December 2009 Ecobon Newsletter Hilton Head Island Audubon Society

8/9/2019 December 2009 Ecobon Newsletter Hilton Head Island Audubon Society

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E COBONNewsletter of the Hilton Head Island Audubon Society

Audubon Refuge Keepers

DECEMBER PROGRAM by Charlotte WhiteTuesday, December 8, 2009, 7:00 p.m. at the Seabrook

December 2009No. 305

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE By Bill Nicol

One of the programs that your Audubonchapter supports in the winter is the GreatBackyard Bird Count. This involvesmembers of our chapter making presenta-tions on birds to primarily Middle Schoolstudents although some elementary schoolsare involved. The presentations are ap-

proximately 30 minutes long and consistof showing pictures of 20 to 30 birds com-monly seen in our area in the winter andtelling the students how they can participatein the count and why it is important. Thevolunteers work in teams of two and are

provided an outline and a CD with the bird pictures. The schools have the equipment

required. The only thing that limits howmany schools (students) we reach is thenumbers of volunteer presenters we have.The more we have the more students wecan educate. Our program ts in to the Sci-ence Curriculum in the schools and tries toshow how the birds t in the environmentand how our conduct can impact their sur-vival. If you can help, please contact MaryJane Major at 342-5804. Any one who has

participated has thoroughly enjoyed theexperience.

The annual Christmas Bird count is onDecember 19, 2009 and is an opportunityfor us as citizen scientists to make a signi -cant contribution to de ning the health of our bird population. Please donate some of your time to help our birds.

See you at the meeting and bring a friend.

Remember that our December program starts at 7 PM with a holidayrefreshment party of cookies and drinks. Bring cookies, if you can. Theprogram will be Barry Lowes beautiful picture review of birds of this area.

Each December in preparation for the Christmas Bird Count, Barryhas been presenting a slide show to review the birds of our area. This yearthe Bird Count, the great citizen science count that has been going for overa century, is on Saturday, December 19. In this refresher, Barry reviewsimportant bird eld marks.

Barry reminds us that while we experience great pleasure the year longin seeing birds, surely we can step up and devote one day to the birds inparticipating in this important count. The individual birds we see duringthe year may excite us, but the bird count each December is a major sourceof information for tracking bird trends and bird environment. You are eachneeded in this count! Participation in counting the birds is fun, involvesfellowship and sharpens learning. SIGN UP PLEASE!

Once again, come on December 8 to the Seabrook to this popular pro-gram. Come WITH A FRIEND AND BE SURE TO COME AT 7 PM toenjoy the holiday social followed by Barrys great program.

PS ~ Barry asks again, Who wants to be the Christmas Bird Count Coor-dinator in the future? Or at least, who will step up and volunteer to assisthim in the coordination and see if they will assume that responsibility later?

EARLY NOTICE OF OUR JANUARY FIELD TRIPby Kay Hodnett

On Tuesday, January28, we will visit the Sa-vannah National Wild-life Refuge to see thewintering ducks there.More information will

be given in the JanuaryEcobon. Save the date.


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HHI AudubonBoard of Directors:President Bill Nicol 671-4721Vice President Ken Neitzke 705-3970TreasurerFran Baer 686-6348

Recording SecretaryMarianne Currie 681-2525Corresponding Secretary Sherman Barker 342-6596

MembersatLargeHoward Costa 842-9447Jim Currie 681-8525Clem Dietze 837-2612Barry Lowes 671-3537Nan Lloyd 363-2092Betty Walter 842-7147Joan Wilson 837-2874

Committee Chairpersons: AdoptARefuge (Pinckney)Clem Dietze 837-2612

Audubon Newhall PreserveJoan Shulman 842-9246

Bird Walks/Field Trips Kay Hodnett 342-7485 Bird House ConstructionJim Collins 671-1240Jim Currie 681-8525

