December 2008 Jayhawk Audubon Society Newsletter

8/9/2019 December 2008 Jayhawk Audubon Society Newsletter

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Volume 33, Issue 4 DECEMBER, 2008

www.jayhawkaudubon.org

HOLIDAY SALE SEED, BOOKS, FEEDERS

Saturday, December 6 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Lawrence Senior Center 745 Vermont

Combine picking up your seed, books, feeders andstocking stuffers with watching the Lawrence ChristmasParade at 11:00 and perusing the Lawrence Art GuildHoliday Art Fair for a wonderful outing only possible inLawrence. We’ll have bird song, snacks for humans, andour feeder and book experts to answer your questions.DON’T FORGET that the next seed sale is 2 months

away on Jan. 31st, so you do need to stock up now tokeep your birds plump and sassy this winter. December 1is the deadline for pre-orders, but there will be plenty of seed for walk-in purchase and you can check the order form on the website for seed varieties and pricing.Contact Linda Lips if you have questions or to order byDec. 1: (785)842-2300 or [email protected].

All Programs of the Jayhawk Audubon Society

are free and open to the public

JOIN A CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT! Oskaloosa-Beautiful Perry Lake CBC: Sunday, December 14th. Contact Bunnie Watkins

at 785-597-5144 (days); 785-749-3581 (eve) or at [email protected]

Lawrence CBC: Saturday, December 20th. Contact Galen Pittman at 843-8573 (work), 842-7105 (eve), or preferably via e-mail: [email protected].

Baldwin CBC: Sunday Dec 14th & Linn Co. CBC: Sat. Dec 27th. Contact Roger Boyd at

[email protected] or 785-594-3172.For information on other Kansas counts visit: http://ksbirds.org/2008CBC.htm. the KS Ornithological

Society website. Whatever your level of birding experience, you’ll enjoy the CBC!

DECEMBER 15th

LITTLE BROWN BIRDS:Getting Ready for

the Christmas Count

Dr. Cal Cink, Baker U. Professor and Chair of Biology,studies the winter biology of sparrows at Baker Wetlandsand the ecology and behavior of Whip-poor-wills, Chuck-wills-widows and Kentucky Warblers in the summer Bald-win Woods. He will share this deep knowledge of ‘LBB’s’with us on Monday, 12/15, just in time for many CBC’s.

Since 1976 Prof. Cink has taught ecology, zoology,animal behavior and ornithology at BU. His breadth of expertise extends to the study of snakes and salamanders atthe Wetlands as well. He and his wife Jo love to travel andspend at least a part of every summer sitting on ‘their’ rock

in Acadia National Park in Maine listening to the waves,the eiders and the lobster boats going by. Join us on the15th to brush up on those teaser birds in the brush pile.

BYO Dinner with Cal Cink: 5:30 pm. Carlos O’Kelly’s.707 W. 23rd St.

Program: 7:30 pm. Trinity Lutheran Fellowship Hall.1245 New Hampshire. Parking lot east of theChurch. Refreshments served.

Howstuffworks.com



JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY2

Red Cedar Christmas Tree Event

Something to do after the JAS Seed Sale!!!

Saturday, December 6, Native trees available for cutting 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Shawnee Mission Park, Shawnee, Kansas

(Access through The Theatre in the Park entrance at7710 Renner Road)

Kansas City WildLands, in partnership with JohnsonCounty Park and Recreation District, is again offering the public an opportunity to remove invasive red cedars andtake them home to decorate for the holidays! When youtake home a tree, you’ll not only make your house smellgreat but you’ll be helping restore these wild places to their original health . Minimum $10.00 donation suggested.Bring a hand saw, rope and gloves. (precut trees will beavailable.) Check www.kcwildlands.org for more detailsand a map or call Linda at (816) 561-1061 x116.

Newsletter Expenses Nearly

20% of JAS Budget

Can you help us reduce this cost? The JAS Board of Directors wants to pare expenses so we better use availablefunds to support education and awareness programs suchas the Wetland Learners Program or the Eagles Day event.In so doing, we are asking all of our members to consider receiving the newsletter via the website posting. Printingand mailing fewer newsletters would also be a big step inthe green direction of reducing paper, ink & fuel use.

If you are willing to be taken off the postal mailing list, please contact Chuck and Ruth Herman either by mail(20761 Loring Road, Linwood, KS 66052) or by e-mail

([email protected]). The most recent news-letter is usually on the website by the 10th of each monthand can be viewed in its entirety (Kid’s Page and all!) atwww.jayhawkaudubon.org. If you are contacting theHermans via e-mail, please be sure to note “JAS newslet-ter” somewhere in your subject heading so we will be sureto recognize your request through our filters!

- Chuck Herman

He’s awfully cute, but the JAS

newsletter needs to pass him by.

Thanks for helping to use our funds wisely & lower our impact!!

Worthy of Your Attention

The Eagles Day website has been updated

with fresh information for this year’s event:http://www.kawvalleyeaglesday.com/index.php for all the details including presenters. Fulldetails will also be in the January newsletter.Last year’s record attendance will be tough to beat but the Eagles Day Committee has made big plans including a visit

from ECO ELVIS!!

