O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3
NE WS LE T T E R OF THE FORT WORTH AUDUBON SOCIETY
FWAS – Active Birding Group Check out the FWAS Website at www.fwas.org Have you been promising yourself that you are going to be more active outside for an full color online version of the as soon as it cools off a bit? It’s time! Southwestern Flyer. ______The Fort Worth Audubon Society group has many opportunities for you to
GENERAL MEETINGS participate. Whether it be short two-hour Birding in the Park or a 5-day trip out of The second Thursday state, you’ll find events which suit of each month your desired level of activity. (except June, July, August) Birding ID Workshop On Sunday, Oct. 13th, from 5AM at 6:45 PM to 7PM, about 20 birders took Regular Meeting part in the Big Sit at the Village at 7:30 PM Creek Drying Beds in Arlington. ______Some stayed most of the day, others just for a short shift. The FIELD TRIPS final count of the species was 77. Many birding field trips are offered each year. We welcome Highlight of the day was an Big Sit participants at Village Creek Drying Beds: L to R members and non-members, beginner to extremely close fly-by of a – Organizer Ted Drozdowski, Robbie and Laurie advanced birders. Peregrine Falcon. You’ll find a Robertson, Paula Channell, Greg Cook, and Bret Newton Find a list of this season's trips inside. complete report on page 9. ______Another recent activity which drew a MISSION and MEMBERSHIP good number of birders was the We encourage you to join us in our October session of our Birding in efforts to promote awareness, the Park with leader Jean Ferguson. appreciation and understanding of birds This monthly bird walk takes place and other wildlife while preserving and at Foster Park in Fort Worth on the protecting their natural habitat. first Saturday of the month. The Yearly Chapter-Only Memberships atmosphere is friendly, and the group almost always finds a nice are $20 for one person October Birding in the Park participants and $30 for a family. In the foreground (L to R): Patty Culpepper, Nadine variety of birds. More details inside Barker, Ronnie Burklow, Barbara Bettis, Gary Hall Birding at the Beds, which is also a Village Creek event, provides an equally easy bird walk, with a bit more rugged terrain. On the second Wednesday of each month, leader Jim Sipiora guides birders in finding and identifying birds at this varied habitat. The October walk produced 37 species, including ducks and shore birds, vultures and raptors, Glenda Keilstrup, Managing Editor woodpeckers, flycatchers, sparrows, and swallows. Best bird of the day was a Red-headed Woodpecker, not easily seen in this area. Copy Editor, Gail Morris
Photo credits as listed Continued on Page 9
2014 Club News and Events November Program Membership Drive Identifying Ducks in Flight
November General November 14, 2013 Speaker: Charley Amos Join our efforts by signing up Meeting for your 2014 FWAS Ducks sitting still are not too Thursday, November 14, 2013 difficult to ID, as long as they are Chapter-Only Memberships. male ducks. Most of them have a Chapter dues help support Birding ID Session plumage, size, or distinct habit that the Audubon Adventures 6:45PM can give us a clue. And we do get program, environmental a chance to see many of them in projects, habitat preservation, local lakes and ponds. scholarships for students, Social Time – 7:10PM However, identifying ducks in flight and other educational areas. can be a different matter. There
General Meeting - 7:30PM are some hints and special “tricks” Memberships are $20 for one person and $30 for a family. that more experienced birders use to make that a bit easier. They are for the 2014 When: calendar year. Come join us on Thursday, th The Fort Worth Audubon Society meets on November 14 , to see and hear a You are able to pay online at the second Thursday of each month, uniquely “Charley” presentation to fwas.org without having to September through May. All meetings are help expand your duck mail in a form; however, you free and open to the public. identification skills. may still mail in your dues if you prefer. Where: December Program
UNT Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Come for birding games and prizes Bowie Blvd., Room 114 (down the hall during the Birding ID time slot. Then from our previous years’ room - on the settle back with popcorn and drinks to Mail membership dues to lower floor of Everett Hall, Medical enjoy a fascinating movie provided by Cindy Compton Education Building 2) the National Audubon society, Lost FWAS Membership Chair www.hsc.unt.edu/campusmap/ Bird. Even if you’ve seen it before, 2101 W. Lotus Ave. there’s nothing like viewing it with Fort Worth, TX 76111 Easiest entrance is from parking lots A or others who have the same birding C off Clifton Street. Doors are on west passion that you do! end of building, lowest level, down the Click here to read all about the film stairs. project: http://www.lostbirdfilm.org/about
Schedule of Remaining Programs for the 2013-14 Season
Tom Haase, our Program Chairman, has put together an excellent schedule of programs for the 2013/14 season. Barring any conflicts for our speakers, here is what we have to look forward to the rest of the year:
