Nov 2005 CAWS Newsletter Madison Audubon Society

8/9/2019 Nov 2005 CAWS Newsletter Madison Audubon Society

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222 S. Hamilton St. • Madison, WI 53703 • 255-BIRD • http://madisonaudubon.org

THE MADISON AUDUBON

Free Public Program

What: Laurie Smaglick Johnson: a photo journey into the lives of wood

warblers

When: Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005

7 p.m.—Refreshments7:30 p.m.—Program

Where: NEW LOCATION!

Room 108, Plant Sciences,

1575 Linden Dr.,behind the greenhouses at

Babcock and Linden.Note: watch for detour signs

or see the construction map at:

http://www2.fpm.wisc.edu/trans/ Maintenance/ConstructionMap.

pdf

Parking: Lot 40 on Babcock Drive, west

of Plant Sciences, free after4:30 p.m.

Madison Audubon is a chapter of the National Audubon Society

Silent

Conversations

with Eastern WoodWarblers

Wood warblers are the jewels of theavian world. They are also barom-eters of their respective habitats, theirnumbers mirroring the overall healthand balance of the Americas.

One rarely finds these beauties atthe window feeder, save the occasion-al Pine, Yellow, or Yellow-rumped

Warbler. Forays into their specializedhabitats are necessary to locate andobserve them.

Newsletter of theMadison

AudubonSociety

November 2005

A trip itself, however, does notguarantee an encounter. Recognizingtheir songs and calls, knowing whento expect them, identifying theirmicrohabitat needs, interpretingclues they leave, and invoking infi-nite patience are necessary to beginto understand and appreciate thesespecial creatures with which we sharethe earth. Only by honing these skillsand developing this discipline mightyou begin to have your own…”SilentConversations with Eastern WoodWarblers.”

Join us for an intimate photo-graphic journey into the lives of the38 species of warblers that migrate

continued on page 2

Prairies Jubilee!By Dorothy Haines, with additionsby Dave Drapac

Madison Audubon Society volunteersand event-goers accepted MotherNature’s administration of “toughlove” at Prairies Jubilee! 2005 andadapted to a two-inch deluge fromthe skies to carry out an interestingprogram of events and displays onSeptember 25. While the untimelydownpour washed away some out-door activities, the offerings in thePublic Events building providedample visual, educational, audio andgustatory attractions. Even indoors,

the weather continued to make itspresence known. A bolt of lightning,which struck a nearby utility poleand sent a flash of light into the kitch-en, wasn’t enough to frighten awaythe kitchen crew, who recovered suf-ficiently to serve up a tasty picniclunch.

The Wisconsin HerpetologicalSociety’s extensive display of tor-toises, turtles, snakes and lizards —mostly confined to cages — attractedmuch attention. Viewers “oohed” and

“aahed” at the beautiful colorationsas they watched attendants Ed Stoneand Terri Malizewski-Kane bring theanimals out in the open for displayon their arms. Two large tree snakes— positioned in some overhead branches — were very much alive.

The Nature Photo Contest bright-ened one corner of the Events build-ing with a beautiful display of 31nature photographs. (See the box on

Laurie Smaglick Johnson will share her

intimate photographs of wood warblers on

Nov. 15.

continued on page 4


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/nov-2005-caws-newsletter-madison-audubon-society 2/8The Audubon Caws November 20052

Audubon Members - Renewal Instructions

When? Please renew when your renewal date is within a couple months,or when you receive a renewal reminder from National Audubon. You cancheck your CAWS address label for your renewal date (e.g. DEC05). Thismakes renewals simpler, and in the long run it will help cut down on paper.How? Renew your Audubon membership through Madison Audubon by using the Membership Form in the CAWS or on the web at

http://madisonaudubon.org. Renewing through Madison Audubon directssome of your contribution to efforts that benefit you locally, such as MadisonAudubon’s large habitat and prairie restorations!Bonus! Please check Double Audubon Membership when you renew. Thisincludes an Audubon Gift Membership for only $5 more! What a greatopportunity to introduce Audubon to a friend, relative, student, work buddy,neighbor, or teacher! Thank you for helping Double Audubon Membership,one member at a time!

