November-December 2002 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society

8/9/2019 November-December 2002 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society

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Big Bluestem FlyerBig Bluestem Flyer

Volume 38, Number 2 November/December 2002

ProgramsNovember

21 -D ian e Debinsk i , "Butterflies of Iowa: TheWinged Jewels of the Prairie"

Diane is a faculty member in Anim al E cology at I owa

Stat e University.

December12 - BBAS Holiday for the Birds and BBAS

MemberSlideshow, (Note: 7 pm - Story County

Conservation Building, McFarland Park) Bring bird feed for t he pa rk (cash accepted). Andbring a few slides to share of your year s a ctivities an d

bring part y treat s! Extra goodies will be used at the

dinner after th e Ames Christma s Bird Count .

January16 -Lyne t te Poh lm an Director of Un iversity

Museums - Wetlands to the Artlands: Prints of J.N. Darling and Contemporary Iowa Artists.

An opportu nit y to see how Ding Dar lings ar t an d

conservat ion efforts continu e to inspire a rtists and

conservationists yet today.

( No t e S p e c i a l L o c a t i o n : B r u n n i e r A r t M u s e u m

o n t h e t o p f lo o r o f t h e S c h e m a n B u i ld i n g , 7:3 0 p m )

__________________________________________________

Program m eetings are held month ly, September -May

(except as noted above) on the third Thursday of the

month a t 7 :30 pm , R oom 2226 Ve te r ina ry M ed ic ine

B ui ld in g , Iow a S ta t e U nive r s i ty , Am es , Iow a .

If you would like to meet and dine with t he speak er a nd

th e BBAS Board before t he m onthly meeting, please

contact John Snyder, 515-232-8824

or [email protected], to confirm spa ce an d

location.

Field TripsNovember

2 Ames Quarry, Doolittle Prairie, Little Wall Lake,

and other birding hotspots of Story an d Ha milton

Counties.

16 Saylorville Lake, Jester Par k, Big Creek Sta te

Park, Big Creek Wildlife Area for migrating waterfowl

and sh orebirds.

December

14 Ames Christmas Bird Count.*Count Leader: David Edwards: 292-3790

Em ail a t [email protected] et

15 Saylorville Christmas Bird Count.*Count Leader: Jim Dinsmore: 292-3152

Em ail a t oldcoot@iast at e.edu

*Please n ote Page 5 for more Bird Coun t infor mat ion

January 20031 Boone Christmas Bird Count. *Count Leader: Mark Widrlechner: 233-1532

Em ail at mp wskd @aol.com

18 H ol s t S t a t e For es t to look for owls, winter

finches and spa rr ows.

February2 2 L a k e R e d R o c k .

_________________________________________________

Unless otherwise indicated, regular field trips leave

p r o m p t l y at 8:00 a m from the public parking lot west

of (behind) th e Ames Wild Bird s U nlimit ed (WBU),

located sout h of th e ra ilroad tr acks at 213 Duff Ave.

Trip destinations are su bject t o chan ge ba sed on r ecent

rar e bird sightings an d th e desires of the part icipants.

Conta ct J eff Nichols (515-795-4176 or

jnichols1961@hot ma il.com) for more in form at ion.

Page 2 Officers and CommitteesNational Audubon Board Nominations

Presidents Comments

Page 3 Mortensen Mounds UpdateKarls BackyardMeetz Prairie WindsOak Forest Feeders

Page 4 Conservation: Neotropical Migrants

In This Issue

Newsletter of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society

Page 5 Field Trip ReportsChristmas Bird Counts InformationJunior Naturalist Camp

Page 6 Iowas Important Bird Areas (IBA) ProgramPage 7 New Members; Coupons

Audubon Classroom AdventuresPage 8 What threat is West Nile Virus to Birds


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2 Big Bluestem Flyer November/December 2002

Presidents GreetingsWell, here it is mid-fall alread y, and sever al of th ose

migrant s are m oving south . I suspect th ey know

something about the impending weath er th at I dont

(or I a m n ot ready t o th ink a bout yet). Actu ally, I

enjoy seeing the va riety of birds fly th rough t he a rea

as I a m su re you do. I hope everyone got an

opport un ity to see the pelican s at Saylorville Lake in

September. While th ere was a special event for them ,

we dont wan t to overlook a ll of the songbirds a nd

others that stop here in our neighborhood briefly each

fall.

