The Night-Heron Volume R, Number 8
April 2014
Prothonotary Warbler
Photographer: Larry Gridley
How about that? It's time for the last newsletter of the
year, once again, and what a year it's been!
Great field trips, victories conserving Florida's special places, substantial growth in the Barbara Singer Memorial Felts Preserve Endowment, as well as our normal operat-ing funds, new educational successes with “Give a Child a Ride to the Wild”, more Boy Scout Merit Badges earned in Environmental Science, Photography and Bird Study, more visitors than ever at Felts Preserve and a
whole lot more.
Did I forget to mention the TV coverage of Dee Hanny
talking about Felts Preserve, or his shorebird nesting program, our participation in the Bird Res-cue Program and the fisherman education programs at the Skyway piers? How about another year of Fred Allen, as always, making sure, week in, week out that all is well at Felts Preserve, Lori Roberts putting out the best newsletters in all of Audubon, Deb Comeau and Carole Munro staying on top of all things conservation, Dick Comeau doing such a great job on the
Christmas Bird Count, Betty Sartin making sure that we're fed and happy at meetings,
LaDonne Mayberry getting notices of our events into the newspapers (we got great press a bunch of different ways this year), Amy Miller making sure that we have Greeters and Nature Walk Leaders at Felts’ Open House events, Steve Black, speaker-at-large and leader of the Jr. Audubon program, Jack (our Treasurer Stand In) and Bunny Schneider our greeters at meet-ings, Don Bansen our historian and conscience and last, because we all know how dedicated they are, Patty Petruff our Secretary and go-to gal for legal advice and Lucette Wombacher,
Treasurer Extraordinaire and Emerson Point Guru.
While we're thanking volunteers, let's give a hand to the Land Use Committee members, not al-ready mentioned; Tom Heisman and Billie and Jerry Knight! While we've got the spot light on Felts, please, please remember the work days; the last Saturday of every month. You don't have to 'Tote that Barge or Lift that Bale' to participate. We badly need people to remain in the
parking lot and direct people toward the work that needs to be done.
And then there's Ron Mayberry teaching Photography to the Boy Scouts, donating pictures for sale and prizes and putting on fabulous presentations for us and the public. Of course, Nancy Dean & team in fledging more birders in the intensive basic bird identification course, and John & Rick in their shorebird ID course. Huge thanks also to Connie Zack and all of the trip lead-ers for the year of interesting adventures which delivered birding memories while fostering
deeper friendships; each of you deserve thanks for scouting these sites & doing so much prep
work making the actual experience superior for all the participants.
We would be absolutely lost without all of our great volunteers. Thank you one and all for all
you've done this year. You are what makes Manatee Audubon such a great group!
President’s Letter… Looking Back at this Season
Welcome New Members — T his past month Manatee Audubon welcomed 4
new members into our family:
John Dupps, Ken & Nancy Franklin, and
Lois Vancacage. Happy Birding to everyone!
Thank You, Bruce!
M anatee County Audubon Society is so
blessed to receive a financial donation
from Bruce Jacobs this past month. Your gift
is greatly appreciated. Thank You!
R ich with history and filled with natural beauty, Neal Preserve will become the newest addition to
Manatee County’s publicly owned, award-winning preservation lands system on April 9. Manatee
Parks and Natural Resources will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the public on Wed., April 9 at 4 pm.
The event will include guest speakers, light refreshments, demonstrations of Native American tool use
and naturalist-guided tours of the site. Address: 1112 Manatee Avenue West
Neal Preserve Opens April 9th
More than $15.8 million invested back
in the community last year in
scholarships and grants.
Support your favorite local causes in the 2014 Giving Challenge
on May 6 & 7!
Annual Meeting
Thursday, April 17th
6:30pm—approx. 8pm
First United Methodist Church of Palmetto
330 11th Ave West, Palmetto
Installation of new officers
Celebration of our accomplishments
Recognition of key volunteers
Fellowship & food (bring a dish to share, &
your personal plate & eating utensils)
...and our Monthly Photo Contest!