THE AUDUBON CAWS is publishedSeptember through June by:Madison Audubon Society,

222 S. Hamilton St., Madison, WI 53703Birding hotline, 255-BIRM.

Madison Audubon Web Page:http://madisonaudubon.org

Email: [email protected] services donated by Berbee

Contribution deadline is Nov. 1 for Dec.

issue, for which items may be sent toMichael Becker, [email protected]

The mission of the Madison AudubonSociety is to educate our members andthe public about the natural world andthe threats that natural systems are fac-ing, to engage in advocacy to preserveand protect these systems, and to devel-op and maintain sanctuaries to save andrestore natural habitat.

MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETYPresident: Joanne Herfel, 241-8009

Vice-president: Debra Weitzel, 836-4051Goose Pond Resident Naturalists:

Mark and Sue Martin, 635-4160Editor: Michael Becker, 265-9484

[email protected] design: Ann TheringPrinted by Roemer Printing

Annual Audubon Membership___New ___Renewal ___Gift

When you receive a renewal notice fromNational Audubon use this form to renew and thereby direct some of your donation to local causes. Find your expiration date at the topright corner of your address label.

Name for Membership:

NAME

ADDRESS

PHONE

EMAIL

___$20 special First-year New Member

___$15 Senior or Student – new or renewal

___$35 Renewal

__$40 Double Audubon Membership

(New or Renew + Gift Membership)

___$15CAWS newsletter subscription only

(Non-member)

Membership amount $_______

Additional contribution $_______TOTAL Enclosed/Charged $_______

Please make check payable to:Madison Audubon Society

Charge my __VISA __Master Card

Name on Card:

CARD #

EXP. DATE

SIGNATURE

___I do NOT wish to receive the

National Audubon magazine.

___Business/Corporate Membership

Please call the MAS office 608/255-2473

This is a Gift Membership from:

NAME

ADDRESS

PHONE

EMAIL

Z02 7xCH

Mail to: Madison Audubon Society

222 S. Hamilton St., Suite 1Madison, WI 53703-3201

continued from page 1

through the Americas east of the

Great Plains. Laurie Smaglick Johnson’s unique photographs offerus glimpses of feeding activities likedrinking, foraging, stalking, eatingand extending the crop. See nest building and feathers puffed outagainst the cold. Watch the birdsattempt to intimidate with open beak, raised crest and spread tails.See them singing to attract a mate orsimply watch them taking off, flying,landing, walking and hopping.

Bathing, preening, shaking and

wing stretching are everyday activi-ties to keep feathers healthy, but whatdoes it mean when the bird droopsits wings or cocks its tail pertly up ordown?

Laurie Smaglick Johnson is an elec-trical engineer and businesswoman by education and career experience;a scientist by thought process; and aconservationist at heart. Her love of birds, the environment and photog-raphy have come together to provide

others with intimate glimpses intothe lives of the birds with whom weshare this earth. She was born, raised

and still makes her home in RacineCounty, Wisconsin.

You are invited to join our speaker,MAS board members and friends atthe pre-program dinner at Paisan’sRestaurant beginning at 5:15 p.m.Please call the office at (608) 255-BIRD(255-2473) if you have questions.

Next meeting: January 17, 2006



One Million Dollar

Wildlife Habitat GrantApproved

Madison Audubon Society hasreceived notice from the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service that a $1 mil-lion grant has been awarded under

the North American WetlandsConservation Act. Ten partners willparticipate in Phase 3 of the “South-central Wisconsin Prairie PotholeInitiative,” and will match federaldollars at a ratio of 2.8 to 1, for a totalinvestment in wildlife habitat of near-ly $4 million.

Habitat protection and restorationis critical in south-central Wisconsin,where the human population is grow-ing faster than in any other regionof the state. Between 1990 and 2000,

Dane County added more than 59,000people, equal to three communitiesthe size of Sun Prairie. ColumbiaCounty added almost 7,500 people, oranother DeForest. Over the decade, both counties grew by 16% whileWisconsin’s total population grew by9.6%.

