September/October 2010 - Coastal Bend Audubon Society

September/October 2010
The
Brown Pelican
The Newsletter of the Coastal Bend Audubon Society
On the Web at http://www.coastalbendaudubon.org
BIG DAY is Coming! Oct. 23
Monthly Meetings
Support your chapter, have fun
BIG DAY, the CBAS annual fundraiser, combines a celebration of birding with enjoyment of the great outdoors. Participants form teams of three to five people and
count bird species. Birding teams can go anywhere within the Coastal Bend and bird
for as long as they like. Novices are welcome. If you do not have a team, you can be
placed on one.
The event wraps up with a
banquet and silent auction
held at the Harte Research
Institute at 5 p.m. Proceeds from this event allow CBAS to continue our
monthly speaker programs, newsletters and
educational programs.
Tuesday, Sept. 7
Speaker: Terry Palmer, Harte Research Institute
Topic: Human impact on Antarctica ’ s environment (see p. 2)
Tuesday, Oct. 5
Speaker: Jace Tunnell & Jake Herring, Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries
Topic: Management of freshwater
inflows into Nueces Bay and Nueces
Delta (see p. 2)
Location:
Corpus Christi Museum of Science
and History.
1900 N. Chaparral
Corpus Christi, TX
More information and the
registration form are on
page 6 and on the CBAS
website.
Time: 7 p.m.
All members and the public are
Proposed Reintroduction of Whooping Cranes
invited!
Monthly Meetings are held on the first
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment on a proposed
rule to reintroduce the endangered whooping crane into habitat in its historic
range on the state-owned White Lake Wetland Conservation Area in Vermilion
Parish, Louisiana.
The Service and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will attempt to establish a non-migratory flock that lives and breeds in the wetlands,
marshes and prairies of southwestern Louisiana. If this proposal is approved, the
reintroduction effort could begin during early 2011.
The reintroduction is being proposed as part of an ongoing recovery effort for
this highly imperiled species, which was on the
See REINTRODUCTION p. 5
Tuesday of the month
at 7 p.m.
Gulf Bird Habitat
Upcoming Programs
In July, the American Bird
Conservancy (ABC) conducted a week-long field assessment of oil impacts on
birds and cleanup operations
Black skimmers by Ralph Wright,
on the Gulf Coast after the
American Bird Conservancy files
Deepwater Horizon oil spill in
the Gulf of Mexico. ABC reported that some oil spill cleanup efforts were harming
birds and their habitats rather than helping them, that
cleanup vessels were inadequate and operating in the
wrong locations, and that deployed boom has failed to
protect some important bird colonies from oil.
Sept. 7 - Terry Palmer, Harte Research Institute
Human impacts on Antarctica
ABC made recommendations about how birds and their
habitats could be better protected. The full report and
photos are available at www.abcbirds.org under news and
reports.
“Restoration needs to start as soon as major coastal oiling
has been effectively addressed. The Gulf doesn’t have the
decades it took to resolve the legal wrangling that followed the Exxon Valdez spill. The hydrology of the Mississippi Delta and the surrounding area is already facing
dire threats from climate change, erosion, and hurricanes.
Let’s not repeat the same mistakes we made in Alaska
twenty years ago,” said ABC Vice President Mike Parr.
Palmer’s presentation will introduce you to life in an extremely cold place and show how humans interact with
this unique environment. McMurdo Station, a U.S. research station in Antarctica, dates back to 1902 when
British explorer Robert Falcon Scott first established a
base nearby. The history of the station is filled with heroic
stories of exploration, advances in scientific knowledge
and unfortunately the consequent environmental degradation associated with human habitation. For the past ten
years, Palmer has been conducting research on the extent
of localized contamination and its effects on the
marine fauna.
Oct. 5 - Jace Tunnell & Jake Herring,
Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program (CBBEP)
Freshwater inflows into Nueces Bay
Nueces Delta Preserve
Tunnell, a project manager with CBBEP, will discuss
freshwater inflows into Nueces Bay and the Nueces
Delta, management strategies and studies, and possible
future changes. His focus is on water quality, freshwater
inflows, and on projects that protect and restore sensitive
habitat and living resources
in Coastal Bend. Tunnell is
leading an effort that
will result in the development and implementation of
an ecosystem-based management plan for the Corpus
Christi/Nueces Bay system.
