda

March 2009

7 Growth Management Forum19 Program Meeting, Rt 714 Scenic 21 Field TripRt 714 Scenic Highw

Allapattah Flats. Meet @ Knightsat 7:30 a.m.

27-28 (Fri-Sun) Audubon Academy,

April 2009

11 Birdathoncontact Laurie at 223

inside for details16 Program Meeting, A Birders

Journal with AoMC member Mar18 Field Trip to Everglades Storm

ment Area. Meet at Knights of7:00 am

25 Annual Meeting and Earth Day Evunteer Awards, Student Essay Cand Native Plant Sales.

Join us on Thursday, March 19th for apresentation by former Martin CountyCommissioner Mary Dawson about thegrassroots Save the Trees initiative to getthe westerly-most 12-mile portion of Mar-tin Grade (C.R. 714) designated as a Sce-nic Highway. The Scenic Highway desig-nation would preserve the character andquality of the roadway, including its over-arching tree canopy, diverse floral andfaunal communities .

NEW Meeting Location:

The meeting room is at the MartinCounty Extension Office at 2614 SE DixieHighway. Hospitality-11:00 a.m., Program-11:30 a.m. (bring a bag lunch) Look forour sandwich board on Dixie.

Field Trip : Saturday, March 21

Martin Scenic Grade tour

On Saturday, March 21st, well follow up the program meeting with an

associated half-day field trip to see the Martin Grade scenic highway corri-dor. Well help to compile a bird list of species that use the roadway cor-ridor as we stop at strategic locations between Highway 609 and S.R. 710.The road also includes access points onto the Allapattah Flats WildlifeManagement Area, which we will visit after the tour of t he scenic high-way.

Meet at the Knights of Columbus, in time for a 7:30 AM departure.Bring your binoculars, camera, field guide and your own refreshments,including lunch. Fee - $5 for Audubon members, $10 for non-members.

audubonmartincounty.org 772-288-2637

March 2009

A view down Rt 714

Photo by sclands.org

Program Meeting: Thursday, March 19th

Martin County Scenic Highway 714


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Board Members 2008-2009

Executive Director Greg Braun

561-575-2028

OTHER IMPORTANT COMMITTEE CHAIRS

AUDUBON HOUSE DOCENTS

Clare-Rue Morgan, George Mirka, Beverly Poppke,Ed Fisher, Carol Coyne

Open board seats:Contact Laurie Odlum or Greg Braun

A copy of the official registration and financial information may beobtained from the division of Consumer Services toll-free within Florida

800.435.7352. Registration does not imply endorsement,approval, or recommendation by the state.

The Scrub Jay is published seven times a year on

recycled content paper with soy-based ink.

Message from our President~~~ Laurie Odlum

Never underestimate "The power of ONE!"Through history there have been luminary i ndi-viduals like Joan of Arc, Madame Marie Curie,Neil Armstrong and Marjory Stoneman Douglas;just a few of the i ndividuals who put service toothers ahead of their personal needs.

We are very fortunate to have talented peoplewho are doing the work it takes to make us asuccessful chapter. Each one has dedicated him-self to AoMC. When we take on a big commit-ment such as rebuilding Possum Long Nature

Center, it takes contributions from many disciplines to accomplish thework that is required. It is when the individuals form a group that weaccomplish the most. Although it isn't a glory-filled j ob, one of the mostvital jobs on our properties is r emoving weeds and exotics in establishedplanted areas. Every job is important to our success. We also needskilled people to help us complete our building projects. Call DebbieClark at (772) 545-5435 to volunteer and schedule work hours or sup-port those who work with a check.

In addition to PLNC, we have a number of projects of which to beproud. First is the Eaglewatch program with volunteers who monitor thenests in Martin County throughout the nesting season in all types ofweather. And, if necessary, rescue those Eagle chicks (adults too) thathave been injured in some way. Second is the Jaywatch program that iscurrently out in the field, on a weekly basis, searching our scrub land forScrub-jay families and creating a data base to help create a plan formonitoring the success of the Jays. Third is the Sandhill Crane sign andnest monitoring project. Those signs you see on the highways warningof Sandhill Cranes are installed by DOT and requested through AoMC

by concerned citizens. And fourth, are the exotic plant removal projectson our Citrus Blvd and Maplewood properties.The area in which we need the most help is something with which

