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Manatee County Audubon Society

www.manateeaudubon.org
Volume M Number 9 May 2009
We are committed to protecting the environment in our community, our state and our country.
Black-crowned Night Heron
Program to monitor beach-nesting birds begins May 17
Details on page 3

Look back
at our history
By Don Bansen, MCAS Historian
A 1979 news article said that the Bald
Eagle population was on the increase in
the lower 48 states. Survey teams locat-
ed nearly 10,000 birds, almost twice as
many as counted earlier. The surveyers
counted 675 Bald Eagles in Florida

Marge Peters followed George Gillis as

president of Manatee Audubon in 1981
and served for two years. She was on the
board of directors for Manatee Junior
College and was able to obtain the use of
an old school bus, complete with driver,
to use on some of the field trips. Partici-
pants paid $5 each for the bus ride.
National Audubon announced that
they planned to open an office in Bra-
denton in early 1982. It was opened as
the Florida State Headquarters on New
Year’s Day at 4301 32nd Street West,
Suite A18.
Petitions were signed by more than
25,000 Floridians in an effort to have
James Watt removed as U.S. Secretary
of Interior because of his environmental
policies, which were destroying 10 to 20
years of environmental progress.
The Christmas Bird Count was resumed
in December 1982, after a lapse of six
years, resulting in 18,326 individual
birds of 116 species counted. Most note-
worthy: the 34 Audubon members who
did the counting reported that they saw
7,594 Tree Swallows.
Interior Secretary James Watt
was viewed as anti-environment
Letter from President Steve Black
Time to reflect and welcome a new president
Since I have had the privilege of being your president for six of the last eight years, I would like
to look back and reflect on how I happened to join Manatee Audubon and how proud I am of our
members and the success we have had. My involvement with this chapter started because Sarasota
Audubon, where I was a member, didn’t have as many weekend birding trips as Manatee Audu-
bon. Sarasota Audubon did have a variety of birding events on weekdays, but that didn’t do me
any good because I was working weekdays. So when Bill Boothe, who had recently taught a bird
identification class I attended, told me about the Manatee weekend trips, I switched.
I was happily attending Manatee meetings and going on weekend birding trips when I was re-
cruited to take over as chapter presidency. I was told that the board had tried to find someone to
be president but everybody had turned them down, and the chapter was going to close down if I
did not accept the position. I gulped and accepted the position. Since I had never attended a board
meeting, different board members ran the general meeting until January when I took over the full
duties. The next year we inherited Felts Preserve. Since our bylaws stated that no president could
succeed himself, the board out of necessity passed a bylaw that they would make a one-time ex-
ception for me to be president for two more years. The following two years the chapter was run
expertly by Tom Heitzman. The last two years I was elected president again, which brings us back
to this current moment.
Manatee Audubon is a successful chapter because of all the good people we have. And it makes
me proud to have worked with so many of them. Some who preceded me include longtime mem-
bers Arlene Flisik, Bob and Nancy Dean, Jack and Bunny Schneider, Charley and Shirley Pead,
Carol Webster, Don and Betty Bansen. Since I joined Manatee Audubon, many more good people
have come aboard, including Barbara Singer, Nancy Ambrose, Tom Heitzman, Molly McCartney,
Lea Etchells, Tami McNally, Roger Robson, Ivan Marion, Fred Allen, Lucette Wombacher, David
Williamson, Connie Zack and Jeanne Schlesinger. Thanks for the opportunity to work with so
many good people. Most importantly I leave you in the excellent leadership of Barbara Singer
who will bring another dimension to our success.
Page 2