In fact, if you a re int erest ed about t he visitors, you

can t ype migrat ory birds Iowa int o Yah oo an d you

will find over 7,500 sites. These sites h ave a wide

variety of common and technical information about

the migrat ing songbirds and wat erfowl that a re

passing thr ough. And t he best par t a bout some of tha t

information is that it is authored by fellow Big

Bluestem Audubon members. One example is an

ar ticle that Ma rlene Ehr esman wrote for the IowaNatural Heritage Foundation titled Neotropical

Migrants: Checklist for S urvival. (See P age 4 of this

newsletter.) Her a rticle discusses a h abitat project the

INHF is working on and why ha bitat h ere in Iowa

mat ters t o us all . There are man y other art icles about

habitat as well as lists of birds and their population

tren ds over the years.

Our boar d recognizes th e importan ce of habitat

issues and tha t is one reason why we are involved

with t he expansion of Harr ier Marsh . While we know

tha t we cann ot financially support a project like t ha t

ourselves, we should be proud t hat we contribute m ore

than most any other Audubon society in Iowa. Theother thing our organization is involved in is

education, either thr ough field trips or su pplying

Aud ubon Ad ventures to classrooms in our area. See

Page 8. We tentat ively plan to have regular birding

field trips a t Ames new Ada Ha yden Herita ge Par k

when it opens probably next fall. Plea se note: we will

be looking for volunteer leaders when the park finally

opens. We thought th is would be a good way t o

part ner with the City of Ames Pa rks a nd Recreation

Departmen t, get birders out to the new park and let

people know more about Big Bluest em. We hope th is

will work out t o be a positive long -ter m r elationsh ip.

John Pohlman

Big Bluestem Audubon SocietyOfficers and Committees

OfficersPresident: John Pohlman 232-6816 [email protected]: Linda Thomas 292-7534 [email protected]: [vacant]Treasurer: Donna Flanagan 268-0458 [email protected]

Board MembersBruce Ehresman 296 -2995 [email protected]: Nichols [email protected] Jackson 515-964-0140 [email protected] Oesterreich 515-232-3285 (h) [email protected] Wetrich 956-4299 [email protected]

Committee ChairsArchivist: Hank Zaletel 382-427 [email protected] Co-chairs: Karl and Carmen Jungbluth, 432-5057weatherbird.opencominc.comConservation Chair: Bruce EhresmanEducation Chair: Ida Johnson 233-4831 iwindj@aoLcomField Trip Chair: Jeff [email protected] Chair: Al Johnson 233-4831 awindj@aol. comProgram Chair: John Snyder 232-8824 [email protected]

Publicity Chair: Linda Thomas 292-7534 [email protected] & Electronic Media Co-Chairs: David Edwards [email protected] and Joyce Bahrenfus 275-3263

BBAS Web Site:http://www.wyalusing.org/BBAS.htm

Iowa Bird Sightings Hotline 319-338-9881Wildlife Care Clinic 515-294-4900

The mission of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society to

enjoy the observation and study of birds and natural

ecosystem s, contri but e to their conservati on and

restoration, engage in educational activities to benefit

humanity, and gain a broader understanding and deeper

appreciation of the world we live in.

National Audubon Board ElectionNominations are now open for the Chapter-selected

candidate from the West Central Election Region to the

Na tional Audu bon Society Board of Directors. Any

Chapt er in th e West Centr al Region ma y nominat e one

candidate for the Board this fall and winter. The election

to choose the candidate will be held in the spring.

Nominees sh ould be willing an d able to:

Help set overall national policies

Articulate t he issu es an d concerns of our r egion

Par ticipate in fund r aising, and m ainta in t he fiscal

int egrity of Na tional Audubon Society

Attend 4 Board meetings per year, each 3 days inlength

Fill the position for the next three years, beginning

December 2003.

The nomination from our Chapt er should be sent to the

Cha pter Services Office by Ja nu ar y 31, 2003.

From the National Audubon Society Offices Steven DAmato


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November/December 2002 Big Bluestem Flyer 3

Mortensen Mounds UpdateS outh of IS Us Tower Dorms

The whole of Morten sen Moun ds gleamed yellow the las tweeks of September a nd t he first weeks of October withblossoms of Maximilian su nflowers. Several townspeoplecomment ed favorably on the bright pictur e they pr esented,an d th ey voiced th eir appr eciation for the beautiful color addedto th eir neigh borhood. And goldfinch ar e still coming.

