A Bird's Eye View Audubon Society of Omaha A Chapter of National Audubon Society September 2001 Vol. 30 No. 7 Down Under With Lorikeets, Cockatoos, Petrels and Echidnas By Clem Klaphake The first program at the September ing with the environment. 13 general meeting will be presented by long-time ASO Though she has lived in Omaha for member and past president Betty the past 15 years, she can't hide her Allen. She will take us along on a Massachusetts accent. She earned trip she made to Australia with the her Masters Degree from the Victor Emanuel Nature Tours. University of North Carolina in the field of Public Health. Prior to Betty moved to Omaha in 1984 and retirement, she worked as Chief since that time has held numerous Nurse and Executive Director of a positions in a number of nature- home health agency. related organizations. She served as president of ASO for two years and Betty will share her three-week trip on the board for ten years, (and great bird photos) across president of the Nebraska Australia with us on Thursday, Ornithologists' Union for two years, September 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the president of the Fontenelle Nature Hanscom Park Methodist Church, Photographer's Club for one year, 4444 Frances Street. Along with the and continues her memberships and great variety of birds, you will see volunteer work today in these and great photos of some reptiles and other organizations. mammals. Having had a long-time interest in Following the presentation, a short many facets of the natural world, business meeting will be held. The Betty has studied and attended evening will conclude with coffee, workshops on birds, butterflies, cookies and conversation. prairies, botany and most issues deal Look for Warblers and More at Indian Cave Park Sept. 8 Indian Cave State Park is the binoculars, and insect repellent. destination of our September field trip on Saturday, September We should see many early fall 8.Participants will meet at 8:00 migrants including warblers, orioles, a.m. in the parking lot, south side tanagers and other passerines on our of Penny's, Southroads Shopping September field trip. Center in Bellevue. Butterfly enthusiasts should see Dick Rasmussen and Duane Bright some zebra swallowtails and maybe will lead us to the Park, which is the southern dogface. Monarchs are about 80 miles south of Bellevue on congregating and migrating. the Nemaha/Richardson County line. A state park permit is required, and there is a one dollar toll at the We will car pool down I-29 to the Bellevue Bridge. Refer any questions Brownville exit, Hwy 136, then just to Dick Rasmussen, 731-3939, or west of Brownville we will take Duane Bright, 291-6495. Hwy 67 south to the park. Be sure to bring a camera, picnic lunch, Annual Bird Seed Sale A new kind of fundraiser. October 20-21 A shopping event at Sally Hansen, Bird Seed Sale Chair, Younkers. A donation to announces the dates for the 2001 ASO that comes back to sale. On Saturday and Sunday, you. October 20 and 21, we will be loading your bird seed for you from See "Have Our Cake and sites to be announced in a mailing Eat It Too," Page 3. to former customers and in the October Bird's Eye View. 2 Scholarly Notes by Eric Scholar A New Start 2% of America's annual tors catch sight of the oil demand, and there huge snow-and-ice- The new Board of are other ways to make covered peak. Directors has this up, including conservation and new In Kenai Fjords Park had its first meeting and improved we took a one-day with several newcomers exploration and wildlife cruise to a joining us. I appreciate production techniques. series of islands, their willingness to help home to many nesting by volunteering. That is A second point is that pelagic birds. Along the only way we can the public doesn't want the way, we had great succeed as an the drilling to be done at sightings of a organization. this time, with repeated humpback whale, polls showing 60-70% of Dalls' porpoises, I want to thank Garry the respondents wanting Stellers' sea lions and Mick for his efficient the Refuge harbor seals. I added and timely work in protected.Apparently 16 birds to my life list keeping the the word is out that such (mostly Alcids). And membership list activity would put at risk we were excited to updated and providing migration and calving view several glaciers labels. Garry is passing areas for caribou along from up close. these task on to others. with the habitat of polar, Eunice Levisay deserves grizzly and black bears, Our visit also took us thanks for