May-June 2005 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society

8/9/2019 May-June 2005 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society

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Big Bluestem FlyerBig Bluestem Flyer

Volume 40, Number 5 May/June 2005

Programs

May 19

TRACY WALKER Grassland Birds in Restored Prairie

Trac y is a Grad ua te Student in the Dep t. of

Natural Resource Ec ology a nd M ana ge ment at

ISU.

She will present he r stud ies of prairie resto rat ionon hab itat use b y grassland b irds a t The Na ture

Co nservanc ys Broken Kettle Grasslands Preserve

in the no rthern Loess Hills in 2003-04. Trac y looked

at four ma nag em ent trea tments: burning,

grazing, grazing a nd burning rec ent (po st-spring

2001), and grazing and burning older (pre-spring

2001) p ra iries. In a dd ition to stud ying rela tive

abundanc e a nd ne sting suc c ess, she examined

the nest site selection of common grassland

birds.

Field Trips

Ap ril 30Pete rson Pits and the Skunk River

Greenbelt

May 7

Bird-a-thon (see P. 6)

June 4Birder s Brunc h a t Led ges Sta te Park

Afte r a b ird hike in the park, we w ill sha re

a light p ot-luck brunch in the lowe r area of

the p ark.

Page 2 Officers and CommitteesPresidents Column

Page 3 Eula Hagie AwardPage 4 Field Trip Reports

Rummage Sale ReportBirding With A Purpose

In This Issue

Newsletter of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society

Page 5 White Rock ConservancyAda Hayden Program

Page 6 BirdathonYoung Naturalists Program

Page 7 Membership FormCoupons

Page 8 Birding Site Sights

Unless otherwise indicated, field trips leave promptly at

8:00 a.m. from the public parking lot west of (behind)

the Ames Wild Birds Unlimited, located south of the

railroad tracks at 213 Duff Ave. Trip destinations are

subject to change based on recent bird sightings and the

desires of the participants. Contact Jeff Nichols at 515-

795-4176,[email protected] more information.

Program meetings are held monthly, September-May on

the third Thursday of the month at 7:30 pm, Room

2226 Veterinary Medicine Building, Iowa State

University, Ames, Iowa.

If you would like to meet and dine with the speaker and

the BBAS Board before the monthly meeting, please

contact Lynne Brookes to confirm space and location at

515-434-2028 [email protected]


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2 Big Bluestem Flyer May/June 2005

Big Bluestem Audubon SocietyOfficers and Committees

OfficersPresident: Linda Thomas 292-7534 [email protected]: Lynne Brookes 434-2028 [email protected]: Bruce Ehresman 296-2995

[email protected]: Ed Carbrey 292-2404

Board MembersBreanne Marpe 432-1231 [email protected]: Nichols [email protected] Bitzer 233-6741 [email protected]

Wolfgang Oesterreich 232-3285 (h) [email protected] Grotheer 233-9873 [email protected]

The mission of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society is to

enjoy the observation and study of birds and natural

ecosystems, contribute to their conservation and

restoration, engage in educational activities to benefit

humanity, and gain a broader understanding and deeper

appreciation of the world we live in.

Committee ChairsArchivist: Hank Zaletel 382-427 [email protected] Co-chairs: Karl and Carmen Jungbluth, 432-5057

weatherbird.opencominc.comConservation Chair: Bruce Ehresman (See Officers)Education Chair: Amy Yoakum, 232-2516

[email protected] Trip Chair: Jeff Nichols (See Officers)

Membership Chair: Jon Bahrenfus [email protected] Chair: Lynne Brookes (See Officers)Publicity Chair: Linda Thomas (See Officers)Publications & Electronic Media Co-Chairs:

David Edwards 292-3790 [email protected] Bahrenfus [email protected]

BBAS Web Site:http://BigBluestemAudubon.org

Presidents ColumnWhile sorting through some paperwork the other day, I found the following Id received from another WBU

storeowner and thought Id share with you.

You are a birder if:

Someone yells Duck!, and you look up and shout Where?

Vacations are planned to maximize the number of life birds.

You criticize television programs and commercials that depict a bald eagle but play a red-tailed hawk call.

Your kids are named Buteo and Accipiter.

People stop and stare when you pish at the shrubbery at the local mall.

Lunch breaks find you driving to check out your favorite hot spot.Your spouse says, its either me or the birds, and you have to think about it.

On sunny days you hop in the car, crank up your tape of bird calls, and drive like crazy to the nearest mountain

where the thermals are great for soaring hawks.

You pay a neighbor kid $20 to roll on a carcass and lay still while you search the sky for vultures.