Unfortuna tely, Maximilian su nflower is not n ative to thispar t of Iowa, so it will be removed sta rt ing next Spr ing. Inaddition, these vigorous plant s ar e shading t he sma ller forbesan d by takin g over the soil space, are crowding them out.

Frost seeding (late Fa ll seeding) has been completed th elast two years, an d will again be done th is Fall. The Moun dswont be gleaming yellow next September /October, bu t you willknow they have a star t on more plant diversity. The burn,also planned for this F all, will add t o the bar ren look.However, keep a shar p eye out th is coming Spring: you willsee th e beginnin gs of an even greater show.

Jeanne Edwards

Karls BackyardNorth edge of Ledges SP Boone Coun ty

October 2, 2002- It was t he first d rea ry, drizzly, chilly day offall. In t he filtered light , yellow leaves looked brilliant - andour ya rd wa s full of birds! Robins flew from tree t o shru b,shr ub to ground, an d Flickers pr obed for gru bs in th e lawn.

The falls first White-thr oated Sparr ows added int erest on th eground. Two Catbirds and a Th rash er joined the sparr owsun der th e lilac bush . That was the last da y to see the Catbirdsor Thrasher in the yard.

As we watched Yellow-ru mped Wa rbler s an d Ruby-crownedKinglets in th e trees, Carm en noticed a differen t bird on theelectr ic pole. It wa s a young m ale Yellow-bellied S apsu cker.Our pines and crabapples have rings of sapsucker holes, butwe usu ally only see them for a few days each fall.

Since the crabap ples began to dr op, weve had th e dailypleasure, and exaspera tion, of watching deer in t he yar d. Thefawns an d adu lts stop by several t imes a da y to check for n ewapples. The fawns ha ve learn ed that t hey can squeeze thr oughthe mesh of the field fence surroun ding my new windbreakplanting. They slice through th e fence with ama zing speed, but

luckily they havent eaten much because the shr ubs an d tr eesar e supposed to benefit the birds!

It is now mid October, and th e rising sun blazes on t hecolorful tr ees to th e west. Th e big wave of Yellow-rum ps,Ph oebes an d Flickers ha s passed, a nd were seeing moreJ un cos. Three Bluebird s ar e looking inside one of my nestboxes. Ill leave th e boxes in pla ce thr oughout the fall an dwinter. Who knows, the Bluebirds m ight decide to nest th erenext spring.

Karl Jungbluth

Meetz Prairie WindsNortheast of Am es a few m iles

Our pr airie landscape is tran sitioning from an overpoweringbrilliant sea of gold to a su btle yellow-green mixed with th efoamy wh ites an d a n occasional pur ple of the a ster blooms.Scores of Yellow-rumped Warblers s pent this past week seek-ing insects in our yard, ventu ring out t o the pra irie to pick atthe seed heads of Cup-plant, Sun flower, erra nt Ragweed andth e fluffy boles of th e Goldenr od and Milkweed.

Other ventur ing warblers composing the m ixed flocks t hatsought refuge during the last r ainstorms h ave included Ameri-can Redstar ts, Yellow Warblers, and a single Black an d WhiteWarbler. Golden-crowned Kinglets forage a mong t he yellowingneedles of our dying balsam tr ee and dodge in a nd out a monga flock of Cedar Waxwin gs. Late after noon we watch Mona rchbutt erflies searching out a spot t o cling to on our Mulberrytrees, as a couple of Mourn ing Cloaks investigate a br ush pile.

This past Sat ur day we rambled along our pr airie pathwaysflushing man y Tree Spar rows and catching a glimpse of ourfirst juncos of autum n. A silver colored North ern Har rierglided along the sout h edge of th e pra irie causin g a flock ofKildeer to soun d off. The a ir, filled with a slight lemony odor,revealed gr oups of Amer ican Goldfinch pr obing at Gr ey-

headed Coneflower seed. The Big Bluestem and IndianGrasses were consta ntly in motion as th ese birds sought ref-uge from our Golden Retr iever, who was bent on leading ustoward th e west pothole. She ignored the Tiger Salamand erscrawling t oward th at sam e pothole as we lost sight of heramong th e th ick r ushes and cattails, but we could follow herprogress, noting where she flush ed a hen P heasa nt , a SedgeWren, a Common Yellow-throat, a nd later two Sora.

This past week the water has pr ovided a resting spot toCommon Snipe, Coots, Pie-billed Gr ebes, Mallar ds, Blu e-winged and Green-winged Teal, Norther n Sh oveler a nd Can -ada Geese.

