Upcoming Events • IAS Fall Festival 2013 10/4/2013 6:00 PM • Another Puerto Rico Trip February 2014, see details inside • Dominican Republic February 2014, see details inside August 2013 | USPS 129-810 Vol. 43, No. 4 | ISSN 0162-8186 Buff-breasted sandpiper photo by Brad Bumgardner The Cardinal is published six times a year by the Indiana Audubon Society, Scott Arvin, Editor, E-mail: [email protected] Drew Lanham include: West Beach, Ogden Dunes, Beverly She was the contemporary of, and good friends October 4-6, 2013 Shores, Mount Baldy, and Michigan City Harbor. with, those shaping America and Indiana’s thoughts on natural history and interpretation. Friday, October 4, 2013 Enos Mills, Col. Charles Lieber and Charles Deam 7:00 PM - BIRD SURVEYS FROM THE INDIANA DUNES STATE PARK were among those she corresponded with DUNES BIRD OBSERVATION TOWER Meet in the main entrance and invited to her home in Rome City, Indiana. PRESENTER - BRAD BUMGARDNER parking lot at 7:00am. She said every bird native to Indiana could be In the past two years, Indiana Dunes State Park found on the grounds of Wildflower Woods! This trip will be one of two birding offerings staff and local volunteers have recorded nearly The Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site (dependent upon weather conditions). If a million birds in now-annual spring longshore is currently returning 80 acres of agricultural ideal conditions exist, the group will conduct flight bird surveys. This survey, with federal ground to grasslands and restored wetlands a longshore fall flight watch from atop funding, is transforming our knowledge of to provide additional habitat for birds and the Dunes State Park Beach Pavilion. It bird migration along the southern shore of improve the water quality in Sylvan Lake. will be sedentary birding, while watching Lake Michigan and has real world implications for possible late fall migrating waterfowl, Whether her literary work was poems, for shoreline development or wind farm gulls, jaegers, and other Lake Michigan novels, plays or nature studies, birds and the construction. Park Interpreter and IAS President, specialties. Early October is a period where natural world were woven into the work. Brad Bumgardner, will highlight the results many migrating ducks, including scoters and She dedicated five nature studies solely to of the first two years of data collection, and Red-throated Loons are possible, October birds and she influenced many authors of the the educational efforts being drawn from it. is also kittiwake month on the lakefront. day. Her book, What I Have Done with Birds, inspired the author, Victor Kutchin, to write In the case of poor longshore flight conditions the book, What Birds Have Done with Me Saturday, October 5, 2013 (south winds), the group will bird nearby West 6:30AM/7:00AM - 11:30 AM - FIELD TRIPS Beach and possibly areas of Indiana Dunes State Park for late migrating songbirds and sparrows. 2:00 PM - BIRDS IN THE YARD—THE BOOK Please note the meeting time and place for SHARON SORENSON each field trip, as they differ by location 12:00 PM - IAS BOARD MEETING Finding birds always depends on time and place—the right habitat during the right LAKEFRONT BIRDING HOTSPOTS season at the right time of day (or night)— 1:00 PM - GENE STRATTON-PORTER STATE even in the backyard. Mentored by hundreds Meet in the lobby of the Best Western HISTORIC SITE RESTORATION AND BIRDING of authors, speakers, gardeners, and fellow Indian Oak hotel at 6:30am TIFFANY CONRAD birders, Sharon Sorenson applied their tutelage Join keynote speaker Drew Lanham and IAS Gene Stratton-Porter was a gifted novelist to her yard and put the results in print. Get Vice-President Rob Ripma on a tour of some of and nature photographer and is considered a glimpse of what she’s learned from whom the Indiana Lakefront’s birding hotspots. The to be one of Indiana’s earliest naturalists. and how it’s helped her tally 161 bird species day will likely begin with a short lakewatch at Born in 1863, she was nicknamed the and 54 butterfly species over 30 years in her Miller Beach with possible highlights including Little Bird Woman because she protected certified backyard wildlife habitat. The book, early waterfowl and gulls. We will then move hawks, owls, and woodpeckers from the Birds in the Yard Month by Month, a 400-page on to look for any migrating landbirds that uninformed who thought these birds were are still around. Possible birding stops might a detriment to their livestock and crops. reference, hot off the press, is available at CONNECTING THE CONSERVATION DOTS: McCOOL POOL AND BEYOND SEEING BEYOND THE BIRDS the IAS conference, where the full purchase Meet in the lobby of the Best DR. J DREW LANHAM price goes to the Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary. Western