january-february 2003 delaware audubon society newsletter

8/9/2019 January-February 2003 Delaware Audubon Society Newsletter

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Vol. XXV No.3January-February 2003

Bird Tales ................................7

Books of Interest ......................8

Calendar ..................................4

In Memoriam............................4

Letter From the President ..........2

News & Views, Updates ..........6

News & Views..........................7

Officers & Committees..............2

Site Seeing................................3

What You Can Do ................3,5

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPERc

DELAWARE AUDUBON SOCIETY, INC.

A State-wide Chapter of National Audubon

D e l a w a r eAu d u b o n Journal

P R E S E R V I N G O U R

N A T U R A L ST A T E

IN T H I S IS S U E

Glyn AlexanderMarylyn AlicknavitchDolores AllabashiPaul Ames

Lois BarthBarry Bernstein

Hazel BoothWendy BunceSusan BurchenalRay Campbell, Jr.Edmund CarpenterHiromi CheesemanJane CluneWillard Cobb, Jr.Richard CrabbWi llard Crichton Jr.Shanna CunninghamMr/Mrs James F. CycykJames H. Dawson, IIIWilliam DenhamMr./Mrs. John DunnDorothy EberlyCarol Ell isWilliam EttingerSusan FieRichard FreytagRaymond Frndak

TO OU R NE W & RE N E W E D ME M B E R S*

FOR THEIR SUPPORT...

*June through September 2002

Millard GambleCathy GriecoJeff & Karen HallFrances Harris

Rosemary HerrmanGail Hill

Allan IshlerEdward JeffersonMaxine JohnsonMichele JohnsonDorrie KessingerJoseph KlemasBetty KniskernElaine KrakowskiRoger LevyEli zabeth LuxElizabeth MartinerRichard MayCheryl McCannGeorgiana McKayPatricia MehlKatherine MifflinEsther MoffettRaymond MorrowLinda OBrianSally OByrneBarbara Pak

Helen PapatinasWilliam QuillenWilliam RankenRoger Richardson

Jeannette RogersVirginia Russell

Janet RzewnickiEsther SafranArthur SchulerErnet Marion SchwabWi ll iam ShellenbergerJeanne Otis ShieldsCurtis SimpsonFrank SiskRichard SmithWilbur SmithKristi StithJohn Taylor Jr.Robin TaylorEsra TemkoRobert ToddMarenes TrippCyntaya WelchAudrey WhitbyWilliam WilliamsJoan WoodKathleen Wright

& TO EVERYONE WHO PURCHASED BIRDSEED...

Our annual birdseed sale was a great success thanks to everyone who

purchased birdseed. Special thanks to Mark and Susan Martell and theircrew of bag handlers and paper shufflers: Asha Iyengar, Bret and EricMartell , Ann Rydgren, Tom Shuey, Jeff Snook, Joe Solge and Mike Warnerfor all of their hard work.

Look deep

into nature,

and you will

understand

everything better.Albert Einstein

T hank Y ou!


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t WEB SITEhttp://www.delawareaudubon.org

t MAILING ADD RESS:Delaware Audubon Society

P.O. Box 1713

Wilmington, DE 19899

t TELEPHONE:(302) 428-3959

t DELAWAREAUDUBON SOCIETY E-MAIL:[email protected]

We can receive contributions

through your United Way

payroll deduction designation.

Our United Way designation

number is 9017.

LE T T E R FR O M T H E PR E S I D E N T

Hello Members,Let me say that living in the Northeast may bebest in the autumn. We get the beauty of thechanging of the leaves. As winter is now uponus in full force I still remember how natureprepared herself for the cold season as a coupleof months ago I saw some signs from herbrethren.

I started to hear the two Great Horned owlsacross the street serenade each other in their mating ritual. The RuddyDucks were here along the marshes in great numbers. At the Indian RiverInlet the Sanderlings rushed just ahead of the incoming waves on their tinylittle legs looking for worms in the sand. I saw two bald eagles chasing oneanother around Delaware Park doing an elegant flight with their greatwings.

One day at my front door there appeared a tree frog looking for insects.

When I opened the door to go in, there was another frog that hopped inside.

One night when the moon was full in an orange rage over the water, abutton buck ran into the side of my truck chasing a doe. It was the start oftheir rutting season.

These special occurrences that we sometimes miss from our little gem of astate are great reasons for all of us to protect Delaware in all its splendorthroughout the year.