everybody can help. We need new and long time members who are will-ing to get involved. So please talk to your friends and neighbors aboutAudubon of Martin County and invite them to a program meeting or tovisit PLNC. All of our talented leaders could use help. Just look at yourProgram Calendar, read and share the newsletter and refer to our web-site, and you will see all of the projects that could use your assistance.Each member of the Board of Directors is the head of a standing com-mittee i.e.: Finance, Education, and Conservation. The most vital areasof need are in publicity, education, field trips and membership recruit-ment. You don't have to devote much time to make a difference. If youcan't volunteer your time, volunteer your money, if not your money,then moral support or at l east some recruiting. We can provide the train-ing you need if you are willing to make the effort. If for some reasonyou are not able to help with your volunteer hours, then you could giveyour support by thanking those who do and write the check to help withmaterials and basic costs to support their efforts. Even a onetime effort

is better than never.The individual parts of a building foundation make the whole thing

stronger. Even matchsticks put together in the rightsequence can make a house. Any help is worth the ef-fort, and all help is appreciated.

It truly is the power of one that makes the difference.Remember, you are the ONE for us. Join us in personand make the AoMC stronger.

President Laurie Odlum 772-486-2837

Vice-Pres Volunteer Needed

Treasurer Bob Gordon 772-546-2206

Secretary, Recording Joan Bausch 772-219-8285

Conservation Bob Matheson 772-283-5999

Education Volunteer Needed

Field Trips Beverly Poppke 772-286-0061

Resource Development Doug Warns 772-462-3751

Membership Curt Wood 772-546-5435

Programs Ed Fielding 772-288-2622

Volunteer Coordinator Debbie Clark 772-545-2404

Properties Jim Kearman 772-708-0677

Public Relations Tom McNicholas 772-219-1719

Nature Center Susan Smyth 772-692-3489

Newsletter Editor Lisa Fiore 772-528-9707

Wildlife Center Dan Martinelli 772-286-6200

Water Resources Patrick Hayes 561-747-6397

Youth Liaison Jessie Green 772-283-3024

Garden Club Liaison Louise White 772-283-4416

IRL & Speakers Bureau Bill Hudspeth 561-667-5123

Eaglewatch Liaison Clare-Rue Morgan 772-286-9833

Librarian Bev Poppke 772-286-0061

Cranewatch Coordinator Pam Hopkins 772-408-6153

Cranewatch Co-coordinator Carol Spinney 772-545-7987

Jaywatch Coordinator Pam Hopkins 772-408-6158

Jaywatch Co-coordinator Clare-Rue Morgan 772-286-9833

Christmas Bird Count Liz Hailman 561-746-7293

Webmaster Ed Fisher [email protected]

Contact your U.S. Senators in Washington DC

at the following numbers:

Senator Mel Martinez: 202.224.3051

Senator Bill Nelson: 202.224.5274

Now Showing at the Elliott M

2nd AoMC Annual Photography EMarch 4 through March

Stop by the Elliott and view our Photo Contes

All entries are being judged on how well they express the nament of Florida. Categories include: A) Flora, B) Fauna, Really Close up, and D) General Landscape.

Awards will be given at our April 16 Program Meeting. Coyour favorite wins.

Our JayWatchers continue to survey forscrub-jays in Martin County , although well betaking a brief hiatus during the nesting seasonso we dont unnecessarily disturb nesting jays.

We appreciate the consideration given to theplight of our local scrub-jays by the CountyCommission during AoMCs recent debriefingat a County Commission Meeting. We arehopeful that AoMC and the County will partnerfor grant funding to develop a county-widehabitat conservation plan for scrub-jays. With-

out that broad-ranging perspectivful that our nearly-isolated familyjays will die out before we are abthe habitat they need. This summ

ing to once again work with our pNature Conservancy to expand thmonitoring program in Martin Coyouve got some time and would these friendly birds, please contakins, either at the AoMC office (7or electronically atpamaudubon

Than

toCB

Particip

Liz AlbertsonGreger C. AndersonSharon ArcherRobin BeckettSonia BollingerGreg BraunNicky CampbellJohn CarrollPat Carroll

Florence ChatowskyTony ChatowskyChick ClipshamDaisy DavisOllie DavisEvie DayBill EdmundsRebecca ElliottMarta Gordon

