The Pileated Woodpecker The Newsletter of the Sanibel-Captiva Audubon Society AUTUMN 2014 Vol. 39 No 1 PO Box 957, Sanibel FL 33957 Our Mission: Promoting Interests in Wildlife on Sanibel and Captiva Islands, and fostering the Cause of Conservation with Emphasis on Birds and their Habitat. Newsletter reply only: 440 Glory Circle, Sanibel, FL 33957, Board Members Jim Griffith President. Phyllis Gresham Vice President 239-579-0720 [email protected] A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT, JIM GRIFFITH It is time for each of us to deliver on a rare opportunity to do big things for Florida’s water and land conservation, restoration, and land management! Susan Harpham, Secretary VOTE FOR AMENDMENT 1 ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH. Malcolm Harpham Treasurer Why? Kevin Bowden Without a penny increase in taxes over the next twenty years, this amendment directs 33% of the existing real estate “doc stamp” fees to fund the Land Acquisition Trust Fund until it sunsets in 2035. With the passage of Amendment 1, the revenue cannot be used for any other purpose (as is now the case) except water and land conservation projects such as: Bill Jacobson Elaine Jacobson John MacLennan Dale McGinley Hugh Verry Restoring funding to protect rivers. Acquiring, preserving, protecting, and managing wildlife habitat for us and for future generations to enjoy. Supporting restoration of the Everglades. Various other water quality projects. We just cannot miss this chance with our “Yes” vote to have such a significant positive impact on our precious land and waterways. And to do it without raising taxes! But, we must achieve a sixty percent (60%) margin to amend our state constitution. If you haven’t voted and won’t arrive at your precinct by November 4th, please call your local Supervisor of Elections to request a mail-in ballot. For Lee County, call 239-533-8683. Jim The Pileated Woodpecker autumn 2014 page 2 BIRDING NOTES AND BIRDWATCHING TIPS BIRDING NOTES: BIRDWATCHING NOTES (cont’d) Wilson’s Snipe: the snipe is a chunky, bulky bird, hardly elegant. It has short legs, an absurdly long bill which it uses to probe deep in wet soil for food; its eyes are set high on its head which enables it to watch for danger while its bill is buried in the mud. The snipe has an intricate pattern of brown, black, and straw, camouflaged to hide among dead grass. The dark head has prominent buffy to whitish stripes. The dark back has three long buffy streaks, one running down each edge, one down the center. The buff chest is streaked and spotted with brown; the sides are heavily barred with black. In flight, the wings are dark above and below. Look for Wilson’s Snipes at the Bailey Tract on Sanibel, this is one of our less common sightings but also predictable throughout the winter season. Big Bend Scenic Byway, Wakulla County The “Bend” is where Florida’s Gulf Coast curves westward, sheltering vast seagrass beds, marshes, winding rivers, sugar-sand beaches, deep forests, and crystal-clear springs. Over 300 species of birds, 2,500 plant species, and more carnivorous plants (30) than any similarly sized area in the world call the Bend home. The Tallahassee Regional Airport is located on the Big Bend Scenic Byway’s Forest Trail East and resources can be accessed by turning on Capital Circle SW (SR 263) from the airport in either direction. Travel time from Sanibel is a little over six hours. Internet information available at http:// www.floridabigbendscenicbyway.com/ The Florida Keys Birding and Wildlife Festival. . BIRDWATCHING NOTES: The STA5 schedule is out for 2014/15. The following Saturday dates are showing open for STA5 