November 14 – Charley Amos, Fort Worth Audubon Society - Ducks in Flight
December 12 – Movie Night - Lost Bird
January 9 – Jim Foster, Author, Photographer, and Naturalist - Birding Trails Texas
February 13 – Joan Garland, Crane Foundation - Whooping Cranes
March 13 – Jason Hardin, TPWD, Upland Game Bird Specialist - The Vanishing Bobwhites
April 10 – Professor Wayne Myer, Austin College - Painted Buntings
May 8 – Members Annual Slide Show
Page 2 Southwestern Flyer - OCTOBER 2013 Please join the Fort Worth Audubon Society (FWAS) on field trips to local destinations, birding hotspots adjacent to the Metroplex and out-of-town trips both in state and out of state. Membership to FWAS is not required to attend the field trips but is encouraged. FWAS Chapter-Only members will get first priority on all trips when a limit on participation has been set. More information can be found on our Website at www.fwas.org. For all trips please be prepared for current weather conditions. Always bring water and snacks and lunch on the trips that last 3/4 - full day as lunch is usually in the field. Additional suggested items: sun protection, insect repellant, hat, sturdy shoes. Please note that some trips require an RSVP. Field December Field Trips
12/07/13 – Birding in the Park 8:30AM Trips 12/11/13 – Birding at the Beds 8:30AM
Thursday, December 5 – Saturday, December 8, 2013: Laredo and the western Rio Grande Valley This is a continuation of the one to the eastern part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRVG) in January 2013. We will travel between Laredo east to the town of Roma. The Recurring Field Trips day we bird Laredo and the surrounding area, we’ll be led by Raul Delgado, the main man of birding in that part of First Saturday of each month (Sept-April) the world.
Target birds are White-collared Seedeater, Red-billed Birding in the Park - Foster Park, Fort Worth - One mile Pigeon, Muscovy Duck, and Audubon’s Oriole. Additional north of I-20 on Trail Lake Dr. We'll meet our leader, Jean target birds are Ringed Kingfisher, Green Kingfisher, Ferguson, at 8:30 AM. This is a great field trip for all birders, Curve-billed Thrasher, Verdin, Pyrrhuloxia, Cactus Wren, beginners to experts. Binoculars will be available if needed. Black-throated Sparrow, Olive Sparrow, Scaled Quail, Easy walking. (2 hours) Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, White-tipped Dove, Common
Ground-Dove, Bronzed Cowbird. While we won’t see as Second Wednesday of each month great a diversity of birds as we did on the eastern LRVG
trip, we will see many great birds – at least you’ll know you Birding at the Beds - Village Creek Drying Beds - We'll are not in Tarrant County! meet our leader, Jim Sipiora, at 8:30 AM in the parking lot of Locations: Salineno, Chapeno, and the Falcon Dam area; the Dunlop Sports Center on the south side of Green Oaks Roma Bluffs World Birding Center; Zapata City Park and Blvd. between Davis Dr. and Fielder Rd. in Arlington, across Library; San Ygnacio Nature Center, Zacate Creek and from the entrance to Village Creek Drying Beds. After other birding locations within the city of Laredo, as well as meeting in the parking lot, we will walk across the street to parks and rest stops along the way. We will have a guide the drying beds. the day we bird Laredo. This field trip will be great for all birders - beginners to This trip is being limited to 11 people, other than the experts – as we observe and document what birds are leader, with preference given to FWAS Chapter members. visiting the beds during each season. (3 hours) Though mainly an expense sharing trip, we request a
$25.00 deposit for two reasons: November Field Trips a) The money will show your seriousness. b) The money will be used to pay for our Laredo guide 11/02/13 – Birding in the Park 8:30AM (but you can always give him more afterwards if you feel 11/13/13 – Birding at the Beds 8:30AM he’s done a great job). As some logistical details are still being worked out, we Saturday, November 16, 2013: Private Ranchland and will post on the website the lodging info, airline info (for former landfill area those who wish to fly), expected costs, and a more In keeping with the “western” flavor of many of our trips, Phil detailed itinerary. If you decide you wish to go, please Craighead and Ed Lane will lead us to the former Linkcrest send an email to [email protected] for a mailing Landfill in far west Fort Worth and then private ranchland we address where you can send your deposit, which will also call the “Chicken Ranch” due to the fact that chickens used allow us to send you the most up-to-date info on this to be raised here. The landowner always welcomes FWAS, multiday birding extravaganza. but we’ve not had a field trip here in quite some time. It’s always a great opportunity to get access to habitat like this Field Trips RSVP: Be sure to RSVP field trip co- as 95% of Texas land is in private hands. coordinator Stacie Sjostrom ([email protected]) by Check the website at fwas.org closer to the fieldtrip date for email if you would like to attend either the November or more information. December field trip.
