E Laughing Gull April 2015 - St. Lucie (Florida) Audubon...

Sandhill Cranes by Bud Adams

St. Lucie Audubon Society

LAUGHING GULL

Volume 40 Issue 7 April 2015

It’s election time, and our Nominating Committee has prepared the following slate of candidates:

• President – Liz Dunleavy • Vice-‐President – Ed Bowes • Treasurer – Marc Rosenthal • Recording Secretary – Kathy Mayshar • Corresponding Secretary – Arlene Brooks • Directors-‐At-‐Large – Ellen Lynch, Ruth Neese, Dorothy Schultz

If there are no objections to this slate, and if no one else would like to run for office, these will be your new chapter Officers as of May 2015. Please contact Ed Bowes with any objections by April 2, 2015 at [email protected]

It’s Election Time! – Ed Bowes

President’s Message

Either April 11 or April 12, your choice. See our Web site for details and forms. http://stlucieaudubon.org

Bird-‐A-‐Thon

Come to this Earth Day event and support St. Lucie Audubon!

Earth Day at Oxbow April 18, 2015

The Laughing Gull Vol. 40 Issue 7 April 2015 St. Lucie Audubon Society

2

James Currie is a very dynamic and engaging presenter, capable of keeping everyone riveted by his tales of wildlife encounters in Africa and other locales. He will be signing copies of his book after his presentation, and a percentage of book sales will be donated back to the societies. This special event is co-‐sponsored with Audubon of Martin County. _____________________________________________________ Field Trip: Bruce Bardsley Memorial Bird-‐A-‐Thon Saturday, April 11 or Sunday, April 12, 2015

You are the leader of your own custom-‐designed field trip in St. Lucie County during the Bird-‐A-‐Thon! The rules are very simple after you have your sponsors. First, all counting must be done inside the St. Lucie County line. Second, birds are counted by the species, not the number of individuals sighted. Participants can travel around the county, spend the day at a single park or preserve, or count birds from the comfort of their living room; the choice is theirs. You may take part as an individual or gather a team of likeminded birders. All ages and abilities are welcome! All information was in the March newsletter and is available on our Web site http://stlucieaudubon.org

When Eagles Roar

Speaker: April 2, 2015 James Currie

Acting President – Ed Bowes

Vice President – Ed Bowes

Treasurer – John Imperato

Recording Secretary – BJ Best

Corresponding Secretary – Marc Rosenthal Program Chair & Director-‐at-‐Large – Ellen Lynch

Field Trip Chair – Adella Blacka

Hospitality Chair – Judith Whittemore

Conservation Chair & Director-‐at-‐Large – Ruth Neese

Membership Chair & Parliamentarian – Peggy Silletto

Director-‐at-‐Large – Jim Silletto

Board members may be contacted by email at

[email protected]

St. Lucie Audubon Board of Directors


3

1

By Ruth Neese—Conservation Chair

You might have heard in the news that scientists working for the State of Florida and others in certain regulatory agencies are forbidden to use the phrase “climate change.” This is an unfortunate, regressive practice that will do nothing to alter changes that are already happening in our environment. The National Audubon Society and Audubon Florida want you to become a “Climate Change Messenger” to combat such obstructive edicts.

From Audubon Florida:

Sea level is rising along Florida’s coastline – the experts agree. With a rise of 9 inches over the past 100 years we’re seeing more frequent inundation and more rapid erosion of barrier and mangrove islands and coastal beaches that provide nesting grounds for colorful American Oystercatchers and Black Skimmers, Roseate Spoonbills and Brown Pelicans, plovers, gulls,

Conservation Corner: Climate Change

2

terns and many other species of wading birds. We’re watching mangroves migrate into saltmarshes and saltmarshes migrate landward. And Florida’s iconic Everglades ecosystem is threatened with saltwater intrusion if restoration plans aren’t kept on track to increase freshwater flow southward to keep the rising saltwater at bay.

The special places where Florida’s coastal birds now nest, feed, and rest are some of our state’s most important “climate strongholds”. If birds aren’t protected where they nest now, their populations will continue to decline as sea level rises leaving them little capacity to adapt to future changes in habitat, temperature, and rainfall conditions.

Given the uncertainty around projected timing and magnitude of future sea level rise, and the focus of local and regional agencies on protecting the human-‐built environment from erosion and inundation, we call on our chapter members to


4

3

get involved locally in public discussions focused on protecting coastal and tidally-‐connected freshwater habitats from rising sea levels. What can you do to help?

• View and download the three short videos at FloridaClimateMessenger.com

• View and download the short PowerPoint slide presentation at FloridaClimateMessenger.com

• Put these climate change messages (featured in the videos) into your own words so you’ll be ready to talk to anyone who will listen:

o Learn more about coastal birds and wildlife and how to protect their habitat (climate strongholds) as sea levels rise.

o Recognize that Everglades restoration – increasing freshwater storage and flow within the Everglades -‐ will defend against sea level rise.

o Plan for climate change and make sure our response to sea level rise helps -‐ rather than harms -‐ Florida’s coastal habitats.

• Join chapter leaders to help identify and meet in person with local agency and government decision makers to whom we can deliver our messages.

Interested in learning more? Read the National Audubon Society Climate Change Report at http://climate.audubon.org, visit the Climate Change page at Audubon Florida http://fl.audubon.org/climate-‐change-‐1, or contact Ruth Neese at [email protected]

Conservation Corner (continued)

St. Lucie County has a policy of charging non-‐profits for the use of county facilities.