Happy New Year,Matt Del Pizzo

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VISIT DELAWARE AUDUBON'S WEBSITE

http://www.delawareaudubon.org.

Sample educational, informative articles and features. Order books and othergoodies from the Marketplace! Search the archive of past articles. Visit our photogallery. Survey legislative updates and Action Alerts. Email policy makers.

TheAudubon Journal is

published bi-monthly by the

Delaware Audubon Society.

Original articles may be

reprinted without permission. Please give

credit to the Delaware Audubon Journal and

the author.

Editor: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ann Rydgren

Assistant Editors: . . . . .Mary Leah Christmas

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barbara Roewe

Design & Layout : . . . . . . .Maryellen F. BirkPrinting: . . . . . .Sprint Quality Printing, Inc.

Delaware Audubon Society, incorporated in

1977, is a state- wide chapter of the National

Audubon Society.

DE L AWA R E AU D U B O N SO C I E T Y

2002-2003

OF F I C E R S & C O M M I T T E E S

If there are any issues you feel strongly aboutthat you think Audubon should address, pleasewrite Issues, P.O. Box 1713, Wilmington, DE19899, or call the office at (302) 428-3959.Chairpersons can always be reached through the

office answering machine - (302) 428-3959.

Honorary Chairman of the Board

Russell W. PetersonPresident Matthew Del Pizzo

Vice President Leslie SavageSecretary Ellen WrightTreasurer Mark Martell

CONSERVATION COMMITTEES:Environmental Advocate Grace Pierce-Beck

Recycling OpenDredging Leslie SavageProposal/policy Review Dave Chambers

Nest Box Projects Peggy JahnArmchair Activists OpenAdopt-a-Wetland

Peggy Jahn, Kathy TidballWhite Clay Creek Adopt-a-Highway

Dorothy MillerImportant Bird Area Program Ann RydgrenPROGRAMS COMMITTEE OpenPUBLICITY COMMITTEEInternet Fred Breukelman

[email protected] COMMITTEE OpenEDUCATION COMMITTEE Kathy TidballSOCIAL COMMITTEE

Annual Dinner-Nancy FramptonFIELD TRIPS COMMITTEE Peggy Jahn

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Ann RydgrenFINANCE COMMITTEESFundraising-Grants Andrew Urquhart

Fundraising-Bird Seed SaleMark and Susan Martell

Fundraising Birdathon

Ruth Holden, Maud DaytonFundraising-Silent Auction Asha IyengarFundraising-Wildli fe Sanctuary OpenFundraising-Piping Plover Suite Ann RydgrenNOMINATING COMMITTEE

Matthew DelPizzo,Asha Iyengar, Leslie Savage

DIRECTORS FOR SERVICE UNTIL 2003

Dorothy Miller Grace Pierce-BeckAnn Rydgren

DIRECTORS FOR SERVICE UNTIL 2004:Fred Breukelman David Chambers

DIRECTORS FOR SERVICE UNTIL 2005:Peggy Jahn Leslie SavageAndrew Urquhart

REPRESENTATIVES

Sharon Burchenal, DoverKay Tebbens Greene, MilfordTill Purnell, Millsboro


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P reserve Our N atural State

W H A T Y O U C A N D O . . .

SI T E SE E I N G

This column will suggest Internet websitesthat may be of interest to readers. If you

have a favorite that you think will interestothers, please send the address to us,m a i l @d e l a w a r e a u d u b o n . o r g or call us at(302) 428-3959.

http://home.bluemarble.net/~pqn/index.htmlFor those of you who have never gotten around to reading A. C. Bents LifeHistory of North American Birds cover to cover, here it is on the web indownloadable fi les.

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VO L U N T E E ROP P O RT U N I T I E S

Join the fun! Meet newpeople!Do a great thing!

We need help in the followingareas.

WE NEED YOU!

V BLUEBIRDSBluebird Trail Captain neededfor Buena Vista and otherareas. Nice outdoor activityonce a week from Aprilthrough August. Trainingavailable.

V BIRDSEEDMarketing Manager for ourfundraising birdseed sale inOctober. We need morecustomers. One month a year.

If you are interested inhelping, please call 428-3959and leave a message.

Volunt eersMake It

Happen!

MA R K E D GU L L S

The Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) has banded several Great Black-backedGulls (adults & chicks) at nesting colonies in the Great Lakes.

What You Can DoIf you should see a color marked gull please note as much information aspossible:Color Band (and leg that it is on)

Numbers and Letters on color band (including the color of the text)Location and Date of Sightingand any other pertinent details

Please noti fy Delaware Audubon via email at [email protected] orcall (302) 428-3959. Let us know if you are able to obtain any part of theinformation listed above since any data is valuable.