Page 3 Southwestern Flyer OCTOBER 2013
‘THE PANTANAL’ BRAZIL – A Birding Adventure! by Vicki Moore
The Pantanal is the world’s largest contiguous wetland, approximately 20 times the size of the Everglades. The only road is the Transpantaneira; a raised dirt road sectioned by over 100 small wooden bridges that ends about 65 miles south of Pocone at Porto Jofre. During the dry season the waters recede and wildlife viewing becomes easier as roads, walking trails, and woodlands become more accessible. We hired local bird guide, Giuliano Bernardon (www.birdingpantanal.com) for a private 9-day/8-night tour. Once we told him what we wanted to do, he suggested an itinerary and made all the ground arrangements. Our task was getting there! After a 15-hour flight with one stop in Sao Paulo, we landed in Cuiaba, finding Giuliano waiting for us and ready for our adventure to begin. Our first night was at the Curicaca Lodge, about a 2.5 hour drive southwest of Cuiaba and 10 miles into the Pantanal, but we stopped several times along the road and spotted over 50 birds including the Campo Flicker, Toco
Toucon, Grey-creasted Cacholote, Plumbeous Ibis and Rufescent Tiger-Heron. The lodge was over a mile off the Transpantaneira with several cottages tucked around a small river inlet. The next morning we met for breakfast at 5:30 (we met every morning at 5:30!) and began birding shortly after. During our morning walk there were so many birds that Bob and I were rarely looking at the same bird! Some of the highlights: a family of Rufous-tailed Jacamars, Band-tailed Manakin, Red-billed Scythebill, Great Potoo, and the White Woodpecker. At one point as we were searching for a Band-tailed Antwren, several Giant Otters began swimming around barking at us to leave their area. A quick break for lunch, then further down the Transpantaneira to the Pousada Rio Claro. Bob and I birded on our own for an hour then met Giuliano for our scheduled riverboat tour. Again, new life birds at almost every turn in the river; Sunbittern, Sungrebe, Amazon and Pygmy Kingfishers, Fork-tailed Flycatcher and Orange-backed Troupial. We watched a beautiful Jaguar – near Porto Jofre sunset on the river and headed back to the Pousada for dinner. During dinner everyone Photo – Bob Moore ran outside with flashlights as several Tapirs were spotted in the orchard. The next morning walk sightings: Red-crested Cardinal, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Blue-crowned, Nandy and Peach-fronted, Monk and Yellow-chevroned Parakeets, Orange-winged and Blue-fronted Parrots and Chestnut-eared Aracari. Mid-morning we started out for the hard drive to Porto Jofre. It took almost 4 hours to travel 40 miles, but there were several bird stops along the way. Some afternoon highlights: Buff-necked Ibis, Whistling Heron, Yellow-headed Caracara, Jabiru, Southern Lapwing, Purplish Jay, Narrow- billed Woodcreeper and White-wedged Piculet. Waiting for us in Porto Jofre was our boat driver Hernandez. He would be with us for the next two days working hard to position his 14-foot skiff just right for Bob to get a good picture. One of the goals of this part of the trip….Jaguars. Our Barco (boat) Hotel Jacare was about 45 minutes up river. We made a few detours along the way and were rewarded with a Jaguar sitting in the middle of Hyacinth Lillies as well as White-headed Marsh-Tyrant, Silver-beaked Tanager and Southern Screamer. Our Barco Hotel was smaller than some others positioned on the river, but the accommodations were great and