March/April 2019
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People AT TRAVIS AUDUBON Office Staff Board of Directors Executive Director Nicole Netherton President Frances Cerbins Land Manager and Educator Chris Murray President-Elect Eric Stager Education and Program Coordinator Caley Zuzula Treasurer Carol Ray Operations Coordinator Judith Allen Secretary Julia Marsden Design Director & Website Producer Nora Chovanec Directors Karen Bartoletti Clif Ladd Suzanne Kho Committees Dennis Palafox Advocacy Clif Ladd Sharon Richardson Baker Team Clif Ladd Virginia Rose Chris Murray Mark Wilson Blair Woods Management Mark Wilson Jo Wilson Commons Ford Shelia Hargis Ellen Filtness Chaetura Canyon Management Paul Kyle Advisory Council J. David Bamberger Georgean Kyle Valarie Bristol Adult Education Byron Stone Victor Emanuel Field Trip Dennis Palafox Sam Fason Hornsby Bend Eric Stager Bryan Hale Outreach/Member Meetings Jane Tillman Karen Huber Cindy Sperry Mary Kelly Youth Virginia Rose Susan Rieff Mary Kay Sexton Andrew Sansom Carter Smith 1 Upcoming Events WITH TRAVIS AUDUBON Super Tuesday! At Emma Long Metropolitan Park with Jane Tillman and Suzie McCann 1600 City Park Rd, Austin, TX 78730 02MAR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Beginner Bird Walk: Camp Mabry 2200 W 35th St, Austin, TX 78703 02MAR, 19 CLASSES, SANCTUARY EVENTS Birding by Ear with Mikael Behrens 03MAR, 19 YOUTH & FAMILY Young Birders Club: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center 05MAR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Two-hour Tuesday at Lake Creek Trail with Jane Tillman 06MAR, 19 CLASSES CLASS: Introduction to Birds and Birding Spring 2019 09MAR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Hornsby Bend Monthly Bird Count 09MAR, 19 SANCTUARY EVENTS Baker Sanctuary Restoration Day 12219 Lime Creek Rd, Leander, TX 78641, USA 10MAR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Guadalupe River State Park Field Trip led by Deb & Lee Wallace 10MAR, 19 Ruffled Feathers Book Club Meeting 3710 Cedar St., Austin, TX 78705 12MAR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Super Tuesday at Mitchell Lake with Lee and Deb Wallace 14MAR, 19 YOUTH & FAMILY Birds of Lake Pflugerville with Sebastian Casarez 18216 Weiss Ln, Pflugerville, TX 78660 16MAR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Hornsby Bend Monthly Bird Walk 16MAR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Birdability: Govalle Metropolitan Park 20MAR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Wild Wednesday at Brushy Creek Regional Trail 21MAR, 19 2 TAS 67th Birthday Party + Annual Business Meeting + Speaker Series 4700 Grover Ave, Austin, TX 78756 23MAR, 19 YOUTH & FAMILY, SANCTUARY EVENTS Blair Woods Family Nature Day: Celebrate Urban Birds 5401 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX 78721, USA 24MAR, 19 SANCTUARY EVENTS Blair Woods Restoration Day 5401 E. MLK Jr. Blvd. 24MAR, 19 SANCTUARY EVENTS Chaetura Canyon Video Premiere 26MAR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Two-Hour Tuesday at City of Bee Cave Central Park with Amy Sugeno 02APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Super Tuesday at Pedernales Falls State Park with Terry Banks 03APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS, BIRDATHON Birdathon: Birding at Bamberger Ranch 05APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Migratory Birds in the Landscape 06APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS, BIRDATHON Birdathon: Cherry Springers 06APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Beginner Bird Walk: St. Edward’s Park 7301 Spicewood Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78759 06APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS, SANCTUARY EVENTS, BIRDATHON Birdathon: Mindful Birders 07APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS, SANCTUARY EVENTS, BIRDATHON Birdathon: Warblers at Baker 07APR, 19 YOUTH & FAMILY Young Birders Club: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center 09APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Two-hour Tuesday at Camp Mabry with Jane Tillman 13APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS Hornsby Bend Monthly Bird Count 17APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS, BIRDATHON Birdathon: Birding at Los Madrones 19APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS, BIRDATHON Birdathon: Birding at Jandarosa Ranch 20APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS 3 Hornsby Bend Monthly Bird Walk 20APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS, BIRDATHON Birdathon: Powderhorn Ranch 20APR, 19 SANCTUARY EVENTS Blair Woods Restoration Day 5401 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX 78721, USA 23APR, 19 CLASSES Class: Spring Warblers 27APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS, BIRDATHON Birdathon: Coastal Migrants and East Texas Warblers 27APR, 19 YOUTH & FAMILY, SANCTUARY EVENTS Blair Woods Family Nature Day: Migration 5401 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX 78721, USA 28APR, 19 FIELD TRIPS, BIRDATHON Birdathon: Early Birders 30APR, 19 Speaker Series: Exploring New Guinea’s Lost Worlds and Elusive Birds of Paradise with Bruce Beehler 4700 Grover Ave, Austin, TX 78756 4 Updates AT TRAVIS AUDUBON Austin Tree Experts