Earth Day photos by Molly McCartney

Felts Audubon Preserve is
located in Palmetto
4600 24th Avenue East
Celebrating Earth Day at Felts
Corner of 24th Avenue East By Barbara Singer
and 49th Street East More than 400 people turned out for our Earth Day celebration at Felts Audubon Preserve on
(Experimental Farm Road). Saturday April 25. It was a beautiful sunny day and everyone seemed to enjoy the chance to
stroll through the canopy of moss-draped live oaks that we call Oak Alley, shop for native plants
Open House and get up close and personal with the wild birds brought in by exhibitors. We had crafts and
on First Saturday of the month
face-painting for children and a range of exhibits for adults, such as wildlife photography and
Work Day rag rug-making. We had nature walks every half hour along the Yellow Trail (south area) and
on Last Saturday of the month the Blue Trail (north area). Points of interest were nesting Purple Martins, Bluebirds and Pile-
ated Woodpeckers. We had three speakers. Our Earth Day chair was Nancy Keegan.
The day began with volunteers planting a new garden section designed to attract butterflies.
Sightings at Felts The development of the butterfly garden is a TogetherGreen Volunteer project sponsored by
the National Audubon Society with a generous grant from Toyota. Manatee Audubon members
By Lucette Wombacher, Treasurer
handled parking, led nature walks and manned Manatee Audubon’s table, where they sold shirts
As of April 18, we have recorded and raffle tickets and recruited new members. The snack table was a big hit as always.
58 species, including the first re-
ports of a Northern Waterthrush, Cleaning up for Earth Day
a Worm-eating Warbler and Eve- By Lee Etchells
ning Grosbeaks. On our countdown to Earth Day, we had seven people turn out for our work day at Felts on
Continued Sightings:
March 28. Thanks go out to Susan Anderson and her friend Shirley McGinnis for cleaning
American Goldfinch up Oak Alley and sprucing up our path through the wetland area. Nancy Keegan, Fred Allen,
Indigo Bunting Barbara Singer and Lucette Wombacher were also at Felts attending to the various tasks that
American Redstart needed to be done in order to shine on Earth Day.
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Nesting Pileated Woodpeckers We observed an ASY (after second year) male Purple Martin defending the gourd rack from a
Nesting Eastern Bluebirds Loggerhead Shrike. The Shrike has a nest in the small oak tree on the north side of the house
Nesting American Crows
Nesting Purple Martins
east of Felts and was using the top of the gourd rack as a lookout for insects. Fred Allen in-
Little Blue Herons (adults and immature) formed us that four Purple Martins have been seen investigating the gourd rack lately. Maybe
Snowy Egrets this will be the year we get them to stay.
Common Moorhens
Great Horned Owls
Hooded Warbler
Thanks to Felts Hosts and the Wild Bird Center
Palm Warblers By Carol Webster
February 7: Dee Hanny hosted 26 visitors on a beautiful clear day with little wind. He reported
33 bird species seen and $11 received in donations.
March 7: A special thanks to one of our new members, Marcia Huff, who hosted the March
open house day at Felts. It is rewarding to see our new members so enthusiastic about taking
part. She welcomed 23 visitors plus four members of her own family. It was a cool, sunny day
and 26 bird species were observed.
Aprl 4: Carole and Russ Lutinen welcomed 29 visitors on a morning of dew and fog which soon
dissipated and became a beautiful warm sunny day. They reported $10 in donations and 40 bird
species including a Monk Parakeet. One visitor became a member of Manatee Audubon and
one couple renewed their membership after an 18-month absence.
A huge thank you to Karen and Matt Homan, owners of the Wild Bird Center, for donating
bird seed to Felts Preserve. The Homans not only donate the seed, they deliver it, and help
monitor our feeders.
 Page 3
New program aims to monitor beach-nesting birds
By Tami McNally
Action needed
Historically, we have not been involved in the ongoing protection and monitoring our beach- on Alaska Issues
nesting birds. Thanks to a grant from TogetherGreen, we are learning more about the birds
By Arlene Flisik
and are gradually implementing a beach-nesting bird monitoring program. We are starting
Why should distant Alaska inter-
small –with one volunteer and one section of a beach at a time. Join us on May 17, as we
est us? It mostly involves oil drilling
begin our first phase of implementing the program. Manatee and Sarasota Audubon will lead a
in public lands and waters that are
beach walk to locate these well-camouflaged birds, share unique information about them, and
equally owned by all Americans – you
report our findings. The event is open to all adults (18 and older) who are interested in these and me, Alaskans, and those living
imperiled birds and their protection. in other states. Arctic topography
Meeting details and unique climate produce special
•Meeting Time - 8 a.m. hazards that are insufficiently un-
•Meeting Location - Broadway Street parking lot on north Longboat Key derstood yet of a magnitude to make
any resulting damage felt beyond the
•Registration is required no later than May 10.
borders of one state.
•To register or get more information, email shorebirds@manateeaudubon.org
• Include the number of adults in your party and your contact information. See our Web site The people in Alaska annually re-
for more information http://www.manateeaudubon.org/bnb.html ceive a sizeable share of drilling
royalties. This makes them unlikely
to be objective about changing cur-
rent policies. And even if the entire
state were safely drilled, it would
still perpetuate our dependence on
the very fossil fuel that stokes global
warming.
I “lobbied” aides to Florida’s two
senators and Rep. Buchanan on the
following items. Please help prod
them on by phoning or emailing
them – especially Buchanan, if he’s
your legislator.