There’s a link onthe website.

December 5th is thenext Eagles Day Com-

mittee meeting. 7 pm.

The Shaw’s. 842-04751635 Mississippi.The real need for helpwill be in January whenmany tasks need to becompleted. Please volunteer.

The KANSAS! Magazine Winter 2008 issue

boasts an article on eagles in Kansas withsome incredible photos and useful informationon Eagles Day type events in the state. MikeWatkins, who presents at Kaw Valley EaglesDay, is quoted. Mike is a Wildlife Biologist withthe Army Corps of Engineers who has extensiveexperience studying and banding eagles.

eBird Workshop: January 10, 2009 8 am to noon at Washburn Rural Middle School,5620 S.W. 61st St., Topeka. Learn about thisonline bird tracking system from Brian Sullivan

himself, the coordinator of eBird from theCornell Lab of Ornithology. This workshop isfor anyone interested in birding: sciencestudents, casual observers, novice bird watchersand, of course, dedicated birders.

To participate or just learn more, please [email protected] or call DebraMcKee at 785-232-4128.

Bald Eagle.Sonoran DeserMuseum.



KID’S PAGE JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY 3

SILLY PARROT RIDDLES TO SHARE OVER THE HOLIDAYS

Word Scramble 1. Unscramble these four words and you’ll find

four ways to save gasoline energy by leaving the car at home.

2. Unscramble the circled letters to make twowords naming a great source of renewableenergy!

A n s w e r s t o W o r d S c r a m b l e :

R i d e ( y o u r b i k e o r s c o o t e r ) , W a l k , H o p , S k i p .

K i d P o w e r

Word scramblefromwww.energyquest.ca.gov/games

See below for answers. ☺

Riddle: What do you get if you cross a parrot with a shark? A n s w e r : A b i r d t h a t w i l l t a l k y o u r e a r o f f .

Riddle: What do you get if you cross a parrot with a centipede? A n s w e r : A g r e a t w a l k i e - t a l k i e .

Silly parrot riddles from Cathy Gilstrapwww.gcfl.net. (Good Clean Funnies List)



JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY KID’S PAGE4

It’s not too late to get in on PROJECT FEEDERWATCH!!

An adult can help you can sign up at www.feederwatch.org or call toll-free at (800) 843-2473.This costs $15. If that is too much money, the website has a free Homeschooler’s Guide to Project

FeederWatch that has all kinds of fun ideas for learning about birds by studying them at your feeders.

Try this experiment: HOW MUCH BIRD SEED ARE THEY EATING ANYWAY??

1. First of all decide how often you will measure how much the birds are eating:-Every day for a week or two ….?-or maybe one or two days per week over a month….?-or some other regular schedule that works for you.

2. Measure the seed in a big measuring cup before you put it in the feeder. Write the amount in ounces on apage in your nature journal. You may figure out a different way of measuring the amount of seed.That would be GREAT! Just measure it the same way every time. That is VERY IMPORTANT!

3. That evening or the next morning measure the seed left in the feeder. Write that amount down too.4. It’s probably a good idea to record the temperature and the weather too. You may want to record how many

birds you saw visiting the feeder and what kind they were. The library has field guides to help you put namesto the birds. Record anything else that seems interesting to you.

5. After you measure the seed left in the feeder, subtract that amount from the starting amount for the day.For example: You filled the feeder with 10 ounces of seed and there were 3 ounces left at the end of theday. 10 ounces minus 3 ounces = 7 oz. eaten by the birds. (ounces can be written oz. for short )

6. When you are all done with your measurements, add up each day’s results into a grand total. If you measured

seed on 6 different days, you should have 6 numbers to add up. For example: 7 + 10 + 9 + 11 + 9 + 8 = ?7. Divide your grand total by the number of days you took measurements.

For example: Your grand total = 54 oz. eaten. 54 oz. divided by 6 days = 9 oz. each day.A number you figure out this way is called an average. It means the birds ate about this much each day.

Are you surprised how much the birds are eating? Here are some more questions to ask:

Could you tell what kind of seeds the birds liked best?

Did the birds eat more seeds on warm, sunny days or cloudy days or stormy days? Or maybethe weather didn’t make a difference.

What else might the birds be eating besides the seed in your feeders?

Can you figure out how to measure how much seed the birds are spilling on the ground?

If a month has 31 days, how much bird seed do you need on hand to keep your feeders filled?(Hint: you’ll have to do some multiplication!)

There is a saying in the English language: “Sheeats like a bird.” It means that a person doesn’t eatmuch. Now that you have studied how much birds eat,do you think the person who made up this saying knewmuch about the eating habits of birds??

www.fun-with-pictures.com

J . D a w s o n .

N a t i o n a l W i l d l i f e F e d e r a t i o n

Experimental idea from Project FeederWatch. Explained, examples added and further questions by JAS.



JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY 5

JAS officers & Board Members

President: Chuck Herman: [email protected]

Vice President: Richard BeanRecording Sec’y: Julie TrowbridgeCorresponding: Sec’y: Pam ChaffeeTreasurer: Jennifer Delisle

Member Chapter Change Report: Chuck & Ruth HermanMembershipPromotion: Dayna Carleton Newsletter: Susan Iversen: 785-843-1142

[email protected]: Sara KatichPrograms: Joyce Wolf Education: VOLUNTEER NEEDEDField Trips: Steve RoelsPublicity: Dayna CarletonElectronic Communications: Karyn Baker-RineyBird Seed Sale: Linda Lips Birdathon: Richard BeanChristmas Count: Galen PittmanMigratory Count: VOLUNTEER NEEDEDEagles Day: Ed & Cynthia ShawHospitality: Esther SmithHistorian: Ron Wolf Books & Feeders: Ron & Joyce Wolf Board Member: Dena FriesenBoard Member: Lisa GrossmanBoard Member: Mark King Board Member: Jake VailBoard Member: Alice Weis

A Supremely Bad Idea:

Three Mad Birders

and Their Quest to See It All By Luke Dempsey

Reviewed by Jake Vail

I was swinging from a rope up in a black walnut tree a coupleweeks ago, helping a friend hang some Barred Owl nesting boxes. It was a chilly, gray day, but we amateurs were havinga great time. During a break in the action I thought about thehidden passions we all possess, and the joy that’s shared whenthose passions get a chance to come out. “Amateur,” after all,grows from the Latin love. “Who needs a degree in WildlifeBiology?” I called down from my perch, laughing.

In “ A Supremely Bad Idea,” (Bloomsbury USA, 7/08) weshare the joy a trio of amateur birders experience as they leave New York City for a series of forays across the country. Author Luke Dempsey is a British editor more familiar with the BigApple and computers than the fruited Plains and curlews, ayoung man who had given little thought to the natural worlduntil he was introduced to a little warbler, a Common Yellow-throat. Peering for the first time through the binoculars hisfriends had just given him, he tried to focus on the flitting bird.“Suddenly, there it was. ‘Oh my! Wow! Are you kidding me?Wow!’…Love swelled in my pancreas; and I madly wanted to

see more.”

And with that we’re off. You may enjoy vacations relaxingon the beach or hiking through the woods, but Dempsey and hisfriends Don and Donna Graffiti (noms de plume surely) spendtheir vacations at birding hot spots from Arizona to the Pacific Northwest to Florida. In addition to avian adventures, told withgreat excitement and humor, this means tales of hotels and rentalcars of varying quality, meteorological challenges, bad food, andstrange encounters with “the natives.”

Between the trio’s sightings of ElegantTrogons and Magnificent Frigatebirds,

kites and caracaras (“the red-faced greater mullet bird”), the author also reflects on thedeclining state of the American land and its birds. The contrast between Dempsey’s jocular manner and these sad statistics addsgravity to the stories, and though I welcomethe joyful tone of the book, I wish more had been included. Especially since they’regiven the sympathetic attention theydeserve: “These are not just statistics; theyare actual animals and their actual decline, bird by single bird.”

But this small criticism ismade up for by the author’sreverence for a usually under-appreciated ecosystem (and its

birds), the prairie. After bird-ing across tropical islands,deserts, forests, and shore-lines, Dempsey’s tale ends inColorado’s sublime Pawnee National Grasslands, “perhapsthe most heavenly place we’dvisited in all our trips.”

More than three hundred different species of birdshave been noted there, he says, sounding like he maynot believe it. But Dempsey’s joy in discovering the

unknown shines through. “To my mind,” says theamateur birder, “the effort begins with a simple actof looking.”

Elegant TrogonSky Jacobs

Crested Caracara.

Sonoran Desert Museum



Jayhawk Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 3741Lawrence, KS 66046Return Service Requested

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDLawrence, KS

Permit No. 201

Application for New Membership in both: National Audubon Society and Jayhawk Chapter ___$15 Student; ___$20 Introductory for NEW members; ____$15 Senior Citizen.(Make check payable to National Audubon Society.)

Application for Chapter-only Membership (Jayhawk Audubon Society). No Audubon magazine. ___$7.50 Chapter-only (Make check payable to Jayhawk Audubon Society.) Those with National Audubonmemberships are encouraged to support the chapter by voluntarily paying these dues. Chapter membershipexpires annually in July.

National Audubon Society members receive four issues per year of the Audubon magazine and are alsomembers of the Jayhawk Chapter. All members also receive 10 issues of this newsletter per year and areentitled to discounts on books and feeders that are sold to raise funds to support education and conservation projects. Please send this completed form and check to Membership Chairs at the following address:

Ruth & Chuck Herman; 20761 Loring Road, Linwood, KS 66052; e-mail contact:

[email protected] . {National Members Renewing: please use the billing form receivedfrom National and send it with payment to National Audubon Society in Boulder,CO}.

Name __________________________; Address ____________________________;

City ___________________________; State ______; ZIP Code (9) digit _________;

Telephone (with Area Code) ___________________

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December 2008 Jayhawk Audubon Society Newsletter

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