You try to talk your kid into going to college in Belize so that you can have an excuse to go and bird there.

Its a northeaster, the rain is horizontal, a small craft advisory has been issued, but its birdathon and you need

to up the days list.

Clouds take the shape of birds, and you can distinguish male from female, and adult from immature plumage.

A machine squeaks at work and you describe it to maintenance as sounding like a black-and-white warbler.

The first time you meet your future in-laws, you demonstrate the courtship dance of the woodcock, replete with

sound effects.

You spend fifteen minutes preparing dinner for your family and thirty minutes mixing and placing the seed for

your birds.

Preparing for trips to visit out-of-state relatives involves contacting local birders, securing local bird lists, and

buying the appropriate Lanes Guide.

You identify calls of birds in the soundtracks of television shows and movies.

Youre willing to fight anyone who criticizes your optics.

You participate in hours-long discussions about the pros and cons of using a certain field guide.

You lose friends, and perhaps even your spouse, from fighting over the pronunciation of pileated.

Answering yes to any of these questions qualifies you as a birder.

This probably made you chuckle. I hope that it will encourage you to participate in our upcoming Birdathon, our

major fundraiser, and other opportunities that may arise to interest others in this great activity and support bird

conservation.Linda Thom as


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May/June 2005 Big Bluestem Flyer 3

Iowa Natural Heritag e FoundationEula Hag ie Heritage Awa rd

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation invites you and your members to nominate an outstanding

Iowa conservationist for the 2005 Lawrence and Eula Hagie Heritage Award. We are seeking

nominees who have demonstrated extraordinary personal service and commitment to improving the

quality of Iowa's natural environment, while encouraging others to do the same. The process is easy,

but hurry--the nomination deadline is May 27, 2005!

The prestigious Hagie Heritage Award, administered by INHF, is one of Iowa's largest awards recognizing

environment-minded individuals. Past winners include people who encourage energy conservation, provideenvironmental education, initiate and support county conservation projects, restore wildlife habitat on their own or

on public property, and/or enthusiastically speak for Iowa's natural treasures.

The award's recipient is presented with a $1,000 prize and a hand-carved sculpture recognizing their

achievements. All nominees will receive a certificate of nomination and INHF will produce a press release about

each nomination. Through this press coverage of your nominee, the organizations and projects in which they are

involved will gain positive media exposureand that makes everyone a winner.

To nominate an individual, please submit two letters of recommendation from different sources. The letters

should detail what the nominee has done for Iowa's natural heritage and how the nominee has encouraged others

to protect natural resources. Most award winners have been volunteers; however, conservation professionals are

eligible for the award as long as the nomination is based on activities beyond their regular job description and

duties. Posthumous and self-nominations will not be accepted. A nomination by a family member is permitted if

accompanied by two non-family nominations. Please include the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the

nominee and nominators.

For nominating tips, guidelines, a model nomination letter outline, descriptions of previous winners and other

information, visit the INHF website at http://www.inhf.org/hagie.htm or call (800) 475-1846 for a printed copy.

Please send all correspondence and questions to Cathy Engstrom at the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, 505

Fifth Avenue, Suite 444, Des Moines IA 50309-2321, or via email at [email protected]. All nominations must be

received at this address by May 28, 2004.

Nic Young, INHF Buc kma ster Comm unica tions Intern

Tea ming With Wildlife Coa lition Suppo rt

Your help is once again needed to encourage our legislators to support the State Wildlife Grant Program (SWG).

Last year, Senator Harkin and Congressmen Leach and Boswell signed on to Dear Colleague letters requesting

$100 million for this federal funding. Senator Grassley wrote an independent letter asking for $80 million. So far,

only Congressman Boswell has signed on to this year's Dear Colleague letter requesting $85 million. Please thank

these legislators for their past support and encourage them to sign on to this year's Dear Colleague letter.

For those legislators who do not wish to sign on to a letter, please encourage them to, at least, support the

President's budget of $74 million for SWG funding. Legislative contact information also is attached.The best argument for SWG is that we can use this money up front to keep species off the endangered species

list. That federal program is now costing us $600 million/year and has increased six fold in the last ten years. We

can pay a little now to keep species common or a lot more later when we try to bring species back from the verge of

extinction.

See the Teaming With Wildlife: State Wildlife Grants website at www.teaming.com/

state_wildlife_grants.htm. Thanks for helping promote this very important funding program for wildlife!

Bruce Ehresma n


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May/June 20054 Big Bluestem Flyer

Field Trip reports

Feb ruary 26, 2005 Early Spring WaterfowlThis field trip was joined by a group of faculty and students from Drake as part of their Field Ornithology class.