Bird Seed SaleEd Nash 681-5725Christmas Bird Count Barry Lowes 671-3537

EducationMary Jane Major 342-5804

HistorianBetsy Pehrson 689-2243

HospitalityThea Luba 785-3214

LegislationSherman Barker 342-6596

MembershipThea Luba 785-3214

Newsletter CirculationMarianne Currie 681-8525

Newsletter EditorJoan Wilson 837-2874ProgramsCharlotte White 837-4597Publicity & Public RelationsOPENSales TableOPENShorebirds/ConservationHoward Costa 842-9447

Special ProjectsRichard Shulman 842-9246Sun City RepresentativeKevin Cahill 705-3570Wetlands/ConservationSally Krebs H: 757-2973 O: 341-4690Website: www.hiltonheadaudubon.org

The Ecobon is a monthly publication (September through May)of the Hilton Head Island Audubon Society.Subscription is a bene t of membership. Di-rect inquiries to P.O. Box 6185, Hilton Head

Island, South Carolina 29938 or call one of theabove of cers or chairpersons.

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CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTSaturday, December 19, 2009

For those who have participated in the past, we thank you. If you have not, thenfor you it is an opportunity to join a group and help to count the number of species andthe total number of birds in your area around Hilton Head. It is also a responsibilitywe all assume in order to help in this citizen- science project. It takes at least 150-165observers to cover all of Hilton Head, the surrounding ocean and a part of Bluffton.

More than 1000 Bird Count areas throughout the Americas from Alaska to SouthAmerica and Hawaii participate. This annual Christmas Bird Count has been goingon for more than 100 years. (No, I did not participate in the rst count!) The datacollected has proven invaluable in the long term study of bird locations, ranges, migra-tions and especially alarming, the decline of birds generally.

Whether you are an experienced birder or a beginner, young or old, you are wel-come to participate. If you would like to spend all or part of the day helping to countthe birds, then call Nan Lloyd at 363-2092 or Barry Lowes at 671-3537. We willconnect you with a Team Leader. It is that easy to get involved, enjoy a day in the

out-of-doors, the fellowship and the knowledge that you are engaged in this importantcitizen -science project. Don't hesitate. Call now! Get Involved! We need your help!Saturday, December 19, 2009. The birds will thank you.

671-3537 Barry Lowes, Co-ordinator363-2092 Nan Lloyd, Compiler

WINTER HUMMINGBIRDSJust a reminder that although most of our hummingbirds have left for the year, there are

always a few that decide to spend the winter with us. Also, over the past several yearssome of our backyards have served as winter homes for other species of hummingbirds

such as Black-chinned, Rufous and Calliope. These are more rare, but there is an increas-ing trend of these species showing up in the southeast in the winter.To attract winter hummingbirds to your yard leave one or more of your feeders with

your regular mixture of 4 parts water, 1 part sugar in your yard in an area where it is easyfor you to see. Because of the cooler weather, it is not necessary to clean the feeder quiteas often but you should still change the nectar once a week.

If you see a hummingbird, rst try to get a photo of it. Then keep a careful eye on thefeeder to see if the bird returns again over the next few days. Make note of the time of day you most often see the bird and record any trees or shrubs that the bird perches in on aregular basis.

If you are interested in having the bird banded so that researchers can study the mi-gration patterns and return rates of winter hummingbirds, please email both myself [email protected] and Penny Larson at [email protected] We will notify ourregional hummingbird bander, Doreen Cubie who many of you may remember from herprogram on hummingbirds 2 years ago and the banding work she has done in Sun City.Doreen will schedule a time to come to your backyard with her banding equipment andattempt to band your bird.

This process does not harm the bird and after Doreen collects her measurements andsample data and bands the bird you will have the thrill of holding and releasing your visit-ing hummingbird.

Let's hope it's a good winter for hummers in Sun City. As a former host to a black-chinned, ruby-throat and 4 rufous hummingbirds I can tell you it is a special treat to havea hummingbird spend the winter in your backyard.