birding: Dates 2014: Nov. 22, Dec. 13, Dec. 27 Dates 2015: Jan. 17, Jan. 31; Feb. 14, 15, 16 “Great Backyard Bird Count Weekend”,Feb. 28, March 14, March 28, April 11, April 25, May 9, June 13, July 11, Aug 8, Sep 12, Oct. 10, Nov. 14, Nov. 28, Dec. 5 Trips are limited to 60 participants. Registration required. Participants meet at STA5 gate at 8:30 a.m. To sign up for a trip send an e-mail to Margaret England, “[email protected]” with your name and contact information including an emergency cell number for the tour day, the date you want to go, and the number in your party. You may also leave a message at (863) 674-0695 or (863) 517-0202. For more information, please access www.hendrygladeaudubon.org. DIRECTIONS: From Fort Myers, West on Hwy 80 to South Bay. Continue west on US27 to Clewiston, 13.6 mi. Look for Evercane Rd (CR835) and the J&G Ag Prod sign. Continue south on CR835, 26.7 mi. Turn left onto Deer Fence Rd for 2 mi, cross bridge at STA5, continue to parking east of tower. While this event has passed us by for 2014 (Sep 2328), look for the 17th annual festival in September 2015. This festival includes a Sunday excursion to Dry Tortugas National Park, guided birding and butterfly walks and talks, a photography workshop, a free, family-friendly all-day wildlife fair, citizen science with Florida Keys Hawkwatch and several backcountry excursions. Festivalgoers and hawkwatchers monitor the flights of record numbers of peregrine falcons and other raptors from a perch at Curry Hammock State Park. This is the southernmost migration count in the continental United States, documenting as many as 25,000 diurnal birds of prey of 18 species and more than 120 species of waders, shorebirds and songbirds. Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival: The 18th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival is scheduled for January 21-26, 2015. The 2015 Festival is located at: Eastern Florida State College - Titusville Campus ( NEW name for Brevard Community College ) 1311 North US1 Titusville, Florida 32796. The featured bird of the 2015 festival is the Red-cockcaded Woodpecker – an endangered species that makes its home in mature pine forests. The Red-cockcaded Woodpecker is best seen in Brevard County at the St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park and nearby Orange County at Hal Scott Regional Preserve & Park. For more information, please access www.spacecoastbirdingandwildlifefestival.org The Pileated Woodpccker autum 2014 page 3 CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT, SANIBEL-CAPTIVA AUDUBON, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2014 SANIBEL-CAPTIVA AUDUBON SOCIETY Every year, the Sanibel-Captiva Christmas Bird Count attracts more participants (121 in 43 teams last year) than 95% of all of the country’s more than 2,300 CBCs. Some years, our totals SATURDAYS 8:00 AM…SUGGESTED DONATION are up from previous years and multi-year averages, other $ 2.00 / PERSON years they are down. 2013 counters found 12,411 birds, down NO DONATION ACCEPTED AT “DING” DARLING WILD- from 2012’s 14,063; 96 species, down from 104 species in LIFE REFUGE 2012. Bill Jacobson, the local CBC coordinator, collects all of the data, collates and forwards it to National Audubon. What OPEN TO ALL LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE, FROM NOVICE happens to this information at this point, you might ask? 2015 BIRD WALKS TO EXPERT BAILEY TRACT: Take Island Inn Rd across from Bailey’s. Free parking at end of road in field at back entrance to the Bailey Tract. Well, this year, National Audubon has published a new climate study (called the Audubon Report) which lists over 300 North American species that it feels are at risk from climate change resulting in habitat changes and loss. This is not just an emoBOWMAN’S BEACH: Park in the beach parking lot at the end of Bowman’s Beach Road. Meet at the Wooden Bridge tional statement that Audubon has put out. Rather, it is based on the way to beach. Non-Resident parking $3.00/hour. on years and years of data collection, mainly from the Christmas Bird Counts which have been held every December since BUNCHE BEACH: Across causeway approx. 