The day was clear but cool. Overall waterfowl numbers and diversity werent very high, but many geese were on

the move, especially in the early morning. We first hiked the trail around Ada Hayden Park, where we found a

Northern Shrike and singing Eastern Bluebirds. Quick stops at Little Wall Lake and Anderson/Goose Lake

brought our trip list to 25 species.

March 26, 2005 Birding Story, Ma rshall, Hardin, Hamilton and Story CountiesWaterfowl were abundant on this late March field trip. We began and ended our day at Ada Hayden Park after

stops at Colo Ponds, Hendrickson Marsh, Meier Wildlife Refuge, Anderson/Goose Lake, and Little Wall Lake. We

found 57 species including Rosss, Snow, Canada, and Greater White-fronted Geese, 18 duck species, two Horned

Grebes, Rusty Blackbirds, and a lone Eurasian Collared-Dove east of Ames. We also enjoyed a nice lunch at

historic Nilands Cafe in Colo.

Jeff Nic hols

Big Bluestem Aud ubon Soc iety Rumm ag e Sale Rep ort (Ap ril 9)

This years BBAS Rummage Sale generated $461.60 for the Big Bluestem chapter. Many people helped make

this activity a success. I would like to thank everyone who donated items for the sale. I especially want to thank

those who generously volunteered their time or resources: Jon Bahrenfus, Royce Bitzer, Mary Doud, Sherry

Dragula, Dave Edwards, Jeanne Edwards, Al Johnson, Ida Johnson, Carmen Jungbluth, Karl Jungbluth, WolfgangOesterreich, Linda Thomas, Tom Thomas, and Mark Widrlechner! And finally, thanks to the DNR State Forest

Nursery for letting us use their facilities.

Jeff Nic hols

Birding with a Purpose

Here are three ways to use your birding skills to forward bird conservation, and have fun at the same time. I call it Birding with aPurpose. Its an added dimension to birding that goes beyond just birding for the joy of it, chasing rarities, or hoping to turn up thatfirst new arrival of the season.

BirdathonWhat can beat guilt free all-day birding with friends, spirited competition, and raising money for a great cause

like the projects of Big Bluestem Audubon Society? Not much! Birdathon is May 7th, and there is still time to form

a team, or donate to a team. Our teams need more sponsors to keep them going through the rain, sun, heat, windand cold. Contact me, Karl Jungbluth, for more information. [email protected]

Important Bird Area (IBA) SurveysIowa Audubons IBA program is designed to identify areas essential to birds, monitor bird populations on those

areas and conserve their natural habitats. Bird watchers are needed to record bird species data at designated or

proposed IBAs. That could be you! Surveys are especially needed in woodland and grassland habitats. Here is a

list of great places nearby where you could Bird with a Purpose for the IBA program. Contact me, or Ric Zarwell,

IBA Coordinator through the IBA website: http://iowaaudubon.org/iba/overview.asp

Hendrickson Marsh Colo Ponds Wetland complex

Ada Hayden Heritage Park Ledges State Park

Boone Forks Wildlife Area- Hamilton County Bjorkboda Marsh- Hamilton County

Snake Creek Marsh- Greene County Goose Lake- Green County

Paul Errington Marsh- Polk County

Prairie Creek Wildlife Refuge (the Kurtzs)- Marshall CountyDes Moines River Corridor- Y camp to Holst Forest- Boone County

Whiterock Conservancy Bird SurveysThe Garst family has set aside a 5000 acre nature preserve near Coon Rapids, 75 miles west of Ames. Their goal is

to preserve the natural resource, and they are starting with birds! Bird watchers are needed to compile a

comprehensive species list, and conduct more detailed point surveys on the property. Its a beautiful spot to hike

and birdwatch. See their information on the next page of this newsletter.

Karl Jungb luth


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Newsletter Material DeadlinesBecause we would like to have the newsletter to each member before the first day of its coverage, the editor

needs to have material at least two weeks before that. Hence the deadline for the next issue will be the

fifteenth of August.

Please be aware that editing your offering for length and style is sometimes necessary.

5May/June 2005 Big Bluestem Flyer

Ada Hayde n Heritag e Park Program

Big Bluestem member Janet Jepeway will lead a nature photo shoot at Ada Hayden Heritage Park (AHHP) on

Thurs, May 12, 2005. This will be the May program for Ames Camera Club (ACC) and Big Bluestem Audubon

members are welcome to attend.

Many of the places in AHHP that are good for photography are also good for birding.