Our cost is $45 dollars a month, payable in advance. We are looking for sponsors to underwrite the cost of our monthly meetings at the Oxbow Eco-‐Center.

In return, we will acknowledge individual or company names in our newsletter several times during the ensuing year. If you are interested in sponsoring St. Lucie Audubon’s monthly programs, please send checks to:


PO Box 12474

Ft. Pierce, FL 34979

Bud Adams – Newsletter

Kathy Mayshar, in memory of Priscilla Malley

Hart & Jewel Rufe

Sam & Allie Comer

Richard & Harriet Attea

Our Generous Sponsors


5

This is a Red-‐tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). These are the most common hawks in North America. They are slightly less common in South Florida than further north, but are still relatively easy to find here. They are large hawks from the Buteo family, meaning they have broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Large females may be mistaken for eagles if seen from a distance! In this area, Red-‐tailed Hawks are most often mistaken for Osprey. Adult Red-‐tailed Hawks can be identified by their brick-‐red tails. Immature birds have a brown tail with multiple dark brown stripes. Both adult and

Immature hawks will have a distinctive field mark called a belly band. This is a row of darker feathers running across the bird's midsection, which can usually be seen when the tail is not visible. When in flight and seen from below, these hawks are mostly light colored with a dark leading edge on the wings, dark tips on the primary feathers, and a dusky trailing edge on the wings. Nineteen plumage variations have been documented in Red-‐tailed Hawks, from almost white to almost black! Buteos hunt by soaring over open fields and making a slow, controlled dive toward their prey with their legs extended. Buteo hawks are not built for speed. They are built for extended periods of soaring and for strength. Red-‐tailed Hawks are among the most adaptable raptors on the planet. They have learned to live in densely populated urban areas and to hunt near dumpsters and in parks. Urban hawks’ prey ranges from rats to squirrels to pigeons. The most famous urban Red-‐tailed Hawk is Pale Male, who still nests on a very exclusive apartment building on Central Park in New York City. Watch for these beautiful birds in your neighborhood!

Feathered Friends by Ruth Neese

The St. Lucie Audubon Society is on the Web at http://stlucieaudubon.org Visit the Web site for happenings, photos, field trip reports, the Hart Beat column by Hart Rufe, and the On the Fly blog by Ruth Neese. You can download a membership application there, too.

Join us on Facebook!

Visit our Web Site!

This QR code will take you right to the Web site using your smartphone.

April Field Trip and Speaker

Coming Attractions

1

May Field Trip TBD—If you have a late spring favorite spot, let

Adella know!

2

May Speaker Thursday May 7, 2015 at 7 PM at the Oxbow Eco-‐

center

Crystal Woodward Ft. Pierce Central High Marine Science Club

Help our chapter save printing and mailing costs by signing up for the email newsletter. The newsletter can then be printed out if you prefer to read it offline. To request the email version, send your name and email address to [email protected]


PO Box 12474 Ft. Pierce, FL 34979

Laughing Gull Newsletter


7

Photo by Linda Sullivan

Field Trip to Dupuis Wildlife Management Area

The trip was a great success, with 48 species identified, including the endangered Red-‐cockaded

Woodpecker. • Storks: Wood Stork • Pelicaniformes: Anhinga; American White Pelican; White Ibis • Wading Birds: Green Heron; Little-‐Blue Heron • Raptors & Allies: Bald Eagle; Red-‐shouldered Hawk; Black Vulture; Turkey Vulture • Rails & Gallinules: Common Gallinule; American Coot • Shorebirds: Lesser-‐Yellow Legs • Pigeons & Doves: Mourning Dove; Common Ground Dove • Woodpeckers: Red-‐cockaded Woodpecker; Pileated Woodpecker; Red-‐bellied Woodpecker; Downy

Woodpecker; Yellow–bellied Sapsucker • Falconidae: American Kestrel • Empidonax: Eastern Phoebe; Great-‐crested Flycatcher • Vireos: Blue-‐headed Vireo; White–eyed Vireo • Corvidae: Blue Jay; Fish Crow • Martins & Swallows: Tree Swallow • Wrens: Carolina Wren; Sedge Wren; House Wren • Gnatcatchers: Blue-‐gray Gnatcatcher • Kinglets: Ruby-‐crowned Kinglet • Mimids: Northern Mockingbird; Gray Catbird • Wood Warbler: Yellow-‐rumped Warbler; Palm Warbler, Common Yellowthroat; Orange-‐crowned

Warbler; Northern Parula; Pine Warbler; Yellow-‐throated Warbler; Prairie Warbler; Black-‐throated Green Warbler;


8

• Cardinals & Allies: Northern Cardinal • Blackbirds: Red-‐winged Blackbird; Eastern Meadowlark; Common Grackle • Reptiles: American Alligator

Male Red-‐cockaded Woodpecker

To our chapter member, Elsa Frances Millard, for two First Place photos in the Florida’s Natural Legacy Photography Contest!! One winner was a gorgeous landscape and the other was a stunning Roseate Spoonbill in breeding plumage. Great job, Elsa!

E Laughing Gull April 2015 - St. Lucie (Florida) Audubon...

Documents

Transcript of E Laughing Gull April 2015 - St. Lucie (Florida) Audubon...