Flocks of Tree an d North ern Rough -winged Swa llows skimits surface, and a t dusk the vegetation surroun ding its shore-line are filled with a few Common Grackles and masses ofblackbirds m ost of th em Red-winged with a small mix of dullplum ed Yellow-hea ded Blackbird s. Their singing and cha tt eras th ey chase t he su n once again below the west horizon endsanother day at Pra irie Winds.

Oak Forest FeedersSouthwest edge of Ames

Warbler s visits have been exceptionally spar se th is fall;only a few species in sma ll numbers, at least dur ing the timeswe were watching. We never saw even a black-and -white.

The first ha rd freeze on October 13 ended the vegetablegarden ; and th e shift of seasons is seen too in t he visitingbirds. White-thr oats, kinglets, and yellow-rumps ha ve

replaced the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks an d Catbirds. Onehu mmingbird st ill defends h er feeder. Cedar Waxwingsperiodically arr ive in t heir d isordered feeding frenzies. Robinflocks descend an d depa rt in waves. A few juncos have pokedabout under the bu shes. The usua l wint er woods birds(chickadees, nu th at ches, titmice, blue jays, and woodpecker s)ha ve stepped up t heir visits t o th e feeders of th eir choice; th elarger birds tossing aside the house finch a nd spa rrows.

Will th e Red-breasted N uth atch come th is year?Dave and Jeanne Edwards

Steven DAmato


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November/December 20024 Big Bluestem Flyer

As days shorten , man y of us ponder plan s to leave for

warm er climes. Hu man checklist: buy airline tickets,

hold ma il, can cel newspaper . Avian checklist: double

body weight by feverishly feeding on buzzing insects or

fattening seeds. Huma n flight: unpr edicta ble schedules,

tight sea ting, too man y peanu ts. Avian flight:

un predicta ble calamities, exposur e and exhaust ion.

Human tropical stay: tropical sun, food and fun. Avian

tr opical st ay: intens e compet ition for food and sh elter in

rapidly disappearing habitat s. And wh at will they find

upon their return to the Midwest? Ample shelter, food,

water and spacewe hope.

More tha n 350 bird species that nest in Cana da an d

the United States make t hat daunting journey

th ousan ds of miles to their wint er homes in southern

Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central or South America.

These birds ar e known as Neotropical migrat ory birds,

or Neotr ops for sh or t. Th is group of birds is su fferin g

tr emendous onslaught s here in their breeding groundsas well as on t heir wintering grounds.

Because of its importan ce as a major migratory route

and because it still contains fairly large contiguous

tracts of woodlands and forests, along with unique

hilltop prairies and remn ant s of savann as, the Upper

Mississippi River bluffland ar ea m ay be one of the las t

best h opes for Neotropical m igrat ory bird conser vation

in the Midwest. The Iowa Nat ura l Heritage Foundat ion

is an a ctive mem ber of the Blufflands Alliance, a

private an d public part nersh ip working to protect a nd

enha nce the r esour ces of th is importan t r egion.

Unfortu nat ely, litt le is kn own a bout ideal habitat

size, distribut ion, or qu ality for m ost Neotrop species.For exam ple, no one kn ows exactly how man y acres of

ma tur e woodlan d are n eeded to keep the Cerulean

Warbler population st able or increasing. There ar e

complex relationships involved a nd m uch resear ch th at

needs t o be done, and s oon.

Why it mattersWhy should we care? For star ters, in ar eas like the

Upper Mississippi River blu ffland s, birding ecotour ism

is a valua ble addition to the economy. More

importantly, Neotropical migrants play vital roles in

th eir ecosystem s. By consum ing a wide variet y of

insects a nd seeds during th e summ er, these birds help

maintain the health of our prairies, savannas and

forests.

Threats to survivalSome Neotr opical migrant s a re considered

generalistsable to thrive in different habitats. Most of

the rar er ones, however, are specialists with specific

ha bitat or food requiremen ts. For example, the

Cerulean War bler seems to require th e extensive,

unbroken mature woodlands with sparse understory to

nest successfully. The Loggerhead Shrike, another

specialist, is adapted to savanna s and other habitat s

with open count ry and scattered tr ees and shru bs.

Neotrops face major problems here and south of the

border. Pollut ion, pesticides and collisions with hu ma n -

made structures all create threats. But the worst

threats are habitat loss (especially loss of breeding

habitat) and fragmentation (the isolation of a particular

piece of habitat). These chan ges in t he nat ura l system

especially threaten the survival of the specialists.