April 17th Membership Meeting
Corkscrew Swamp, Ding Darling, Six Mile Slough Corkscrew Swamp Buggy
Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge
Recent Sightings Signs at Corkscrew (top), Ding
Darling, and Six Mile Slough (bottom).
T he February 22 field trip was a full of highlight for 9 birders. We visited the home of Steve Backas in
Valrico, just south of Brandon. There we saw a "real" Florida yard that was a bird sanctuary. Each of the 9 birders had from 1 to 4 life birds including a Rufus Hummingbird, Ruby-throated Hummingbird (above left), White-winged Dove (above right), and Pine Siskin. We had beautiful views of a male Blue-bird (above center) and other show ups. Steve was a wonderful host, sharing with us his love of those special birds. He has a Hummingbird blog.
From Steve's, we traveled east to the beautiful Edward Medard Park outside of Plant City. There is a paved walking path and boardwalk over the lake. We saw the usual shorebirds and many Limpkins. We traveled home via SR41 and saw the family of Eagles outside Ruskin. It was the kind of day that no one was quite ready to head home. Article & images supplied by Connie Zack
Victory in Valrico… Life Birds Spotted
Marathon SW Florida Field Trip
E njoy the snapshots from the amazing weekend of birding planned
by Dick & Deb Comeau. Both Corkscrew and Ding Darling deliv-
ered with the beautiful yellow Prothonotary Warbler. In addition to the
big places, Harns Marsh delivered with several Snail Kites & a Limp-
kin. In the western section of Cape Coral, we were able to spot several Burrowing Owls. A total of 90
different species were recorded during this fun 3-day trip. (P. Warbler photo by Deb Yodock; Burrowing Owl by M. Watson)
Prothonotary
Warbler
Winning Photos —March Honors
M CAS members voted these images as their favorites
at the March monthly meeting. There was a tie for
the top spot: Billie Knight’s Purple Gallinule and Deb
Yodock’s Eastern Bluebird. The Barred Owl, also from
Billie, was a close runner-up. Congrads to everyone who
dazzled us with the beautiful bird & butterfly images!
T hanks
to Betty Sar-tin for or-
ganizing and recruit-ing folks to
bring snacks for every
meeting this birding season. And thanks
to Susan for her bird-themed
treats!
April 11-13 is the Audubon Academy
EV
EN
TS
SC
HE
DU
LE
M any of us are concerned about the impacts of the Galveston Bay oil spill on shorebirds, as this
accident has occurred just as migration ramps up and coastal breeding birds are nesting. The spill took place near the globally important Boli-var Flats Shorebird Sanctuary, a critical wintering
and stopover habitat for as many as 70,000 migratory shorebirds. The flats host congregations of Piping, Snowy and Wilson's plovers and other shorebirds,
including Long-billed Curlew and Red Knots.
Oiled birds are already being found — including a Sanderling and American White Pelicans — at Boli-var Flats. Wildlife responders currently include experts from U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Texas Parks and Wildlife De-
partment, and are responding with rehabilitation, husbandry and stabilization trailers staged along the Texas City Dike, Bolivar Peninsula and the Phoenix Pollution Control Facility. Respond-ers have found 45 birds that were dead on arrival to the stabili-
zation trailers, and they are currently rehabilitating 12 birds.
Audubon is mobilizing an emergency response team to
protect the Sanctuary and help rescue oiled birds.
M arch is right around spring migration for many species of birds, and other birds are still wintering at Bolivar Flats, so tens of
thousands of birds are living at the sanctuary, which is designated a Glob-ally Significant Important Bird Area. Cleanup crews are using cannon booms to try to deter birds away from oiled beaches, and so far, oil hasn’t washed up on Bolivar Flats, but birds that have come in contact with oil in
the water or on other beaches have been landing there.