Oil soaked boom washed ashore
Boom that has done its job soaking up oil, but now is stranded on a portion of beach at the Breton
Island National Wildlife Refuge. It will be a hazard to wildlife until removed.
Herring is also a project
manager with CBBEP. His
work includes the implementation of human use projects, land acquisition, and
land management efforts at
CBBEP.
He will discuss the Nueces
Delta Preserve: the purpose
and scope of acquisitions, habitat management efforts,
(fire, wetlands, invasive control) and a brief overview of
our education program at the Nueces Delta Preserve.
Page 2
Ways to Get Involved
Rookery Island Cleanup: Oct. 30
Mark your calendar
October 30 is the 4th Annual Upper Laguna Madre Rookery Island Cleanup. Discarded or lost fishing line often
makes its way to these shores where it can spell death for
adults and chicks when it entangles them. Agencies, nonprofit partners and scores of dedicated volunteers will
work together to remove debris from the shores of the
many small islands in the Upper Laguna Madre where
local colonial waterbirds nest. This cleanup effort substantially helps conserve local bird populations. If you’d
like to volunteer, please contact Clare Lee
([email protected]), to be assigned to one of the volunteer boats. This effort is sponsored by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Audubon Texas, and the Coastal Bend Bays
& Estuaries Program.
See the beautiful Laguna Madre by boat while helping
conserve birds, afterwards you will be treated to a hot
dog lunch at Padre Isles Yacht Club.
These Plants are For the Birds
Tired of pulling up all those little seedlings from native
plants you’ve planted in your yard? Put them to use, for
the birds and for the club. The CBAS board will be potting seedlings from their yards as well as planting seeds
of native wildlife-friendly plants to be sold in a plant sale
in the spring. This is a great way for members to help our
chapter continue to “grow.” If you would like to raise
plants for sale, please contact Sally Bickley
([email protected]) to let her know what you are
growing and if you need pots and/or soil to get your
plants started.
Red Knot Look Out
Red knots – one of the western hemisphere’s great shorebirds – are once again on their way south. They are stopping on area beaches and molting into basic plumage.
Last fall, several CBAS members assisted a team of researchers who are studying the Red Knots' use of the
Texas coast. We trapped and attached leg flags to more
than 100 birds in the fall and spring, and put on geolocators on about 25 of them.
You can help by searching area beaches and recording the
three-digit code on leg flags of marked birds, and reporting those at www.bandedbirds.org. And if you see a bird
with a yellow geolocator attached to the other leg,
PLEASE contact David Newstead at
[email protected] as soon as possible so the data can
be retrieved.
Help Wanted
CBAS is in need of a field trip coordinator and a
secretary. Please contact David Newstead, president, at
[email protected] or another CBAS officer for
more information.
Auction Items Needed
Please contact Rosalie Rossi at [email protected] if
you have appropriate items for the BIG DAY silent auction. Ideas or leads for items are also welcome.
Page 3
South Texas Birding on TV
Tune in to KIII TV 3 News First Edition on the second
Saturday of each month to hear the latest on birds and
conservation. On Sept. 11, guest Dr. Marc Woodin will
discuss curlews. The segment “South Texas Birding” airs
around 7:15 a.m. and has featured many local experts including David Newstead, Gene Blacklock, Phyllis
Yochem, Larry Jordon, Tom Langsheid and Tony Amos.
Segments from the past two years can be viewed at
www.kiiitv.com; search “South Texas Birding.”
If you would like to be a guest or to hear a particular topic
discussed please contact Linda Fuiman at
[email protected] or 361-749-6806. This
segment is co-produced by the Coastal Bend Audubon
Society and the University of Texas Marine Science
Institute in conjunction with KIII TV News.
We’re the Birdiest
Nueces County was named the Birdiest Coastal County
with 262 different species of birds recorded during a competition conducted April 24-26 of this year. For the 8th
year in a row, Corpus Christi, was “America’s Birdiest
City” in the Largest Coastal City Division, with 243 different species of birds counted. The City of Port Aransas
came in first place in the Small Coastal City Division,
with 208 species counted.
Volunteers from the birding community counted bird species and reported their results to the Dauphin Island
Audubon Bird Sanctuary in Alabama, which coordinates
the competition. This was the second year that Port Aransas competed.