John GrinerJack HailmanLiz HailmanLaurie HandJamie HansenIrene HartPat HatchMichael HendersonPam Hopkins

Pat HoshkindHank HullDotty HullJohn E. JonesCarolyn KlinePhillip KlineRobert D. LeonardGeorge LoweChristina Macon

Barbara McGillHarry McVeighDavid MeltonVic MerrittPeter MerrittGlen MuenchLaurie OdlumMel O'MaraCarlotta Parsons

Ralph PikeBev PoppkeNancy PriceJane QuickelDeborah F.QuincyPeter QuincyHope ReeseLorraine RobertsRichard Roberts

Cynthia RogersBernadette RussellJanet RyersonKatharine SennJoette SmithFran StewartGary SuttonDavies TainterGayle Tainter

Tom TomlinsonChristopher VandelloRalph B. VogelMabel VogelJamie WeirBill WoltersH. Curtis Wood IIIPaul YorkeSusan Yorke

Scrub-jays

and Jaywatch

Photo by Marta Gordon
http://us.mc655.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://us.mc655.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]


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AoMC continues to work with Martin County on a projectthrough which were learning more about the numbers, habits andpreferred habitats of the small group of Piping Plovers that residein Martin County during the winter. During a late January sur-vey, we were able to find (and photograph for the first time) sev-eral banded piping plovers on a shallow tidal flat near the St.Lucie Inlet. As of this writing, we havent heard back about thedetails (e.g., age, nesting population, ) of these banded birds,but knowing that information will help us understand more about

their annual travels. Weve also met with representatives fromseveral of the state and federal resource agencies, and theyveexpressed their appreciation for the work were doing. Most re-

search on piping plovers has been done when the birds are ontheir summer-time nesting grounds, so it is good to learn moreabout their winter-time habits and habitats. Our thanks to thefollowing AoMC members who are helping with the surveys:Greger Anderson, Greg Braun, Nicky Campbell, Florence andTony Chatowsky, Bob and Marta Gordon, Flip Harrington, PamHopkins, Jim Kearman, Carolyn and Bob Leonard, Bob Mathe-son, Beverly Poppke, Nancy Price, Fran and Greg Stewart, DavidThorne, Tom Tomlinson and Soo Whiting.

2008 Christmas Bird Count The Results - Liz Hailman

There were 72 participants in the Stuart Christmas Bird Countheld Jan. 4, 2009. We found 128 species listed below (last year'scount was 132). It is exciting that there are three new species forthis count: Black-bellied Whistling-ducks, Common Peafowl andHouse Finch. The Whistling-Duck and House Finch have beenspreading in Florida in recent years but were originally from fur-

ther west. Some of the first birds of these species in Florida mayhave been escapees.

We had new high numbers for 4 species: 95 Tri-colored Herons(previous record 85 in 2002), 1609 White Ibis (1583 in 1988),525 Glossy Ibis (1583 in 1988) and 411 Mottled Duck (405 in2005).

17185 total birds

20 Pied-billed Grebe42 Northern Gannet

579 Brown Pelican176 Double-crested Cormorant255 Anhinga4 Magnificent Frigatebird161 Great Blue Heron223 Great Egret131 Snowy Egret210 Little Blue Heron95 Tricolored Heron485 Cattle Egret15 Green Heron11 Black-cr. Night-Heron4 Yellow-cr. Night-Heron69 night-heron. imm.1609 White Ibis525 Glossy Ibis2 Roseate Spoonbill86 Wood Stork156 Black Vulture487 Turkey Vulture31 Muscovy Duck23 Wood Duck9 American Wigeon28 Mallard2 Mottled-Mallard hybrid411 Mottled Duck33 Blue-winged Teal6 Ring-necked Duck344 Lesser Scaup20 Hooded Merganser5 Red-breast ed Merganser147 Osprey