Good luck, everyone, Diane


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December 2009 Page 3

RECENT AREA BIRD SIGHTINGSby Jack Colcolough

E-MAIL ReminderHave you sent your E-mail address in to Nan?

If not, please send it to Nanat [email protected].

Our migration was another fantastic one this fall! Wesighted a total of 27 warbler species and 12 other migrantspecies compared to our best ever 30 and 6 respectivelyin fall 2008. Our migration was long and lasted late thisyear ... from 10/12 to 10/31. More winter birds continue

to arrive in our area.Rare migrant warblers reported this month included:

Tennessee, Hooded and Bay-sided. Uncommon warblerswere: Blackpoll, Magnolia, Prairie and Orange-crowned.Other warblers were: Black-throated Blue, Yellow-throat-ed, Black & White, Common Yellowthroat, many Palmsand American Redstarts as well as arriving Yellow-rumps.Other migrants reported this month were: Rose-breastedGrosbeak, Swainsons Thrush and Blue-headed Vireo. Fora complete list of fall migrants sighted this fall combinelasts and this months Ecobon reports.

Arriving FOTS shorebirds reported included: rarePurple Sandpiper, rare Lesser and Greater Black-backedGulls, endangered Piping Plover, Marbled Godwit andSharp-tailed Sparrow plus common species.

Arriving FOTS birds reported were: rare Fox, Songand White-throated Sparrows, Winter and House Wrens,American Wigeon, Hooded Merganser, Ring-neckedduck, Common Loon, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, HermitThrush, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Northern Flicker andSharp-shinned Hawk.

Other good birds reported were: several Bald Eagles,yellow-billed Cuckoo, Seaside Sparrow, late Painted Bun-ting, several Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Gray Catbird(many) and Purple Gallinule

Thanks to all reporting their sightings during this veryactive birding month: Kay Hodnett, Howard Costa, BarryLowes, Doris McCullough, Doris Stoner, Miriam Water-house, Dottie Bass, Peter Zachmann, Fran Baer, Jim Grove,Richard Shulman and several visitors.

To report a rare, uncommon, rst-of-the-year or -season

or out-of-season bird sighting, please e-mail: [email protected] or call 290-1508. Please stateyour name, date and location of your sighting and anyappropriate comments.

NOTES FROM THE NEWHALL PRESERVEby Marianne Currie On a beautiful Fall Saturday, 6 hard-working Audubonmembers met at Newhall Preserve to do the annual FallClean-up. This year we installed two new benches and movedone of the old benches to a new site along the main path intothe Preserve. Rather than do a little bit on a lot of areas, welimited our gardening efforts to cleaning up excessive plantgrowth around the pond, especially where the new bencheswere placed. What a difference! Thanks so much to MaryAlice Walker, Fran Baer, Charlotte White, Jack Colcolough,and Jim Currie for all their hard work.

If you havent been to Newhall recently, now is a goodtime to go. There are still a few owers in bloom, the hollyberries are beautiful, the temperatures are cooler and the bugsare fewer. It is a beautiful, peaceful place to rest and relax.

Educating our Fledglings!by Mary Jane Major

We have good news about our 26th season of educating our edglings with the nation-wide award winning Audubon Ad-ventures educational program for grades 3-6. This years studykit is titled Action for Planet Earth, an exploration of earthscience topics from a conservation perspective. The four com-ponents to this kit cover water, energy, habitats, and Pennies forthe Planet. Materials include lesson planning and backgroundinformation for teachers, student handouts, guide to nature jour-naling, large classroom posters, hands-on activities, and much

more. Students will learn the science behind challenges we faceregarding our need for, use of, and supplies of energy, water, andhabitat. Give yourselves a big pat on the back for to date ourchapter will educate 24 teachers and 1,077 students right herein Beaufort County!