Janet is the Director of the Halletts/Hayden Project. The ongoing project is a partnership with Ames Historical

Society to photo document the transition of the former Halletts Quarry to Ada Hayden Heritage Park. She has

photographed on this project for over 3 years and taken over 1,500 pictures and slides. Janet will share what she

has learned about photographing at the park and also the process of locating support for this enormous project.

There will be a meet-the-speaker dinner at the Flame and Skewer restaurant, North Grand Mall at 5:00pm,

followed by the club meeting/nature photo shoot at Ada Hayden Heritage Park.

The program will start approximately at 6:15pm at the southwest parking lot of AHHP. This lot can be reached

by driving thru Stone Brooke or via Hyde Road.

Dress for the weather, walking, and bring your camera and/or binoculars/spotting scopes.

Please RSVP to ACC President, Kathy Vannoy, by phone: 515-233-6545 or e-mail:[email protected]) by noon,

Tuesday, May 10, if you are coming for dinner.

In case of inclement weather, the dinner will still be at 5pm, but the program will be held at the Ames Public

Library in the Community Room on the 2nd

floor at 7pm. Janet Jepewa y

White Rock Conservancy Bird Survey

The bird survey is an initial effort to survey the abundance and diversity of plants and animals at the White

Rock Conservancy (WRC), approximately 5000 acres of woodland, prairie, and mixed agricultural land located

along the Middle Raccoon River, southeast of Coon Rapids Iowa. A survey will be important to establishing

baseline data that will be used to plan activities such as prairie savanna restoration, managed burning and

grazing, and ecotourism opportunities.

Volunteer observers will play a very large role in the survey, with coordination provided by Kay Neumann

(SOAR), William Clark, (Iowa State University), and Karl Jungbluth (Iowa Audubon Society). Kay Neumann willcoordinate the names, addresses, and vehicle identification of the volunteers.

The initial bird survey has two main goals, a) complete a checklist of the birds seen on the WRC, and b) establish

and test more quantitative bird survey methods that can be continued in standardized fashion into the future.

General surveys for the checklist

Volunteer observers will use the Field Checklist of Iowa Birds (Iowa Ornithologists Union) as the principle

guideline for records. Volunteers should keep a field notebook that includes their name, the date, start and end

time of observations, location and primary habitat type, weather (estimate of temperature and wind), and the

species seen. Additional notes about abundance of the species and habitat associations will be valuable for

developing a birding guide. A simple way to provide this information will be to use copies of the IOU checklist.

Volunteers are encouraged to visit as many times as practical between now and next February.


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6 May/June 2005Big Bluestem Flyer

Audubon Birda thon

May 7, 2005

The annual Birdathon is Big Bluestem Audubons main fundraising event. Its like a walkathon,

except we count birds to raise fundsfor birds.

Even if you cant tell a Bittern from a Bobolink, you can learn. Its all for a worthy cause. Birdathon

participants spend all day, or just a few hours. Try it!

L O O K I N G T O J O I N U P W I T HO T H E R S O R F O R M A T E A M ?

C O N T A C T B I R D A T H O NC O O R D I N A T O R S

K A R L & C A R M E N J U N G B L U T H ,5 1 5 - 4 3 2 - 5 0 5 7

H o w D o e s i t W o r k ?1 . A u d u b o n B i r d a t h o n i s a n a t i o n a l t e am

e v e n t .

2 . B i r d e r s c o l l e c t p l e d g es f r o m d o n o r s t os u p p o r t A u d u b o n ef f o r t s . A s k r e l at i v e s ,f r i e n d s , n e i g h b o r s , c o - w o r k e r s t o p l e d g e af i x e d a m o u n t o f $ 1 0 , 2 0, o r $ 5 0 , o r a s k t h e mt o p l e d g e a n a m o u n t p e r s p e c i e s i d e n t i f i e d .

W e u s u a l l y s e e 50 t o 1 0 0+ s p e c i e s .

3 . S i g n u p b y c o n t a c t i n g t h e B i r d a t h o nC o o r d i n a t o r s .

4 . P r i z es a n d i n c e n t i v e s : N o n - m e m b er s w h op l e d g e $ 2 0 o r m o r e g e t a c o m p l i m e n t a r y

A u d u b o n m em b e r s h i p . E v e r y o n e i s e l i g i b l e t ow i n p r i z e s b i r d f e e d e r s , b i r d b o o k s , T- s h i r t s ,b i n o c u l a r s g o o d s t u f f f r o m l o c a l b u s i n e s s e sa n d n a t i o n a l s p o n s o r s .