Ha bitat loss can occur when a forest is cleared for

development or agriculture. It can also occur when deer

become over -populat ed an d destr oy th e forest

understory in which many migrants nest. Suitable

breeding habitat can be lost when we suppress fires and

forests reclaim savanna s and pr airies.

Habitat fra gmenta tion is complex. Landforms, su ch

as a river, and n atu ral distur bances can causefragmentation. So do roads, developments, utility lines

an d rowcrops. Unfort un ately, these hum an-caused

chan ges occur red in a blink of th e evolutionar y eye, an d

specialists ha ve not ha d time to adapt . Fragment ation

causes edge effect. Many predat ors, such as domestic

cats, raccoons, and skun ks, prefer th e easier hu nt along

the edges where plant communities meet. Brown-

headed Cowbirds, those nest para sites, also tak e

advantage of these edge areas. In fact, most of the nest

parasitism and predation takes place on the edge of

forests, usually within the first 165 feet. Exotic plant

species tend to move into disturbed edge areas, quickly

tak ing over nat ive plant species and leaving our na tivebirds with poorer or fewer choices of food. Here, too, the

more abundant generalists compete with the

specialists. For m any species, habitat size matt ers

and bigger is better . Unfortu nat ely, people have been

tau ght tha t edges have the greatest a bundance and

diversity of wildlife in genera l. So, wildlife m an agers

and lan downers ha ve actua lly created edge in the n am e

of doing somethin g beneficial, while some of our ra rer

species h ave su ffered for th is pra ctice.

What needs to be doneProtecting large blocks of each habitat type is

probably th e best conservation stra tegy, while furt her

resea rch fills in deta ils. Heres wha t it all boils down to:

(1) maint aining larger, higher -quality habitat ar ea, (2)

encouraging native species of trees, shrubs, grasses and

flowers, and (3) preserving unbroken interior forests.

As we th ink a bout th is years winter checklist, we

mu st consider th e Neotrops checklist as well. Come

sprin g, will all th e snowbirds feel welcomed home?

Marlene Ehresman

Neotropical Migrants: Checklist for SurvivalThe Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation Neotropical Migrant Project


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More than 50,000 observers participate each year in

this interna tional, all-day census of early-winter bird

populat ions. The r esults of th eir efforts a re compiled

into the longest r unn ing data base in ornith ology,

representing over a centur y of unbroken dat a on tr ends

of early-winter bird populations across the Americas.

Simply put, the Christmas Bird Count, or "CBC", is

citizen science in action.From beginning birder to seasoned ornithologist, all

are welcome to par ticipate on an y Christma s Bird

Count . Participants mu st do their counting within a

designa ted 15-mile CBC circle on t he given coun t da y.

The inclusive dates of the Official Count period ar e

always December 14th t hrough J an uar y 5th of each

season. Hist orically, the Ames coun t is h eld th e first

Satu rday of the per iod, December 14 th is year, a nd t he

Saylorville count r uns the n ext day, Sunday th e 15th.

The Boone coun t h as m ost often been schedu led on

Janu ary 1st .

Count circles are divided into specific area s in which a

group of 4 or more birders plan t heir m eth od of sear ch.

Experienced leaders a re r esponsible for each ar ea, an d

th is is a good place for t hose un sur e of th eir sk ills to

learn. Most but not all part icipants spend the wh ole day.

Feeder count s ar e also made on t he sam e day in each

coun t circle. At da ys end, pa rt icipan ts m eet for su pper

and shar ing stories and bird ta llies.You may sign-up for a count a t th e Novem ber BBAS

meeting or call the respective count leaders indicated on

the first pa ge of this newsletter. Past part icipants will

likely be cont acted dir ectly by th e coun t lead ers.

Pa rticipant s 18 years of age and u nder can par ticipate

for free. All others are asked to pay $5.00 to help

Audubon cover CBC program costs (such as database/

web development costs, and t he pu blicat ion of th e CBC

results summary). David Edwards

Big Bluestem FlyerNovember/December 2002 5

Field Trip ReportsS e p t e m b e r 2 1: Am e s Q u a r r y a n d P e t e r s on P i t s

Donna Flanagan led a group of 5 birders to observe the

fall migration. A stop at Ames Quarry netted 16 species.

Twenty-four more species were observed at Peterson

Pits. Highlights were Caspian Terns, Red-eyed Vireo,

Broad -winged Ha wk, Rose-breast ed Grosbeak, a nd

Canvasbacks.

