january-february 2004 delaware audubon society newsletter

8/9/2019 January-February 2004 Delaware Audubon Society Newsletter

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Vol . XXVI No.3January-February 2004

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

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

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

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

News & Views....................5,6,7

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

Site Seeing................................5

Backyard Wildlife!....................6

What You Can Do ....................3

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 JournalDE L A W A R E

AU D U B O N

IN TH I S IS S U E

CA R O L BR O W N E R , FO R M E R E PA C H I E FNA M E D C H A I R-E L E C T FO R NAS BO A R D

Two determined women who were committed to the environment foundedthe first Audubon chapter more than a century ago. After 107 years,Audubon is returning to its heritage in electing a determined woman whocares passionately about the environment to lead the organization.

Carol Browner, the longest serving Administrator of the EnvironmentalProtection Agency, has been named Chair-elect of the National AudubonSociety Board of Directors. Carol, who is the head of the boards PublicPolicy Committee, will lead the board when Chairman Donal OBriencompletes his term in this fall.

Carols accomplishments include the strongest public health based clean airstandards ever for soot and smog; tough new emission standards for cars,SUVs, diesel trucks and buses; greatly expanded public right-to-knowefforts; accelerated clean up of hazardous waste sites, which resulted inmore than three times the number of Superfund clean-ups than in the entirehistory of the program; she created the successful Brownfields program toreclaim and redevelop abandoned, con taminated ur ban properties,significantly increased funding and strengthened standards for clean waterand polluted runoff. She worked closely with Congress to pass two pivotalenvironmental laws the Food Quality Protection Act and the Safe DrinkingWater Act.

She is currently a partner at The Albright Group, a global strategy firm. She isalso a senior fellow at the Aspen Institutes Program on Energy, theEnvironment and the Economy. She has received numerous awards andhonors, i ncludi ng Audubon of Flo ridas Guy M. Bradley Lifet imeAchievement Award in 1998 for her work on restoration of the Everglades.

Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Carol as Chair of theNational Audubon Board of D irectors.

John FlickerNational Audubon Society President

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

NA T U R A L ST A T E

TH E M A N W H O

I S T E N A C I O U S

O F P U R P O S E

I N A R I G H T F U L

C A U S E I S N O T

S H A K E N F R O M H I S

F I R M R E S O LV E. . .

HO R A C E


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DE L AWA R E AU D U B O NSO C I E T Y 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 0 4OF 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 theoffice answering machine , 302-428-3959.

Honorary Chairman of the BoardRussell W. Peterson

President Matthew Del PizzoVice President Leslie SavageSecretary Ellen WrightTreasurer Mark Martell

CONSERVATION COMMITTEES:Environmental Advocate Grace Pierce-BeckRecycling OpenDredging Leslie SavageProposal/poli cy Review Dave ChambersNest Box Projects Peggy JahnArmchair Activi sts OpenAdopt-a-Wetland

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

Dorothy MillerImportant Bird Area Program Ann Rydgren

PROGRAMS COMMITTEE Open

PUBLICITY COMMITTEEInternet Fred Breukelman

[email protected]

MEMBERSHIP RECORDS David Brannan

EDUCATION COMMITTEE Kathy Tidball

SOCIAL COMMITTEEAnnual Dinner-Nancy Frampton

FIELD TRIPS COMMITTEE Peggy Jahn

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Ann Rydgren

FINANCE COMMITTEESFundraising-Grants Andrew UrquhartFundraising-Bird Seed Sale

Mark and Susan MartellFundraising Birdathon

Ruth Holden, Maud DaytonFundraising-Silent Auction Asha IyengarFundraising-Wildlife Sanctuary Open

Fundraising-Piping Plover Suite Ann Rydgren

DIRECTORS FOR SERVICE UNTIL 2004:Fred Breukelman David Chambers

DIRECTORS FOR SERVICE UNTIL 2005:Peggy JahnLeslie Savage

REPRESENTATIVESSharon Burchenal, DoverKay Tebbens Greene, MilfordTill Purnell, Mil lsboro

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H appy N ew Y ear !

t WEB SITEhttp://www.delawareaudubon.org

t MAILING ADDRESS: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.