Local Birding Classes
Acclaimed birder and naturalist
Gene Blacklock will be teaching a
series of 12 birding classes on Monday evenings beginning Sept. 20 at
the South Texas Botanical Gardens. The cost is $175 for
members of the Botanical Gardens and $200 for nonmembers (which includes membership). For more information
contact the Center at 361-852-2100.
WHAT’S UP AROUND TEXAS
HUMMERBIRD CELEBRATION
Sept. 16-19
Rockport
Speakers and programs, outdoor exhibits, a banding site,
nature related booths, Hummer Home visits, birding boat
excursions, guided field trips.
Contact: Rockport/Fulton Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 800-242-0071
Website: http://www.rockporthummingbird.com/
BIRDING ON THE BOARDWALK
Every Wednesday
9 a.m. Free
Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, Port Aransas
Guided bird walks with local expert.
Phone: 361-749-5919
Website: http://www.cityofportaransas.org/
Leonabelle_Turnbull_Birding_Center.cfm
WETLANDS EDUCATION CENTER TOURS
Every Tuesday and Thursday. 10 a.m. Free
University of Texas Marine Science Institute,
Port Aransas.
Guided tours in which visitors learn about the ecological
and economic importance of coastal wetlands and how
plants and animals adapt to life in the salt marsh and sand
dune environments.
Phone: 361-749-6832
Website: www.utmsi.utexas.edu/outreach/wetlandseducation-center.html
BEGINNERS’ BIRD WALK
Free
Sept. 11
8:00 a.m.
Judson Nature Trails in Olmos Park (San Antonio area)
An approximately two-hour introduction to the local
birds for beginners and newcomers. Binoculars available.
See more field trip options on the San Antonio Audubon
Society’s website.
Contact: Georgina Schwartz (210-342-2073) or
Phone: 210-308-6788
Website: www.saaudubon.org/field.html
BIRD BANDING AT THE SANCTUARY
Third Saturday of each month
8 a.m.–noon
Free
Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, Lake Jackson
See and photograph your favorite birds. Join the outing
for monthly bird banding sessions.
Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza: Sept. 11 & 18
Phone: 979-480-0999
Website: www.gcbo.org
Will Gulf Oil Affect Backyard Birds?
We've seen images of oiled pelicans, plovers, and other
shorebirds and wading birds from areas affected by the
recent oil spill. Species that nest on beaches and in
coastal marshes, like plovers and terns, are being monitored by state wildlife officials. But many birds that nest
in backyards across North America winter in coastal and
marsh environments along the Gulf of Mexico. Birds
passing through the Gulf region could carry contamination with them, creating an "oil shadow" of declines in
bird reproduction hundreds of miles away from the coast.
NestWatch, a nest-monitoring database of the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology, needs birders’ help to track nesting
success. Birders are asked to especially focus on these
five backyard bird species: northern cardinal, red-winged
blackbird, barn swallow, purple martin and tree swallow.
However, NestWatch accepts data for all North American
birds.
For more information, see go to www.nestwatch.org.
Audubon Features Coastal Bend
David Newstead, CBAS President, was featured in
“Coast Guard,” an article in the August issue of Audubon
Magazine. The article highlights the invaluable work performed by Audubon's Texas coastal wardens, who protect
coastal bird habitat. The dedicated work of Emilie Payne,
a longtime Corpus Christi resident, was also described in
the article. Payne was a woman of action working to conserve the very few brown pelicans that survived the DDT
years in Texas. She led the charge by protecting the birds
from fishermen and predators.
To view the article, go to http://audubonmagazine.org/
features1007/birds.html.
REINTRODUCTION
Continued from p. 1
verge of extinction in the 1940s and even today has only
about 395 individuals in the wild (550 worldwide); none
in Louisiana. The only self-sustaining wild population of
whooping cranes migrates between Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada and
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas and, like those
in the eastern populations, remains vulnerable to extinction from continued loss of habitat or natural or manmade catastrophes.