JUST A REMINDER Birdhouses have a

limited lifespan, so checkyours to make sure thattime, weather, and our

friendly squirrels have nottaken their toll on it. This isa good time to replace oldhouses and install new onesso your feathered friendswill have a cozy place toshelter this winter, and anice fresh abode for nextsprings nesting season. Anice birdhouse also makes avery nice gift.


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Page 4 December 2009

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PLEASE NOTE: Current members are encouraged to use this membership form to sign up friends, relatives, and neighbors asnew members. Our Chapter bene ts signi cantly from a return of dues from National if our local form is used for new memberships

NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP FORM New 1 YR. - $20 2 YRS. - $30NEW MEMBERS ONLY Senior 1 YR. - $15 2 YRS. - $30

Junior 1 YR. - $15 2 YRS. - $30Name ______________________________________________________________Address _____________________________________________________________________City ___________________________________________State__________ Zip ________________Phone__________________________ Preferred First Name(s) ___________________________Full Year Resident ______ Part Year Resident ______ I/We rst joined Audubon in _______________

Mail a check payable to NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETYNational Audubon Society, Chapter Membership Data Center, P.O. Box 51001, Boulder, CO 80322-1001

CHAPTER HISTORY MISSING ECOBON COPIES FOR OUR CHAPTER FILES

Thanks to all of you who answered our last plea for missing Ecobon copies for our les. We still have a few moremissing copies: # 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 158, 178, 181, 193, 206, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300.

Please call Betsy Pherson, historian, at 689-2243 if you can help us complete the le. Thanks!

Upcoming Programs at the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn

Through Dec. 11th Endangered in the Lowcountry exhibit opens in the Hilton Head Regional HealthcareTemporary Exhibit Gallery; the exhibit examines some of the animal and plant species that are endangered, witha capital E, meaning that they are protected federally or are noted by the South Carolina Dept. of Natural Re-sources as being in decline, threatened or at risk. Open Monday through Saturday 9-4:30 and Sunday 11-3 Cu-rated by the Coastal Discovery Museum

Wed. Dec. 2nd 2:00 pm Piping Plover Recovery Plan with Melissa Bimbi of SC Fish and Wildlife on theprotection of Piping Plovers in South Carolina. $5.00 per person. Reservations are required at 843-689-6767 ext223.

Tues. Dec. 15th 7:30 am. Birding at Honey Horn Participants will be led by an experienced bird watcheraround the 68-acre property. With Salt Marsh, Maritime Forest and open elds, you have the opportunity to seemany types of birds. $10.00 per person (12 or older only) Reservations are required at 843-689-6767 ext 223.

Thurs. Dec. 17th The Art of Floyd Gordon opens in the gallery at Honey Horn. Gordons works in oils andacrylics have been juried into the Piccolo Spoleto outdoor art show for many years. These works will depict thelandscape of South Carolina. Open Monday through Saturday 9-4:30 and Sunday 11-3.

Tues. Dec. 29th 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. programs; Lowcountry Reptiles and Amphibians with Tony Mills fromthe Low Country Institute will get you up close and personal with live snakes, turtles, lizards, alligators and otherherps. Adult $12 and Child $7. Reservations are required at 843-689-6767 ext 223.


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December 2009 Page 5

Festival Centre at Indigo Park 45 Pembroke Dr., Suite 130Hilton Head Island, SC 29926843-681-4461

Binoculars & Spotting Scopes Field Guides Nature Books Nature Gifts

Custom Seed Blends Bird Feeders & Houses Bird Baths & Fountains Water Gardening Supplies

We Bring People And Nature Together Visit us at www.wbu.com

J-2 Village at Wexford Hilton Head Island 785-4311

Nikon, Bushnell,Brunton & Meade Optics

Audubon Society Membersalways 10% discount storewide!

Feeders, Nest Boxes,Seed, Field Guides,Bird Baths, Gifts,Toys & Much More

BEAUTIFUL HOMES DESERVEBEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPING.

Hilton Head785-3848Bluffton837-3848

Mon.-Fri.8:30 A.M.-5 P.M.

