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Thank You for Sponsoring Individual contributors of $100 or more: Ellen Aiken & Theodore Harris Paul & Diane Oefinger 2016 the 2016 Birdathon David Hunt Cara Hasselbeck John & Heather Sue Arnold Cloyc & Chris Hedge Pankhurst hanks to generous donors like you, another successful John Bacone Pat Parkinson Birdathon is benefitting the birds of Central Indiana. Jennifer Hehman T Melvyn & Elena Baez Robert Heins Deborah Patrick While this was not a banner year, you enabled us to raise Barb Baker Stevenson Hill Randy Patrick Amos Butler the Birdathon bucks necessary to fund all of our grant Bob & Jennie Beth Hill family Kara Pearce requests. Our grand total of donations and carryover Baker Maureen Hodson Gail Richards funds amounted to an impressive $33,560. But even more Lou Anne Barriger Michael & Barbara Martyn & Sarah Audubon Society impressive, since 1987 the Birdathon has donated a total Bob Barriger Homoya Roberts of $680,706! Dale & Barbara Benson Dr. & Mrs. Robert Reta & Rob Rutledge BIRDATHON REPORT Kara Benson Hooker Anne Scheele Why Your Donations Are So Important Linda Bishop Ruth Ann Ingraham Paul Schmitt Mike Bishop Barbara & Paul Margaret Schwarz Our long partnership with the American Bird Jablonski Conservancy has produced some significant achieve- Violet Bishop Mary Selig Charlie Bollman Avril Kane John Sharp ments, including the completion last year of the Cerulean Lee Casebere Anna Kincheloe Virginia Sheets Warbler Corridor in Colombia. This year we embarked on Gordon Chastain Wendy Kindig Greg & Renny Silver an exciting new project with a pressing need — acquiring Dr. John J. Coleman III Carla M. Koty in memory of Max a 556-acre parcel of land in Guatemala. The Sierra Cruz Carole Cole Joyann Landis Catherine &Will Snyder is in urgent need of protection because of a recently built Susan Cope Susan Leo Keith & Karen Starling illegal road that allows poachers and loggers access. The Patricia Cracraft Becky Lomax & Norma J. Starling parcel provides high-quality winter and stopover habitat Barny Dunning John Sumner April Sterling for at least 40 species of Neotropical migrants. Lynn & Beth Eikenberry Paula & Ted Lupina Paul & Judy Thomas Closer to home, valuable data is being gathered on two Linda Elbert Bob Magnuson Stephen E. Towne vulnerable warbler species. Purdue University is conducting Edward Erotas Janet Martin Dan Tuten a research project on the Worm-eating Warbler, listed as Dr. Paul Evans Mike Maxwell Janet Tuten a species of special concern in Indiana. Ball State’s project Pat Fansler Nancy Mayo-Miller Matthew T. Tuten is on the Cerulean Warbler, listed as state endangered. Fitzgerald family Donna & Don McCarty Elcira Villarreal & Margaret Flack Jill McRoberts Jeanette Frazier Research data will be used to develop forest management Boris Meditch Laurie Voss practices benefitting these warblers. Sarah Fowler Mary Ellen & Medley family Mike & Karen Wade The Indiana Raptor Center will purchase testing equip- Robert Gadski Lynn & Jane Miller Tom Weber in memory ment to detect the presence of lead in wild raptors. A raptor Irvin & Barbara Richard W. Miller of Carl Weber center in Illinois has found high levels in one out of every Goldblatt Elizabeth Mueller Betsy & George Wilson three Cooper’s Hawks tested. Sharon Gremel John Munshower William Wood Community outreach is another important tool for Barbara Hamilton Bill Murphy Sara Zeckel educating the public about the importance of birds. Jane Hammock Polly Nicely Miles Zevin Several of our grant recipients are fulfilling this goal. Susan Hanafee Kathy & Jerry Oakley Robina Zink Central Indiana Land Trust will establish a bird-banding Volunteers who raised Birdathon donations of: station at Oliver Woods. Marian University continues $1,000 or more $500 to $999 $100 to $499 its habitat restoration at the EcoLab, involving hundreds Lee Casebere Roger Hedge Mike & Linda Ryan Sanderson The Wood Thrush of volunteers. Keep Indianapolis Beautiful’s Springdale Mary Ellen Gadski Amanda Smith Bishop John Schaust is one of 40 neotropical Greenspace at the Nowland Oak will transform a vacant Cloyce Hedge Keith Starling Kevin Carlsen Spike Selig lot into community greenspace. Finally, the Jameson Donna McCarty Laurie Voss Brian Cunningham Doug Sherow migrants that winters in the Camp will be able to create a hummingbird garden and April Sterling Marty Williams Jason Goldsmith Nancy Tikijian Sierra Santa Cruz expand its environmental education program. Janet Tuten Amy Hodson Richard Wiesler Wren Upchurch Barbara Jablonski Betsy Wilson in Guatemala Our Teams Have Worked Hard John Munshower Photo by Ed Schneider courtesy of to Raise Birdathon Bucks Corporate Sponsor: the American Bird Conservancy We are especially proud of our Birdathon team fund- $1,000 4040 East 82nd Street raising