13 Bald Eagle2 Northern Harrier2 Sharp-shinne d Hawk6 Cooper's Hawk

28 Red-shouldered Hawk1 Broad-winged Hawk12 Red-tailed Hawk108 American Kestrel3 Merlin1 Peregrine Falcon7 Wild Turkey2 Purple Gallinule111 Common Moorhen22 American Coot99 Sandhill Crane16 Black-bellied Plover300 Killdeer1 American Oystercatcher2 Greater Yellowlegs2 Lesser Yellowlegs48 Willet9 Spotted Sandpiper75 Ruddy Turnstone132 Sanderling14 Least Sandpiper1 Stilt Sandpiper10 Wilson's Snipe406 Laughing Gull9 Bonaparte's Gull451 Ring-billed Gull61 Herring Gull10 Great Black-backed Gull2 Caspian Tern36 Royal Tern43 Sandwich Tern23 Forster's Tern

6 Black Skimmer193 Rock Pigeon (Rock Dove)39 Eurasian Collared-Dove8 White-winged Dove

457 Mourning Dove12 Common Ground-Dove17 Monk Parakeet1 Eastern Screech-Owl2 Great Horned Owl1 Barred Owl1 Chuck-will's-widow9 hummingbird sp.47 Belted Kingfisher84 Red-bellied Woodpecker1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker15 Downy Woodpecker3 Northern (Yellow-

shafted) Flicker7 Pileated Woodpecker30 Eastern Phoebe5 Great Crested Flycatcher18 Loggerhead Shrike1 White-eyed Vireo11 Blue-headed Vireo118 Blue Jay2 Florida Scrub-jay17 American Crow2565 Fish Crow1891 Tree Swallow6 Carolina Wren1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet68 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher628 American Robin110 Gray Catbird212 Northern Mockingbird3 Brown Thrasher

288 European Starling484 Yellow-rumped (Myrtle)

Warbler1 Black-throated Green

Warbler10 Yellow-throated Warbler51 Pine Warbler5 Prairie Warbler275 Palm Warbler2 Black-and-white Warbler13 Common Yellowthroat2 Eastern Towhee132 Northern Cardinal29 Painted Bunting31 Red-winged Blackbird2 Eastern Meadowlark443 Common Grackle294 Boat-tailed Grackle27 Brown-headed Cowbird11 American Goldfinch12 House Sparrow1 House Finch4 Black-bellied Whistling

Duck

UNESTABLISHED

EXOTICS, ESCAPEES,

FERAL AND DOMESTIC

FORMS

2 Egyptian Goose (exotic)2 Common Pea Fowl

Conservation Corner

APRIL 11, 2009

Your Participation and Support is critical for this

Annual Fundraising Event

On April 11 teams from Audubon of Martin County will conduct a "Birdathon" to seek out as man

cies as possible in one day as a measure of the ecological health of our community. Put your teamand contact Laurie with their names.

Yours and the collective efforts of this generous community will provide for very vital conservati

cation initiatives that will help keep the birds vibrant and alive.

Audubon of Martin County leaders, members and community volunteers will strike out in the wi

tin County to find, identify and record bird species.

Bring in or send in your pledge forms !! See below and on our website.

2009 Birdathon is Coming ! !

Audubon of Martin County2009 Birdathon PLEDGE FORMYour support is critical for this Annual Fundraising Event!

Yes, I would like to help support Audubon of Martin Countys Birdathon 2009 by pledging t

the following amount per species identified.

Amount Pledged per species $______________ OR Flat Amount Pledged $____________

Name ________________________________________________________________________

Street ___________________________________________ City _______________ ST_____ZI

Phone: ___________________________ E-Mail __________________________________

Clip and Mail to: AoMC at 621 SE Palm Beach Road, Stuart, FL 34994

Remember...Your contribution is Tax Deductible!!!

Florida Bluebird Societ

The Florida Ornitho-logical Society reportsthat theres interest inpossibly forming a Flor-ida Bluebird Society,which would be associ-ated with the NorthAmerican Bluebird So-ciety.

Bluebirds are sus-pected to be summer-time breeding residents in western Martin but this is a species which we know little aregarding the local population.

For more information, contact Bill [email protected]

Photo Courtesy of

Introducing Debbie Clark!

Debbie is our Volunteer Coor-

dinator . Some of you met her

on the Adams Ranch field trip.

She will be coordinating

various workday events at our

properties and non-physicalvolunteer opportunities at

AoMC events and at our office.

Call Debbie at (772) 545-

5435 to volunteer.
http://us.mc655.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://us.mc655.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]://us.mc655.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]


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Field Trip Reports -

The Field Trip committee was very busy in

January with two field trips, over 60 people,

carpools and challenging weather.

