February Activity

DATE: SUNDAY, FEB. 17^th, 2008

ACTIVITY: Lake Erie Watch

TIME: 8:30 a.m.

PLACE: Gordon State Park Cleveland

East 72nd St parking area

Join us for our annual winter Lake Erie watch for gulls and wintering ducks. We will start at E 72nd St. in Cleveland by the hot water outlet of the electric plant in hopes of finding the elusive "white winged" gulls as well as Lesser black-backed, Thayers or even Little Gull. The wintering ducks should also be found such as Redhead, Bufflehead, Common and Red-breasted Mergansers and with a lot of luck a Long-tailed Duck. We will then proceed to the Eastlake Power Plant if time and weather permit as we travel towards home. Dress warmly as the lake winds can be very COLD. Bring your scope, if you have one and we will have some fun!

Directions: Take I-90 west towards Cleveland ( RT 2 west to I- 90 depending on where you live ) Exit at E. 72nd St. Go to bottom of ramp turn right then immediately turn left into the parking lot drive. Go to the east end of parking area to meet.

March Activity

DATE: SUNDAY, MARCH 16^th, 2008

ACTIVITY: Ducks and more!

TIME: 8:00 a.m.

PLACE: Veteran's Park in Mentor

Ah !! Spring is near as daylight savings time has begun, early wild flowers are emerging and we are out watching for waterfowl and early migrants. Veteran's is the largest inland lake in Lake County and attracts all the dabbling ducks as well as many of the divers. We will carefully look over the lake then walk the woods trails in search of early migrants such as Golden-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Brown Creepers and Tree Swallows. With some luck Hermit Thrush is possible and a few others. Then weather and time permitting we can go "across" the street to the lagoons for some more woods walking. We look forward to this early spring walk but the weather can be cold so dress warmly and let’s have some fun!

Directions: Veteran's Park entrance is off Hopkins Road in Mentor, from Lakeshore Blvd, turn south onto Hopkins, go past the junior high and the entrance is on the right. From Rt. 44 go west on Lakeshore and from Rt. 306 go east on Lakeshore. (Possibly there will be a detour in Mentor on the Lake so just follow the signs to Lakeshore Blvd.)

Donations Needed:

When you come to programs in February and March, remember to bring your paper recycling to put in the green Abitibi Paper Retriever box at Penitentiary Glen. Office and school paper, newspaper, magazines and catalogs, shredded paper (contained in plastic bags); discarded mail and books are welcome. DO NOT put phone books, cardboard, plastic, glass, metal or trash in the Abitibi box.

And for the animals….

Items such as towels, baby blankets, heating pads, gauze squares and rolls, cleaning supplies, rolls of paper towel and striped sunflower seed and cracked corn are needed by the birds and animals during their rehabilitation at the Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center. Please bring any items you want to donate to our March Program at Penitentiary Glen. For a complete list of needed items, check www.lakemetroparks.com/facilities/wildlife.shtml.

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

Results for 2007:

Saturday, December 22nd, 2007, was the day we in Blackbrook Audubon went out on our annual Christmas Bird Count. The Sun came up a few minutes before 8 o’clock on that day and went down just about 5 o’clock. So we in Blackbrook only had eight hours (well, we did take an hour out for Lunch at Brennan’s Fish House in Grand River) to look for all the Birds that we (the “we” being 24 observers in 10 different parties) could find and count in the 15 mile diameter circle that comprises the Mentor Christmas Bird Count. It’s officially called the Mentor Christmas Bird Count even though the center of that circle is in Painesville!

That day it was overcast and in the 40°’s with no snow on the ground, and the Birding was dull and dismal! And even though we had large numbers of Geese, Mergansers, Gulls, and Starlings, we had fairly low numbers of most other species. Many kinds of Birds were in the single digits, as you can see by the following results. But we did have a few Highlights, which were ( 1 ) PURPLE SANDPIPER ; ( 1 ) GRAY CATBIRD ; and ( 75 ) COMMON REDPOLLS !! Still, we had a lot of fun; perhaps you‘ll join us next year!

