march-april 2004 delaware audubon society newsletter

8/9/2019 March-April 2004 Delaware Audubon Society Newsletter

1/8

Vol. XXVI No.4March-April 2004

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

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

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

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

DE Audubon Welcomes... ........6

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

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

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

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

TBA Update..............................5

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 Journal

IN TH I S I S S U E

WA R R E N LA U D E R TO RE C E I V E 2 0 0 4

DE L AWA R E AU D U B O N CO N S E RVAT I O N AWA R D

The recipient of this years Delaware Audubon Conservation Award isWarren Lauder. Best known for his work with Bluebirds, he is a man ofmany talents. Lauder retired from DuPont in 1985, and though well into hisretirement years, he always has a project going on, according to a friend.

One such project is his interest in Chestnut trees. About 1900, the blightbegan killing the American Chestnut trees. By 1935-1940, there wasnt asingle living Chestnut tree in America. Hence Lauders pride in the fourblight-resistant Chestnut trees in his front yard. At Longwood Gardens, headded a grove of 350 Chestnut trees which are flourishing, and a few treesat the Crosslands retirement community. Another interest, antique apples,blossomed with the approach of the U.S. Bicentennial. In honor of thathistoric event, he grafted 76 varieties.

His fascination with birds and nature began during his childhood on anold farm in New York State. In those days, Lauder reminisces, most peoplebaked their own bread. Baking-powder boxes included, as a premium, l ittlecards featuring different bird species. His mother gave him the cards becausehe was the outdoor kid. He sought to find and study these birds in theirnatural habitat: from the familiar Bluebird of the farm on which he thenlived, to the exotic Scissor-tailed Flycatcher which he would see years laterin Texas. He never lost interest in searching for the birds on the cards,though the cards became well-worn and were subsequently misplaced.

Around 1960, Lauder learned his Bluebirds of chi ldhood memory werenearly extinct. I was shocked! I couldnt believe it. My favorite bird extinct!I determined right there that I was going to try every possible way to reversethe situation. Inspiration came in the form of a brief magazine article about

a man in the Adirondacks makingBluebird nest boxes.

Way back when I got started withBluebirds, very few people knew

anything about them. I got in touchwith that man up in the Adirondacks,who helped me get started. The nestbox was crude by todays standards,and Lauder was convinced there was abetter way. A sympathetic co-worker inthe DuPont engineering department,according to Lauder, told him to bring

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

N A T U R A L ST A T E

continued on page 5

DE L A W A R E

AU D U B O N


2/8

DE L AWA R E AU D U B O N

SO C I E T Y 2 0 0 3 - 2 0 0 4

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, DE 19899,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 BoardRussell W. Peterson

President Matthew DelPizzoVice President Leslie SavageSecretary Ellen WrightTreasurer Mark Martell

CONSERVATION COMMITTEES:

Environmental Advocate Grace Pierce-BeckDredging Leslie SavageProposal/policy Review Dave ChambersNest Box Projects Peggy JahnArmchair Activists Open

Adopt-a-Wetland Peggy JahnKathy Tidball

White Clay Creek Adopt-a-HighwayDorothy Miller

Important Bird Area Program Ann Rydgren

PROGRAMS COMMITTEE Open

PUBLICITY COMMITTEE

Internet Fred [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP OpenRecords Dave Brannan

EDUCATION COMMITTEE Kathy Tidball

SOCIAL COMMITTEE

Annual 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 Maud Dayton

Ruth HoldenFundraising-Silent Auction Asha IyengarFundraising-Wildlife Sanctuary Open

Fundraising-Pipi ng Plover Suite Ann Rydgren

DIRECTORS FOR SERVICE UNTIL 2004:

Fred Breukelman David Chambers


Peggy Jahn Leslie Savage


Dorothy Miller

REPRESENTATIVES

Sharon Burchenal, DoverKay Tebbens, MilfordTill Purnell, Millsboro

2

t WEB SITEhttp://www.delawareaudubon.org

t MAILING ADD RESS:Delaware Audubon Society

P.O. Box 1713

Wil mington, DE 19899

t TELEPHONE:302-428-3959

t DELAWARE AUDUBON 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,We, the board of directors of Delaware Audubon, metwith some staff members of National Audubon recently toget a better understanding of where National is going.National has, as reported, continued to cut chapter duesshare, i.e., financial support. This year we, along with all

other state chapters, were down to our last safety netpayment. National Audubon staff informed us at this meeting that thesafety net financial support wil l be extended for another year.