Pelican IslandJanuary 17thby Ollie Davis

It was a brisk 43 degrees when 22 Audubonmembers gathered at The Knights of Colum-bus. KofC sounds like KFC (The first time

we met there Iadmit to lookingfor a KFC). Wecarpooled Northto Sebastian inIndian RiverCounty to visitthe Pelican IslandNational Wildlife

Refuge where we met Bob Montanaro. Bobpresented our Jan. 15th program meetingwith his outstanding photography slide showon Ospreys. Bob has a very nice, laid back,way of sharing information.

We visited two areas of the PINWR trailsystem. The first is just off Jungle Trail asyou enter from A-1-A. The mangrove linedbrackish-water ponds did provide good view-ing of Hooded Merganser, Little Blue Heron,Kingfisher and Osprey. A few Little BrownJobs made themselves known but stayed just

too far away (and flew too fast) for identifica-tion.

The second area was the boardwalk andobservation area for Pelican Island. WhitePelicans were sighted flying from the islandtoward the Intra-coastal Waterway as we ap-proached the overlook. Because of the sig-nificant wind, we did not observe any birds

on the island from the overlook. Occasion-ally you could see a wing or two as theypopped up over the vegetation fromthe birds on the South side of t heisland. We did have a small pod ofwild dolphins cruise between usand the island.

We saw a good variety of birdsbut not in large numbers because itwas quite windy. My favor-ites were a raft of Hooded Mergan-sers, White Pelicans & a juvenile CoopersHawk. We saw a lot of butterflies includingseveral Mangrove Buckeyes that were sun-ning themselves in the path.

Some of us decided to have lunch on Wa-basso Island at the Environmental LearningCenter. On the way home we talked aboutwhat made this trip a special one. It was beingwith friendly birders, some we hadn't seen fora while, and meeting new ones. See the en-tire bird list below.

If you go to the PINWR on your own,

dont worry if you dont have a scope, there

are two mounted directly on the observation

platform and the boardwalk is wheelchair

friendly. Remember to read the names of all

the national wildlife refuges with their crea-

tion date carved into the planks of the ramp;

the imprinted planks are placed on the ramp

in order of creation

with Pelican Island

at the top.

AoMC continues to be involved withMartin Countys public Land AcquisitionSelection Committee, through which rec-ommendations are made to the County

Commission for properties that are worthyof purchase through the half-cent sales taxthat was approved by the voters in 2006.Weve closed on several properties whichso far have included quite a variety interms of geographic extent (from barrierisland parcels on Hutchinson Island to aformer cattle ranch northwest of Indian-town), size (from small tracts less than 5

acres in size to over 500 acres), and habi-tats preserved (from coastal dunes andmangroves to interior oak hammocks andpine flatwoods).

We are grateful for Governor Cristsreinstatement of the Florida Forever pro-gram, and we hope for continued successin obtaining matching funds from variousregional, state and federal grant programs.

Public Land Acquisition Update

The Pelican Island bird list:

Turkey Vulture

Black Vulture

Pied-billed Grebe

Great Blue Heron

Tri-colored Heron

Little Blue Heron

Little Blue Heron -white morph

White Ibis

Osprey

Belted Kingfisher

Yellow-rumped Warbler

White Pelican

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Black-crowned Night Heron

Great Egret

Coopers Hawk

Hooded Merganser

undetermined warblers (Little

Brown Jobs)Gull - species

Non-bird species:

Bottle-nosed Dolphin

Mangrove Buckeye Butterfly

Help Wanted

Are you concerned about Sea Level rise and its effect on Florida? Learn and share at the same time

coming our Climate Change activist a volunteerwilling to be Audubon of Martin Countys go -to person on climate change.

Small Birds, Big Payoff

A familiar and abundant small colorful

bird, the American Goldfinch is frequently

found in mixed flocks feeding in weedy fields and visiting feed-

ers. It shows a particular fondness for thistles, eating the seeds

and using the down to line its nest.

The American Goldfinch, often called wild Canaries, is a smallbird whose bill is small, pointed, conical, and pink. The malebody coloring is bright yellow with the female being a dull brown

to olive. Wings dark with large white wingbars; tail short andnotched. During the breeding season (July and August) the maleis bright yellow with black cap and wings. The birds are 7inches and only weigh .39 to .71 ounces

Their song is a long series of twittering and warbling notes.Common contact call a "tsee-tsi-tsi-tsit" which is often given inflight by the male.