the cook was even better! Again the next morning we were off early and were rewarded with very up-close views of Jaguars. One crossed the narrow river right in front of our boat, then climbed up the bank and walked past our boat into the forest. Capybara and Caimen were everywhere and both are a food source for the Jaguar. New bird sightings continued with Brown-chested Martin, Black-fronted Nun- bird, Guira Cuckoo, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Capped Heron, Green Ibis and Band-tailed Nighthawk. Mid-morning of day 5 had us heading back up the Transpantaneira for 2 nights at the Pousado Piuval. This Pousado is a 14,000-acre working ranch. It is a larger hotel and there were several other birding groups but we were the only Americans. Although it was an option, we decided not to bird on horseback! Our afternoon bird highlights were: Red-legged Seriema, Gray Monjita, Maguari Stork, White-banded Mockingbird and Little Woodpecker. The next morning our early morning walk was rewarded with many new birds, but the highlight was a Giant Anteater. We watched this amazing animal for almost 20 minutes as he dug around a small stand of palms. As we turned to leave, Bob spotted a Crab-eating Fox. Later the same day we spotted the Golden-green, Cream-colored and Green-barred Woodpeckers, Black-crowned Tityra, White-winged Becard, Hooded Tanager and Chestnut-bellied Seedfinch. Near dusk, as we headed back for dinner, we saw a male Great Rhea protecting his 20 plus chicks from 2 very aggressive Crested Caracaras. Day 7 was our last in the Pantanal, and our morning walk at Piuval was very exciting with Hyacinth, Red- green, and Red-shouldered Macaws, Barred Antshrike, Great Rufous Woodcreeper, and a pair of Golden-green Woodpecker Ferruginous Pygmy Owls. Mid-morning we left the plains for the mountains to spend our final 2 days in Photo Bob Moore Parque Nacional Chapada dos Guimaraes. We stayed at the beautiful Pousada do Parque with amazing views of the mountains. After check-in we immediately went to the Veu de Noiva (Bridal Veil), an amazing 250-foot waterfall. We watched Blue-winged Macaws sore over the falls while White-collared and Great Dusky Swifts caught their evening meal. We later enjoyed our meal in an open-air dining room and followed our nightly routine of reviewing our bird list. At the beginning of the trip Giuliano gave us a small booklet with a list of all the birds and mammals in the area. Every night we went through the entire list to make sure I didn’t miss anything on my handwritten list or talk about birds one of us may have missed. We woke up the next morning to a cold front and found ourselves in the middle of the clouds. We were ready to go back to bed, but Giuliano believed we could go to a lower area with better visibility. He was right. That day in we enjoyed incredible views of vast canyons as well as amazing birds. Birds of the day were: White-eared Puffbird, Chapada Flycatcher, Blue-crowned MotMot, Collared Crescentchest, Curl-crested Jay, Screaming Cowbird, Yellow-faced Parrot and White-rumped Tanager. Our last day in Brazil started at a small pond near the Pousada and ended at a beautiful lookout over a massive green valley. Our final day was just as spectacular as the first with the Yellow-billed Blue Finch, Cliff Flycathcer, Rufous-browed Peppershirke, Blue-tufted Starthroat, Crested Black Tyrant and Channel-billed Toucan. The 9 days passed quickly and we were sad to leave. Overall we saw 274 species and 215 lifers. GREAT TRIP!!!
