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]