American Goldfinches live coast to coast from Southern Can-ada through most of the United States. As temperatures fall, theywill move south from their northernmost territo-

ries to more moderate climates.In winter they can be foundsouth to Mexico and Florida.They rarely winter in the inte-rior parts of the United States.

The American Goldfinchchanges from winter plumageto breeding plumage by a com-plete molt of its body feathers.It is the only member of its

family to have thissecond molt in thespring; all the otherspecies have just onemolt each year in the fall. Inwinter, both males and femalesare brownish or greyish above,but the male has a yellow wash

on the head.These are one of the latest nesting birds.It usually does not start until late June orearly July, when most other songbirds arefinishing with breeding. The location ofthe nest is usually five to 10 feet high intrees or shrubs and often near a water

source. The late timing may be related tothe availability of suitable nesting materi-als and seeds for feeding young.

The American Goldfinch is gregarious throughouwinter it is found almost exclusively in flocks. In t hseason it feeds in small groups. Whether it maintainterritories is debatable. This bright finch is mostlybut a number of females switch mates after producibrood. The first male takes care of the fledglings w

goes off to start another brood withmale.

To attract the Goldfinch to your their favorite foodblack thistle sspecial feeder. You will be set fororful bird watching as these energbatic birds visit the feeder.

Dont look these birds after earlyida, as they are returning to their nalthough they have been recorded June.

American GCardueli

The ancient islands along the spine of Florida form an ecosystem unique in thebon Academy 2009 will be held near Haines City at the FFA Leadership Trainincated in this fascinating and little-known part of Florida.

Meet other Audubon activists from chapters throughout the state and learn mo

timely conservation issues of interest to our colleagues and other conservation p

bon footprints, the future of solar power in Florida , grantsmanship, E-Birding an

ence are among the workshop topics for the 2009 Audubon Assembly that will b

27-29 in Haines City , Florida.

Make plans now to learn more about Audubon in Florida.

For more information or to register, see http://audubonoffloridanews.org.

Bird of the MonthBy Laurie Odlum

Male winter plumage

Courtesy of Ggph.com

Female year-round plumage

Courtesy of Kiroastro.com

Male

AUDUBON ACADEMY 2009 GOES TO THE FLORIDA S
http://www.flaltc.org/http://audubonoffloridanews.org/http://audubonoffloridanews.org/http://audubonoffloridanews.org/http://www.flaltc.org/


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Become an Audubon of Martin CountySponsor

Yes! I want to be an AoMC Sponsor Your tax deductible contribution will help us sustain

our programs, projects and conservation efforts.

Name

Select your sponsorship level:O Scrub Jay $ 5,000

O Bald Eagle $ 1,000

O Osprey $ 500

O Wood Stork $ 250

O Roseate Spoonbill $ 100

O Great Blue Heron $ 50

O Other $

Enclose your donation with this form and mail to:

Audubon of Martin County

Attn. Treasurer

621 SE Palm Beach Road, Stuart, FL 34994

In addition to the basic membership,you can become an AoMC sponsor.Sponsorship provides funding for pro-grams, projects, field trips andAoMCs important conservation work.

$ 50 Great Blue HeronSpecial recognition in the Scrub Jay and

a certificate of appreciation.

$ 100 Roseate SpoonbillRecognition in each Scrub Jay , a

certificate of appreciation, an AoMC

t-shirt and one complementary member-

ship for a person of your choice.

$ 250 Wood StorkSpoonbill benefits plus one copy of the

Sibley Field Guide to Birds and a lunch-

eon briefing with the AoMC President

and Executive Director.

$ 500 OspreyWood Stork benefits plus a natural

history tour led by an AoMC Board

member to the nesting colony at Bird

Island in the Indian River Lagoon.

$ 1000 Bald EagleOsprey benefits plus a natural history

tour led by an AoMC Board member to a

local birding destination of your choice.

$ 5000 and more Scrub JayBald Eagle benefits plus a natural history

tour led by an AoMC Board member to

Everglades National Park, Merritt Island

National Wildlife Refuge, Ding Darling

National Wildlife Refuge or Arthur Mar-shall Loxahatchee NWR.