Page 4 Southwestern Flyer OCTOBER 2013
The President’s Pen by Scott Hollinger
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank, once again, all the board members for their tremendous work on behalf of all the FWAS Chapter members. However, this spring FWAS will see a major turnover in Board positions so I’m going to start the recruitment process early. We will need some new faces at the Board level for 2014-15--shuffling the chairs won’t work next year––so if you’ve been thinking about serving in some capacity please let me know. For the remainder of this year we have a great program of meetings, speakers, field trips, and bird counts for our members; along with the associated web site, newsletter, and media presence. A lot of behind the scenes work goes into running the chapter for the benefit of everyone associated with FWAS. Let’s keep the momentum going––please consider serving in some capacity. If you have any questions let me know. Thank you for your support. In closing I’d like to encourage everyone to support the conservation efforts of the National Audubon Society. I recently re-discovered the 1917/1936 edition of Birds of America I picked up in a used book store when I was about 10 years old––not going to say what year that was. This edition was edited and contained a lot of commentary from T. Gilbert Pearson, President of the National Audubon Society from 1920 to 1935. I like the writing style, as well as the bird and habitat descriptions in these old volumes. What caught my eye recently was the following description, from very early in the last century, describing the apparent early demise of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper: “…Formerly it was very abundant in Texas, and still is common there, but decreasing. The reports of its decrease in the West are very impressive. Apparently it is on the way to extinction. It is usually a very gentle and confiding bird and pays little attention to the hunter. It is valuable as an insect eater, particularly in the West, but in its pursuit this fact is overlooked and its food value only is considered. Doctor Hatch found it living upon crickets, grasshoppers, ants and their ‘eggs’ and other insects, and on minute mollusks taken from the shores of shallow ponds in the warmest part of the day.” One hundred years later the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, while not “out of the woods yet”, is still alive and kicking thanks to the efforts of the past and current members of the Audubon Society.
Ideas for Making Your Yard Bird and Butterfly Friendly
The flowers of a butterfly bush are abundant in nectar, which makes them very attractive to butterflies and other beneficial insects such as lady bugs and hoverflies. Butterfly bushes generally produce large handfuls of tiny flowers in shades of purple, pink, red, white, yellow, and blue. The nectar nourishes butterflies with sugar, water, amino acids, proteins and other nutrients.
Hummingbirds are also very attracted to the butterfly bush, but some varieties can be invasive, so it can be contained in a large pot in full sun. Buying from a local organic nursery will usually ensure your choice will not be invasive in Texas. Good choices for NCTX: Black Knight, Pink Delight, and White A butterfly bush is an attractive and useful plant for any garden. Profusion. The bush also fares fairly well in drought. Since it attracts butterflies, insects, and birds, the butterfly bush helps maintain the delicate balance of nature.
Another beautiful and useful plant is the Turk’s Cap flower, a perennial loved by hummingbirds. In northeast Texas, this drought-tolerant, semi-woody plant grows about 2-4 feet tall, with shoots often stretching and bending down in shadier locations. Each year it continues to spread from a mother root and can fill a space 5’ X 5’ within a few years. While it can take prolonged drought, it will look and flower better with timely watering. Cut back to the ground in late winter or early spring to avoid iooking straggly.
Because of their beauty, utility, toughness and heritage, Turk’s Cap was named a Texas Superstar in 2011. Texas Superstar is a designation given by horticulturists with Texas A&M to plants with superior quality for gardeners in Texas. Turk’s Cap is a perennial loved by hummingbirds. Page 5 Southwestern Flyer OCTOBER 2013
2013 Fort Worth Christmas Bird Count December 14, 2013
The Fort Worth Audubon Society (FWAS) has been participating in the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) since the late 1950’s. The data collected by ours and all other CBC circles is invaluable. Here is what National Audubon says about the importance of this event:
Each of the citizen scientists who annually brave snow, wind, or rain, to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations - and to help guide conservation action.
From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition -- and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation.
Our bird count circle, 15 miles in diameter, is centered at the Joint Reserve Base in west Fort Worth and is broken into 17 areas. Included in this newsletter are a map of our count circle and a description of each area along with the name of the leader and their contact information. Volunteers are always needed to help us count the birds! All levels of experience are welcome. This is especially good for beginners who can help us spot the birds and in the process learn to identify them and where to find them. This year, our Christmas Bird Count will be held on Saturday, December 14th.
Afterwards we’ll meet at the Hardwicke Center at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge for sandwiches catered by Subway (courtesy of the FWAS Board), the species countdown, lots of fun and a little bragging!
