Big Bluestem FlyerBig Bluestem Flyer

Volume 46, Number 1 September-October 2010

Programs

Page 2 - Officers and Committees; President’s Corner; Membership Form

Page 3 - Programs Planned; Other Events of Interest

Page 4 - President’s Corner$ continued; Iowa Audubon’s Pelican Gala Fundraiser

Page 5 - Field Trip Reports; Bird-A-Thon 2010 a Success

Page 6 - New Members of National Audubon Society

Newsletter of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society

Fall Field Trip Schedule

All field trips are free and open to the public. They are fun and a great learning experience for both beginning and experienced birders, so attend and bring along a friend! Unless otherwise indicated, field trips depart 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. Please arrive before the departure time to arrange carpooling. Contact Jeff Nichols for more information at

515-795-4176 or ozarksbirder@hotmail.com.

September 18, 2010 Voas Nature Area (Dallas

County)

Voas represents a diverse habitat consisting of prairie,

marsh and woodland with many bird species possible.

October 16, 2010 - Dunbar Slough Wildlife

Management Area (Greene County)

Dunbar slough with marsh and wetlands provides a

perfect habitat for water birds.

November 6, 2010 - Jester Park and Saylorville

Lake (Polk County)

Provides many habitats for birds including woods,

grassland and the massive Saylorville Lake. Rare gull

species are a possibility.

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 in which we live.

Visit us online at http://bigbluestemaudubon.org

September 16, 2010 Carol Williams - Biking and Hiking Trails in Story County

October 21, 2010 Steve Dinsmore - Birds & Natural history of Costa Rica

November 18, 2010 Larry Dau - Birding Portugal (The Tagus Estuary and Alentejo region)

December 16, 2010 Short photo presentations by BBAS members and attendees at Story County Conservation Center- McFarland Park

January 20, 2011 Jerry Toll - Hitchcock Nature Center and Hawk Watch

February 17, 2011 Linda Zelatel - Traveling India

March 17, 2011 Ty Smedes - Woodland Warblers of Iowa

April 21, 2011 Carl Kurtz - Photography Techniques in a Digital Age

May 19, 2011 Rebecca Christoffel - Impact of White Nose Syndrome on America’s Bat Populations

Meeting Place - Extension & 4-H Building, ISU Campus Starting Time: 7:00 P.M.

The building is located at the southwest corner of 13th St. and Stange Road. Enter on the first street south of 13th Street (Wanda Daley Drive)

Ruffed Grouse at Minong Wi

Photo by Larry Dau

Membership Application Form

Big Bluestem Audubon Society of Central Iowa

Officers President: Larry Dau 515-275-4963 lgdau@netins.net Vice-President: Gary Erbes gmerbes@gmail.com Secretary: Shane Patterson 515- 232-4682 shane7896@yahoo.com Treasurer: Stu Huntington 515-296-0248 huntin@iastate.edu

Board Members Rebecca Christoffel 515-294-7429 christof@iastate.edu Katie Pattee

515-232-5629 pkpattee@gmail.com Hank Zaletel 515-382-5427 madowl@midiowa.net Matt Wetrich 641-919-6061 matt@naturebymatt.com Lloyd Crim 515-432-5026 lcrim@opencominc.com

Special Assignments

Archivist Hank Zaletel 515-382-5427 madowl@midiowa.net Bird-a-thon Nick Osness Conservation Bruce Ehresman 515-296-2995 Bruce.ehresman@dnr.iowa.gov Field Trips Jeff Nichols 515-795-4176 ozarksbirder@hotmail.com Publicity & Outreach Gary Erbes gmerbes@gmail.com

Schools Liaison Amy Yoakum 515-232-2516 ayoakum@storycounty.com Newsletter Editor Stefany Hulsebus 515-720-9322 stefany_h@yahoo.com

Audubon Membership Contact Larry Dau 515-275-4963 lgdau@netins.net Webmaster David Edwards 515-292-3790 dcejce@dandje.org

September-October 2010 2 Big Bluestem Flyer

Clip and Join Remember to give gift memberships!

New member of the National Audubon Society. You will receive the Audubon magazine, the Big Bluestem Flyer, membership card. — $20

Please make your check payable to �ational Audubon

Society and include “Chapter Code H-57” on the check

Subscribe to the Big Bluestem Flyer for one year and participate in some Big Bluestem Society Activities — $10 Restrictions are that you will not be a National Audubon Society member or have voting privileges, and you cannot be an officer or committee chair.

Please make your check payable to Big Bluestem Audubon Society.

Send your check and this coupon to: Big Bluestem Audubon Society P.O. Box 543, Ames IA 50010

Name

Address

City State ZIP

Phone E-mail

Please do not use this form for renewals

to the �ational Audubon Society.