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Hello Members,

I would like to tell you that it looks like thereis some movement on the Motiva ConsentDecree that would remove up to 90% of thesulfur dioxide from their two largest smokestacks. If you recall Audubon and othersfought to stop Motivas and DNRECs originalplan to purge the stacks and expel thewastewater into the Delaware River. Thewastewater contained mercury, copper andnickel. Well, we stopped the plan Motiva andthe misguided state of Delaware had alongwith the E.P.A, and now the system Motiva issuggesting will recapture some 90% of all the

pollutants derived from the smoke stacks and not discharge it but reclaim it.The reclaimed substances will be made into commercial grade sulfur thatcan be sold by Motiva. Motiva says the system is about 120 million dollars;this would be about twice as much as their original rejected plan. We,

along with DNREC, have not seen the particulars of Motivas plans as of yet.We are cautiously optimistic that Motiva may have turned the corner andwill put in the system that activists around the state have called for, one thatcleans our air without foul ing our water.

Matt Del Pizzo

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. Birk

Printing: . . . . . .Sprint Quali ty Printing, Inc.

Delaware Audubon Society, incorporated in

1977, is a state- wide chapter of the National

Audubon Society.


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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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BL U E B I R D NE S T BO X E S

To help you appreciate and understand nature, DelawareAudubon has available, by order, well-constructed pinenest-boxes with a shingle roof, a wire mesh insert forinsect protection and an easy front opening. Designed byWarren Lauder, this box has proven to be one of the best.

Nest boxes should go up in February before Bluebirdsreturn to nest.

Help Delaware Audubon

and help the Bluebirds come back!

Priced at $20 for a pine box and $25 for cedar, we aresure you will be pleased with this nest box.

Order now for yourself and your friends.

Downstate members can pick up their boxes from DennisFoley near Milton, DE. Please arrange for pick-up whenyou call Fred Jahn at (302) 378-6474.

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

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

Join the fun!Meet new people!Do a great thing!

We need help in the followingareas. WE NEED YOU!

V ATTORNEYExperienced in trust andcorporation law who will giveadvice pro bono. This is a limitedproject, not litigation.

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

V WELCOME WAGONFun-loving, creative personneeded to recruit and integratenew members.

VWILDFLOWER LOVER

Wildflower enthusiast needed forspecial area in Dover.

V BLUEBIRD TRAIL CAPTAINSCaptains for Bluebird Trail onChristiana Hospital Grounds

WHAT YOU CAN DO!Please call 302-428-3959 andleave a message if you areinterested in helping.

Volunt eers

Make It

Happen!


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I want Audubon to sponsor aprogram on

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

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

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

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

Send to:ProgramDelaware Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 1713Wilmington DE 19899

F E B R U A RY

13 - 16Great Backyard Bird Count

Enter your sightings onlinethrough BirdSource atwww.birdsource.org/gbbc, ajoint National Audubon/

Cornell Lab of Ornithologyproject.

See story on right...

PA RT I C I PAT E FE B R U A RY 13-16 I NTH E G R E AT BA C K YA R D BI R D CO U N T !

We want to know where the birds are. Now that winter has grippedmuch of the continent, where are the birds? Bird populations aredynamic. They are constantly in flux. We want to take a snapshot ofNorth American bird populations, and you can help.

The Great Backyard Bird Count or GBBC (available athttp://www.birdsource.com/gbbc/ ) will be 6 years old this February13-16. Submitted entirely on-line, the approximately 50,000checklists from every state and province provide a winter snapshot ofthe status of our birds on that count weekend. A monitoring projectthat is designed to allow beginners and experts alike to participate,GBBC aims to engage and educate families and individuals in thehopes that they wil l continue their involvement through other birdmonitoring projects. As with other projects, GBBC data becomemore and more valuable with each year that the information iscompiled. You can also explore the results from your state, a region

of the continent, or all of North America.

On the weekend of February 13-16, anyone with an interest inbirdsand access to the Internetshould watch their bird feedersand backyards, and count the maximum number of each of thedifferent bird species he or she sees. For those without feeders,counts can be made in neighborhoods or local parks. Participantscan spend as little or as much time as they want counting birdsduring the three-day period. They then submit their counts viaBirdSourcewhich also offers assistance in bird identificationonan easy to use form.

Everyones contribution is important.

It doesnt matter whether you identify, count, and report the fivespecies coming to your backyard feeder or the 75 species you seeduring a days outing to a wildl ife refuge.

The data that you collect wi ll be combined with Christmas BirdCount and Project FeederWatch data to give us an immense pictureof our winter birds. Each year that these data are collected makesthem more important and meaningful.

Instructions for participating can be found at www.birdsource.org.Theres no fee or registration. Those who would like to participatebut arent online can try their local library. Wild Birds Unlimited inHockessin will also accept reports.