Saturday9 A.M.-4:30 P.M.

Sunday12-4:30 P.M.

Your source for plants that will attract birdsand butter ies to your garden!

the greenery, inc.

190 Pembroke Drive Hilton Head Island, SC 29926(843) 682-5050 www.hhisurgery.com

Comforting, affordable, quality careconveniently close to home

Save the Dates:

GBBC is Coming!

The next Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)takes place Friday, February 12 through Monday,

February 15, 2010. The National Audubon Soci-ety and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are call-ing on everyone to "Count for Fun, Count for theFuture!".

During last year's count, participants turnedin more than 93,600 checklists online, creatingthe continent's largest instantaneous snapshop of bird populations ever recorded. We hope you'll

join us again and help spread the word, since the

success of the count depends on people tallyingbirds from as many locations as possible acrossthe continent.

NOVEMBER FIELD TRIP REPORTby Jack Colcolough

Twelve HHI Auduboners weathered a cool, windy anddrizzly afternoon on November 11th at theTybee Island beachnear its lighthouse and were rewarded with a successful day

of birding. Many thanks to an enthusiastic Howard Costa forleading the trip and Kay Hodnett for organizing it.

Highlights of the trip were two RARE sought-aftershorebirds - the Purple Sandpiper and the Lesser Black-backed Gull. A lone Purple Sandpiper was nally located andpositively identi ed late in the afternoon after much lookingamongst the Ruddy Turnstiles and Sanderlings. Fortunately,both the Lesser Black-backed Gull and uncommon GreaterBlack-backed Gull were clearly viewed at the same time sotheir differences could be compared.

An awesome spectacle there was ~ 500 Black Skimmers

that were hunkered down on the beach, ew away and thenimmediately returned.

Other good birds found were: Sandwich, Royal and For-sters Terns, Semipalimated Plovers and ~ 50 American Oys-tercatchers (Several with yellow or black leg ID bands).

Rounding out the birds sighted for the day were: Wil-let, Brown Pelican, Herring, Ring-billed and Laughing Gulls,Boat-tailed Grackles, Starling, American Crow, Rock Pigeonand Yellow-rumped Warbler.


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Page 6 Printed on recycled paper December 2009

C O B O N O . B o x 6 1 8 5

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DECEMBER 2009 ~ JANUARY 2010 Calendar

DECEMBER Thurs. Dec. 3 Board Meeting ....................................................1:00 pm

at the Jarvis Room, Old Coastal Discovery Museum

Tues. Dec. 8 Monthly Meeting and Social at the Seabrook ...7:00 pmRefreshments

Sat. Dec. 19 Christmas Bird Count ....................................... All Day

JANUARY Thurs. Jan. 7 Board Meeting ....................................................1:00 pm

at the Jarvis Room, Old Coastal Discovery MuseumTues. Jan. 12 Monthly Meeting at the Seabrook ......................7:30 pmTues. Jan. 26 Field Trip to the Savannah Wildlife Refuge ......... 8:00 amWeds. Jan. 27 Talk by Barry Lowes at the HH Library ....... 12:00 noon

B E Q U E S T SIf you wish to honor a family

member or friend with a memorialgift, or remember the Audubon Ne-whall Preserve or the Hilton HeadIsland Audubon Society in your will,your gift may be in the form of securi-ties, cash, life insurance, real estate,or other property.

Contact your own estate planneror our Audubon Chapter at P.O. Box6185, Hilton Head Island, SouthCarolina 29938.

Sharing your es ta te withAudubon not only reduces the taxeson your estate but will help protectbirds, wildlife, and their habitat inthe years to come.

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Monthly meetings of the Hilton Head Island Audubon Society are regularly scheduledat 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month, September through May, in theAuditorium at the Seabrook, 300 Woodhaven Drive. Members and guests welcome!

December 2009 Ecobon Newsletter Hilton Head Island Audubon Society

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