If you’d like to help with the FWAS CBC please contact the leader of the area that you are interested in or the count organizer: Mary Lee Johnson at email - [email protected], cell 817-909-4207.
2013 Village Creek Drying Beds Christmas Bird Count December 26, 2013
There is a second CBC in our area – The Village Creek Drying Beds Christmas Bird Count. Held on Thursday, December 26th this count circle, also 15 miles in diameter, is centered at the Village Creek Drying Beds and covers most of Arlington and parts of the mid-cities area. If you are available for mid-week birding please come out and help us count the birds! For more information please contact Jim Sipiora at [email protected] or 817-860-5984.
Page 6 Southwestern Flyer OCTOBER 2013 Christmas Bird Count Area Leaders and Descriptions
Count Organizer: Mary Lee Johnson – 817-909-4207 [email protected]
NOTE: All time and miles are approximate
1. Sherri Robinson – [email protected] – 817-718-1188 - North-northwest portion of the circle; includes Eagle Mtn. Lake dam; Eagle Mtn. Fish Hatchery (when accessible); Camp Broadway; Ten Mile Bridge Rd., non-public portions of the Fort Worth Nature Center. Time in field 8 hours, miles walked 3-5 over uneven terrain with slight incline, miles driven 10. 2. Marilyn Turnage – [email protected] - 214-533-2481 - Canoe Lake Worth and the Lotus Marsh on the Fort Worth Nature Center; Cross Timbers trail & the portion of Riverbottom Trail northwest from the Lotus Marsh parking area. Canoeing experience necessary, when water levels are low the area is covered on foot. Time in field 8 hours, miles walked 5 on uneven terrain. 3. Greg Kieran - [email protected] - 817/282-3312 -Southeastern portion of the Fort Worth Nature Center, including the Broadview Dr. residential area; Shoreline Dr; Canyon Ridge Trail, Greer Island; Jacksboro Hwy & the Love Circle area near the south edge of the Nature Center. Time in field 8 hours, miles walked 5-7on uneven terrain, miles driven 40. Typically starts before dawn for owls. 4. Tom Haase - [email protected] - 817-229-4987 - Hwy 1886 & north in the NW section of the circle; south of Jacksboro Hwy & west of the Fort Worth Nature Center. Time in field 8 hours, miles walked 5 on uneven terrain, miles driven 6 miles. 5. Phil Craighead – [email protected] - 817-559-9125 - Western section of the circle; South of FM 1886, bordered by Cattlebaron Rd, White Settlement Rd, Chapel Creek Blvd, and north of I-30. Includes Old Weatherford Rd, and the former Linkcrest Landfill. Time in field 8 hrs, miles walked 2-3 on uneven terrain with slight incline, miles driven 60. Typically starts before dawn for owls. 6. Bob and Vicki Moore - [email protected] – 817-444-0731 - West-central area; Silver Creek Rd south of FM 1886 & north of White Settlement Rd.; includes Western Oaks Rd, Silver Creek - Materials area, Verna Trail, Watercress Rd down to Meandering Ct. Time in field 5 hours, miles walked 2.5 on level ground, miles driven 15. 7. Barbara Tompkins – [email protected] - 682-429-8976 - Central west; including Lake Worth from Heron Dr & the castle; Wildwood & Camp Joy parks at the west end of the lake; and White Settlement neighborhoods west of loop 820. Time in field 7 hours, miles walked 1.5 on level ground, miles driven 42. 8. Carol Thompson - [email protected] - 254-968-2029 / Co-leader: Jim Jones – [email protected] - 817-915-6089 - Central east; Old State Fish Hatchery; Camp Carter; Lake Worth dam; Trinity River trails north of River Oaks Blvd; NAS Ft. Worth, & White Settlement neighborhoods east of loop 820 freeway. Time in field 8-10 hours, miles walked 3.5 on rugged terrain with incline, miles driven 7. Typically starts before dawn for owls. 9. Jean Ferguson – [email protected] - 817-909-1448 - SW section of the circle; s of I-30, w of FM 2871/ Longvue Ave; Aledo- Iona Rd w from 820 to the county line; Markum Ranch & ponds; Lost Creek subdivision; grassland along I-20 to w of I-20/ I-30. Time in field 8 hours, miles walked 2 on level ground, miles driven 44. 