Indian Oak at 7:00am Drew’s Keynote “Connecting the Conservation John Kendall and Landon Neumann will guide Dots: Seeing Beyond the Birds” will focus 2:00 PM - AROUND COSTA RICA you on a tour of this amazing property. During on how birders can maximize the efforts to IN 15 DAYS JOHN KENDALL the last Fall Festival that was held in the Dunes, conserve the avifauna and habitats we all a trip to this location provided participants If you have considered a trip to Costa Rica or love so dearly. Drew will provide a history of with great looks at both LeConte’s and Nelson’s central america, or wondered what birding wildlife conservation in America and how the Sparrows. In addition to these highlights, several is like there, this program is for you! efforts grew from our abuse of and cultural other sparrow species are possible as well as love for feathered things. His talk will expound John Kendall will present highlights of a some late migrant shorebirds and Sora. If time on the historical successes and current 15-day self-tour itinerary from spring 2012 allows, your leaders will take the group to some failures in conservation and how we might where he and wife Kathy traveled to Costa of the other great lakefront birding hotspots. Rica and visited all of the unique sections best approach future challenges if birds and of the country, utilizing various resources birding are to remain a part of our lives. From and a variety of air and land travel options that morning cup of coffee to killing birds 8:00 AM - BIRDING BANDING within the country to see nearly 500 bird with kindness, it will be a keynote that will AT DUNES STATE PARK inform, invigorate, infuriate and hopefully species in the variety of forests there. IAS President Brad Bumgardner will meet inspire us all to greater conservation efforts. Some of themes include optional ways participants at the Nature Center at Indiana to arrange a tour and necessities and Dunes State Park for a morning of bird banding. recommendations for birding and Learn how researchers catch and band birds photographing there. Of course, the Sunday, October 6, 2013 and get up-close looks at some of the common wonderful natural history and bird life 6:30AM/7:00AM - 11:30 AM - FIELD TRIPS feeder birds. You never know what species of Costa Rica is presented with many Please note the meeting time and place for might show up during banding at the Dunes! photographs, sounds and stories. each field trip, as they differ by location*** 6:00 PM - KEYNOTE DINNER AND SPEAKER, LAKEFRONT BIRDING HOTSPOTS AWARDS, AND MEMBERSHIP MEETING Meet in the lobby of the Best Western This year, the keynote dinner and speech Indian Oak hotel at 6:30am will be held at Woodland Park in Portage, Join keynote speaker Drew Lanham and IAS Indiana. Directions to Woodland Park from Vice-President Rob Ripma on a tour of some of the Best Western Indian Oak hotel can be the Lakefront’s birding hotspots. The day will found by following this link, http://goo. likely begin with a short lakewatch at Miller gl/gzFA31. The evening will begin at 6 pm Beach with possible highlights including early and will include the dinner, silent auction, waterfowl and gulls. We will then move on to awards presentation, a brief membership look for any migrating landbirds that are still meeting and the evening keynote. around. Possible birding stops might inlcude, West Beach, Ogden Dunes, Beverly Shores, Mount Baldy, and Michigan City Harbor. MEET OUR AMAZING SPEAKERS FOR THE 2013 FALL FESTIVAL! OCTOBER 4-6. Brad Bumgardner revenue have been funded by a diverse array of grantors including The National Wild Turkey Federation, USDA Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Brad Bumgardner is a park interpretive naturalist for the Indiana Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, The Audubon Society and the South Department of Natural Resources at Indiana Dunes State Park and Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The subjects of his work President of the Indiana Audubon Society. Bumgardner has a Bachelors in include herpetofauna, birds, small mammals, butterflies and increasingly Science from Purdue University and was most recently awarded the “Top humans and their relationships with nature. He speaks extensively on 20 Professionals under Age 40” in Northwest Indiana by the Northwest natural resources conservation to professional and lay audiences alike Indiana Times. with a focus on blending science and motivating others to passionately observe and conserve. He is a co-host of a birding and nature show on SC Public radio and a contributor to the Emmy -nominated PBS television Tiffany Conrad show Expeditions with Patrick McMillan. Tiffany Conrad is the Interpretive Naturalist at the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site in Rome City, Indiana.