Enter your sightings online through BirdSource atwww.birdsource.org/gbbc, a joint National Audubon/CornellLaboratory of Ornithology project.

Curriculum materials for teachers are offered on the web site fromlate October through the end of February. This is a great project forschool children.

Mark these datesFebruary 13-16on your calendar now andparticipate in The Great Backyard Bird Count!

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N ews & Views

Hard data onthe effects ofWest Nilevirus are fewand farb e t w e e n .Thousands ofb i r d s ,whether they

die from WestNile virus orother causes,are neverfound. Those

found are often not tested for thevirus. Since 1999, however, NewYork States Department ofEnvironmental Conservati onsWildl i fe Pathology Unitexamined more than 12,500specimens of 213 bird species,providing important regional data

on casualties possibly caused bythe disease. Although mostresearchers lack thecomprehensive data on birdpopulations needed to documentwidespread declines, citizen-science participants are alreadyhelping to fill in some of thegaps.

Of the birds tested in New YorkState, most died of causes other

than West Nile virus and thisincludes crows, which areparticularly susceptible. Of the5,950 wild American Crowstested, 44 percent werediagnosed with West Nile virus.None died from West Nile virusduring winter when mostmosquitoes that transmit thedisease are inactive.

Thirty-four percent of dead FishCrows (N=116) also tested

positive for West Nile virus as did 29percent of Blue Jays (N=1,284),relatives of crows. The sample ofHouse Finches was small butsuggests that they may bevulnerable; 23 percent (N=43) testedpositive. Of House Sparrows, 14percent tested positive (N=427)Excluding these four species and

American Crows, only 4 percent ofdead songbirds (N=2,482) werepositi ve for West Nile virus.

Among wild raptors in New YorkState, the statistics were uneven.Most raptors died of traumaticinjuries (including gunshots,electrocution from power lines andcollisions with cars and trains),poisonings (lead, rodenticides,pesticides), starvation, other diseasesand parasites. Nevertheless,

continued monitoring of raptorpopulations is essential to determinehow mortality from the virus, inaddition to other causes, impactsraptors over the long term.

The greatest threat from West Nile

S I T E SE E I N G

This column will suggest Internet websites that

may be of interest to readers. If you have afavorite that you think will interest others, pleasecall us at (302) 428-3959 or send the address tous at [email protected].

The WindStar Wildlife Habitat Institute offers aforum and online courses on wildlife habitats forhomeowners on their website:

www.Windstar.org.

virus is to endangered species such asthe Flori da Scrub Jay, Cali forni aCondor and Whooping Crane.\

Excerpted from Birdscope,Cornell University

Laboratory of Orni thology

W E S T N I L E F I L E

By Miyoko Chu, Ward Stone, Kevin J. McGowan, Andre A. Dhondt, Wesley M Hochachka and Joseph E Therrien


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N ews & Views

EL L E N W R I G H T S

BA C K YA R D W I L D L I F EI have been working on clearingexotic invasive plants from thehedgerow bordering one side of myproperty. As I remove the mult iflorarose and the honeysuckle vines I amuncovering plants.

There are quite a few hackberry treesthat are now able to grow. I have amature black walnut and haveuncovered some young black walnuts.

Osage orange and black cherries existsince this is an old farm hedgerow.Jack in the pulpit grows in one area.

I uncovered a viburnum that gets redberries. Luckily I dug some up andtransplanted it before a tree fell on it.There are trees that look like theymight be cherry trees that are notblack cherries. There are also a fewother tree species that I cant identify.

The multiflora rose and honeysucklevine had climbed up the tall trees andblocked the sunlight to the understoryplants. I dont want to clear out toomuch at a time because I want toleave some dense patches of growththat the birds and animals could useuntil the native plants grow larger.There are blackberry vines andgreenbriar that are native plants andwill provide food and cover as theyhave more room to grow. I never trulyunderstood the problem with invasive

exotic plants until I began working onmy hedgerow.

G I V E A W I L D G I F T

Please support Delawares NongameWildlife program with a donation onyour state tax return. The nongame taxcheckoff is the primary funding sourcefor Delawares Nongame andEndangered Species Program.

TH E NE X T M T B E

C O N TA M I N AT I O N F R O M F U E L A D D I T I V E S C O U L D S P R E A D

The recent political debates on the use of two common gasoline additives,methyl tart-butyl ether (MTBE) and ethanol, suggest that refiners may have torely more on alternative chemicals for oxygenating gas and reducing smog.