champs. Another team set a new species count Special Contributors: record. Be sure to read their enlightening Big Day reports. Pete Drum, Birdathon Database Curator Mary Ellen Gadski, International Projects Coordinator A sincere thank you to all of our Birdathon sponsors from Barbara Jablonski, Silent Auction Coordinator Donna McCarty, Birdathon Chair; members of the Don McCarty, Birdathon Treasurer Birdathon committee; and the board of directors of the Bill Murphy, Report Editor Amos Butler Audubon Society. Melissa Upchurch, Birdathon Gift Bag Coordinator #1 Fundraising Champs: #2 Fundraising Champs: #3 Fundraising Champs: Bud & Carl’s Legacy Team Noddy Little Gulls DNR Team Team members (l-r): Team members Team members Janet Tuten, Keith (l-r): April Sterling, (l-r): Cloyce Hedge, Starling, Amanda Lou Anne Barriger, Lee Casebere, Smith, Marty Williams Laurie Voss, Kathy Roger Hedge A New Feldman Team High Blown Marking Species Away on Its 20th Count Our Big Day Anniversary by Keith Starling By Laurie Voss by Lee Casebere ud & Carl’s Legacy Team left Indy at 3:00 a.m. on May he Noddy Little Gulls were blown away this year — ay 9th was count day, and I’ll just say that we’ve had 11th, already down one member. Jerry Williams had literally. We picked one of the coldest days in May to do much better days. Our ending number was 135 Bto watch and cheer from the sidelines because of an injury. Tour Birdathon adventure. Beginning at Lake Michigan, we did Mspecies, which is certainly less than normal, and much As in previous years, we headed south. First stop was not have a Plan B. The combination of 35-40° temperatures less than our best. The temperature started out in 50s and Green-Sullivan State Forest for the morning chorus. That and wind gusts up to 40 mph made for a challenging day. But stayed there all day. We never saw the sun at all. Although first hour is fast and furious, and it’s somewhat hard to the Noddy Little Gulls are a hardy bunch. the nighttime and early morning hours were very calm, separate all those birds singing at once. We aren’t even We began before sunup in the Dunes State Park to look by midday it became very windy and never let up the rest looking for birds. We are all staring at the ground, trying to for owls and Eastern Whip-poor-wills, but those birds of the day. Even during the calm times in the early parts concentrate and filter the birdsong as we are being blasted decided it was too cold. We then traveled to Michigan City of the day, birds were uncharacteristically quiet, a big from all directions. One bird who insisted on being both beach and lighthouse in search of gulls and waterfowl. disadvantage to a team that birds largely by ear. heard and seen was the Chuck-will’s-widow, who did a Here we were met with 40 mph gusts off of the lake that Our hopes were high this year since we returned to north- quick fly-by to check us out. carried the sand sideways into our faces, eyes, mouths, west Indiana, where we’ve had our best luck through the years. From Green-Sullivan, we headed to Goose Pond and and optics. Walking to the jetty we picked up four species But everywhere we went, birds were fewer and quieter than Bee Hunter Marsh, birding as we drove. We stopped to while hiding behind some concrete to block the wind. normal. Usually a highlight is birding Beverly Shores Drive check out a White-crowned Sparrow. We apparently startled Back to the woods to find our songbirds at Dunes State shortly after daybreak. Typically a cacophony of birdsong an American Bittern, who popped up in the ditch right Park, then we went on to Cowles Bog. We were there with excellent birding for miles, it turned out to be a pathetic beside the car. What luck that it showed itself! A rousing for the Snowy Egret but ran into a bonanza of warblers dud! After lackluster birding at sites near Lake Michigan cheer went up, much too loud for the bittern. He took who knew how to get out of the wind by staying behind for much of the day, we headed to the Kankakee Sands and his leave from us, carrying a frog in his mouth. While we the hill. It was there we picked up the majority of our 26 Willow Slough area, where we expected to pick up a hit were at Goose Pond, a conservation officer stopped by to species of warblers, including excellent looks at beautiful list of over 25 such birds but managed to pick up fewer tell us that there was a Glossy Ibis in the neighborhood. Mourning and Golden-winged Warblers. than half. As we turned around to chat, we caught a view of our only We made several more stops in Lake County before We missed both expected territorial breeders and Bald Eagle, flying in the background. We never found the heading south to Kankakee Sands.
Recommended publications
  • Nocturnal Survey Guidelines Owls, Nighthawks and Whip-Poor-Wills Present Atlas Surveyors with Several Challenges