10. Gail Morris – [email protected] – 682-429-2811 - s of I-30 & between loop 820 & AltaMere Dr; Benbrook s of loop 820 & e of Hwy 377. Also SW Ft Worth & Benbrook neighborhoods & parks; Z Boaz Park; Memorial Oak Park; Park Rd & stables behind the YMCA. Time in field 9 hours, miles walked 3 on uneven terrain, miles driven 30. Typically starts before dawn for owls. 11. Michael Francis – http://mrd.mail.yahoo.com/compose?To=take5birder%[email protected] - 817- 496-6793 - Murrin Ranch in far west Ft Worth south of Spur 580, north of I-20 and west of 2871. Time in field 7 hours, miles walked 2 on level ground, miles driven 5. 12. Jim Sipiora – [email protected] - 817-860-5984 - FWNC; Hardwicke Center; Caprock, Prairie, Oak Motte, Wild Plum, & Forked Trail Creek trails; Riverbottom trail between the residential area & Shoreline Dr east of the Lotus Marsh parking area. Time in field 8-10 hours, miles walked 6-8 on rugged terrain with steep inclines, miles driven 0. Typically starts before dawn for owls. 13. Mary Gillis - [email protected] - 817-999-1656 - Downtown west; Fort Worth Botanic Garden; Trinity Park; Greenwood Cemetery; Riverbend Nature Area; Arlington Heights and Westover Hills including signs & bridges over I-30. Time in field 6-8 hours, miles walked 3 on level ground, miles driven 15. 14. Mary Lee Johnson – [email protected] – 817-909-4207 - Forest Park & zoo; Trinity bicycle trails incl. south thru Overton Park, and SW along the Trinity all the way to Bellaire Dr South at loop 820 bridge. Includes City View chain lakes s of 820 & north of Overton Ridge Blvd. Time in field 6-8 hours, miles walked 4-6 on level ground, miles driven 20. 15. Charley Amos - [email protected] - 817-265-9208 - east side of Lake Worth incl. Mosque Point Park, Camp Leroy Schuman; Cahoba Dr east to Marion Sansom Park & inspiration point; Buck Sansom Park; and residential areas of Sansom Park (city). Time in field 8 hours, miles walked 6-8 on rugged, steep terrain, miles driven 10. 16. Ted Drozdowski - [email protected] – 817-908-68970 - Northeast sector; eastern non-public section of the Fort Worth Nature Center; Marine Creek Lake & TCJC NW Campus; Lake Worth residential areas; and Cement Creek Lake - southwest half: wet grasslands SW of the inflow stream, dam, wooded/grasslands downstream of dam. Time in field 8-10 hours, miles walked 5-7on rugged, steep terrain, miles driven 20. Typically starts before dawn for owls. 17. Harry Johnson Ranch - NO LONGER COUNTED 18. John Bartell – [email protected] – 817-441-5732 - Marty Leonard Ranch - Spur 580 and I-30. North of I-30 western boundary is .10 mile east of landfill, north is Chapin Road for ¼ mile south to I-30. South side of I-30, from Spur 580 to the west and south, east to and including Leonard's Links. Time in field 4-6 hours, miles walked 2 on level ground, miles driven 10.
Page 7 Southwestern Flyer OCTOBER 2013
FORT WORTH AUDUBON SOCIETY CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AREA
1 16 12 4 3 2
15 6
8 7 5 13
18
10 9 11 17 14
9 10
Map prepared using DeLorme Topo USA® 7.0 Fort Worth Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count Area (National Audubon Count # 108) Center of Circle: Latitude +32.7667 degrees Longitude -97.4667 degrees This is about 210 feet north-north-east of the Clifford St & Comal Ave. intersection. (The 15-mile circle is accurate to within 100 feet.)