Wetland and grassland birds will benefit from the project, with addi-tional areas for foraging, nesting andmigratory stopovers. People, too, will benefit from project activities that will

improve surface and groundwaterquality, help reduce damaging floods,develop economically important rec-reation areas and enhance aesthetics.

Madison Audubon Society is theproject officer and will coordinatethe grant. Partners are the WisconsinDepartment of Natural Resources,U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, DaneCounty Parks, Ducks Unlimited,Natural Heritage Land Trust,Wisconsin Waterfowl Association,Pheasants Forever, The NatureConservancy and private landown-ers. Special thanks go to BeckyRudolph and Michelle Cipiti whocoordinated preparation of the grantrequest with help from other part-ners.

The goal of the Phase 3 grant isto protect and restore 3,057 acres of wetlands and 1,199 acres of associ-ated uplands, for a total of 4,256acres. Combined with the two previ-ous phases of the grant, a total of $3

million in federal funds matched bynearly $9 million in partner invest-ments will be used to protect and/orrestore 14,000 acres of wildlife habi-tat in Columbia, Dane, Green Lake, Jefferson, Marquette, Rock, Walworthand Waushara counties and the east-ern edges of Adams and Sauk coun-ties.

Volunteer CornerAs many of you know from first-hand experience, Madison AudubonSociety’s activities, habitat restora-tions, events, field trips and generaloperations are made possible throughthe collaboration between a fewpart-time staff and a few hundredvolunteers. To keep in touch as wecontinue grow in both size and rangeof programs offered to our membersand community, we have begun a

monthly volunteer e-newsletter. Eachmonth volunteer coordinator DavidDrapac sends out an email with alist of current volunteer opportuni-ties. If you would like to be added tothis email list, please contact Dave [email protected].

As a sneak preview, one of our big volunteer evenings is comingup on December 1. This will be themailing party for Madison AudubonSociety’s special sanctuaries newslet-ter—a report from our sanctuariesmanagers and an appeal for supportfor our ongoing habitat restorations.If you would like to help at the mail-ing party please mark your calendarfor Thursday, December 1, at 5 p.m.and contact Dave at the office at (608)255-2473. The mailing will be held atDeb and Bob Weitzel’s house, 6602Whittlesey Rd. in Middleton, phonenumber (608) 836-4051. Free pizzawill be provided for all!

Madison Audubon

Welcomes NewCounties, More Members

Please join Madison Audubon Societyin giving a hearty welcome to newmembers from Iowa, Richland andSauk counties!

A review of membership ZIP codesrevealed that large areas of thesecounties were not represented by anyAudubon chapter. With agreementfrom other chapters and NationalAudubon, the “missing ZIPs” have been officially added to MAS. We arehappy to welcome about 168 newmembers, and their families, whowere already members of NationalAudubon but not a chapter. They willnow receive the MAS newsletter andenjoy many opportunities to partici-

pate in chapter events, meetings, fieldtrips and volunteer activities.

These new counties also open upexciting opportunities for MAS to getinvolved west of Madison in majorefforts toward birding habitat andprairie restoration in the MilitaryRidge area and other ecologicallyimportant areas along the lowerWisconsin River. Madison Audubonwill help support these initiativeswith contributions and volunteerhelp from MAS members. New

members from Iowa, Richland, andSauk counties are encouraged to helpMAS develop contacts with localgovernment agencies, environmentalgroups, schools, businesses, fisher-men, farmers and landowners.

We expect many more new members from this area due to its strongenvironmental heritage and leader-ship. Madison Audubon’s environ-mental mission is much stronger withthe addition of these new countiesand new members!



Prairies Jubilee!continued from page 1

page 4 for a list of winners, and seethe overall winning photo on the back page).