OR

President’s Corner Welcome to the 2010-11 Season for Big Blue Stem Audubon. I hope everyone has had a great summer. With the exception of two new Board members, all of our BBAS officers are the same as last year: Gary Erbes, Vice President; Stu Huntington , Treasurer; Shane Patterson , Secretary; Hank Zaletel and Matt Wetrich as Board Members. Kelly Barnett and Mary Doud have been replaced on the Board by Katie Pattee and Rebecca Christoffel. A big thank you goes out to Kelly and Mary for their many years of service on the Board for BBAS! Another big thank you goes out to Jeff Nichols who will again lead and plan our field trips and to Dave Edwards, our web master. I wanted to mention the loss of a long time BBAS member, Ed Carbrey. Ed was very active in BBAS and a good friend to all. Ed was very talented in all his endeavors and led a very unique life. He attended nearly every meeting and will be greatly missed. I am writing this column in late July. Joan and I have just returned from the cabin in NW Wisconsin. At the cabin night time temperatures were in the upper 50’s to low 60’s and we slept with the windows open and covered with 2 blankets. Now we return to Iowa with 105 degree heat index, high humidity and being closed inside with the air conditioning. We are thinking we should turn around and head back north! The cabin was fun this year, since we could stay longer periods of time, due to Joan and I both being retired. We had unique experiences at the cabin with a very large Black Bear visitor, a successful Pileated Woodpecker nest 200 feet from our door, Southern Flying Squirrels in every night and a Loon nest 1000 feet from our dock.

Continued on page 4

For Official Use Only

C0ZH570Z

September-October 2010 3 Big Bluestem Flyer

Other events of

interest

September 11, 2010

IOWA AUDUBON’S PELICAN GALA

FUNDRAISER

6:00 - 9:00 PM, Saturday, at

McFarland Park Conservation Center

Presentation by Carrol Henderson:

“Oology and Ralph’s Talking Eggs”

Area Christmas Bird Counts

Ames CBC

Saturday, December 18th

Saylorville CBC

Sunday, December 19th

Boone CBC

Saturday, January 1, 2011

BBAS Board Meetings Schedule

(tentative) (All meetings begin at 6:30 PM, 4-H Building, ISU Campus)

October 20th, 2010

February 9, 2011

April 13th at 4-H

Big Bluestem Audubon Society 2010-2011 Programs Planned

Meeting Place/Time 4H Building on ISU campus / 7:00 PM

September 16, 2010 Carol Williams - Biking and Hiking Trails in Story County Carol will give us an update of recent trail projects in Story County and give information about the trails available to the public, including the Heart of Iowa Trail. October 21, 2010 Steve Dinsmore - Natural history of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is home to an incredibly diverse bird community with more than 900 species recorded. Steve will summarize findings from several trips to Costa Rica that visited six of the twelve Life Zones. Although the focus will be on birds, I'll also share sightings of other wildlife and some of the plants. November 18, 2010 Larry Dau - Birding Portugal (The Tagus Estuary and Alentejo) The Tagus Estuary is a vitally important and major migration stop for aquatic birds in Europe. The Alentejo includes habitats of stunning natural beauty and to many for estepary and rock loving species. Presentation will include information about the areas and photos of birds seen. December 16, 2010 Story County Conservation Center at McFarland Park, Ames Short photos presentations by BBAS members and attendees. Also, bring holiday goodies to share at the refreshment table. Story County Conversation would greatly appreciate donations of cash or bird food for their feeding stations at McFarland Park.. Bring your images for everyone to enjoy. January 20, 2011 Jerry Toll - Hitchcock Nature Center Raptor Banding Project Jerry will cover the long-term raptor population monitoring efforts being conducted in the fall at Hitchcock Nature Center. Describe the capture and banding process of raptors at the station. Describe the Saw-whet Owl banding effort. Discuss current and future research projects and their results.

February 17, 2011 Linda Zelatel - Traveling India Join Linda Zaletel on her travels through India and the towns of Leh (situated at a height of 11,499 feet), Dharsmala (known as Little Lhasa) and New Delhi. Her goal was to increase her bird list and to absorb the Hindu, and Tibetan cultures of these interesting regions of India. March 17, 2011 Ty Smedes - Woodland Warblers of Iowa Presentation will include images of warblers catching insects & worms, singing to attract a mate or defend a territory, and feeding young. Ty will discuss migration routes, wintering areas, and best times/places to observe warblers, along with recommended books and videos which can help the enthusiast identify and learn more about these stunning passerines. Intimate images of resident Prothonotary Warblers, nesting, and feeding young, at his own Beaver Bottoms Wetland, just south of Granger will be included. Join us, and enjoy warbler behaviorism at its best. April 21, 2011 Carl Kurtz - Photography Techniques in a Digital Age Carl will discuss photography techniques and how photography has changed using digital cameras and media. Carl will share his expertise giving tips for successful nature and bird photography. May 19, 2011 Rebecca Christofel - Impact of White Nose Syndrome on America’s Bat Populations White nose syndrome, a highly contagious fungal disease sweeping across the U.S., is impacting scores of hibernating bat populations. With a fatality rate of 80-100%, this disease threatens the existence of cave-dwelling bats. Learn what steps that Iowa has taken to try to protect our bat populations, and the current status of our bat populations.