YO U C A N HE L P DE L AWA R E AU D U B O NA N D HE L P T H E BL U E B I R D S C O M E BA C K!

To help you appreciate and understand nature, Delaware Audubon has available,by order, well-constructed pine nest-boxes with a shingle roof, a wire mesh insertfor insect protection and an easy front opening. Designed by Warren Lauder, thisbox has proven to be one of the best. Priced at $20 for a pine box and $25 forcedar, we are sure you will be pleased with this nest box.

What You Can DoCall Fred Jahn at (302) 378-6474 and order now for yourself and your friends.REMEMBER: Nest boxes should go up in February before Bluebirds return to nest.

Downstate members can pick up their boxes from Dennis Foley near Milton, DE.Please arrange for pick-up when you call Fred Jahn.


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4EV E N T S

J A N U A RY

28 4-6:30 pm TuesdayA workshop for teachers in New Castle County at WallaceWallin School in Colonial School District.

F E B R U A RY

14 - 17Great Backyard Bird CountEnter your sightings online through BirdSource atwww.birdsource.org/gbbc, a joint National Audubon/Cornell Lab of Ornithology project.

I want Audubon to sponsor a program on

..............................................................................................(topic) in my area.

Name: ....................................................................................

Phone: ( )........................................................................

Zip Code:................................................................................

Send to:ProgramDelaware Audubon Society

P.O. Box 1713Wilmington DE 19899

STA P L E S AN N O U N C E S

C O M M I T M E N T T O

EN D A N G E R E D

FO R E S T S A N D

RE C Y C L E D PA P E R!

Following a two-year campaign

targeting Staples, the worlds largestoffice supply store, the company hasannounced a commitment to phaseout paper products originating fromendangered forests and dramaticallyincrease its sale of recycled paperproducts. Activists across thecountry are celebrating a grassrootsvictory!

Thanks to each of you that helpedmake this victory possible!

IN ME M O R I U M

HA R RY E. E I C H B A U M1 9 2 2 - 2 0 0 2

An expert model bui lder,Harry generously shared his

talents with Audubon and theenvironmental community.

He carried out all kinds oftaskspreparing thenewsletter for mail ing,monitoring Bluebird Trails,lending a hand to feed babybirds for Tri-State Bird Rescueand Research.

He changed every homeAudubon occupied from just ahouse to a functioning officeand made an impressive gold-leaf Audubon House signwhich he installed outside.

When we sit around thespecial beech wood table hemade for the Audubon Boardmeetings, we will rememberHarry.

JO I N DE L AWA R E AU D U B O N NO W !


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P reserve Our N atural State

W H A T Y O U C A N D O . . .

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AC T F O R BI R D S!

Youre invited to participate inThe Great Backyard Bird Count 2003!

We want to know where the birds are. Now that winter has gripped much ofthe continent, where are the birds? Bird populations are dynamic. They areconstantly in flux. We want to take a snapshot of North American birdpopulations, and you can help.

The Great Backyard Bird Count or GBBC (available athttp://www.birdsource.com/gbbc/ ) will be 6 years old this February. Submittedentirely on-line, the approximately 50,000 checklists from every state andprovince provide a winter snapshot of the status of our birds on that count

weekend. A monitoring project that is designed to allow beginners and expertsalike to participate, GBBC aims to engage and educate families and individualsin the hopes that they will continue their involvement through other birdmonitoring projects. As with other projects, GBBC data become more andmore valuable with each year that the information is compiled. You can alsoexplore the results from your state, a region of the continent, or all of NorthAmerica.

On the weekend of February 14-17, anyone with an interest in birdsandaccess to the Internetshould watch their bird feeders and backyards, andcount the maximum number of each of the different bird species he or shesees. For those without feeders, counts can be made in neighborhoods or localparks. Participants can spend as little or as much time as they want counting

birds during the three-day period. They then submit their counts viaBirdSourcewhich also offers assistance in bird identificationon an easy touse form.

Everyones contribution is important. It doesnt matter whether you identify,count, and report the five species coming to your backyard feeder or the 75species you see during a days outing to a wildlife refuge.

The data that you collect will be combined with Christmas Bird Count andProject FeederWatch data to give us an immense picture of our winter birds.Each year that these data are collected makes them more important andmeaningful.