In the theater area, Sara Schmidtof the Beaver Creek Reserve enthusi-astically described a citizen-science

program called “Nature Mapping.”Those who attended her presentationwere impressed with this developingprogram and are now trained to mon-itor and report wildlife throughoutWisconsin. More information can beobtained on the web at http://www.wisnatmap.org. Plans are being made by MAS to offer training for partici-pation.

The Jubilee atmosphere in thePublic Events building was enhancedwith live music in the afternoon. ScottWeber entertained on the violin, andthe Dirt Floor Collective trio livenedup the sounds.

Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko of Inn Serendipity recounted the storyof their lifestyle change from the fastpace of Chicago to a more sustainableexistence at a rural bed and breakfastand organic farm in Browntown, Wis.Organically fed, renewably poweredand self determined, John and Lisawere an inspiration to all who joined

in this presentation.Meanwhile, back at Goose Pond,the barn sheltered volunteers untilearly afternoon as rain soaked every-thing that was not under cover. Theoutdoor children’s activities could notproceed because of the soaked condi-tions in the prairie, but the indoorattractions carried on with activitiesprovided by Paul Noeldner. The flintknapping demonstration by GaryEldred moved indoors, while the haywagon, with its carefully placed hay

bale benches, sat soaking up the rainin the parking lot. But a volunteercrew went on cleaning prairie seedsthat had been collected in preparationfor planting later in the fall.

The rain finally ceased in the earlyafternoon, and speaker Lynn Hansonwalked with his audience throughthe prairie to talk about natural life inthe area over the past 3,000 years. Heshowed the large granite rock he haddiscovered, which had been mini-

mally chiseled and placed to face thepoint of sunset at the winter solstice by some ancient peoples. He set hisaudience to thinking about how thisprairie had been appreciated andkept by those who walked this way before.

Thanks again to all of our volun-teers for braving the weather andspending part of your Sunday at thePublic Events building and Goose

Photo Contest Winners

Thank you to everyone who par-ticipated in the Nature PhotographyContest, as well as judges ChrisSpencer, Daryl Sherman and DavidPeterson. Mark Gibbens was award-ed Best in Exhibit for his photo-graph titled “Sandhill Crane—Late

Afternoon.” Here are the rest of thewinners by category:

Wildflowers1st Place—Mary D. Roestel, “LastYear’s Cattail”2nd Place—Tom Portle, “Canada WildRye with Echinacea”

Animals1st Place—Ann Thering, “Black Swallowtail on Rattlesnake Master”

Pond. Also, thanks to all those on thePrairies Jubilee! committee whoworked behind the scenes to organizea full schedule of interesting vendors,speakers and activities. We couldn’thave done it without you.

For more details and photos aboutPrairies Jubilee! 2005 and LynnHanson’s talk, please check out theMAS website at http://madison-audubon.org.

2nd Place—Richard Oberle, “RegalFritillary on Rough Blazingstar (OpenWings)”

General Scenic1st Place—Kelly Mitchell, “Fall 2004”2nd Place—Mary D. Roestel,

“Windblown”

Birds1st Place—Mark Gibbens, “SandhillCrane—Late Afternoon”2nd Place—Mark Gibbens, “RedBellied Woodpecker” All of the winning photos can befound on the Madison Audubon web-site at http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/photocontest/index.html.

Lynn Hanson, far right, discusses natural life at Goose Pond over the past 3,000 years. Photo by

Susan Slapnick



PJ! Raffle Winners

Thank you to everyone who partici-pated in the Prairies Jubilee! raffle.The items and winners were:

• Padauk and cork trivet, donated byDean and Kathleen Graber & family,Graber Woodworking LLC, goes to

Dot Havens

• Cheese board, donated by Deanand Kathleen Graber & family,Graber Woodworking LLC, goes toErik Seelbinder

• Nectar and mealworm bird feeder,donated by Wild Bird Center, goes toEd Saur

• REI backpack, donated by REI, goesto Patricia Becker

• Radian 450 tripod, donated byEagle Optics, goes to Dawn Thistle

• One night stay at Inn Serendipity,donated by B&B owners Lisa Kiviristand John Ivanko, goes to Pat Ready

• High Sierra Drench hydrationpack, donated by Fontana SportsSpecialties, goes to Nancy Heiden

• Denali 60 mm spotting scope,donated by Eagle Optics, goes toSusan Slapnick

• Metal sculpture, donated by artistEllis Nelson, goes to Sue Morris

• The grand prize, a 24×36” originaloil painting by artist Jonathan Wildetitled “Ever Alert,” with framingdonated by Meuer Art & PictureFrame Co., goes to the lucky SueKernats

Thanks again to each of the donorsand raffle entrants for your generouscontribution.