The Service proposes the new, reintroduced, nonmigratory population of whooping cranes be designated
as a non-essential, experimental population (NEP) under
the provisions of the Endangered Species Act. This proposed designation and its implementing regulation are
developed to be more compatible with routine human activities in the reintroduction area. The designation allows
for take of whooping cranes when such take is accidental
and incidental to an otherwise lawful activity, including
agriculture practices, recreation, and hunting. The intentional take (including killing or harm) of any NEPdesignated whooping crane would still be a violation of
federal law punishable under the Endangered Species Act
and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
There are approximately 1.3 million acres of marsh, open
water, and Chenier habitat in southwestern coastal Louisiana. The cranes would be reintroduced to the White Lake
area and are not expected to be affected by the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill. Whooping cranes historically occurred
in Louisiana in both a resident, non-migratory flock and a
migratory flock that wintered in Louisiana. The proposed
release area is the location where whooping cranes were
historically documented raising young in Louisiana.
The proposed rule was announced in the Federal Register.
The Service requests that public comments and relevant
information be submitted on or before October 18, 2010.
For more information about the proposal and how to submit comments, see http://www.fws.gov/southeast.
Photo Ruben Cuevas, Jr.
Page 5
Coastal Bend Audubon Society Big Day – Oct. 23, 2010
Big Day Registration Form
Registration Fee: $25 per person; $15 for children 12 and under
Registration Fee includes a T-shirt and dinner at the Harte Research Institute
Teams – Please send all registration information together – Teams can consist of 3-5 individuals
___Check here if you need to be placed on a team
___Check here if there is room for more on your team
Team Name:__________________________________________________________________
Team Member Name
Address
Phone
Email
1. __________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Indicate the number of each size of T-shirt needed
___Child ___Small ___Medium ___Large ___XLarge
___Indicate the number of vegetarian meals required
___XXLarge
Please mail form and payment to:
CBAS Big Day
P.O. Box 3604
Corpus Christi, TX 78463
Invite a non-birding friend or family member to join a team.
Show them what fun the great outdoors and counting birds can be!
Page 6
Treasurer’s Report
by Leatrice Koch, CBAS Treasurer
June 1, 2010 - July 31, 2010
Beginning balance…………………………….$25,643.33
Income. ................................ $ 461.67
Expenses ............................... 8,226.22
Net …………………………………….……….(7,764.55)
Ending balance ................................................. $17,878.78
Less grants, donations & reserved fund. .............. 5,440.51
Election of Officers
CBAS held its annual membership meeting on July 13 at
B&Js Pizza on SPID. The following officers were elected:
David Newstead, president; Sally Bickley, vice president;
Leatrice Koch, treasurer. The position of secretary remains vacant. The board is looking for someone who
would be willing to fill this role.
Congratulations to Botanical Gardens
The South Texas Botanical Gardens has won a fruit orchard from the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation. We look
forward to seeing it. Many thanks to all the CBAS members who voted online to make it happen.
Operating fund.................................................. $12,438.27
New or Renewing Membership
Page 7
Non-Profit Org.
U. S. Postage
The Newsletter of the Coastal
Bend Audubon Society
PAID
Permit No. 1080
Corpus Christi, TX
P.O. Box 3604
Corpus Christi, Texas 78463
Phone: 361-885-6203
Email: [email protected]
http://www.coastalbendaudubon.org
Regular CBAS meetings:
First Tuesday of the month, September
through May, 7 p.m. at the CC
Museum of Science and History
The Brown Pelican
Coastal Bend Audubon Society Board of Directors
PRESIDENT
David Newstead
361-885-6203
[email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT
Sally Bickley
[email protected]
SECRETARY
vacant
TREASURER
Leatrice Koch
[email protected]
DIRECTORS
The Coastal Bend Audubon Society is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization dedicated to the conEducation
Linda Fuiman, [email protected]
servation of birds and bird habitat, and to conservation education in the Coastal Bend.
Sanctuary John Keller, [email protected]
The organization is supported by contributions
from local memberships and from the National
Audubon Society.
Conservation
Membership
Newsletter
Your CHAPTER needs you! You can help steer
the course of growth and change in our
community by working together Please contact us
at 361-885-6203 about getting involved!
Scott Large, [email protected]
Laura Cooper, [email protected]
Ellissa Cuevas, [email protected]
At-Large
Gene Blacklock, [email protected]
At-Large
Rosalie Rossi [email protected]
This newsletter is compiled, written and published every other
month. News is gathered from volunteers, contributing authors and
other sources. Please send comments, articles and photos to:
Editor Ellissa Cuevas, at [email protected]
Look for color, web-linked version of newsletter on the web at
www.coastalbendaudubon.org