45 students attend Spring Break Camp at Felts *Arctic National Wildlife Refuge:
its coastal plain is vital to so much
By Karen Fraley species diversity, in terms of both
Thanks to a generous grant from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Around the Bend Nature quantity and variety, that it has been
Tours and Manatee Audubon provided a safe experiential learning experience at Felts Audubon called “the American Serengeti.”
Preserve for 45 students over the April 6-10 Spring Break. Please support already-proposed
The goals were that campers learn that exotic invasive plants are detrimental to local habitats, legislation to permanently protect it.
wetlands are important filters for water quality, and migratory birds depend on small wetlands *There is urgent need for you to
to survive. To do this, we determined to have lots of FUN at Felts Preserve. Each student used support funding for two independent
binoculars each day. We saw the nesting Pileated Woodpeckers and Eastern Bluebirds. A pair of and credible scientific studies. (1)
Sandhill Cranes visited us at least once each day, and lots of bugs were captured and examined. The Arctic Ocean: leases have been
Perhaps the best experience the campers had was building their own forts. Each “tribe” of camp- sold, but the interrelationships with-
ers, grouped by age, gathered, lashed and wove together a fort to use as home base. You can still in the marine ecosystem are poorly
see the forts in Oaks Alley at Felts Preserve. understood. We shouldn’t drill until
Sandy French provided an environmental art project. Playing with colors, watercolor, clay, and we know exactly what intricacies
“found” items, campers made magic wands. We had a program on Manatee County recycling. we are disturbing and how to avoid
Ann Glenn from Accent Nursery came with lots of butterfly larvae and lady bugs. Gail Stout of ruin. (2) National Petroleum Re-
serve –Alaska. We need modern re-
Manatee County Mosquito Control gave campers some mosquito larvae to observe as the larvae
search to indicate where within this
hatched into adults (no releasing). Greta Man from Around the Bend Nature Tours shared Native
expanse drilling can happen while
American technology with tools and resources such as palm fiber. Three owls came to visit from
giving maximum protection to exist-
Wildlife Inc. with David Sadkin sharing their sad stories. Later that day we dissected owl pellets ing wildlife and surface values.
to find lots of rodent bones and fur. Emma Mason from Around the Bend Nature Tours brought a
red rat snake named Rudy which had its monthly feeding. Aghast campers observed the snake’s *Teshekpuk Lake has been recog-
jaws unhinging and a frozen/thawed mouse swallowed whole (the rat snake is a constrictor). nized as a Special Area and given
Lucette Wombacher told us all about the various bird houses on site and who would be using temporary protection. Please sup-
them, and George Fenner of the Florida Bat Conservancy explained about the nocturnal flying port any legislation to make it per-
mammals to be found at Felts Preserve. manent.
 Page 4

Let’s help identify birds

and other species
at Rye Preserve
By Barbara Singer
Please consider helping the Mana-
tee County Natural Resources De-
partment with its third annual Bio-
diversity Blitz project on Saturday
May 16. The objective is to identify
the many species that live at the Rye
Preserve, and they need volunteers
for 2-3 hour time slots to hunt for
Photo of nesting Eagles by Shirley McGinnis. Photos of Auduboners and White Pelicans by Lucette Wombacher
specific species (plants, fish, birds,
insects, reptiles and more).
The department has been very sup-
Birders spot 44 species and one snake at Circle B-Bar Reserve
portive of our Earth Day events, By Carol Webster, trip coordinator
and I hope some of you will now Twleve Audubon birders set off April 1 to explore a new site in Polk County: the Circle B-Bar
help them. You would join the Nat- Reserve, a former cattle ranch, located eight miles south of Lakeland. The reserve covers almost
ural Resources Department staff 1,200 acres of marsh, cypress swamp and huge oak hammocks. There are miles of trails around the
and scientists and researchers from marsh and a long shoreline with Lake Hancock, home of some of the state’s largest alligators.
New College. Sandy Koi called
looking for birders to help identify We enjoyed the comfortable tram ride around the trails with three very knowledge volunteer bird-
birds at Rye but they will be count- ers. We saw 44 species and one large water snake. Nesting Bald Eagles with two young ones in the
ing many species that day. Please nest were the highlight of the day. Hundreds of White Pelicans were still there, although we were
email me at isellfl@gmail.com if informed that most of the 3,000 had already migrated. The Nature Discovery Center is definitely
you can help and I will coordinate something to see. So I’m hoping to plan a trip next year to the Circle B-Bar on a Saturday so those
with Sandy.
who missed it this year can participate. My preference would be late February or early March.
Welcome New Members:
David and Winonah Myers,
Erin Brown, Robert Cameron,
Robert and Marie Condon,
Tricia Palmer, Patrick Lantz,
Carol Lowery,
Lynn and Jonathan Friendly
David and Kim Fabre

Send your items for The Night Heron to newsletter editor Molly McCartney
at msmccartney@sprintmail.com or call 778-3228

Manatee County Audubon Society

PO Box 14550
Bradenton FL 34280-4550

Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit #970
MANASOTA, FL

May 2009 Newsletter