    Nocturnal Survey Guidelines Owls, Nighthawks and Whip-Poor-Wills Present Atlas Surveyors with Several Challenges

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  • The Relationships of the Starlings (Sturnidae: Sturnini) and the Mockingbirds (Sturnidae: Mimini)

    The Relationships of the Starlings (Sturnidae: Sturnini) and the Mockingbirds (Sturnidae: Mimini)

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  • Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles Minor)

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  • Hand-Raising and Rehabilitation of Mynas

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  • European Starling

    European Starling

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  • Colorado Birds the Colorado Field Ornithologists’ Quarterly

    Colorado Birds the Colorado Field Ornithologists’ Quarterly

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  • Updated Ethography for European Starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris) In

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  • Mecklenburg Breeding Bird Atlas

    Mecklenburg Breeding Bird Atlas

    Breeding Bird Atlas of Mecklenburg County, NC Written by Donald W. Seri Breeding Bird Atlas of Mecklenburg County, NC Written by Donald W. Seri Illustrations and Layout Design by Leigh Anne Carter Technical Publication Series Number 102: October 2017 Copyright © 2017 Artwork copyright © 2017 Leigh Anne Carter Photographs used with permission and photographers retain copyright of photos All rights reserved. is book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission of the copyright holder(s). Published in partnership with: e Mecklenburg Audubon Society and e Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department Our Partners Mecklenburg Audubon Society e Mecklenburg Audubon Society was founded in 1940. e Society has been a leader in education and conservation in the Charlotte region for over 75 years. Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department e Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department was established in 1974. e Department manages over 22,000 acres of parks, greenways, and nature preserves in the county. United States Geological Survey Learn about Breeding Bird Atlas Explorer at: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bba/ Table of Contents Breeding Bird Atlas 1 Red-headed Woodpecker 55 European Starling 96 Results 10 Red-bellied Woodpecker 56 Cedar Waxwing 97 Species Accounts 15 Downy Woodpecker 57 Ovenbird 98 Hairy Woodpecker 58 Worm-eating Warbler 99 Canada Goose 18 Northern Flicker 59 Louisiana Waterthrush 100 Wood Duck 19 Pileated Woodpecker 60 Black-and-white Warbler 101 Mallard 20 American Kestrel 61 Prothonotary
  • Stars in Their Eyes: Iris Colour and Pattern in Common Mynas Acridotheres Tristis on Denis and North Islands, Seychelles

    Stars in Their Eyes: Iris Colour and Pattern in Common Mynas Acridotheres Tristis on Denis and North Islands, Seychelles

    Chris J. Feare et al. 61 Bull. B.O.C. 2015 135(1) Stars in their eyes: iris colour and pattern in Common Mynas Acridotheres tristis on Denis and North Islands, Seychelles Chris J. Feare, Hannah Edwards, Jenni A. Taylor, Phill Greenwell, Christine S. Larose, Elliott Mokhoko & Mariette Dine Received 7 August 2014 Summary.—An examination of Common Mynas Acridotheres tristis, trapped during eradication attempts on Denis and North Islands, Seychelles, revealed a wide variety of background colours and patterns of silvery white spots (which we named ‘stars’) in the irises. Explanations for the variation were sought via comparison of iris colour and pattern with the birds’ age, sex, body condition, primary moult score and gonad size, and a sample of live birds was kept in captivity to examine temporal changes in iris colour and pattern. Juveniles initially had grey irises without stars, but through gradual mottling stars developed and other colours, especially brown, developed as bands within the iris. These changes took place within 3–7 weeks of capture; no major changes were observed in the irises of a small sample of adults over 17 weeks in captivity. No sex differences in colour or pattern were detected, but seasonal differences were apparent, particularly in that multiple bands of stars were more common in the breeding season, and grey irises were more prevalent in the non-breeding season. There was no association between iris colour/pattern and body condition index or primary moult score, but only in females was there a suggestion of a relationship between gonad size and two of the colour/star categories.
  • Population Trends of the Finnish Starling Sturnus Vulgaris, 1952–1998, As Inferred from Annual Ringing Totals