Houston Audubon Society volunteers have been tracking the oiled birds they see at Bolivar, and Jessica Jubin, development director at the Houston Audubon Society, said that the group was “definitely seeing more” oiled birds now than when they first started the day after the spill. She said volunteers cataloged 40 to 50 oiled birds at one spot at Bolivar Flats, and just one day later they counted about 100 at the same site. After another 24 hours, the number of impacted birds increased to about 140, with most birds ranging from just a few spots of oil on them to half covered in oil. It’s the shorebirds and seabirds that are most at risk of becoming oiled from the spill, Jubin said. “Like pelicans, for example, they will soar in the sky and then spot something down below and then dart right into the water, and that’s how they get so much oil on them,” she said. “They can’t distinguish whether or not the oil is there, and they don’t know how to react to it.” Mike Cox, of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, has so far collected 45 oiled birds in the Galveston area, with 19 birds in rehabilitation and 26 that were found dead. Jubin said Audubon was reporting birds they saw to Texas Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but she worries about the movement of the oil. If it drifts too far south or west, it could end up in important habitat for endangered whooping cranes.
A lesser scaup is held for cleaning at a wildlife rescue site in Baytown, Texas. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/PAT SULLIVAN
Oil Spill Covers Galveston Area Shores & Birds
Prothonotary Warblers Wow Birders
T he field trip to Corkscrew Swamp and Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge inspired this month’s featured species. Those that aren’t
familiar with the golden hoods of Catholic notaries may prefer the name Golden Swamp Warbler, which evokes the bird’s habitat as
well as its color. Its loud ringing song reverberates through southern swamps and river edges during the spring and summer. The group Partners in Flight has designated the species as "Threatened and De-
clining."
The Prothonotary Warbler’s brilliant plumage features the male's golden head in contrast with his large, dark eyes, black bill, and green-ish back. Yellow extends over the belly, fading into white underneath the short tail. The wings are grayish-blue with black edges. Females have similar plumage, except with green washing over the crown.
Habitat
P rothonotary Warblers breed in wooded swamps, forested river bottoms, and the edges of lakes or ponds. They prefer stagnant or slow moving water. Trees with exist-
ing cavities or stumps that can be excavated are vital for nesting. In the winter, this species prefers man-groves and wet forests at low elevation. According to Cornell Lab of Orthithology, the Prothonotary Warbler
is only 1 of 2 warblers that build nests in cavities.
Feeding Prothonotary Warblers pick insects, spiders, and small snails from the surfaces of tree trunks, fallen logs, and the ground. Males tend to search for food higher in the can-opy, but both sexes explore tangles and the water's edge. On their wintering grounds, Prothonotary Warblers sup-plement their diet with nectar and fruit.
Reproduction
M ale Prothonotary Warblers arrive early to establish territories, using vigorous song, and chasing and
fighting behavior. Males adorn false nests with moss and sometimes build a cup. The purpose of these "dummy" nests is not clear, but the male displays in front of all of them. After females arrive a few days later, both sexes display and form pairs for the season. Most often, the birds use abandoned woodpecker holes, but will occasionally dig their own cavities in soft wood, 3 to 10 feet above the water. Prothonotary
Warblers also use artificial cavities, including nest boxes, old cartons, cans, and jars.
Female Prothonotary Warblers complete the nest, line it with fine plant materials, and lay 3 -7 whitish eggs with brown spots. After approximately 12 days of incubation by the female, the young emerge naked and helpless. Both parents tend the young. Fledglings leave the nest after 10 days and can swim short dis-tances by flapping their wings. The parents separate the fledglings into two groups and each parent feeds one group for up to 30 days. Independent juveniles gather in small flocks and tend to remain fairly close to their natal territory.
Migration
P rothonotary Warblers migrate early, both to and from their breeding grounds, and probably fly directly over the Gulf of Mexico. These warblers migrate mostly at night, in small single-species flocks. They
may migrate short distances within their wintering range to avoid dry conditions. They overwinter in man-
groves in northern So. America & along Caribbean coast. (Occasionally seen in southern US during winter.)