O c t o b e r 5: R a r e B i r d Al e r t We e k e n d

Tar get birds for t his field trip wer e Virginia Ra il and

LeCont es Spar row, both seen by Cha iyan t he da y before

at Doolittle Pr airie. We locat ed a t lea st four LeContes

Sparr ows at the P rairie, but no ra il . Afterwards, we

birded several other locations in Story, Hamilton, and

Boone counties. Highlights for the trip included an

immature S n o w y E g r e t at Little Wall Lake, several

L o n g -b i l le d D o w i t c h e r s at Har r ier Marsh, and two

E u r a s i a n c o l la r e d -D o v e near t he Caseys in Ogden.

We saw a total of 73 species, including Ora ng e-crown ed,

Magnolia, Yellow-ru mped, Blackburnia n, a nd Pa lm

war blers; Vesper , Fox, Song, Lincoln's, Swam p, White-

thr oated, and White-crowned spa rr ows; a Dickcissel and

a Dark-eyed J unco; at least 7 Sha rp-shinned H awks a nd

2 Cooper's Ha wks; 6 water fowl species (Cana da Goose,

Wood Duck, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern

Pint ail, & Green -winged Teal); and a flock of Amer icanWhite Pelican s.

Jeff Nichols

Newsletter Material DeadlinesBecau se we would like t o have th e newslett er t o each m ember before the first day of its coverage, th e editor

needs to have ma terial at least two weeks before that . Hence t h e d e a d l in e w i l l b e t h e fi ft e e n t h o f t h e s e

m o n t h s : December, F ebrua ry, an d April. David Edwards, Editor

Christmas Bird Count Information

Junior Naturalist CampBig Bluestem Audubon Society provided scholarships

to help two student s going into the 6th a nd 7th grades

to go to the week long Young N atu ralist Cam p held at

the Y-camp near Boone

Than k you, Big Bluestem, for sponsoring me a t t he J un iorNat ura list Cam p. It was fun! The first d ay someone came totalk to us about Indian m ounds an d hawks. The second dayMike Havlik took us birding, and Bru ce and Mar lene Ehres-man showed us two bats th ey cau ght in Ch ase Lodge. Theytold us that the great est concentra tion of bats in Iowa is at th eY Camp . So the n ext day we put u p bat boxes and cut downtrees that were shading them so that when t hey take the r oofoff of Chase Lodge th e bat s will have a place to go. The d ayafter tha t we learn ed about n atu re mapping. Mike showed ushis owls an d ta lked about th em. Then we released two screechowls tha t r ecovered from accidents. Then t he n ext day welearned h ow to mak e fire with st icks. It wa sn't a s easy as you'dthink ! A lady came and talked to us a bout Monarch but terflies.We also learned a bout ospreys and pr airies. The last da y wetook our sleeping bags an d hiked out to a camping site to sleepun der th e star s. We took a little night hike before we went tosleep. The next morning we had a program for our pa rent s andwent home. It I could, I would go again. Marissa Berrier

The first d ay Kirst en Ma xwell cam e from Effigy Moundsand t aught me about Nat ive Americans. The second day Kat ieDalton and Tesu Feu t au ght about toads an d frogs. J oel alsoshowed nat ure ma pping. On Wednesday Chris Adkens ta ught

us h ow to make a fire using all natu ral ma terials. A butt erflylady told about breeding an d ta gging th em. A couple told aboutbats an d how to care for animals th at a re injured. Thank youfor sen ding me. Michael Butler


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November/December 20026 Big Bluestem Flyer

Audubon Iowas Important Bird Area (IBA) Program

is fledging and tak ing wing across the ent ire stat e in

2002. Individuals interested in birds, in nat ur al

habita ts, and in reversing population decreases am ong

var ious form s of biodiversity, can use t his new pr ogram

to give higher conservation pr iority to ha bitats they

value a nd en joy.The popular ity an d su ccess of th e IBA concept is

expanding across th e planet. BirdLife Inter nat ional

star ted th e initiative in E urope in 1985. Now more tha n

7,000 IBAs ar e r eceiving pr iority car e in 130+ na tions.

Nat ional Audubon ha s been th e leader of the IBA

Program in th e United States since 1995, an d 45 stat es

now ha ve IBA Programs. (Obviously, Importan t Bird

Areas benefit mu ltitudes of plant and anima l species in

addition to birds.)