Instructions for participating can be found at www.birdsource.org. Theres nofee or registration. Those who would like to participate but arent online can trytheir local library. Wild Birds Unlimited in Hockessin will also accept reports.

Enter your sightings online through BirdSource at www.birdsource.org/gbbc, ajoint National Audubon/Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology project.

Curriculum materials for teachers are offered on the web site from late Octoberthrough the end of February. This is a great project for school children.

Mark these datesFebruary 14-17on your calendar now and participate inThe Great Backyard Bird Count!

TH E GR E AT

BA C K YA R D

BI R D CO U N T !

FE B R U A RY

14-17, 2 003


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6

N ews & Views

ED U C AT I O N

The firstworkshop fort e a c h e r sreceiving theA u d u b o nAdventures kitwas held onNovember 21

at the Cape Henlopen SchoolDistrict office. Teachers from fourschool districts attended the sessiondesigned to allow them to becomefamiliar with the content andactivities in the kit and identify thecurricular connections and the statestandards which the kit addresses.The participants worked in fourteams, one for each issue (wetlands,coasts, deserts and forests) and then

shared their ideas with the otherteams. On the evaluations, all of theteachers agreed that as a result ofthe workshop that they woulddefinitely use Audubon Adventuresin their classrooms. They cited thesereasons:It correlates with the statestandards.You can integrate the kit in allareas of the curriculum.The newspapers are short enoughreads at a level that even struggling

readers can handle.There are wonderful i llustrations.Excellent extension to the 5thgrade science kit, Ecosystems.

As to the best feature of theworkshop, most teacherscommented:Taking time to overview materials

and sharing. There were awesomeideas!

U pdatesThe cross-curricular ideas weregreat!Teacher/classroom oriented.

Sharing great ideas forimplementation!

Special thanks go to Linda Gregory,Science Coalition Specialist forCape Henlopen, for her ideas andassistance in planning andpresenting the workshop.

A workshop for teachers in NewCastle County is tentatively plannedfor Tuesday, January 28, from 4:00-6:30 pm at WallaceWallin School inthe Colonial School District. A flyerwith more details will be mailed toall Audubon Adventure teachers innorthern Delaware.

Kathy Tidball ,

Education Chair

AC O U S T I CI M PA C T

The 15 beaked whales that beachedthemselves last October during amultinational Naval exercisesuffered ear and brain trauma thatmay have been caused by highintensity sonar, according topreliminary analysis. Dr. Michel

Andre, a veterinarian leading theinvestigation, says that necropsiesshowed the presence of unspecificlesions in the brain and hearingsystem consistent with acousticimpact. If final analysis confirmsthese findings, it will be the secondtime that scientists have directevidence to link a mass stranding ofwhales to bursts of active sonar usedby warships. A second set of tests

focusing on the inner ears,estimated to take several weeks, isexpected to establish the cause ofthe beaching with greater certainty.

F I E L D TR I P

Eagles, Eagles Everywhere!

The day started out foggy andovercast on the drive over fromMiddletown to Conowingo Dam.The group was eager and preparedwith good scopes for viewing.

The BaldEagles weree v e r y w h e r e !The rocksacross from

the viewingp l a t f o r m

were covered with young Eagles invarious stages of feathering. Theadults were also on the rocks, onthe towers and in the trees. I neverthought I could be bored looking atEagles, but that became evidentafter an hour. We saw over 50 BaldEagles. We had one adult Ospreyand numerous Black and TurkeyVultures, several Mallards and about20 Great Blue Heron. This was a

great day!

Peggy JahnField Trip Chair


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The appeal of the Canada Goose Branta canadensis

is legendary. The spectacle of the birds migrating in

long, honking, irregular V formations across spring

or autumn skies is always thrilling. They are one of

the most dramatic portents of the change of seasons.

For more information and a color picture of thebird go to our website delawareaudubon.org.

B i rd T a l e s . . .HE R E A R E B I R D S F O R Y O U T O C O L O R.

N ews & Views

Put down those binoculars! This isyour chance to get up close andpersonal with one of the sweetheartsof the birding world. Known for theirsoft warbling and their winning ways,Bluebirds are making a comeback.(Who says nice birds finish last?)

Bluebirds were once dwindling dueto loss of habitat. Considered

secondary cavity nesters, they relyon hollows in dead trees or infenceposts. As housing developmentscontinue to replace natural habitats,the need for Bluebird nest boxes, andfor people to tend them, increases.The numbers seem small, but areencouraging. According to PeggyJahn, who started the first Bluebi rdTrail in Delaware, 70 Bluebirdsfledged this year, compared to 65 lastyear and 63 the year before.