Page 8 Southwestern Flyer OCTOBER 2013 Continued from Page 1 FWAS – Active Birding Group (continued) If you are ready for a more far-reaching fieldtrip, the FWAS group is planning a 5-day Prairies and Potholes trip to North Dakota in June 2014. Target birds for the trip are Gray Partridge, Baird’s Sparrow, Sprague’s Pipit, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Ferruginous Hawk, Upland Sandpiper, Willow Flycatcher, Dickcissel, Clay-colored and Grasshopper sparrows, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Le Conte’s Sparrow, Bobolink, and Yellow-headed Blackbird. This trip is almost full, but read more about it on the website at http://www.fwas.org/showthread.php?2094-Prairies-and-Potholes-of-North-Dakota-June-2014. The leaders will be taking reservations for a waitlist as well.
Other activities which will give you the opportunity to join others who share your passion for birding can be found on our Field Trip page (page 3 in this issue). And, you’ll want to read all about the two Christmas Bird Count events on page 6-8.
We’d love to see you at our monthly meetings, and it would be great to share the day with you in the field!
THE BIG SIT – Wings Over Wastewater Team by Ted Drozdowski
We had 20 participants stop by throughout the day. As usual, about six or seven of us stayed nearly the entire day. We got started around 5am and finished up at 7:10pm. Rain threatened for much of the afternoon but we only endured rain for a total of 15 minutes. We were expecting a lot more rain. Weather conditions were not great for a lot of migrants. We were hoping the front would pass through and bring north winds but that didn't happen as the winds were largely coming form the southeast. The fact that the drying beds were "dry" up until recently definitely factored into our low species count. Even though we had plenty of water in the beds, its seems the life cycle had been disrupted as we just did not have a good diversity of ducks, and wading birds. This was by far our worst year for ducks and long-legged waders as we missed Snowy and Little Blue Herons, and Cattle Egret, species we usually see. We ended up with 77 species, which was a little low of our six year average of 82 species. Nevertheless, there were some highlights: We heard four owl species before dawn - Great Horned, Barred, Barn and Eastern Screech. We also heard at least one American Bittern. We added some new species to the Big Sit count list this year: Yellow and Nashville Warblers, Eastern Screech-Owl and a Hairy Woodpecker. The highlight of the day was probably a young Peregrine Falcon, which took a lap around the main pond and came towards us at eye level giving us a unique, level, head on view. We had some other raptors come through which occasionally broke up a long, somewhat uneventful day. Other flyby highlights were two Black-bellied Plovers, a Mottled Duck, Merlin, and several Northern Harriers. With the new parking lot and no-driving rules at VCDB, hopefully, we will be able to negotiate keeping at least some water at VCDB at all times except for periods of catastrophic drought. We would especially like to thank Greg Cook and Charley Amos for their work with Steven Nutter and the Fort Worth Water Department for working through some tough issues and keeping VCDB open to the public while working through ever increasing water usage issues. We'll be back at it next year and we have decided to make the Big Sit on Sunday for 2014 so there will be no last minute changes regardless of the weather. Next year the Big Sit will be on Sunday Oct, 21 2014.
Local Conservation Meeting – Save the Night
Want to learn how to have sufficient outdoor light at night while saving energy, minimizing glare, increasing safety, reducing light trespass, and creating an aesthetically pleasing nocturnal environment? Plan now to attend Arlington Conservation Council's 2013 Julia Burgen Lecture on Nov. 6. Workshop activities begin at 5PM with a lecture by Paul Bogard at 7PM. Bogard, author of the End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light, is an assistant professor of English at James Madison University in Virginia. He edited the anthology Let There Be Night: Testimony on Behalf of the Dark
Both the workshop and program are free, but registration is required and available online at http://www.arlingtonconservationcouncil.org/
Page 9 Southwestern Flyer OCTOBER 2013
THE SOUTHWESTERN FLYER PAGE 10 - OCTOBER 2013
FWAS Member Photos
North Holiday Park, Benbrook Jerry Turner Malachite Kingfisher, Africa Phil Craighead
Snapping Turtle, Village Creek Drying Beds Kenneth Nanney
Barred Owl, Fort Park State Park, Limestone Cty. Fort Davis State Park Missy McAllister-Kerr Jerry Turner
Orange-breasted Sunbird on Table Mountain, Africa Phil Craighead
Red-shouldered Hawk, Fort Park State Park Village Creek Drying Beds, Late September 2013 Missy McAllister-Kerr Say’s Phoebe Kenneth Nanney Bosque del Apache Nat'l Wildlife Refuge Kerry Owen