The meeting went pretty well but, as much as any meeting, the follow-upcommunication wil l tell if i t wi ll bear fruit. National is going throughsweeping changes with the retirement of the Chairman of the Board, DonalOBrien, replacing him with former EPA head, Carol Browner, laying off keypeople and slowing down their push for National State offices. It is doubtfulthat Delaware will need a state office.

The Take Back Audubon movement, which is being spearheaded byconcerned chapters, has had great impact. We at Delaware Audubon have

endorsed some of their message. The elections of the National Audubonboard recently had 77 proxy votes from the Delaware chapter, which isvery high. We thank those for supporting us. As far as where DelawareAudubon and National Audubon are jointly going to work on things, it is awork in progress. National has made some egregious mistakes. One thing isfor sure; Delaware Audubon will continue to fight for our fragileenvironment.

ThanksMatt DelPizzo

Editors Note: Dues share is that portion of your National Audubon dues that is returned toDelaware Audubon. Safety net is the bare minimum financial contribution, approximately

$2.00, that was to be distributed to each chapter over an original three-year period ending thisfiscal year until a new, incentive-laden distribution model was to go into effect.

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 pol icy 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: . . . . . . . . . . . .Mary Leah Christmas

Assistant Editors: . . . . . . . . . . .Ann Rydgren

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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.


3/8

3

STA RT YO U R OW N BI R D AT H O N TE A M!

Competition is running strong between the two current Birdathon

teams, but they welcome all comers. Get a couple of friendstogether and make a plan now. Contact the Co-chairs forsuggestions.

Ruth Holden and her daughter, Maud Dayton, are the co-chairsfor Birdathon 2004. They have contributed thousands of dollars tothe Birdathon over the past three years. The key, Ruth says, isto get your friends and neighbors involved. Ten- and twenty-five-cent pledges per species add up to big bucks. You dont needmany species if they are worth five or ten dollars each.

For information on how to start your own team, leave a message at302-428-3959 and Ruth will give you a call. n

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

VO L U N T E E R

OP 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 BIRDSEEDMarketing Manager for ourfundraising birdseed sale inOctober. We need more

customers. One month a year.

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

V WILDFLOWER LOVERWildflower enthusiast needed forspecial area in Dover.

WHAT YOU CAN DO!

Please call 302-428-3959 andleave a message if you areinterested in helping.

Volunt eers

Make It

Happen!

Q: Remote-controlled Rallidae?A: Clapper Rail

Q: Famous avian team of moviereviewers?

A: Roger Egret and Gene Siskin

HA P P Y AP R I L F O O LS DAY!

AN N U A L D I N N E R A N D SI L E N T AU C T I O N

ITS OUR 28TH ANNIVERSARY!The annual dinner of the Delaware Audubon Society wil l be held on Monday,May 10, 2004, at the Delcastle Inn, off McKennans Church Road at DuncanRoad. Social hour and Silent Auction viewing will begin at 6:00 pm with dinnerat 7:00 pm. Justin Catanoso will be the guest speaker (see article on page 6).Invitations wi ll be sent to all who receive the Audubon Journal. Meal selectionscan be made in reply.

ITS TIME TO MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE SILENT AUCTION

Help us celebrate our 28th anniversary! Be creative and donate your particularskills or a special guided field trip. Please call Asha Iyengar, 302-428-3959, tomake arrangements for your Silent Auction donation. n

P reserve Our N atural State

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


4/8

4M A R C H

13 6:30 am SaturdayDelmarva OrnithologicalSociety, Thousand AcreMarsh. Half day.Meet at Veterans Park inDelaware City.John Janowski,302-834-9710.

20 8:00 am SaturdayDelmarva OrnithologicalSociety, Gulls. Meet at FoxPoint State Park. Half day.Mike Smith, 302-478-5918.

A P R I L

17 8:30 am Saturday

Adopt-A-Highway.Pick-up on Creek Road.Meet at the Hopkins Road

parking lot at the VisitorCenter at 8:30 am. Bringyour own gloves and dressappropriately. Call DorothyMil ler, 302-366-8059 & lether know you will be there.

17 8:30 am Saturday

7th Annual ChristinaWatershed Clean-up(White Clay Creek).Meet at the Hopkins Roadparking lot at the Visitor

Center. Call Dorothy Miller,302-366-8059 & let herknow you will be there.

24 6:00 am Saturday

Delmarva OrnithologicalSociety, Spring Migrants,Nanticoke Watershed. Allday. Meet at Boyds cornerPark & Ride, Rtes 13 and301. Matt Homberg,610-444-4738.