Trail volunteers have duties such asrecord keeping (how many nested,number and color of eggs, number ofyoung, etc.) and light housekeeping(removing unhatched eggs, clearingunused nests between broods, etc.).Fringe benefits may includeoccasional spiders, flies, and ants(what are a few bugs betweenfriends?) andfor those trails at golf

courseseven the chance to toolaround in a golf cart.

Time-tested for many years, the nestbox design devised by Warren H.Lauder of Pennsylvania, and asconstructed by Fred Jahn, has all theproportions down to a science,including the proper depth to hinderraccoons in search of midnight

snacks. Nest boxes are $20/pine and$25/cedar.

Want to help but have limited time?Consider purchasing a nest box ortwo for your backyard. Boxes shouldbe placed by February for the nestingseason.

Longing to wander those happyBluebird Trails? This is a nice outdooractivity, once a week from Aprilthrough August, and training isavail able. Contact Peggy Jahn at(302) 378-6474.

Mary Leah Christmas

BL U E B I R D T R A I L S HA P P Y TR A I L S T O YO U!

G I V E A W I L D G I F TNO N G A M E W I L D L I F ETA X CH E C K-O F F

Please support Delawares NongameWildlife program with a donation onyour state tax return.

The nongame tax checkoff is theprimary funding source forDelawares Nongame andEndangered Species Program and isDelawares likeliest source for

matching funds. The larger theNongame Wildlife Fund, the moremoney Delaware can garner fromCARA for the benefit of nongamewildlife.

Let your tax preparer know that youwant to contribute to the NongameWildlife Fund this tax season.

H appyN ewY ear!


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BO O K S O F I N T E R E S T

8

Every Drop For Sale:

Our Desperate Batt le Over Water in a World About Ready to Run Out

by Jeffrey Rothfedder, Tarcher Putnam, 205pp., 2001, $24.95.

As Rothfedder reports, the global consumption of water doubles about every 20years, while the amount of potable water declines. These trends compoundissues involving the privatization of the worlds water supply, antiquation ofwater systems and our short-sighted and sometimes disastrous efforts to harnesswaterways. Rothfedder offers startling examples of problems in each of theseareas.

The notion of water as a commodity or a privilege, rather than a right, troublesthe author. He addresses this dilemma and the ways in which our waterdemands can be met through the rest of this century.

Excerpted from Science News

SI L E N T AU C T I O NAL E RT

It s not too soon to start lookingaround for Silent Auction items. AllDelaware Audubon members are on

the auction committee. I need yourhelp! In past years, many of you havemade this important and entertainingAudubon fundraiser a success.

Please help by making a donation ofmerchandise or services for theauction. Merchants are usually happyto donate a gift certificate or an itemto our auction. Restaurants, theaters,concerts, movies, food, art, crafts andplants are all popular. Be creative anddonate your particular skills or a

special guided field trip.

To make arrangements for yourdonations, please call Asha Iyengar,(302) 428-3959, and leave a message.

" LE T T H E R E B E P E A C E O N E A RT H ,AND LET IT BEGIN WITH ME."

Barbara Mil ler

TH E Y W H O D R E A M B Y D AY A R EC O G N I Z A N T O F M A N Y T H I N G S

WHICH ESCAPE THOSE WHO DREAM

ONLY BY NIGHT.Edgar Allan Poe

TO THINK IS EASY. TO ACT IS HARD.BU T T H E H A R D E S T T H I N G I N T H EWORLD IS TO ACT IN ACCORDANCE

WITH YOUR THINKING.Johann von Goethe

TH E R E I S N O T H I N G W O RT H M O R ETHAN THISDAY!

Goethe

FO R G E T N O T T H AT T H E E A RT HDELIGHTS TO FEEL YOUR BARE FEET

A N D T H E W I N D S L O N G TO P L AY

WITH YOUR HAIR.Kahlil Gibran

" DO N ' T S P E N D Y O U R P R E C I O U ST I M E A S K I N G ' WH Y I S N ' T T H EW O R L D A B E T T E R P L A C E?' IT W I L LO N LY B E T I M E W A S T E D . TH EQUESTION TO ASK IS 'HOW CAN IMAKE IT BETTER?' TO THAT THERE ISAN ANSWER."

Leo F. Buscaglia

T houghts

for the

N ew Y ear

january-february 2003 delaware audubon society newsletter

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