A University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) research group has comparedthe in-ground behavior of MTBE, four alternatives, and basic gasolineconstituents, such as benzene. The researchers analyzed data on more than850 leaking underground fuel tanks in the Los Angeles area, as well asmeasurements of those contaminants in groundwater at various distances fromthe tanks. They conclude that at their present concentrations in gasoline, thealternative additives arent as environmentally prevalent as MTBE, but thatreformulations with higher concentrations could create problems comparableto those already caused by MTBE.

Researcher, Tom Shih, says All indications suggest that the alternative etherswould pose groundwater contamination threats similar to MTBE if their scaleof usage were expanded.

The concentrations of alternative oxygenates found around leaking tanks inthe new study are already surprisingly high, says environmental engineerSusan E. Powers of Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y.

Excerpted from Science News

A TH O U G H TFO R T H E NE W YE A R. . .

Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the p laces you can,At all the times you can,

To all the people

(and other living things) you can,

As long as ever you can.

JOHN WESLEY,

PARAPHRASED SLIGHTLY


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Killdeer

Killdeer are easily heard throughout their habitat dueto their extremely loud, piercing call, mimicking theexpression kil l-dee(r),

B i rd T a l e s . . .

B i rd T a l e s . . .

HE R E I S AB I R D F O R Y O U

T O C O L O R.

N ews & Views

NO T SO C A L MAF T E R T H E ST O R M

Hurricane Isabel paid a visit toDelmarva in late September andleft trouble in her wake. We lostsome roofing and siding on thestorm-facing end of the house.Despite our best efforts in themidst of the meteorological

maelstrom to nail things backdown, we emerged in themorning to f ind everythingreturned to Isabels preferredstate of disarray.

Morning brought the furtherdiscovery that one of our (andthe birds) favorite front-yardtrees, an Eastern Red-Cedar, hadbeen shoved rudely toward thenorthwest by the wind. Thosewho dr ive by would st i l lscarcely notice her, but in recentyears this unassuming beautyhas held in her bosom a

crabmeat tub with holespunched in the bottom to serveas a makeshift nest, beenadorned with the egg cases ofPraying Mantises, beenbedecked with Bag Worms (onlyfleetingly), and recently served

as a photographic backdrop foran obliging dragonfly.

It has taken almost two weeksfor the birds to return to our yardin their customary numbers. Inthe interim, paving blocks fromthe path in our birdfeeder areawere pressed into service totemporarily anchor a largetarpaulin to our roof and gable-end of the house, as was acircular paver that serves as the

base for our ground-levelbirdbath basin.

The storm damage is only thelatest setback in what has been adifficult year, in human terms.The avians see it differently. Inthe backyard, where the pavershad been, are the exposed lairsof worms and ants, making for

easier pickings. The birdbath isnow slightly lower, affording thebathers more privacy amidst theplantings. Next to the basin, asmall, late-season sunflowersprings into bloom as if to serveas a decorative showerhead.Meanwhile, out front, on our Leaning Tower of Cedar, thesparrows and mantises bask inthe autumn glow of theafternoon sun and tell us all iswell.

Mary Leah Christmas


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BO O K S O F IN T E R E S T

As home heating costs continue to escalate and blackouts hit sporadically, thisbook considers some cheap and ecologically friendly alternatives to electricityand gas for powering ones home. This comprehensive review of avenues ofrenewable-energy home heating helps readers determine which option is bestfor their needs. An introductory chapter dissects home heating components anddescribes the basic equipment thats available to most people. Four coresections discuss solar, geothermal, biomass, and wood sources for heat andpower. Pahl explains how to incorporate these energy sources into newconstruction plans as well as existing structures that may not always seem

conducive to such alternatives. The author offers extensive information aboutbuilding codes, safety and furnace options. He also supplies straightforwarddata about costs, drawbacks and maintenance involved in each energy option.

Science News

Natural Home Heating:

The Complete Guide to Renewable Energy Options

by Greg Pahl

Chelsea Green, 2003, 281 p.$30.

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

Its not too soon to start lookingaround for Silent Auction items. AllDelaware Audubon members are

on the auction commi ttee.

I need your help! In past years,many of you have made thisimportant and entertainingAudubon fundraiser a success.Please help by making a donationof merchandise or services for theauction. Merchants are usuallyhappy to donate a gift certificate oran item to our auction. Restaurants,theaters, concerts, movies, food,art, crafts and plants are all popular.

Be creative and donate yourparticular skills or a special guidedfield trip.

Please call Asha Iyengar and leavea message to make arrangementsfor your donations (302) 428-3959.

january-february 2004 delaware audubon society newsletter

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