M AY

1-31Delaware AudubonBirdathon.

8 Saturday

Delmarva OrnithologicalSociety Spring Count andInternational Migratory BirdDay. John Janowski,302-834-9710.

10 6:00 pm Monday

Our 28th Year!Annual Dinner and SilentAuction, Delcastle Inn offMcKennans Church Road.Author Justin Catanoso wil lspeak about The Lewis andClark Expedition and theValue of Keeping Journals.

Information, 302-428-3959.

22 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Saturday

Delmarva OrnithologicalSociety Youth BirdingDelaware Shorebirds &informal Horseshoe Crabsurvey. Donald Ohlandt,DOS Field Trip Chair,302-998-3247.RSVP by May 19.

Do you have a topicsuggestion for an Audubonsponsored program?

Send your topic idea, name,zip code and daytime phonenumber to:[email protected]

Be sure to include ProgramTopic in the Subject line.

Have a joke or briefanecdote of interest toDelaware Audubonmembers?

Send your submissions [email protected] possible use in a futureissue of the Journal.Be sure to include Jokes &Anecdotes in the Subjectline.

BI R D AT H O N 0 4

MAY 1 - MAY 3 1

Support the team of your choice!

Team I: Ruth Holden and Maud

Dayton, mother and daughter,all-time champions for collectingthe most money with the leastnumber of species. A sure winneragain this year.

Team II: Ann Rydgren heads up agroup of expert birders includingDorothy Mi ller, Peggy Jahn andAndy Urquhart, but their pledgenumbers are dismal. Please helpthem out.

Let these people know you

appreciate their efforts! Theyspend all day out in the fieldslogging around in any kind ofweather to help maintainDelaware Audubon projects.

Mail a check or pledge, alongwith the form below, to:Birdathon, 99 Emerald RidgeDrive, Bear, DE 19701

C O U N T ME IN!

Id like to pledgeq $.25 q $.50 q $1.00per species to support

Audubon and

q Team I q Team IIId l ike to contribute

a lump sum of $_____________

to support Audubon and:

q Team q Team IIName:

___________________________

Address:

___________________________

___________________________

Phone:

___________________________

Q: Species of Picidae touched by an angel?A: Roma Downy Woodpecker

Q: Species of Hirundinidae on Saturday Night Live?A: Purple Martin Short

HA P P Y AP R I L F O O LS DAY!

"


5/8

SI 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 to usat [email protected].

Magic Bird Cards. A nice set of magic cards forchildren, students, adults and their grandchildren

to use online to test your knowledge of the birds.

http://www.yankeegardener.com/birds/flashcar.htm

5

N ews & Views

it in and lets see what we can do toimprove itso we did! Almost 43years later, Lauder is still findingways to make improvements.

Peggy Jahn, Delaware AudubonsNest BoxProjectChair,can attestto theefficacyof

Laudersdesign,which hasprovenitself time

and again under field condi tions.Peggy Jahns husband, Fred, firstmet Warren Lauder back in theirDuPont days. When the Jahns livedin Maine, they placed a stack ofLauders instruction sheets at thepublic library there. The planswent li ke hotcakes, says Peggy

Jahn, so Lauders nest box has apresence in the Northeast. Knownlocations, in fact, criss-cross thecontinent: In the U.S. from Maine toCali fornia; in Canada from NovaScotia to as far as Alberta; and fromHudson Bay down to the AmericanSouthwest.

Frances Hamilton, anotherassociate, worked as a reporter andeditor at the Wilmington paper for27 years, and for 32 years had acolumn there. A resident of Chester

County since 1967, Hamilton haswritten from time to time aboutLauder in her weekly column for theAvon Grove Sun, resulting inthousands of requests for nest-boxplans. Apart from such localpublicity, Lauders efforts have alsobeen recognized on a national levelin Audubon magazine and in agardening magazine.

Over the past thirty years, WarrenLauder has given hundreds of

Laudercontinued from page 1

lectures and helped maintain anumber of Bluebird trails in an effortto move the Bluebirds safely awayfrom that awful brink of extinction.He has done the very thingbyheeding the gentle call of theBluebird and answering with a lifeof service. vvvThe annual dinner of the DelawareAudubon Society will be held onMonday, May 10, 2004, at the

Delcastle Inn, off McKennansChurch Road at Duncan Road.Social hour and Silent Auctionviewing wil l begin at 6:00 pm withdinner at 7:00 pm. Justin Catanosowill be the guest speaker. Invitationswill be sent to all who receive theAudubon Journal. Meal selectionscan be made in reply.