Spring migration in this species begins in mid-March, with arrivals on the Gulf Coast and at the more south-erly breeding areas. The species winter in both Middle American and the Caribbean, so its arrival in the
southeast is across a broad front and not along a more particular migratory path. .
By Deb Yodock
Wednesday, April 2
3:00pm — Shamrock/Venice Rookery -- Amy Miller, 758-7478, [email protected]
Saturday, April 5
8:00am — Matthew Press, Mabry Carlton Reserve Venice, 408 390-2004 [email protected] 8:00am — Open House Felts Preserve- 729-2222 9am -3pm– Native Plant Sale & MCAS info table @ Sweetbay Nursery, 10824 Erie Rd., Parrish.
Tuesday, April 8
8:30am — Emerson Point Bird Walk, Lucette Wombacher
Wednesday, April 9
5:30pm — Audubon Board of Directors
Fri-Sun, April 11—13
3pm Fri—1pm Sun. — Audubon Assembly
Wednesday, April 16
7:30am — Bird ID Beach Walk, Rick Greenspun ([email protected]), John Ginaven, 284-2055
Thursday, April 17
6:30pm — Annual Meeting, Potluck Dinner, Installation of Officers
Saturday, April 19
9:00am — Jr Audubon, Steve Black 376-0110
Saturday, April 26
7:30am — Fort Desoto, Billie & Jerry Knight, 592-7622 [email protected] 8:00am — Work Day, Felt's Preserve 729-2222
Saturday, May 3
10:00am —Butterfly walk, Felts Preserve, Fred Alan 941-448-0445 / [email protected]
CONTACTS — Manatee Chapter Board meetings
are on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 5:30 in
the main Manatee County Library building.
CHAPTER OFFICERS 2013-2014
President — Jim Stephenson 301-466-1973
Vice Pres — Deb Comeau 752-1835 Secretary — Patty Petruff 747-1789
Treasurer — Lucette Wombacher 776-8424
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Don Bansen 794-0255 Steve Black 376-0110
Dick Comeau 752-1835 Dee Hanny 745-1553
LaDonne Mayberry 795-4685
Amy Miller 758-7478
Lori Roberts 404-941-4365 Jack Schneider 792-1794
Connie Zack 758-2929
PHOTO CREDITS:
Cover: Prothonotary Warbler. Photographer: Larry Gridley.
INJURED BIRD HELP:
Call 778-6324 for what to do. Someone will call you back.
Manatee County Audubon Society
P.O. Box 14550, Bradenton, FL 34280
Ph: 941-729-2222 www.ManateeAudubon.org
Manatee County Audubon Society is a chapter of National Audubon Society Inc.
2013-2014 STANDING COMMITTEES
Beach Nesting Bird Stewardship …….. Dee Hanny 745-1553 Christmas Bird Count ……………….. Dick Comeau 752-1835
Conservation ………………………… Open 729-2222 Education …………………………….. Deb Comeau 752-1835
Field Trips ……………………………. Connie Zack 758-2929 Felts Audubon Preserve …………….. Tom Heitzman 737-3169 Felts Open House …………………… Amy Miller 758-7478
Historian …………………………… Don Bansen 794-0255 Hospitality ………………………….. Betty Sartin 747-0908
Junior Audubon ……………………. Steve Black 376-0110 Membership …………………………. Lucette Wombacher 776-8424
Newsletter Editor …………………… Lori Roberts 404-941-4365 Newsletter Mailings …………………. Betty Benishek 254-7662
Programs …………………………….. Jim Stephenson 301-466-1973 Publicity ……………………………… LaDonne Mayberry 795-4685
Strategic Alliances ……………………. Lori Roberts 404-941-4365 Webmaster ………………………….. Collaborative 343-8267
April & Early May — Bird Walks & More