UPCOMING EVENTS
Vol. 26, No 4
July-August 2015
July 12, Sunday—Lyndon Agnew Prairie Restoration. See page 4 for article and schedule.
August 2, Sunday- Field Trip to Credit Island, Nahant Marsh, and Sunderbruch Park for summer residents and possible early
shorebird migrants. Possible steep trails, but not necessary to traverse all the trails to enjoy this trip. Meet at Nahant Marsh at 7:00
a.m.
September 12, Saturday- Field Trip to Wildcat Den and surrounding area for many possible migrants. Lots of surprises on
this trip last year! This trip will meet at Buffalo Shores at 7:00 a.m. Possible steep hikes and trails, duration half day, with lunch
option at Fairport, Iowa. Please RSVP to Dick Sayles at 563-676-9616 by Thursday Sept. 10.
October 4, Sunday- Field Trip to Credit Island, Nahant Marsh and Sunderburch Park. Meet at Sunderbruch Park at 7:00 a.m.
This field trip will be the reverse of the Aug 2 trip. Last year we had some fungi surprises at Sunderbruch Park and Green Herons
at Credit Island. This trip will be half day and may include steep trails, but walking the trails is not required to enjoy this trip.
October 18, Sunday - Field Trip to Crow Creek Park in Bettendorf, Iowa. Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the north entrance by the
quarry. Duration of this trip is 3 hours, with very easy walking. Last year we had a very photogenic Barred Owl, many late migrants, and beautiful year round residents.
November 1, Sunday - Field Trip to Smith's Island Lock and Dam 14 near LeClaire, Iowa. Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Parking Lot at Lock and Dam 14 (Iowa side). Duration: 3 hours. Possible lunch option and further birding at Lost Grove Lake.
November 15, Sunday - Field Trip to Thomson Causeway in Illinois. Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Brothers Restaurant in Rapids
City, Illinois (HWY 84). This field trip highlights migrating waterfowl. Half day with optional lunch in Thomson, Ill., followed
with more birding in the surrounding area. Another of the great bird trips of the year!
If you have questions about any of the field trips, please call Dick Sayles at 563-676-9616.
Visit our redesigned web site at www.quadcityaudubon.org, and on Facebook.
All membership meetings are held at the Butterworth Center, 1105 8th Street, Moline.
No meetings in the months of June, July, and August.
The Quad City Audubon Society is a Chapter of National Audubon Society
OFFICERS
July-August 2015
Page 2
President
Dick Sayles-2016
(563) 381-2390
Vice President
Tim Murphy—2016
(309) 764-9779
Treasurer
Walt Zuurdeeg—2015
(563)324-4664
Secretary
Judy Hartley-2015
[email protected]
BOARD MEMBERS
JoAnn Whitmore-2015
(309) 797-3727
Brent Langley-2016
(309) 235-5408
Jody Millar-2016
[email protected]
Cathy Konrad-2016
(563) 332-5872
Newsletter Editor Needed
It has been truly my great pleasure to serve on the Quad City Audubon Society board and as
Mississippi Currents Editor off and on over the past 15-plus years. As a board member, I have been
a party to many important decisions concerning the direction of the club, promoting and accomplishing its mission to facilitate an appreciation for birds and protect them by preserving their natural habitat. As Newsletter Editor, I have helped communicate QCAS activities and issues to our
members. It has been my small contribution to our wild bird treasures and the environment. Now,
after several years of hemming and hawing about where we want to spend our “Golden Years” in
retirement, my wife and I have decided to build our dream home in Edwardsville, IL. With passive
solar design and solar panels, it will be our contribution to a cleaner environment.
So now Quad City Audubon is in search of a Newsletter Editor. By filling the Editor position, you can play a major role in providing information on environmental issues, QCAS field trips,
special events, and interesting topics of presentations to our members and the Quad Cities community at large. If you volunteer soon, as a special bonus you will receive, from myself, for free, a oneon-one tutorial on newsletter editing.
Please contact me or any of the other board members if you are interested in filling this critically
important position.
Brent Langley
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Conservation
Carol Rogers
(563)324-8897
Pat Carlson
(309)793-4131
Education
Jody Millar
[email protected]
Field Trips
Dick Sayles
(563) 381-2390
Membership/Website
Walt Zuurdeeg
(563)324-4664
Newsletter
Brent Langley
[email protected]
Publicity
Brent Langley
(309) 799-7192
Mississippi Currents is
published bi-monthly
by the
Quad City
Audubon Society
P.O. Box 81
Bettendorf, IA 52722
www.quadcityaudubon.org
Welcome New Members!
Quad City Audubon Society welcomes the following new National Audubon Society and local
members, and those who have recently transferred into our area. All QCAS members receive this bi
-monthly newsletter, and you can also find information about our club and its activities at
www.quadcityaudubon.org. We look forward to seeing you at our General Membership meetings,
on a birding field trip, or at a Christmas or Spring Bird Count. You are also encouraged to attend
our board meetings, on the first Wednesday of each month, at 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room of the
LaZ Boy store at 4775 Elmore Avenue, Davenport. As a board member or volunteer at special
events such as Bald Eagle Days, you can make an invaluable contribution to the success of our mission to protect birds and the environment that sustains them.