Past recipients of the DelawareAudubon Society ConservationAward are Peggy Jahn, Lynne Frink,Gwynne Smith, Rick West, Jacob

Kreshtool, Til Purnell, Don Sharpe,Barbara Lundberg, Leah Roedel,Ruth Ann Minner, Joseph Biden,Winston Wayne, Russell Peterson,Grace Pierce-Beck, Dorothy Mi ller,Edward W. Cooch, Jr., LynnWilliams, Thomas Sharp, AnnRydgren and Albert Matlack.

UP D AT E . . .

TA K E BA C K AU D U B O N

FA L L S SH O RT IN

NAT I O N A L AU D U B O N

SO C I E T Y PR O X Y C H A L L E N G E

Although Take Back Audubon (TBA)carried over 3,200 proxies to theAnnual Meeting of Members onDecember 6th, 2003, in Erlanger,Kentucky, newly-appointed

Chairman of the Board CarolBrowner and CEO John Flickerpossessed 37,000 proxies.

The TBA group agreed with CarolBrowners suggestion to refer currentversions of the five resolutionsproposed by TBA to the appropriatecommittees, rather than force an up-or-down proxy vote on each onewith no hope of success. Themotion for referral, with a guaranteeof regular status reports, passed

unanimously.

Reported by Darrel Whipple, TBAcandidate for the NAS Board, 2003.

To read Darrel Whipples completereport, please go to our web page,www.delawareaudubon.org.


6/8

6

N ews & Views

EL L E N WR I G H T S

BA C K YA R D W I L D L I F E

I am very fortunate to have twoneighbors that provide housing forPurple Martins. One neighbor has aPurple Martin house and the otherneighbor has many gourds for them.The housing should be painted whiteto reflect the heat. Gourds arepreferred housing because theswinging discourages starlings andsparrows from nesting in them andthey provide lots of room for the

Purple Martins.East of the Rocky Mountains these

birds are almost entirely dependenton us to provide them with housing.The Purple Martin spends its wintersin the Amazon River basin and as farsouth as Sao Paulo, Brazil. Thesebirds return to our area on the samedate almost every year. Their housingshould be available mid-March butshould be closed until you see themarrive. They begin nesting when theweather warms and more insects are

available to feed their young.It is so much fun for me to watch

these beautiful birds fly through the aireating insects. Their diet consistsentirely of flying insects. They visit myproperty frequently since my horsesattract flies. They have laid eggs bylate June/early July. The young areconstantly attended to until they arefledged. By August 20th most of themhave left our area beginning theirjourney back to their winter habitats.

D e l a w a re Aud ub on We l c o m e s . . .

Tell us about yourself! Whether you are a new or longtimeDelaware Audubon member, let us hear from you!

Send YOUR answers to the questions below to [email protected] forpossible use in a future issue of the Journal. Be sure to include DelawareAudubon Welcomes in the Subject l ine.

Name: Mary Leah Christmas

County of Residence: Kent

Delaware Audubon member since: 2002

Occupation: Freelance writer/editor with a background in book publ ishing

Current reading: Re-reading Walden after 25 years

Hobbies: Backyard bird watching, reading (non-fiction), photography

My environmental concerns: People need to be considerate of the living thingswith which they have been entrusted.

My philosophy is best described as: Part Emerson, part St. Francis,part Dave Barry

Earliest nature interest: As a toddler, I was fascinated by the Pigeons at30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Had the pleasure of visiting them againin 2002. Whaddaya know, theyre still there!

Most satisfying birding or nature moment: Stalking the Pileated Woodpeckerbut seeing a Brown Creeper. After all, which is more meaningful: Finding thebird you set out to see, or discovering one you didnt?

NO M I N AT I O N S F O RT H E YE A R 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5

President - Leslie SavageVice-president - VacantTreasurer - Mark MartellSecretary - Ellen Wright

Directors for service unti l 2007

John KnoxTom ShueyFred Breukelman

JU S T I N CATA N O S O AN N U A L D I N N E R SP E A K E R

Justin Catanoso will speak at Delaware Audubons annual dinner on thetopic of The Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Value of Keeping Journals.Catanoso started keeping a journal in the fifth grade in Cape May County, NJ,and the discipline has been the foundation of his successful journalism career.