Audubon of Martin County SponsorshipLevels and Benefits

JOIN AudubonofMartin County

Name

Address

City State Zip

Phone Email

Write your check payable to Audubon and

Mail to: Audubon of Martin County

Attn: Membership

621 SE Palm Beach Road

Stuart, FL 34994

Select your Membership level:

O Individual or family.$20

O Senior (over 62) or Student.$15

O Scrub Jay Newsletter only...$15

Chapter Code: C9ZE260Z

Property Work Days

Our thanks to our various

members who have been

helping with work days at our

AoMC properties. Our own-

ership of several hundred

acres of preserves require on-

going management, and

were appreciative of the

manual labor donated by our friends and members who help

with removal of pest plants, trail maintenance and other activi-ties to help provide habitat for native plants, birds and other

wildlife.

We also thank the Martin County chapter of the Florida Na-

tive Plant Society for the help of t heir

members in developing a plant inven-

tory for our Maplewood Preserve in

Palm City.

Web-site Updates

AoMC appreciates theon-going efforts by EdFisher, our volunteerweb master, who con-tinually makes improve-ments to the AoMC website - audubonmartincounty.org.

If you havent visited us in a while, please take alook. Eds been working to expand our membersphoto gallery; if you have nature photos you havetaken that you would like to have added, please emailEd at [email protected].

If you have suggestions for improvement, pleasecontact our president Laurie Odlum by phone or [email protected].

Adams RanchJanuary 31

Again the weatherman brought us chilly air and a stiff

breeze as we carpooled to Adams Ranch in western St Lucie

County.

Bud Adams was there in person to greet us as well as give

us a history of his family's ranch in both photos and verse; he

took questions about the cow/calf beef business and the

ranches environmental stewardship. Not only do they breed

and produce their own crossbreed of superior beef cattle for

the Midwestern feedlots, they breed their own horses to work

the herds as well. Crop rotation is practiced, although most

city folks dont understand why crop rotation relates to ani-

mals; they move the cattle herds around the sectioned grass

fields every 2 to 3 weeks to all ow the grass to regrow be-tween herds. All cattle ranchers need to be good grass

growers, said Bud. As grass is what makes good beef cat-

tle.

Our glassless bus allowed for good views of the working ranch and of the

winged wildlife. Two spectacular highlights were: witnessing the natural

hunting skills of a Red-shouldered Hawk as it

attacked and killed a Cattle Egret right i n front

of our eyes and the flyby of a Crested Cara-

cara who made a quick ground stop and then

flew away. Quick eyes and a few cameras

recorded both very notable events. See below

for the entire bird list.

By 10 oclock the temperatures had modi-

fied and the crystalline sunlight gave us clear

views of the many herds of deer. Coyotes as

well as Bobcats hunt on the ranch; over 100

Coyotes had been removed from the ranch

(trapped) just this past year. Coyotes wait forthe pregnant cows and deer to give birth and then kill the young; too many

losses like that can negatively impact both herds.

Bud met up with us at their artesian well and oak hammock for an early

lunch. He had just seen a Bobcat in the glade on his ride out to the picnic

area. Our very knowledgeable bus driver and trip guide was Peter Harrison,

Buds nephew.

All who attended had a special day and the rare opportunity to visit a work-

ing ranch with an eye toward environmental sustainability. Our sincere

thanks to Bud, Peter and all their staff for a truly Great Day!

To learn more about the entire Adams Ranch operation go to:

adamsranch.com

Bird List:

Killdeer

Boat-tailed Grackle

Turkey Vulture

Black Vulture

Tri-colored Heron

Common Grackle

Sandhill Crane

Starling

Mourning Dove

Belted Kingfisher

American Crow

Red-winged Blackbird

Blue-winged tealLittle Blue Heron

Hooded Merganser

Crested Caracara

Cattle Eg

Red-shou

Robin

Moorehe

Great Blu

Carolina

American

Other spe

Bovine

Alligator

White-tai

Off site in

Rt 68:Snowy E

Woodsto

Photo sequence courtesy of

Paul Yorke

Bud Adams telling us about the

Bobcat he had just seen..

Photo by Paul Yorke

Artesian Well and picnic area

Photo by
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

Documents

March 2009 Scrub Jay Newsletter Audubon of Martin County