organizing a musk oxen and millions to two noteworthy great picnic in July at of migratory birds. museums, one in the Rookery for ASO Seward. Funded partly members. It was a The writer summed up by money from Exxon lovely evening with fine the editorial by stating after the Valdez oil food and congeniality. that the ANWR is special. spill, it contains To exploit it at this exhibits about the sea Alaska in the News juncture risks too much life of Alaska and a damage for too little center for research This month and return. into the rehabilitation probably for the next of injured birds and Needless to say, I was mammals. few months, our 49th most pleased with the State will be in the World-Herald's position. The Alaska Native news with respect to Unfortunately, the House Heritage Museum in the energy bill before approved the bill, which Anchorage is an Congress, which will now goes to the U.S. impressive place allow drilling in the Senate. containing several Arctic National Wildlife outdoor habitat Refuge. We will again Vacationing in the exhibits relating to be asked to write 49th native Alaskan ethnic letters expressing our groups. opinion about this In a somewhat related Alaska offers so much crucial bill. (See article topic, Jackie and I spent else, other parks and on Page 4) Some of you 10 days in Alaska in July natural areas. I have already contacted as part of our vacation. enjoyed the natural your congressmen. Although we didn't make beauty of the places it to the ANWR, we did With respect to Alaska we visited. I fervently spend some time in and the ANWR, I want hope this beauty will Denali National Park and to comment on the be preserved. Kenai Fjords National Omaha World-Herald's Park. position on drilling in Calendar the Arctic. We have I am sure several of you often disagreed with have been there, but if Sept 5 (Wed) Board them on environmental you haven't traveled to Meeting issues, but a July 24 Alaska yet, I highly editorial, "Scrap the recommend a trip in Sept 6 (Thur) Bird ANWR Drilling," your future. We saw a deserves our highest Club Hike Sept 8 very small area of the (Sat) Field Trip approval. The editorial huge state. Both parks refers to President were quite beautiful, Sept 10 (Mon) Bush's Energy Bill then with many types of Conserv/Legis. in the U.S. House of wildlife. In Denali we Meeting Representatives. The saw grizzlies, caribou, writer believes much of moose and Dall sheep as Sept 13 (Thu) the bill deserves well as smaller General Meeting passage, but Bush's mammals. desire to drill for oil Sept 27 (Thur) and gas in the ANWR is On our last day we were Naturestudy misguided. privileged to have a great view of Mt. Oct 20-21 Bird The writer's first point McKinley. We learned Seed Sale is that the amount of that, because the oil to be extracted isn't mountain is usually in great. Estimates vary the clouds, only 25% of but the field is likely to visi be tapped at a rate of about All About Hawks - Sept. 27 Nature Study and Oct. 7 Field Trip By Clem Klaphake and Nelli Falzgraf Clem Klaphake will lead a study group on vantage of rising air currents and use the hawk identification at nearby Loess Hills as a migratory route. Audubon the Rookery, Heron Haven, Thursday, Join Clem Klaphake to study slides of Chapter September 27, at raptors Thursday, September 27, at 7:00 Members' 7:00 p.m. p.m. at the Rookery building, Heron Haven, and to view migrating raptors at the Retreat The session will Hitchcock Nature Area on Sunday, October Saturday, prepare us for the 7. Refer questions to 292-9687 or 292-2276. Sunday, October 7, November 3 field trip to the Hitchcock Hawk An Audubon Chapter Watch, to be led by members' retreat will Clem. The Hitchcock be held on November 3 Nature Area is just at the Platte River north of Crescent, Whooping Crane Trust Iowa, in the Loess headquarters, north of Hills. The HNC asks for Alda. $2 per visit or $20 a year per person. New local and national developments within We will meet there at Audubon and other 9:00 a.m. If you wish topics will be to spend several hours, discussed. Details will you may want to bring be given in next a lunch and drink. If month's issue. the hawks aren't moving, we can hike some of the many nearby trails. The area is also good for Have Our Cake and Eat It Too! migrants other than raptors. Younkers at Westroads has three items at Younkers, invited ASO to participate in three tickets will be Clem will pique our their exclusive 2001 Holiday needed to receive the interest in raptors and Benefit Sale fundraiser $5.00-off each item.