While on a trip to Montana with a group of friends, following in the footsteps ofLewis and Clark, Catanoso discovered on a personal level the importance ofjournals. Retracing the paddle strokes of one of Americas great journal-keepersMeriwether LewisI realized why I keep one. Come hear what itwas that Catanoso discovered when he makes his presentation to DelawareAudubon.

Catanoso is executive editor of The Business Journal of Greensboro, NorthCarolina. He is also a visiting lecturer in journalism at Wake Forest University.Catanoso has appeared on TV and radio and has written for such publicationsasBusinessWeek, Ladies Home Journal, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Hisgroundbreaking series of articles in 1994 about the tobacco industry, for theGreensboro News & Record, were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.


7/8

7

The Eastern Bluebird breeds successfully in manynestboxes in Delaware.

For more information and a color picture of this bird,go to our website www.delawareaudubon.org.

B i rd T a l e s . . .

B i rd T a l e s . . .

HE R E I S A B I R D F O R

Y O U T O C O L O R.

N ews & Views

This shall lay to rest the sagaof my immature hawkidentification or should thatbe identification of immaturehawks? (Though, as they say, ifthe shoe fits....)

First, we thought we had aCoopers visit the yard. Then aSharp-shinned. Then possiblyboth. Peterson states, It can bevery tricky separating small maleCoopers Hawks from the largefemale Sharp-shins. Nokidding. So I hesitantly markedone each on our yard list andresolved to do better.

When another fellow landed,rather large, with a noticeable

eyebrow, we thought Goshawk.The immature Goshawks lonefield-mark, flagged on the color

plate, is that eyebrow. Caseclosed. Or was it?Petersonwarns, Identification by size isnot always reliable, as youngCoopers may be almost as largeas a Goshawk. Sure enough,the Coopers has a hint of

eyebrow. Then we turned thepage.

One plate away from thegloating accipiter triumvirate ofSharp-shinned, Coopers, andGoshawk lurk the buteos, withthe immature Red-tailed andRed-shouldered Hawks alsosporting The Look. Peterson saysof buteos, There is considerablevariation in individuals.... BirdStudies at Old Cape May

seconds the motion, cautioningabout the red-monikered chaps:It is no easy matter to

distinguish between theimmature birds of the twospecies.

What is the beginning birder todo? Absolution comes from therenowned David Al len Sibley:

Distinguishing one accipiterspecies from another...can bevery diffi cult.... Sightings ofaccipiters are often very distantor very brief, and many birdsmust go unidentified. Withthose words may you bird inpeace.

Mary Leah Christmas

TH E F I N A L W O R D

O N IM M AT U R E HAW K ID E N T I F I C AT I O N


8/8

AN N U A L DI N N E RA N D SI L E N T AU C T I O N

I TS O U R 2 8 T HAN N I V E R S A RY!

The annual dinner of the Delaware

Audubon Society will be held onMonday, May 10, 2004, at theDelcastle Inn, off McKennansChurch Road at Duncan Road.Social hour and Silent Auctionviewing wil l begin at 6:00 pm withdinner at 7:00 pm. Justin Catanosowill be the guest speaker.Invitations will be sent to all whoreceive the Audubon Journal. Mealselections can be made in reply.

I T S T I M E T O

M A K E Y O U RC O N T R I B U T I O N T O

T H E S I L E N T AU C T I O N

Help us celebrate our 28thanniversary! Be creative and donateyour particular skills or a specialguided field trip. Please call AshaIyengar, 302-428-3959, to makearrangements for your SilentAuction donation.

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

8

Being blind, deaf and spineless, earthworms would seem to lack the

tools to be high-impact players in life on Earth. Yet these creatures arepivotal for their role in cleaning and enriching the soil that sustainsvirtuall y every other animal on the planet. This point was not lost onCharles Darwin, who spent the last few years of his life studyingearthworms. Stewart shares Darwins fascination. She is an amateuroligochaetologist who keeps some 10,000 earthworms in acomposting bin on her porch and has documented almost everyworm-world activity. Blending her own observations with those ofDarwin and his contemporaries, she offers a fascinating look at a trulyunsung creature.

Science News

The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms

by Amy Stewart, Algonquin, 2004, 223 p., $23.95

TH A N K S F O R SU P P O RT I N G

DE L AWA R E AU D U B O N

A special THANK YOU to all who responded to Delaware

Audubons Annual Appeal. Your generous support will benefit

Delaware by enabling us to make a positive contribution toward

preserving the environmental health and natural beauty of our State.

march-april 2004 delaware audubon society newsletter

Documents