Everyone was smiling after the rain let up. Photo by Susan Slapnick

The 2 inches of

rain chased folks

inside for part of

the day but did

not slow down

the celebration.Photo by Susan

Slapnick

Some lovelyart was on

display,

including

these native

plant etch-

ings. Photo

by Susan

Slapnick



Prairies Jubilee!

Photos by Susan Slapnick

Volunteers steadfastly clean seeds through the morning

downpour at Prairies Jubilee!Our first annual nature photography show was a wonderful success.

Scott Weber and his violins prepare for their show.

Thanks to all who volunteered at Prairies Jubilee! 2005.

Our steadfast kitchen crew served up a delicious lunch despite the occasional

lightning strike.



YES, I want to make MadisonAudubon Society’s vision areality. Here is my contribu-tion to the Wildlife SanctuariesCampaign.

[ ] Acre Maker. $2,000 or more to buy

and restore another acre of land.

[ ] Half-Acre Maker. $1000-$1999.[ ] Quarter-Acre Maker. $500-$999.

[ ] Adopt An Acre. I pledge $100 a yearfor three years ($300 total) towardsanctuaries restoration.Here is my first installment.

[ ] Nest Egg. I pledge $50 a year for threeyears($150 total). Here is my firstinstallment.

[ ] My Own Vision. $ ____ to help asmuch as possible.

[ ] My Gift. $ ____ for MAS Program

Support (I.E. Education & Newsletter)Direct my gift to:

[ ] Where it will help the most

[ ] Endowment fund to restore and main-tain the sanctuaries

[ ] Land acquisition at Faville Grove

[ ] Land acquisition at Goose Pond

[ ] MAS Program Support

NAME

ADDRESS

In Memory of

In Honor of

For Gifts Honoring Another: SendAcknowledgment to:

NAME

ADDRESS

Contributions will be acknowledged nearthe Madison Information Board at GoosePond as follows: $1,000 or more—nameto appear on a permanent plaque; $250-$999—name to appear on engraved pav-

ing brick.[ ] Do not acknowledge in Madison

Audubon Society Newsletter

Make checks payable to:Madison Audubon Society

Mail to: Madison Audubon Society,222 S. Hamilton Street, Suite #1,Madison, WI 53703

Gift is tax deductible to the extentallowed by law. Madison AudubonSociety’s financial statement is availableupon request.

Field Trips

Editor’s Note: When planning yourfield trip participation, please keep inmind that the following schedule iscompiled several weeks before reach-ing your mailbox. Times or meetinglocations might be altered or newtrips might be scheduled and take

place before CAWS arrives at yourhome. I therefore encourage youto visit the field trips section of theMAS website regularly to check forupdates

Saturday, Nov. 5: Lake MichiganBirding

Join us as we bird Lake Michigan andits shoreline. This trip is timed tocoincide with the migration of hawksand waterfowl through Milwaukeeand Ozaukee Counties. We will be scoping the lake for specialtieslike Surf, Black and White-WingedScoters, Long-tailed Duck, HarlequinDuck and Red-Throated Loon. If theweather cooperates we will haveexcellent views of migrant hawksfrom some of the lakeside bluffs.Unusual raptors seen from the hawk watch in past years include: Merlin,Peregrine Falcon, Rough-LeggedHawk and Goshawk. Be sure to dressfor the weather and pack a lunch.

Bring a scope if you have one. A highratio of scopes to people will makethis trip more enjoyable for everyone.