1900. “Begun as a way to assess the health of bird popula2.5 miles. Right on John Morris Rd to beach parking lot. Wations, data from the annual census are now key to predicting terproof shoes a must. Parking fee $ 2.00/hour birds’ responses to climate change. Using hundreds of thousands of standardized observations from both the CBC and the DING DARLING REFUGE: Meet in overflow North American Breeding Bird Survey…….able to describe the parking lot at Refuge Visitors Center. Free Parking. ‘climate envelope’ for each of the 588 North American speFORT MYERS BEACH LAGOON: Meet at Villa Santini cies.” (The CBC had also been used in the 1960s to document Plaza (Approximately 5 miles from the Ft Myers Bridge diago- declining populations of raptors which augmented Rachel Carnally across from the Wyndham Garden Inn on Estero Blvd ) son’s research as published in “Silent Spring”, with the result Free Parking. that North American use of DDT as a pesticide was eventually banned.) POND APPLE TRAIL: Meet in the front parking lot of the Matzaluna Restaurant on Periwinkle Way. Free Parking. The Audubon Study lists some birds of local interest that could start to see declining populations due to climate change and SANIBEL LIGHTHOUSE: Meet in the Fishing Pier parking lot habitat loss. The Brown Pelican, for instance, could lose 63% of at the Lighthouse. Non-Resident parking $ 3.00/hour its non-breeding range and 58% of its breeding range by 2050; while its range may expand into new coastal areas by 89%, Dec 20 CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT how its prey fish will respond to climatic shifts is uncertain. Other local birds with poor long-term prospects include the Jan 3 DING DARLING REFUGE American Kestrel, American Oystercatcher, American White Jan 10 FT MYERS BEACH LAGOON Pelican, Anhinga, Bald Eagle, Black-Bellied Plover, BlackCrowned Night Heron, Black Skimmer, Black Vulture, BoatJan 17 BAILEY TRACT Tailed Grackle, Caspian Tern, Fish Crow, Forster’s Tern, Jan 24 POND APPLE TRAIL Greater Yellowlegs, Herring Gull, Laughing Gull, Lesser Yellowlegs, Mangrove Cuckoo, Osprey, Palm Warbler, Peregrine FalJan 31 BUNCHE BEACH con, Pine Warbler, Red-Breasted Merganser, Red Knot, Reddish Egret, Ring-Billed Gull, Roseate Spoonbill, Royal Tern, Feb 7 BAILEY TRACT Ruddy Turnstone, Sandwich Tern, Semipalmated Plover, Feb 14 DING DARLING REFUGE Snowy Plover, Spotted Sandpiper, Tree Swallow, and Wilson’s Plover. This is a daunting list! Feb 21 POND APPLE TRAIL Feb 28 DING DARLING REFUGE Mar 7 BAILEY TRACT Mar 14 BOWMAN'S BEACH Mar 21 BUNCHE BEACH Mar 28 DING DARLING REFUGE Apr 4 BUNCHE BEACH Apr 11 SANIBEL LIGHTHOUSE The 115th Christmas Bird Count is Citizen Science at its most basic level- collecting data locally that, when combined with other local counts across North America, provides a national database from which highly trained and well-equipped scientists can run complex programs to spot trends, to propose causal factors, and to suggest policy changes. We look forward to your participation this year, to volunteer, please call Bill Jacobson at (239-246-1054). The Pileated Woodpccker autumn 2014 page 4 SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT, DECEMBER 14, 2013 SPECIES 10 yr 27 yr 2013 2012 2011 avg avg Anhinga 74 101 103 110 125 Blackbird, Red-winged 3 0 1 7 65 Cardinal 65 96 79 70 52 Catbird, Gray 95 125 79 103 84 Coot, American Cormorant, Doublecrested 40 32 62 29 42 314 599 706 410 596 Crow, American 31 46 15 9 Crow, Fish 444 513 514 306 721 Dove, Eurasian Collared 79 96 183 118 127 Dove, Ground 33 58 55 45 61 Dove, Mourning 345 649 1014 625 9 523 SPECIES Egret, Reddish 2013 2012 2011 5 Egret, Snowy 134 4 10 yr avg 27 yr avg 12 10 10 163 160 205 295 Falcon, Peregrine Flicker, Northern Yellow Shafted 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 2 2 18 Flycatcher, Great crested 5 4 6 4 6 Frigatebird, Magnificent 378 25 47 62 58 Gannet, Northern 2 10 4 6 3 Gnatcatcher, Blue-gray 42 63 29 51 98 Godwit, Marbled 1 0 0 0 0 Dove, Rock 1 0 0 0 0 Goldfinch, American 0 2 0 9 26 Dove, White-winged 2 0 28 6 3 Grackle, Boat-tailed 33 38 109 91 108 Dowitcher, Short-billed Duck, Am. Greenwinged Teal 25 0 39 62 167 Grackle, Common 171 163 369 415 311 0 1 0 3 2 Grebe. Pied-billed 77 55 82 51 61 Duck, Am. Wigeon 0 0 0 0 28 Gull, Bonaparte's 0 2 3 1 1 Duck, Blue-winged Teal Duck, Hooded Merganser 40 29 65 86 112 Gull, Herring 67 20 44 36 79 4 4 1 3 3 Duck, Lesser Scaup 0 18 0 6 3 106 81 Duck, Mottled 118 108 123 Duck, Pintail Duck, Red-breasted Merganser 0 0 0 0 2 95 42 59 48 87 Duck, Redhead 0 2 6 1 Duck, Ring-necked 0 1 0 Dunlin 286 2 Eagle, Bald 22 Egret, Cattle Egret, Great Gull, Laughing 1653 Gull, Lesser Black-Backed 6 Gull, Ring-billed 287 690 2199 1360 11 0 381 361 2084 2 1 286 541 Hawk, Broad-winged 2 0 0 0 0 0 Hawk, Coopers 0 3 2 2 1 0 0 Hawk, Merlin 1 2 4 1 1 97 235 248 Hawk, Northern Harrier 0 1 2 1 0 22 12 14 9 Hawk, Red-shouldered 40 39 27 42 48 12 29 26 31 36 Hawk, Short-tailed 0 1 0 0 0 199 149 196 194 215 Heron, Black-crowned 8 2 10 9 9 Heron, Great Blue 42 99 96 70 81 The Pileated Woodpccker autumn 2014 page 5 10 yr 27 yr avg avg SPECIES 10 yr 27 yr 2013 2012 2011 avg avg 7 6 8 19 Skimmer, Black Snipe, Wilson (was "Common") Heron, Little Blue 219 75 126 157 204 Sparrow, House 0 0 8 2 14 Heron, Tri-colored 52 Heron, Yellow-crowned Night 9 63 36 68 94 Spoonbill, Roseate 29 31 14 61 55 59 6 28 44 Starling, European 160 428 265 294 316 Stork, Wood 25 31 18 30 46 SPECIES 2013 2012 2011 Heron, Green 4 Ibis, White 1061 879 1004 1010 1115 271 577 0 203 142 0 0 0 0 1 Swallow, Tree 9 1212 83 460 200 3 2 3 4 6 Tern, Common 0 7 3 1 3 Kestrel, American 18 29 27 25 28 Tern, Forster's 18 99 568 119 181 Killdeer 35 77 78 63 55 Tern, Royal 424 822 867 643 798 Kingfisher, Belted 12 37 50 43 57 Tern, Sandwich 295 872 1781 960 627 Knot, Red 46 20 21 55 310 Turnstone, Ruddy 318 110 265 224 278 3 6 24 13 11 Vireo, Blue-headed 0 0 1 2 2 Mockingbird, Northern 21 28 34 46 62 Vireo, Red-eyed 0 1 0 0 0 Moorhen, Common 22 39 57 65 115 Vireo, White-eyed 1 3 0 3 3 Vulture, Black 3 2 121 19 24 Osprey 404 468 427 342 287 Vulture, Turkey Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Common Yellowthroat 218 430 377 181 231 1 3 1 2 5 16 6 18 19 20 Warbler, Palm 133 288 137 163 160 Warbler, Pine 4 16 6 7 3 Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Yellowrumped Warbler, Yellowthroated 0 3 4 4 10 105 235 165 240 315 4 6 10 7 6 Willet 615 187 491 358 434 Woodpecker, Downy 4 5 3 3 4 Woodpecker, Woodpecker, Redbellied 41 55 87 52 49 136 149 220 149 137 Wren, Carolina 9 45 17 19 13 Wren, House 0 19 7 10 5 Yellowlegs, Greater 2 3 3 14 11 Yellowlegs, Lesser 0 2 7 6 8 Jay, Blue Loon, Common Owl, Barn 0 0 0 0 1 Owl, Great-horned 0 0 3 2 2 Owl, E. Screech 2 5 3 2 3 Oystercatcher, Am. 2 0 0 16 9 Parakeet, Monk 2 0 0 0 0 Pelican, Brown 