Clifford Anderson
Gary Bartels
Ronald Cameron
William Derover
Bonnie Eastin
Verna Fuller
Diane Gere
Donnna Hartman
Ellen Hildebrand
Toni Hinchcliffe
Maybeth Hofman
Diana M.
Jan MacKenzie
Teresa Mesich
Susan Murphy
Marilyn Oliver
James Steffen
Loveona Stewart
Janet Vandermaas
Mississippi Currents
July-August 2015
Page 3
Rainy Field Trip to Saint Mary Monastery
April 25 dawned as predicted, overcast with light rain. I wondered if the Audubon Field Trip would actually be
held. I knew traditionally that field trips were held regardless of weather. I also knew that in recent years heavy snows or
icy roads were considered to be trip cancellers. Well, it was only a light rain and I knew Mary Lou Petersen was leading
the trip. I certainly did not want her to journey forth only to find no one else had shown. Further we were to bird the Saint
Mary Monastery which I had never seen, so I sallied forth.
I arrived at the Monastery in predawn conditions. No one else was astir. However, at about 7:00 a car pulled in:
George Johnson and a box of donuts. Sister Claudia greeted us and said that the trip had been canceled due to the rain and
that the walking path consisted of some hard packed mud and steep inclines. The three of us consulted. Birds were singing, spring migration was in early swing, we were game, we gathered a couple of umbrellas and proceeded.
The path began as sidewalk with edgy type of shrubby growth. House Wren, Catbird, Brown Thrashers, Eastern
Towhee, and Baltimore Oriole sang along with the expected chickadees and nuthatches. Unfortunately the birds were almost all heard and not seen. Someone has yet to invent a way to combine binoculars and umbrellas.
We approached a substantial lake that provides geothermal energy for the monastery and were greeted by an Osprey flying over. Shortly thereafter the path crossed a small creek and we proceeded uphill to a grassy field. Eastern
Phoebe, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Indigo Bunting were observed as were the expected Cardinal, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow and a variety of woodpeckers. The grassy field held Field Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlark.
From the upland the path we descended along the steep, hard packed mud path. We negotiated the path without
mishap. After a few minutes more we returned to the sidewalk and the path up the hill. The rain never stopped but the
umbrella toting Claudia and George were dry. I had opted for umbrella-free hands and was damp through but not wet.
Still, the offer of hot drinks and donuts along with a tour of the monastery by Sister Claudia was appreciated. It is
a beautiful building in a beautiful setting with lots of windows and great views. Sister Claudia provided us a history of the
relocation of the Order, Sisters of Saint Benedict, and construction of the building.
In the end we meandered outside for about 45 minutes. We heard, more than saw, 45 species of birds. We did not
fall, stayed somewhat dry, and enjoyed the conversation and the hospitality.
Tim Murphy
Saint Mary Monastery, with its beautiful woods, meadows,
and pond, hosts a good variety of bird species.
Mississippi Currents
July-August 2015
Page 4
2015 Spring Bird Count
On my way to preparing a summary of this year's spring bird count, I managed to dump data from the past 7
years from the Excel Spread Sheet. So I have decided to summarize the count without the normal historical perspective.
So as far as the number of species, we had a good year with 142 species. This is particularly good when one
considers the shortage of shorebirds, due to an almost total lack of flooded ground. I have been keeping records since
1986 and the Illinois Natural History Survey coincidentally has records from count inception to 1985, so I can confidently report that four species, Least Bittern, White-fronted Goose, White-winged Scoter, and Blue Grosbeak have not
been reported in prior years. Two other species, Bell's Vireo and Summer Tanager, had only been reported in one prior
year.
The first four species were sighted by Janelle Swanberg and Don Fish In a bit of a quirk, Pat Carlson also reported a least bittern. Brent Langley and I spotted the summer tanager and bell's vireo. As it turns out, the summer
tanager became somewhat widespread; sightings at Dick Sayles’ home and sightings of multiple birds at the Wapsi
River Environmental Center made this the spring of the Summer Tanager. The other notable sightings were Pat
Carlson's Acadian Flycatcher and Veery and Ralph and Nancy Hood's Louisiana Waterthrush.
Late departing migrants included Hermit Thrush and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. A missed bird this year was the
Pine Siskin, as I am sure a few lingered at feeders past the spring count date, and no one sighted Cedar Waxwings. Only one belted Kingfisher and Hairy Woodpecker were reported.
Warblers, while not particularly abundant, still were represented by 23 species. Most frequent were the Common Yellowthroat, with 73, and American Redstart, 75. Only three of the more commonly reported warblers, Orangecrowned, Cape May, and Bay-Breasted, were missing. The most common species counted were Red-winged Blackbird, 1266, American Robin, 467, European Starling, 248, American White Pelican, 187, and House Sparrow, 184.