IBAs are defined as essential habitats for one or more

species of breeding, wintering, or migrating birds that

are high priority species within a state. IBAs can be a

few acres to thousands of acres in size, but are usuallydiscrete units of habita t th at st and out from the

surrounding landscape. IBAs may include private or

public land, protected or unprotected, or, they can be

an y combina tion of th ese. A 16-member Iowa IBA

Technical Comm itt ee ha s developed scient ifically

defensible criter ia by which IBA nomina tions will be

evaluated. The Technical Committee will cast votes and

confer official IBA recognition on nomina ted s ites th at

meet criteria. The IBA Coordinator, Technical

Commit tee mem bers, Iowas 10 Audubon Chapt ers, an d

our man y partn ers will help organize and facilitat e

conservation actions at IBAs.

Iowas IBA Pr ogra m ha s thr ee phases, each a

necessar y step along th e path to effective ha bitat

conser vat ion. Ph ase I is t he ident ificat ion, recognit ion

an d prioritization of the m ost essential bird habi tats

within our borders. Pha se II is surveying and

monitoring birds, plan t commu nities, and other ha bitat

component s a t each officially recognized IBA. Pha se III

is protecting, restoring, and m ana ging each IBA

according to its environmen tal t hrea ts and conservat ion

needs. Phases will frequently overlap. Each phase is an

opportun ity for all citizens an d p rofessional nat ural

resource staff to be actively inv olved in positive, local -

level, habitat-focused activities.

To stimulate great er citizen involvement in t he site

nomination process, Eagle Optics has donated prizes for

the individuals who make t he most, second m ost, an d

third most ha bitat nominations th at become officially

recognized Iowa IBA sites. First prize is a premium

spotting scope and tripod. Second prize is a premium

binocular . And t he t hird prize is a very good binocular(total value of all prizes exceeds $1,700). This contest

will run thr ough midnight December 31, 2002, and we

hope all reader s will par ticipate. Ea gle Optics is the first

corporate sponsor of Iowas IBA Program. We will be

seeking many pa rtn erships with public agencies, privat e

conservation organizations, as well as corporations and

communities to achieve successful habitat protection.

Hopefully, 150-200 habitat nominations (less t han 2 per

coun ty) will be received. We believe 100-120 differe nt

ha bitat s m ay r eceive official IBA recognition an d t he

future conservat ion priority that such stat us will

deserve.

Two component s of Iowas IBA Pr ogra m a re a bsolutelyvital to true pr ogress in bird an d ha bitat conservation.

First, we engage citizens and communities in a habi tat

identification, monitoring and conservation process.

Second, each I BA becomes part of a state, national an d

global network th e World B ird Data base. This means

limited funds and st aff can be directed to th ose habitat s

having the gr eatest need for conservat ion action. In

short , the IBA Program helps citizens get more ba ng for

th eir buck from fut ur e conser vation activities.

For more insights, please visit our website at www.

iowabirds.org/IBA. There you will see a user -friendly 3-

step pr ocess for n ominat ing IBAs on -line. Fir st, click on

the m ap a t t he website t o view a list of Iowa ha bitats

tha t ha ve already been nominated. If the h abitat s you

valu e highly ar e not listed, ta ke step-2, review th e Iowa

IBA crit eria. If the sites youre int erest ed in protecting

have not been nominated, and meet t he criteria, please

ma ke nomin at ions. Wed like to receive as ma ny IBA

nominations as possible. Each ta kes about 5-minut es.

For additional details, or to arr ange for a group

presen ta tion on Iowas Import an t Bird Area (IBA)

Program, contact:R i c Zarw e l l , IBA Coordin at or,

Audubon I owa, P.O. Box 299, Lan sing, Iowa 52151, (563)

538-4991, or, pr eferably, via em ail at :

zarxzar@salam an der.com. Ric Zarwell

Iowas Important Bird Area (IBA) Program Takes Flight

Kirsten Munson


7/8

Big Bluestem FlyerNovember/December 2002 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.

FFNew MembersEE

La Dena Bishop

Doroth y Boha n

Barbara Farrel

A Olson

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1 1/2 miles east of I-35 on new U.S. 30 and 1/4 mile north

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Purchase DonationUp tp $15 $1.50$15 and over $3.00$35 and over $5.00

Over $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 December 31, 2002

213 DUFF AVE.

AMES, IA 50010

(515) 956-3145

Your Backyard Birdfeeding Specialist

D o n a t e 10% o f y o u r N e x t P u r c h a s eT o Bi g Bl u e s t e m Au d u b o n S o c i e t y

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

Monday Friday 9:30am 5:30pmSaturday 9am 5pmSunday Noon 4pm Offer Expires: 12/31/02

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BIRDSEED FEEDERS HOUSES BIRDBATHS

HARDWARE BINOCS BOOKS NATURE GIFTS

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 Audubon Societyand 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 Society memberor have voting privileges, and you cannot be an officer or committee chair.Please make your check payable toBig Bluestem Audubon Society.