Little Blue Heron found in

Boone County during

Bird-a-Thon

Photo by Larry Dau

Great Blue Heron eating small

Bullhead, Story County

Photo by Larry Dau

September-October 2010 4 Big Bluestem Flyer

Brekke's Town & Country Store, Inc.Brekke's Town & Country Store, Inc.Brekke's Town & Country Store, Inc.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 Donation Up tp $15 $1.50 $15 and over $3.00 $35 and over $5.00 Over $70 $7.50

Brekke’s offers Big Bluestem Audubon Society a donation when bird seed or other bird products are purchased. Present this coupon with your purchase and a donation will be given to BBAS.

Offer good until June 30, 2011

Buying from the businesses listed on this page not only benefits the birds but also helps our local economy and provides funding for Big Bluestem. Donations will fund our various habitat restoration and educational projects. Present the coupons here at the time of your

purchase and a donation will be given to BBAS.

We have another great slate of programs planned for this year. Details about the presenters, programs and dates are included in this issue. Remember the meetings now start at 7:00 PM with the programs usually starting around 7:30 PM. Fall migration should be getting well under way very soon. Shorebirds are already appearing in the sheet water left by our heavy summer rains. Also, large groups of mixed swallow species are gathering on the rural telephone wires. Cooler and dryer weather has to be on the way, so get out and enjoy the outdoors, and do a little birding! Better yet, attend some of our planned field trips. The field trip schedule for Fall is included in this issue. Joan and I are leaving August 6th for Portugal. We are visiting a former exchange student, Paula Cruz, that lived with our family in 1989. She is now 40-years old and wants for us to come over

for her belated birthday celebration. While there, I will be going on a 2 day bird watching trip to the Tagus Estuary and Alentejo areas. The Tagus is a major European migration stop for shorebirds and migration is beginning. The Alentejo area has many rare upland and grass land birds. So we are excited to see Paula and her family. I am also excited about the bird watching possibilities. When we leave Portugal, we are stopping over in Ireland for 4 days. So, expect to see photos in the near future! I urge you to participate in BBAS and attend as many of our meetings as possible. The meetings are fun and informative. Thanks, Larry Dau

President’s Corner… continued from page 2

Carrol Henderson has been supervisor of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Nongame Wildlife Program since 1977. He has a B.S. in zoology from Iowa State University and a Master of Forest Resources degree in ecology from the University of Georgia. His graduate work was conducted at the University of Costa Rica, and his thesis was on "Fish and Wildlife Resources of Costa Rica, with notes on Human Influences."

In 1977, Carrol was hired to create and develop Minnesota’s new Nongame Wildlife Program. He continues in that role and has developed a comprehensive program for Minnesota’s nongame and endangered wildlife species that has been recognized as

one of the finest programs of its kind in the nation. During the past 34 years Henderson has developed a statewide program for the conservation of nongame wildlife that has received both national and international recognition.

This Zearing, Iowa, native has authored 12 books including topics on wildlife woodworking, lakeshore landscaping, the science of flight and Costa Rican wildlife field guides. The book and topic of his Sept. 11 program, “Oology and Ralph’s Talking Eggs,” is based on Henderson’s story about farmer, naturalist, hunter, fisherman and oologist Ralph Handsaker of Colo, Iowa, and the incredible collection of thousands of wild bird

eggs that Ralph accumulated during his life.

Ralph collected eggs from prairie and wetland birds in central Iowa and traded those eggs with oologists from around the world. Eggs from the Handsaker collection tell a fascinating story about the birds that laid them, the oologists who collected them and the remarkable progress that has been made in the conservation of wild birds during the past century. The egg collection has now been donated to the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University.

Contact Shane Patterson for more information (shane7896@yahoo.com, 515-232-4682).

