FIELD TRIPS

WEST VOLUSIA AUDUBON SOCIETY, INC., DELAND, FLORIDA
VOL. 46, NO. 3
November, 2013
A Chapter of Audubon of Florida and National Audubon Society
West Volusia Audubon is Committed to Ongoing Stewardship and Enjoyment of the Natural World
FIELD TRIPS
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Nov 16 (Sat) LAKE APOPKA
This is an hour’s drive, so we’ll carpool. Meet at the
Deland Post Office car park in the corner by the gas
station at 8.00 am. For this all day trip you’ll need
food and water. It’s fine to leave early. We will be
looking for wildfowl, birds of prey, flycatchers,
warblers and sparrows. Apopka suffered badly from
the drought and although there was rain this last
summer the vegetation is so thick that in many areas
the water cannot be seen! Last year 85 species
appeared a target to beat. A contingent from Southeast Volusia Audubon may join us, a welcome
development. If you have any questions please call
Harry Robinson, 386-943-8342.
Cyndy Barrow, Sara Lynn Taylor and I attended the
Audubon Assembly at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor
and enjoyed that lovely resort with lots of wildlife including
Fox Squirrels, raccoons, & Roseate Spoonbills. It was seeing
other Audubon friends and exchanging ideas. There were
about 250 members in attendance.
Dec 4 (Wed) Merritt Island National Wildlife
Refuge
This field trip will last until mid afternoon, but
participants are free to leave earlier. For carpool
caravan, meet at the NE corner of the parking lot on
East New York. Please arrive in sufficient time for us
to depart by 8:00 AM. If you will be driving to
Merritt Island NWR on your own, call me, in advance,
for instructions on meeting up at the refuge. Bring the
usual supplies plus food and water.
Mosquito
repellant is recommended in case we walk on the
Hammock Trail. Senior Pass (62 years old +), as there
are two fee areas. Eli Schaperow, 407-314-7965 or
[email protected]
Dec 21 (Sat) Christmas Bird Count
We will spend the day in groups counting every bird
possible in a 15 mile circle centered on the junction of
Woodland and Plymouth. You do not have to know a
lot about bird identification to join us. It’s a great way
for beginners to learn more about birds and the local
area. The leader of your group will give you full
details. If you want to join in, please contact me 386943-8342 or [email protected]. At 6.00 pm,
all meet at the Garden Club for a catered dinner
provided by the WVAS and the final tally for 2013.
Harry Robinson
Harry Robinson 386-943-8342
Audubon Assembly Photo Opportunity –
Photo by Arnette Sherman
The workshop Boots on the Ground for Citizen Science
talked about monitoring Scrub Jays, Bald Eagles, Reddish
Egrets, etc. and how important the data is that we collect at
the Christmas Bird Count and the Great Backyard Bird
Count. Another workshop we enjoyed was “Make Me Care:
Storytelling for Conservation” where we learned the
importance of our stories to make our point.
Our 2014 Conservation Priorities were decided on by
Audubon Florida with input from our 44 chapters. We need
to be alert to what is happening that relates to conservation
and the environment.
I want to welcome Carol Grigas and Vivian Taylor as Cohospitality Chairs. Carol is also helping out with the
newsletter as Will Hobson is very busy with his new teaching
job. Congratulations Will! I want to thank him for all he
does for our group. Get involved with WVAS by joining a
committee. You’ll make new friends, learn a lot, and have
fun, too.
Our major fundraiser, the WVAS’s annual Silent & Live
Auction, will be at 7:00 on Tuesday, November 26, at the
Garden Club of Deland. Items are still needed! If you know
of a business that might like to make a donation, please
contact me at 386-734-5840 or [email protected]. Bring
your friends to make it a success and a nice item to donate or
a baked goodie to share.
The Whooping Cranes are on their way from Wisconsin to
Florida following the plane they think is Mom. Follow them
at www.operationmigration.org. See you at our next outing
or at the Silent & Live Auction!
Arnette Sherman, Co-president
www.westvolusiaaudubon.org
YOU ARE INVITED! We will have wine & snacks
Make it, Bake it, Grow It
Silent & Live Auction
DATE: Tuesday, November 26th, 2013
TIME: Starts at 7pm – Arrive early
at 6:30pm to view items
PLACE: Garden Club of Deland
865 South Alabama Avenue
Merchant Gift Certificates & Baskets – Wildlife Art & Photography – Plants Gourmet Cakes & Home Baked Goodies – Unusual Gift Items Proceeds will benefit Wildlife Rescue &Gopher Tortoise Rehab
October Expeditions
THE FALL MIGRATION COUNT RESULTS
In the last newsletter I gave you some idea as to
what I saw on this count. Arnette was away
attending a wedding and David Stock was just
missing. This was a great pity as the count was
interesting. We have changed the date of the count
from September to October to better suit this area
and this is giving us a different set of birds to find.
We are very lucky in that the late John Eggert
kept copies of the West Volusia counts back to
2005 which is something I think the other
chapters did not do. This means that we have a
history to which we can compare future counts.
We will be able to see just how much better
October is to September and April is to May. In
due course with a few years under our belts the
data will go to ebird. Hopefully we will have
birders from east Volusia who will come and help
us.
The weather was too good on count day which
meant that there was no fall out. Now that is good
for the birds but not for us. In all we had 3432
birds of 91 species. A total of 197 Blue-winged
Teal in a series of flocks flew south up the
St.Johns River in the early morning. Ospreys were
scarce as only six seen. Ralph Risch found a
Burrowing Owl in his area. There were two
migrant birds of prey a Broad-winged Hawk and
two Merlin’s.