One disturbing trend that has become notable is the number of counters in the field. In 2008, eight parties comprised of 17 participants covered Rock Island County, compared with five parties and 12 participants this year. In addition, most of the counters are trending toward an older age. Of course this is a Quad City Audubon trend as well.
With that, it is with great thanks for this year’s participants: Ralph and Nancy Hood, Janelle Swanberg and
Don Fish, Pat Carlson, Elizabeth Russell, Don Robinson who completely covered Black Hawk State Historic Site,
Brent Langley, Mary Lou Petersen, Cathy Konrad, Carol Rogers and Joann Whitmore.
Tim Murphy
Lyndon-Agnew Prairie Restoration
On Sunday, July 12, anyone interested can participate in native prairie restoration. We will travel to LyndonAgnew Prairie about 40 miles north on I-88 to remove sweet clover from the prairie. The work is not hard but there
is almost no shade and the prairie might be described as weedy.
We remove the sweet clover by lopping or cutting roots below the soil surface with a spade. It is suggested
that workers wear long sleeves and pants, bring water, sunscreen, and insect repellant. If one has lopping shears or a
spade they could be useful as well.
We have done this for several years. Last year I found myself addressing a good sized patch of sweet clover
and I wondered when we would get the upper hand. It was then that I realized the prairie itself was actually pretty
clear. I was on the disturbed soil of the railroad track right-of-way. Progress was being made.
We will meet at the Jewel grocery store, 1312 John Deere Expressway, Silvis, at 7:00 a.m. We will be back
around 12:30.
Lyndon -Agnew is a high quality, remnant tall grass prairie. Over 80 species of native plants survive there
including Turk’s cap lily, Philadelphia lily, Sullivant’s milkweed, and butterfly weed. It is owned by the Natural
Land Institute of Rockford, IL. We look forward to seeing you there.
Tim Murphy
Mississippi Currents
July-August 2015
Page 5
QCAS Mississippi Palisades Field Trip, June 7, 2015
The Quad City Audubon Society's field trip to the Mississippi Palisades on June 7, 2015, started out with an early
morning severe thunderstorm. We were to meet at 7 a.m. in Rapids City, Illinois. Mitch and Marilyn Davis were the
only two birders who were still looking forward to the trip up to the Palisades. They believed the storms would move
out of the area soon. I joined them hoping the weather would clear up.
As we entered the road to Lock & Dam 13 near Fulton, we were excited to see a family of Sandhill Cranes. We
could see the two little crane chicks’ heads in the grass as they followed their rain-soaked parents. We watched the adult
cranes lead the two chicks across the road to the north side and disappear into the tall grass.
We traveled up to the Mississippi Palisades. There, we heard and saw many of the common resident birds and
some of the migrants such as American Redstart, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, and Common Yellowthroat. As we
walked up the fern-lined Sentinel Trail, we heard an Acadian Flycatcher, Indigo Bunting, Eastern Towhee and other
songbirds. When we reached the upper level of the trail, we were surprised to hear and see a Kentucky Warbler that was
very active in one area and might have had a nest nearby. After viewing the Kentucky Warbler, we drove to another area
in the park where Cerulean Warblers had been seen on field trips. We enjoyed hearing and seeing three Cerulean Warblers. It was the first time we had seen that many in one area. After good looks at the Cerulean Warblers, we started
looking and listening for Yellow-throated Warblers in an area of pine trees. We were surprised again when we could see
and hear three Yellow-throated Warblers in the area.
After we left the Palisades, we stopped at the Thomson Sand Prairie. A beautiful Eastern Meadowlark was singing from a small bush and a Dickcissel was singing on top of a small tree. A Grasshopper Sparrow and a Field Sparrow
were singing in the nearby field. When a thunderstorm started approaching , we decided to leave the area.
The last stop was at Lock and Dam 14 near Hampton. A Trumpeter Swan and Mute Swan were swimming together. Last March, a similar pair of swans were seen in the same area. Maybe they are the same swans.
What started out to be a stormy day turned out to be an enjoyable day of birding with a total of 65 species observed.
Jo Ann Whitmore
The Eastern Meadowlark (left)
and Dickcissel (right) were
two grassland species observed on the June 7 field trip.
Below: Trumpeter and Mute
Swans (the “Odd Couple”).
Photos courtesy of JoAnn
Whitmore.
Mississippi Currents
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Send to:
Quad City Audubon Society
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Bettendorf, IA 52722
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Thanks to those who contributed to this issue of the
Mississippi Currents. The next deadline is Aug 15,
2015. Submissions are gladly accepted. Send to:
Brent Langley
212 W. 28th Avenue
Coal Valley, IL 61240
(309) 799-7192
[email protected]
Visit us online at:
www.quadcityaudubon.org.