5 . O n M ay 8t h , h e a d t o y o u r f av o r i t e b i r d i n gs p o t . C o u n t a s m a n y s p e c i e s a s y o u c a n .H a v e f u n !Birdathon! TMis a Trademark of the

National Audubon Society

We need ALL chapter m embersto suppor t th i s e f fo r t !

Collect at least $20 in pledges, and join

us on May 10th. Use the form on the

reverse side.

If you cant join the Birdathon, support

us by sponsoring the chapter effort.

Send your donation, payable toBig

Bluestem Audubon to Ed Carbrey,

Treasurer, 3313 Morningside St, Ames,

IA 50014

Young Naturalist Workshop Scholarships

Big Bluestem Audubon Society is pleased to announce it is offering three scholarships for $275.00 to

the Young Naturalist Workshop at the Des Moines YMCA Camp. This week long camp is targeted at

students leaving 5th or 6th grades who love science and nature. Participants will be immersed in

nature experiences taught by naturalists and conservation professionals. The camp will be August 7-13

at the Y-Camp north of Boone. Campers will be responsible for a small registration fee that the

scholarship does not cover. For more information please contact:

Amy Yoakum

Big Bluestem Education Committee

56461 180th Street

Ames, Iowa 50010-9451.

Amy Yoa kum


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Big Bluestem FlyerMay/June 2005 7

Present the coupons below at the time of your purchase and a donation will be given to BBAS.Donations will fund the various habitat restoration and educational projects undertaken by BBAS.

Brekke's Town & Country Store, Inc.1 1/2 miles east of I-35 on new U.S. 30 and 1/4 mile north

Hours: 8-6 M-F, 8-4 Sat. (515) 232-7906

Purchase DonationUp tp $15 $1.50$15 and over $3.00$35 and over $5.00Over $70 $7.50

Brekkes offers Big Bluestem Audubon Society a donationwhen bird seed or other bird products are purchased.Present this coupon with your purchase and a donation will begiven to BBAS.

Offer good until June 30, 2005

Membership Application forms

Clip and JoinDont forget gift memberships!

New member of the National Audubon Society. You will

receive theAudubon magazine, theBig Bluestem Flyer,membership card. $20Please make your check payable to National AudubonSociety and include Chapter Code H-57 on the check

Subscribe to theBig Bluestem Flyer for one year andparticipate in some Big Bluestem Society Activities $10Restrictions are that you will not be a National Audubon Societymember or have voting privileges, and you cannot be an officer orcommittee chair. Please make your check payable toBig Bluestem

Audubon Society.

Send your check and this coupon toJon Bahrenfus, Membership Chair1050 J Ave, Ogden, IA 50212

Name _______________________________________________Address _____________________________________________City_____________________ State____ ZIP_______________Phone ________________ E-mail _______________________Please do not use this form for renewals to the National Audubon Soc.

OR

Donate 10%of Your NextPurchase to

Big Bluestem Audubon Society

BIRDSEED FEEDERS BIRDBATHS OPTICS NATURE GIFTS

213 Duff Ave. Ames, IA 50010 (515) 956-3145Mon-Wed 9:30-5:30 Thurs 9:30-8

Fri 9:30-5:30 Sat 9-5 Sun 12-4

Coupon must be presented at time of purchaseMay not be combined with any other offerNot valid on specially-priced merchandise

Offer Expires: 06-30-05

New Members

Jeff Anderson BooneHobart Beeghly AmesAdrian Benett AmesBarbara Caldwell AmesRose Danaher AmesAndrew Hug Ames

Dr. and Mrs. R. Lewis AmesMrs. Helen Mc Roberts WoodwardCarl Nelson AmesEugene Olson AmesDonald Payer AmesMr. & Mrs. Charles Radke Grand Junct.Stephen Ringlee AmesEd Rood CambridgeWanda Schnurr Webster CityGreg Simmer PerryBernadine Solberg Boone


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IfyouhaveanXafteryournameonyourmailinglabel,thiswillbeyourlast

issueoftheFlyerunlessyourenew.

Non-ProfitOrg.U.S.PostagePaid

PermitNo.131Ames,Iowa

BigBluestemFlyerDavidC.Edwards,EditorBigBluestemAudubonSociety2308StateAveAmes,IA50014

Printed on Recycled paper

Wewelcomenewmembers!

May/June 2005Vol 40 No. 5

Birding Site Sights

Where on your birding wa lks did you see these?

Pretty Easy Rather Difficult

If you cant think of where the pictures were taken, look at our website at

BigBluestemAudubon.org

Documents

May-June 2005 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society