Gemini Springs Field Trip
On October 23, eight of us participated in a field trip at
Gemini Springs County Park, DeBary. Our purpose
was to identify migrating birds, especially warblers.
And as always, enjoy seeing all of our fine feathered
friends.
We met at the parking lot of Lake Monroe County
Park, by the St. John's River, and after canvassing that
area, began walking along the wooded bike trail that
leads into Gemini Springs. The weather was absolutely
beautiful – a light breeze and comfortable temperature.
At first, it looked like slim pickings, and we were all
wondering when we'd find our target birds.
Male Pine Warbler, Gemini Springs – Eli Schaperow
By the time we were complete, we identified 30
species. Of them, 6 were migratory. Heading South:
Chimney Swift. Arriving from the North: Eastern
Phoebe, Gray Catbird, Black-throated Blue Warbler,
Pine Warbler and Palm Warbler.
There were 36 Red-headed Woodpeckers and a
Hairy Woodpecker. Eli found a Western Kingbird
in Deltona. There were three Swainson’s
Thrushes; I expect that in future years we will
tally other species. Warblers were scarce because
of the weather but eight American Redstarts, three
Yellow-throated and a Yellow Warbler were seen.
American White Pelicans, Gemini Springs – Eli Schaperow
The following took part in the
Barrow, Randall Evanson, Janet
Parrillo, Lynn Peterson, Ralph
Robinson, Eli Schaperow and Sara
you all for helping.
Harry Robinson
count: Cyndy
Marks, Sylva
Risch, Harry
Taylor. Thank
Note: Of the birds, now, arriving from the North,
a portion isn’t actually coming from so far away.
Should you travel to the mountains (TN, NC, Va.
etc.) during the summer, you will find some of
them. Eli Schaperow
MORE WVAS NEWS
Space Florida/Shiloh Project –
EIS Comment Training
Space Florida proposes to build a private space launch
facility on 100 to 200 acres of the Merritt Island
Wildlife Refuge. The Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) is developing an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the proposed project. A consultant
has been selected, and a scoping meeting will probably
be scheduled early next year.
In response to concerns over the impact of this
proposed project on the environment and the historic
resources found in the vicinity of Shiloh, a broad
coalition of concerned groups has formed. West
Volusia Audubon and UCF’s Walter and Betty
Boardman Foundation invited Dave Hankla, the retired
Field Supervisor for the Fish and Wildlife Service’s
Jacksonville Field Office, to lead a training session on
“How to Effectively Comment on an Environmental
Impact Statement.”
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
MARJORIE BYRON
MARY BAUER
HAROLD WEST
ELAINE DELANEY
NORMA BOCK
CORYNNE PHIPPS
GERALDINE BARR
ANN DIXON
AGNES STANBURY
ELAINE WAIDELICH
DENNIS DELMAN
BARBARA PETERSON
CECIL CUMMINGS
LOLA SPENCE-THOMAS
DEAN MAIR
BETH CUSHING
BILL WILSON
CAROLE MARTIN
JESUS BERNAL
RITA BOURHENNA
DAVID RAUSCHENBERGER
LINDA DECKER
MATTHEW LIND
GERRY MEDLINE
JULIAN FRANK
SHIRLEY BLOOM
CLAIRE PALERMO
LINDA HANNON
SANDRA BUNIN
W LOUCK
BEVERLY STRYKER
CHRISTINE JOLY
JOHN LANG
Florida's Water and Land Legacy Update
As of November 8, 2013, aided by paid workers and
volunteers, 707,128 petitions were collected toward the 910,000
target. Volunteers have collected 213,235 toward their 250,000
quota. Less than 20 days campaign days remain. PLEASE try
to get any new signed petitions you possibly can, and bring in
all that you have to our WVAS Auction on Tuesday, November
26th. Since Thanksgiving is November 28, and you are sharing
the day with Florida family and friends, PLEASE tell them the
importance of getting these last signatures which might help
Florida's Water and Land Legacy meet their target.
If you have signed petitions to return, please contact either me
or Lynn Peterson and we will pick them up. November 30th is
our cutoff date and all outstanding petitions must be returned
ASAP. It is so necessary to get this Constitutional Amendment
on the November 2014 ballot. We are so close to meeting our
goal, let's give it our all. Thanks for all the help you have given
to this commitment during the last year!
Janet Marks
WVAS Officers
Season’s first Pine Warbler, Gemini Springs –
Photo by Eli Schaperow
The EIS process is not a vote or a popularity contest.
The reviewing agency will be looking for facts related
to the impact of the project on the environmental,
social, and cultural resources of the area. To be certain
that our issues are addressed, we must participate,
starting with the scoping meeting.
If you would like a copy of the training manual for the
workshop, or you would like to help with the review of
the documents, please email me [email protected].
I will send out periodic updates as this project
develops. Stephen Kintner, Conservation Chair
Co-President: Arnette Sherman, [email protected]
Co-President: Harry Robinson, [email protected]
Vice President for Conservation: Stephen Kintner,
[email protected]
Vice President for Programs: Janet Marks,
[email protected]
Secretary: Will Hobson, [email protected]
Treasurer: Lynn Peterson, [email protected]
WVAS Committee Chairs
Education: Donna Reynolds, [email protected]
Hospitality: Carol Grigas, [email protected]; Vivian
Taylor, [email protected]
Newsletter: Carol Grigas, [email protected]
Membership: Cyndy Barrow, [email protected]
Field Trips: Eli Schaperow, [email protected]; Sylva
Parrillo, [email protected]
Publicity/Historian: Deb O’Reilly, [email protected]
Ways&Means: ViviennePowis, [email protected]