Visit Blair Woods POSTED ON JANUARY 15, 2019 Many thanks to the good folks at Austin Tree Experts who graciously donated their time and expertise at Blair Woods the last several weeks. The crew from Austin Tree Experts removed non-native, invasive plants lining the Blair Woods driveway and also cut and removed several large, technical snags which had loomed over various public spaces at the preserve. Volunteers Keep Baker Beautiful POSTED ON JANUARY 28, 2019 Many thanks to the 18 hard-working volunteers who spent their Saturday morning at Baker last weekend! With their help, approximately 12 cubic yards of mulch was spread on hiking trails, hundreds of Spanish Oak acorns were sown, and over 600 feet of an old, rusty, barbed wire fence was removed. Great work and thanks for your support! January Bird Forecast POSTED ON JANUARY 30, 2019 By: Jim Spencer What to watch for in January – Unusual Birds at your Feeders Here’s the Central Texas bird forecast for the month, courtesy of Travis Audubon. Learn more about Central Texas birds and bird-related events for all ages at travisaudubon.org or by calling 512-300-BIRD. Follow us at www.facebook.com/travisaudubon Are you feeding the birds? If so, keep an eye out for two uncommon species that have shown up this winter. 5 Purple Finches and Red-breasted Nuthatches are two northern species of birds that are considered irruptive species. The Texas Ornithological Society Handbook of Texas Birds defines irruptive species as those that are “normally absent from the state or a given area, but subject to large-scale non-annual incursions.” Often there are variable numbers of years between these events. Usually the irruptions are due to food shortages in their normal range. Of the two, the Purple Finch is rare in the Austin/Travis County area, while Red-breasted Nuthatches seem to show up in very low numbers every year. For Purple Finches, there are scattered records in 2015, 2014, 2011, 2004, 2003, 2002, 1979, 1976 and 1974. So far this late fall and winter they have been seen or heard at locations including Emma Long and Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Parks, at a private residence northwest of St. Edward’s Park and in Travis Country, and at McKinney Falls State Park. Purple Finches have large conical bills and will visit backyard feeders, particularly enjoying black oil sunflower seed. They are House Sparrow sized, about 6 inches long, with notched tails. The males and females look very different from each other. The female has a brownish back and tail, with crisp short, dark streaks on a white breast and belly. The most distinctive head features are the strong white eyebrow mostly behind the eye, and the brown cheek patch. 6 She could be confused with the very common House Finch, less common Pine Siskin, or some native sparrows. Be sure to check your field guide. One way to make the identification is to take a decent photo and use the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Merlin Photo ID App. A House Finch female will have blurry grayish streaking on her breast and flanks and a plain head. While it seems that most Travis County records are for female Purple Finches, you may get lucky and see a male. No, it is not purple. Compare the male’s extensive red coloring on its back and head, and red on its flanks, with the brown blurry streaking on the House Finch’s flank and less red on the head. The Red-breasted Nuthatch is the life of the party with its endearing tooting calls. It is a shame we don’t have more of this northern bird. It could be mistaken for a Carolina Chickadee if you only get a quick look, but is quite different. The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a little smaller than a 7 chickadee. It has a long pointed bill it uses to probe for insects in bark as it busily moves down, up and around tree trunks and branches. It has almost no neck, and a flat head, with a white eyebrow and throat and strikingly black eyeline. Its belly is pale orange and the top of its head, its back and tail are bluish gray. These nuthatches are generally solitary, but will follow mixed flocks of chickadees, titmice, and other small songbirds. Compiled by Jane Tillman, Travis Audubon Volunteer REPOSTED WITH PERMISSION FROM KXAN’S WEATHER BLOG Meet the 2019 Board Nominees POSTED ON JANUARY 31, 2019 Learn more about the 2019 Board Nominees by reading their bios below! Election will take place at the March Member Meeting– more details for that meeting coming soon. Christy Esmahan, Ph.D. Christy received a B.A. in Microbiology from Miami University, in Ohio, and then a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the Universidad de León in Spain. She worked for 15 years as an educator at the high school and university level. Now she works as a biomedical/pharmaceutical translator (Spanish/English) and writes novels. She has always been interested in birds, but has had more time to devote to birding since she became an empty nester. She has birded in Thailand, Taiwan and Mexico. She volunteered with Amigos de las Americas in Houston for 7 years, and was a board member for 3 years. Currently she is a board member of a non-profit press, Kallisto Gaia, here in Austin. She and her husband are avid birders and have been members of Travis Audubon since they moved to Austin a few years ago.