IOWA AUDUBON’S PELICAN GALA FUNDRAISER Saturday, September 11, 2010, 6:00 - 9:00 PM, at McFarland Park Conservation Center Presentation by Carrol Henderson: Oology and Ralph’s Talking Eggs

September-October 2010 5 Big Bluestem Flyer

Field Trip Reports By Jeff Nichols

March 27, 2010 - Northern Story and southern Hamilton counties

We started our trip list with a flock of Cedar Waxwings seen foraging for berries in a tree

near the meeting place behind the Ames Wild Birds Unlimited. We then walked some of the

trails at Ada Hayden Heritage Park, briefly observing an American Mink, before proceeding to

Little Wall Lake, Anderson Lake, and ending at Richard's Marsh. Along the way we saw

Common Loon, a good variety of geese and ducks, and several Rusty Blackbirds. 50 bird

species seen, six participants.

April 10, 2010 - Smith's Longspur Search at Neal Smith NWR

The April field trip to Neal Smith NWR was held jointly with Des Moines Audubon and co-led

by Refuge Biologist Karen Viste-Sparkman and myself. There were twenty-eight participants

(five from Big Bluestem), and the weather couldn't have been nicer (calm, clear, 50s). We

first walked a large burned field just south of 96th Ave (east of Pacific St) where we enjoyed

close-up views of a dozen or so Lapland Longspurs, some

in alternate (breeding) plumage, and two or three Smith's

Longspurs. We had even better luck with Smith's

Longspurs in a short-grass field south of 88th Ave, also

east of Pacific St. We flushed around 30 birds, and had

scope-filling views of several SMLOs foraging in the grass

and in the open in an adjacent soybean field. Also of

interest were four Swainson's Hawks that were attracted to

the prairie burn being conducted near the Prairie Learning

Center (Refuge HQ). Two of the Swainson's were dark

morph birds. 41 species seen.

June 5, 2010 - Birders' Brunch at McFarland Park

Once again, inclement weather looked ready to cause cancellation of our annual

Birders' Brunch outing, but the weather just barely cooperated long enough for

us to bird around the lake at McFarland Park and enjoy a picnic brunch. Bird

diversity and numbers were lower than past years, with only 46 species seen

altogether. Our only warblers were Yellow Warbler and Common Yellowthroat. Of

interest were a cooperative Green Heron, an elusive Grasshopper Sparrow, and a

heard-only Wood Thrush. Also of interest was a Northern Pearly-Eye, a lifer

butterfly for several of us.

Photos and Content for Newsletter Please send me any photos you have of events, birds, wildlife, habitat or BBAS members in the field that you would like to see in the newsletter.

I am also looking for short content items and announcements that you would like to submit for the newsletter. I would also like to mention that Stefany Hulsebus is now doing our final Big Bluestem Flyer editing and creating the documents in publisher format.

We appreciate her expertise and help. Larry

Northern Pearly-

Eye Butterfly at

Mcfarland Park

Photo by Wolf

Oesterreich

Prairie burn at Neal Smith

Refuge

Photo by Gary Erbes

Lapland Longspur at Neal

Smith Refuge

Photo by Gary Erbes

Audubon members at a field trip

Photo by Gary Erbes

Bird-A-Thon 2010 a Success! Bird-A-Thon this past May was a big success. Seven teams competed in this fund raising event. A total of 180 species were found, the highest total in the past four years. The team “Pishing in the Wind” pulled off a last minute win with 135 species being seen, just beating out team “The Baffled Birders“ 134 species count. Some rare and uncommon species were found including Ross’s Goose, Little Blue Heron, White-faced Ibis, Marbled Godwit, Wilson’s Phalarope, Caspian Tern, Loggerhead Shrike, Henslow’s Sparrow, Summer Tanager, Cape May Warbler and Worm-Eating Warbler. This fund raising competition raises money to help our organization fund projects including education packets for local schools and conservation land purchases. This year we raised over $2700, nearly $1000 higher than the 2009 Birdathon. We also gained several new members for BBAS. If you weren’t able to get out and participate in this year’s event, consider joining us next year. Participants have lots of fun, see a large number of bird species and raise money for very worthwhile conservation projects. Larry Dau

Indigo Bunting in Boone County

Photo by Larry Dau

New Members of National Audubon Society Ames: Norma Bode Ankeny: Karen Altman, Marci Flaugh, Debra Garner, Marge Jensen, Ron Krainovich, Evelyn Rigby, Meg Smart, Debra West, Bruce Worswick

Boone: Darcy Schroeder, Tony Maves, Annette Mueterthies, Phyllis Nordholm Grand Junction: Vernon Fritz Grimes: Ruth Stevens Polk City: Bonnie McCaughey Williams: Virginia Hoelscher Chicago, IL: David Berrier, Linda Tartof

If you have an “X” after your name on your mailing label,

this will be your last issue of the Flyer unless you renew.

Big Bluestem Flyer Larry Dau, President Big Bluestem Audubon Society PO Box 543 Ames, IA 50010-0543

We welcome new members!

September-October 2010 Volume 46 No. 1

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Red-Bellied Woodpecker Boone County

Photo by Larry Dau