Send your check and this coupon toAl Johnson, Membership Chair3912 Squaw Road, Ames, IA 50014

Name _________________________________________________Address _______________________________________________City_______________________ State____ ZIP_______________Phone __________________ e-mail ________________________Please do not use this form for renewals to the National Audubon Society

ORAudubon AdventuresThe Big Bluestem Audubon Society

is pr oviding 13 element ar y schools in

Story an d Boone coun ties with A u d u -

b o n A d v en t u r e s classroom resource

kits to deepen their un derstan ding of

the n atur al world.A u d u b o n A d v e n -

t u r e s materials are aligned to na-t ional s ta ndards for language ar ts

an d science and p rovide classr oom -

based activities for 3rd to 6th grades.

This years topics are four bioregions

of North America a nd th e adapt ation

and interdependence of species in

each environment. Big Bluestem Sop-

ciety members have been a vailable to

help with bird ident ificat ion field

trips. Ida Johnson

Steven DAmato


8/8

West Nile Virus (WNV) is a m osquito-born e disea se

tha t first a ppeared in Iowa last year a nd ha s now been

documented in all counties except Allamakee. The crow

family (i.e. crows, jays, and ma gpies) seems to be m ost

susceptible of the birds, a lthough 111 sp ecies of birds

have n ow been document ed with t he disease.

Accordin g to Kat hr yn Converse, a wildlife specialistwith th e U.S Geological Sur veys N at iona l Wildlife

Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin, hundreds of birds

of prey, especially Grea t -horn ed Owls and Red -ta iled

Hawks, ha ve been found dead in t he upper Midwest. Of

par ticular concern to th ose of us who work with wildlife

is the effect of this disease on our ra rer birds like Bald

Ea gles, trum peter swan s, and peregrine falcons. But as

far as I know, there has been no documentation of WNV

in the peregrine, only one documented case (in the

coun tr y) of an infected Ba ld Ea gle, an d no known cas es

in Iowa Trumpeter Swans. I t appears that there have

been, at least, hu ndreds of bird death s in Iowa th is year

from WNV. Since very few dead birds h ave been t estedfor p resen ce of the disea se, it is difficult to say just how

many birds and which species have been affected.

Converse pointed out t ha t, at th is point , we dont kn ow

of an y birds t ha t cant be affected by th e virus.

Since there is no known effective vaccine developed

yet for birds, people or institutions that have captive

bird populations housed outdoors are advised to install

mosquito netting. I agree tha t t his is a good idea, since

my wife and I recent ly lost our un protected capt ive Red-

shouldered Hawk a nd P ra irie Merlin to WNV. Birds

affected with this virus often act dazed, and in a moreadvanced stage, WNV causes th e bird to have tr emors

and even seizures. Once birds exhibit symptoms of the

disease, most die. On a more positive note, th ere is th e

expecta tion t hat surviving birds will become r esistant to

this virus over time. It is also anticipated th at this

disease is not going to have a severe impact on our rarer

bird species, since this disease has caused no massive

die-offs of birds an d is foun d m ainly a s isolated cases.

Since the ma in mosquito species that tra nsmit th is

disease a re t he ones found in peoples back ya rds, people

are encouraged to eliminate all possible mosquito

breeding grou nds where t hey live. And dont forget to

protect yourself from biting mosquitoes. Even thoughonly about 1% of us who are bit by a WNV infected

mosquito are going to develop severe symptoms, that is

still reason en ough to be car eful.

Bruce Ehresman

IfyouhaveanXafteryournameonyourmailinglabel,thiswillbeyourlastissueoftheFlyerunlessyourenew.

Non-ProfitOrg.U.S.PostagePaid

PermitNo.131Ames,Iowa

BigBluestemFlyerDavidC.Edwards,EditorBigBluestemAudubonSociety2308StateAveAmes,IA50014

Printed on Recycled paper

Wewelcomenewmembers!

November/December 2002Vol 38 No. 2

What Threat is West Nile Virus?

Documents

November-December 2002 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society