    Population Trends of the Finnish Starling Sturnus Vulgaris, 1952–1998, As Inferred from Annual Ringing Totals

    Ann. Zool. Fennici 40: 365–385 ISSN 0003-455X Helsinki 29 August 2003 © Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing Board 2003 Population trends of the Finnish starling Sturnus vulgaris, 1952–1998, as inferred from annual ringing totals Jukka Rintala1,2, Juha Tiainen1 & Timo Pakkala2 1) Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute, P.O. Box 6, FIN-00721 Helsinki, Finland (e-mail: fi rst name.surname@rktl.fi ) 2) Finnish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 17, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland (e-mail: [email protected].fi ) Received 18 Dec. 2002, revised version received 28 May 2003, accepted 2 June 2003 Rintala, J., Tiainen, J. & Pakkala, T. 2003: Population trends of the Finnish starling Sturnus vul- garis, 1952–1998, as inferred from annual ringing totals. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 40: 365–385. Finnish starling populations have declined, a phenomenon fi rst noted towards the end of the 1970s. Here we use national ringing totals to estimate changes in the starling population. However, the numbers ringed depend not only on the population size but also on yearly variations in ringing activities. Thus, it was necessary to correct these totals based on the records of other ringed passerines. In this study, we used a Monte Carlo simulation based on time series regressions for the estimation of confi dence of indices. The results suggest that the population size from the early 1970s to the 1990s was signifi cantly smaller than in the 1950s and 1960s. It was concluded that (i) the population was fairly stable in the period 1952–1970, (ii) the population started a con- sistent decline around 1970, and (iii) the population declined by approximately 90% in the period 1970–1985.
  • Long-Tailed Glossy Starling

    Long-Tailed Glossy Starling

    LONG-TAILED GLOSSY STARLING PASSERIFORMES Family: Sturnidae Genus: Lamprotornis Species: caudatus Range: Tropical Africa from Senegal east to Sudan Habitat: Open woodland and cultivation Niche: Omnivorous, arboreal/terrestrial, diurnal Wild diet: primary diet of fruit and insects Zoo diet: Life Span: (Wild) (Captivity) 17.8 years Sexual dimorphism: none Location in SF Zoo: African Aviary APPEARANCE & PHYSICAL ADAPTATIONS: A small bird from the Starling family. Adults are metallic green upper body and violet breast with a purple tail. The underparts of these species lacks iridescence and may be blue, purple, yellow or brown. The face is black with a yellow eye. Juveniles have an overall brownish tone to its plumage. Juveniles are duller with brownish hue. Their long tails are used for balance and their feet are very good at gripping. Weight: Body Length: 21 in (including tail) Tail length: 13 in STATUS & CONSERVATION This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion. It is listed as least concern. The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as common in most areas. BIR- LONG-TAILED GLOSSY STARLING COMMUNICATION AND OTHER BEHAVIOR This is a gregarious species whose call is harsh and grating. They are omnivorous and mostly feed on the ground, although they will take fruit from trees. The Starling feeds on fruit and insects, but specializes in capturing invertebrates using a method called open bill probing. The starling uses its sharp beak to penetrate the ground and catch small invertebrates hiding underneath the shallow surface.
  • Starlings and Mynas

    Starlings and Mynas

    Beneficial Starlings The Eurasian Rose-colored and African Wattled Starlings are believed Starlings to be beneficial due to their insect con­ trol near agricultural crops. Both species establish breeding colonies in and Mynas areas where swarms of locusts and by Susan Congdon, grasshoppers appear. It is believed that Disney's Animal Kingdom, FL they eat enough of these insects to protect food crops. banded and released have been sub­ Pest Starlings? he names starling and myna sequently recovered when found for There are some species of star­ are often used interchange­ sale in Indonesian bird markets. The ling/myna that are considered to be T ably similar to pigeoN. and conversion of forest to agricultural pests. The European Starling and dove. Myna is the Hindi word for star­ land, and deforestation for firewood Common Myna are two examples of ling and is often used for species native and human settlements have greatly this. European Starlings were intro­ to southern and southeastern Asia and decreased their natural habitat. duced to North America and are the southeastern Pacific. Many of the In response to the decreasing wild extremely gregarious. As well as dam­ Asian birds are known as both starlings population, the American Zoo and aging important crops they compete and mynas. Aquarium Association, Jersey Wildlife with native birds for hollows in which Preservation Trust, and the Indonesian to nest. Near Extinction ofthe Bali Myna government have set up a Species Common Mynas, introduced to There are 114 species in the Survival Program (SSP). The main goals many places including Hawaii and sturnidae family.