849 1224 2339 1385 1197 Pelican, White 561 208 250 291 156 Phoebe, Eastern 29 28 32 24 20 Plover, Black-bellied 225 52 192 134 169 7 67 81 48 39 Plover, Snowy 12 2 7 6 12 0 3 1 10 0 620 32 9 21 38 377 21 17 30 1 891 87 17 83 13 791 48 23 85 31 930 71 31 122 2 5 0 6 48 2 6 0 4 6 5 4 5 2 3 Plover, Semi-palmated Plover, Wilson's Robin, American. Sanderling Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Western Sapsucker, Yellowbellied Scoter, Black Shrike, Loggerhead 0 TOTALS: BIRDS SPECIES 12411 14060 18477 14418 16581 96 PARTICIPANTS 121 104 142 103 130 100 102 The Pileated Woodpccker autumn 2014 page 6 SANIBEL-CAPTIVA AUDUBON 2015 LECTURE PROGRAM SCHEDULE Held at the Sanibel Community House 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, FL 7:30PM Start Time - Doors open at 6:30PM Suggested Donation - $5.00 per person .January 8, 2015 – “Birding in the Land of the Midnight Sun” – Join wildlife photographer, educator and guide, Shawn Carey as he kicks off our lecture season by sharing his expert images and intriguing stories from his recent birding journey across Iceland. January 15, 2015 – "The New and Enhanced Nature Trails of Sanibel" – Holly Milbrandt, Environmental Biologist, Natural Resources Department of the City of Sanibel, gives us a tour of Sanibel’s unique public nature trail system with emphasis on the many new additions of interest to both birders and nature enthusiasts. January 22, 2015 – “The Plight of the Snail Kite & Southeastern American Kestrel” – Dr. Ken Meyer of the University of FL, Dept. of Wildlife Ecology, and Founder of Avian Research and Conservation Institute (ARCI), will relate the background, present state, and outlook of these unique raptors. January 29, 2015 – “Adventures with Island Amphibians and Reptiles” – San-Cap favorite, Charles LeBuff is joined by Chris Lechowicz, SCCF’s Director of Wildlife Habitat Management, to enlighten us on the variety and lifestyle of our local cold blooded neighbors from their new book, Amphibians and Reptiles of Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Florida: A Natural History. February 5, 2015 – “Australia’s Birds” - Ken Burgener, world birder and head of CarefreeBirding.com takes us on a unique trip down-under to discover the intriguing birds inhabiting this island continent. February 12, 2015 – “Fascinating Facets of the Fakahatchee Strand” – Mike Owen, Park Biologist at the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, describes the uniqueness of the largest strand swamp in the Florida Park system. It is also the U.S. bromeliad and orchid capital, Florida’s fern capital and houses the largest population of Royal Palms in the country. February 19, 2015 – “Some Shore Birds of Bunche Beach & Sanibel” – Join bird photographer par excellance, Rick Bunting, as he utilizes his unique photographic perspective to enhance our understanding of the bird species inhabiting our local shores. February 26, 2015 – “America’s Rarest Wading Bird – The Reddish Egret” – Dr. Ken Meyer, founder of Avian Research and Conservation Institute (ARCI), returns to update us on his ground breaking study of one of Sanibel’s favorite birds, which is also the rarest wading bird in the U.S. The Pileated Woodpccker autumn 2014 page 7 Clair passed away on Friday, August 29, 2014. His passion for studying and photographing the natural world instilled in his family and those who knew him both a love of nature and the value of lifelong learning. Clair lives on through his beautiful and insightful photographs, cherished memories we hold of him in our hearts, and the smiles on our faces when we think of him. Thanks to Bill Jacobson ============================================ REDDISH EGRET RESEARCH ON SANIBEL Clarence "Clair" Postmus 1927 – 2014 With fond memories and heavy feelings of loss, Sanibel-Captiva Audubon acknowledges the passing of Clair Postmus. For the fourteen year period ending in 2004 Clair and his wife, Bev, were vital components of the Sanibel birding community. Their influence in mentoring Sanibel birders is undeniable. Many of San-Cap Audubon’s members, past and present, owe their interest in birding and nature in general to the teaching, enthusiasm and friendship of Bev and Clair. Bev and Clair were invaluable volunteers at J.N. “Ding” Darling NWR and the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) during their time in Sanibel. While Bev was happy learning about the natural world, Clair loved to photograph it. Clair’s pictures have been published in books and magazines, and were regularly seen in many editions of the Sanibel-Captiva Nature Calendar. Clair was quick to say that Bev was the birder and he took pictures. However, anyone who spent time with him on a bird-walk or attended one of the many birding classes he and Bev conducted at SCCF knows he was also a darn good birder. Clair’s wonderful bird photos were used by the Postmuses in the many Thursday night San-Cap Audubon lectures they presented over the years as well as their in SCCF bird identification classes. Many who attended their bird I. D. classes will remember being delighted by the whimsical byplay between them during their presentations. On the national stage they used Clair’s work in several presentations at international meetings of the Photographic Society of America. . ARCI introduced Ding, a Reddish Egret fitted with a solar-powered, GPS-equipped satellite transmitter on 20 June 2014 at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida. Ding's transmitter dispatches data to orbiting satellites, granting us the opportunity to study his movements every day. Some highlights we have seen include: Two days after being tagged, Ding flew nearly 4 miles east to a large wading bird nesting colony in Tarpon Bay, where he stayed just one day. Ding has favorite roosting and foraging locations along the Refuge’s Wildlife Drive, which were quite predictable for the first two months of tracking. However, on 19 August, Ding began making 5-mile day trips north to the southwest coast of Pine Island. Ding's movements are tide dependent; as the tide recedes, it opens up shallow foraging areas. You too, can follow Ding. Link through our website to see the last 14 days of Ding's movements: http:// arcinst.org/arci-tracking-studies and http://arciavianconservation.blogspot.com/search? updated-min=2014-01-01T00:00:0005:00&updated-max=2015-01-01T00:00:0005:00&max-results=6 AUTUMN 2014 The Newsletter of the Sanibel-Captiva Audubon Society P.O. Box 957 Sanibel, Florida 33957 Newsletter reply only: 440 Glory Circle Sanibel, FL 33957 [email protected] 239-579-0720 AUTUMN 2014 A Message from our President, Jim Griffith Bird and Birdwatching Notes 2015 Bird Walks Christmas Bird Count, Notes, 2013 Results 2015 Audubon Lecture Series Claire Postmus Remembered Reddish Egret Research at Ding FIRST C LASS M AIL Darling Sponsored by Please visit www.san-capaudubon.org Note, updated web page (the hyphen is required) We encourage any and all of you who are still receiving the hard copy newsletter to switch to on-line delivery: a) it will be in full color!; and b) each copy not printed and mailed will save SCAS approximately $1.50. Contact your editor at [email protected]. Thanks in advance! We’re proud to give back to the community we call home
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