We will meet to carpool in themiddle of the parking lot of the eastside Cub Foods. From Hwy. 30 takeHwy. 51 (Stoughton Rd.) North toNakoosa Trail, turn right and proceedeast to Cub Foods. We will carpooland leave at 6:30 a.m. We will returnto Cub foods between 4:30 and 6 p.m.If you have questions, call Aaron at(608) 294-9618 or send an email to

[email protected].

Saturday, Dec. 3: Madison Lakes

BirdingAs winter sets in, ponds and smallerlakes of south-central Wisconsinfreeze, causing migrating birds to become concentrated on Madison’slarge lakes, which remain open lon-ger. Al Shea, expert birder and longtime MAS field trip leader, will leadus in observing waterfowl, gulls and

winter birds. This trip has producedsome unusual birds in the past,including Red-throated Loons, sodon’t miss it!

We will carpool and leave at 7:30a.m. from the middle of UW ParkingLot 60 at the north end of Walnut St.,near University Bay. The trip will lastabout four hours. Bring a scope if you

have one and dress warmly. If youhave questions, call Al Shea at (608)825-6232.

Donations received

September 3 through

October 3

ACRE MAKERIn Memory of Gaylord Nelson, aninspiring and visionary leader

Jerry and Jill Martin

HALF-ACRE MAKER Thomas S. Kemp Foundation

MY OWN VISION Barbara Jenkin

Lynn Persson

GIFTS IN MEMORY OF A PERSONIn Memory of June Born Greg, Thomas, and David

Mitchell Barbara and Richard WorochIn Memory of Josephine Hanson Friends and Family of Josephine

Hanson

OUR THANKSThanks to the vendors, donors, andvolunteers who helped out with thisyear’s Prairies Jubilee!


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Christmas Bird Counts:

A Christmas Tradition

The 2005 holiday season will mark the 106th year of Christmas BirdCounts, truly one of America’s“Christmas” traditions. Last year birders across the U.S. and beyondsurveyed 2,022 count circles andtallied 69,901,741 birds. If this isn’talready part of your holiday tradi-tion, why not consider setting asidesome time this year to participate in

one or more of these fun and impor-tant counts?Counts may take place on any day

from December 14 through January5, and coordinators will be settingthe date of their counts soon. Thelargest counts, such as Madison’s,usually occur on the first Saturdayduring the period, which will beDecember 17 this year. Other countsin the Madison area include Baraboo,Mt. Horeb, Poynette, Sauk City andWaterloo. Dates and coordinators

for these counts will be listed in theDecember CAWS and on the MASwebsite.

Altogether, nearly 100 counts takeplace across Wisconsin. To find outif there is one near you, please check the Wisconsin Society for Ornithologywebsite (www.uwgb.edu/birds/wso), which includes a statewidemap along with coordinators anddates for each count. Please be sureto check with the coordinator, as thecount dates listed as of early Octoberwere still from 2004!

Madison Audubon Society, Inc. Joanne Herfel, President222 S. Hamilton St. Suite #1Madison, WI 53703

Return Service Requested

Non-profit organizationU.S. Postage PaidPermit No. 1831

Madison, Wisconsin

11/05Is it time to renew your membership?

See form on page 2 and help MAS.

MAS Calendar at a Glance

612 W. Main St.,

Suite 303

Madison, WI 53703

(608) 256-1066

Saturday, Nov. 5—Lake Michigan Birding

Saturday, Dec. 3—Madison Lakes Birding

Between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5 (date to be announced)—Christmas Bird Counts

Mark Gibbensʼ “Sandhill

Crane—Late Afternoon”

won Best in Exhibit at the

Prairies Jubilee! Nature

Photo Contest and first in

the bird category. See the

photo in full color on the

MAS website at http://madi-

sonaudubon.org/audubon/

photocontest/index.html.

Also see story on Page 4.

Nov 2005 CAWS Newsletter Madison Audubon Society

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Transcript of Nov 2005 CAWS Newsletter Madison Audubon Society