########### RESULTS for 2007 : ########

1. Pied Bill Grebe……………1

2. Great Blue Heron..………..8

3. Mute Swan…..……………7

4. Canada Goose.…………..1572

5. A. Black Duck..….………30

6. Mallard………………….164

7. Redhead .....………………1

8. Ring Neck Duck..…………3

9. Greater Scaup………..……4

10. Lesser Scaup.…………..…14

11. C. Goldeneye …………….1

12. Bufflehead………….……..8

13. Hooded Merganser….…….7

14. Red Breasted Merganser ..2080

15. Ruddy Duck………….……1

16. Bald Eagle ……..………..4

17. N. Harrier ……..………..2

18. Sharp Shin Hawk .………..2

19. Cooper’s Hawk ……..…...10

20. Red Shoulder Hawk ……...4

21. Red Tailed Hawk ………..12

22. Rough Legged Hawk ……...3

23. A. Kestrel ……..………..2

24. A. Coot …………………..20

25. Purple Sandpiper ………..1

26. Bonaparte’s Gull………….73

27. Ring Bill Gull……………4778

28. Herring Gull……………..257

29. Great Black Back Gull……83

30. Rock Pigeon……………...71

31. Mourning Dove…………..86

32. E. Screech Owl…………...4

33. B. Kingfisher ……………1

34. Red Belly Woodpecker …..19

35. Downy Woodpecker ……..27

36. Hairy Woodpecker ………6

37. Pileated Woodpecker ……7

38. N. Flicker ……………......2

39. Blue Jay …………………64

40. A. Crow ………………..116

41. Black Cap Chickadee ….138

42. Tufted Titmouse ………...45

43. Red Breasted Nuthatch .......4

44. White Breasted Nuthatch....45

45. Carolina Wren …………...1

46. E. Bluebird …………..…10

47. A. Robin…………………85

48. Gray Catbird ...................1

49. Cedar Waxwing ................23

50. E. Starling ……………....780

51. N. Cardinal ……………..68

52. N. Tree Sparrow ………..42

53. White Throat Sparrow ......2

54. Dark Eyed Junco ……..120

55. Snow Bunting ....……..128

56. Red Wing Blackbird ……25

57. C. Grackle ........................29

58. Brown Head Cowbird …....1

59. House Finch …………… 90

60. C. Redpoll .......................75

61. A. Goldfinch ……………110

62. House Sparrow …………124

FROM the DESK of the PRESIDENT

by Nancy Dilgren

angydy@earthlink.net

A few weeks ago my sister stopped by my house on a Sunday morning and we walked down by the lake on Headlands Road to give her dogs a bit of exercise. We spotted a large raptor in a tree some distance away and were trying to figure out what it was which was not easy as neither of us had binoculars. It was large. Very large. And the head seem lighter than the body. I started to mentally thumb through my field guide. And then we looked at each other. I ran back to the house for my binoculars. Yes! We were looking at a Bald Eagle perched in a tree. Not that many years ago I would have thought myself lucky to see an occasional one in western Ohio. This close to my house. Never. There are still many problems with the environment that need to be addressed but at least we have some successes to celebrate.

As we start this new year, I want to take a minute and thank all the people who help Blackbrook: those who bring refreshments to our meetings; those who help us write, edit and fold the Hushwing and get it ready to mail; those who donate to Friends of Blackbrook; those who help us staff tables at events around the area; those who attend the programs and hikes. Without all of you, there wouldn’t be a Blackbrook Audubon. Thank you.

Winter is often a time when people put nature on hold. But even with the cold weather, there are still many ways to stay involved. Our bird walks/monitoring at Big Creek Park continue the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays of the month. There is no need to sign up. Just meet us in the parking lot. We also have our regular field trips planned that you can read about elsewhere in this issue.

For those who don’t enjoy the cold weather, there are still many ways to enjoy nature while staying warm. Gary Meszaros who spoke at Blackbrook’s January meeting will be presenting a program at North Chagrin Reservation on Feb. 16. Holden Arboretum has a lecture on animal navigation on the 23^rd of Feb. Butterfly ID programs will start soon at Lake Metroparks. West Woods has the wonderful bird feeding station right inside their nature center. And Blackbrook has interesting programs planned for both our February and March meetings. Hopefully we will see you at some of the above.

How to Join Blackbrook Audubon Society

Many of you reading this are already members of Blackbrook. But for those of you who aren’t and would like to join, there are two ways you can do so. You can join the National Audubon Society and if you live in our territory – Lake and Geauga Counties – you will be assigned to this chapter. You can pick up a brochure at any of our meetings.

Or, if you prefer not to belong to the national organization, you can join Friends of Blackbrook as a Chapter member. (See below) We are a 501(c)3 organization and your donation is tax deductible.

And if you wish to belong to National Audubon and also provide additional support to Blackbrook, you can do both.

___________________________

Friends of Blackbrook Audubon

Name ____________________________

Address __________________________

_________________________________

City ___________ State ___ Zip _______

Amount of Donation: ___ $20 ____ $30

___ $40 ____ Other

Please make checks payable to: Blackbrook Audubon Society and mail to: James McConnor 5758 Beech Dr. Mentor on the Lake, OH 44060

Or call (440) 257-2507 for more information.

Ravenous Redpolls:

by A. Fjeldstad

It certainly was a rare and unusual treat this winter to go out birding at Mentor Headlands State Park, at Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve, or down to Geauga County’s La Due Reservoir and see Redpolls feasting on the seeds in the Alder, Birch, and Maple Trees. These tiny birds swarm from side to side then swoop into the nearby trees and attack the small seeds with an almost ravenous appetite. You probably already know that they don’t show up around here every year, only every few years and then only every 8 or 10 years or so in any numbers. Numbers like we are seeing this winter. These invasions are called Irruptions.

Most of the birds we see are Common Redpolls and we’ve seen them in double digit numbers in the above places. Even more exciting is when they come to Bird Feeders in your yard, looking for Thistle Seed or hulled Sunflowers Seed. It seemed like everyone I knew had a few except me. Until the second week in January when a few showed up at my Bird Feeders, finally.

These birds live most of their lives in the very far North; the Common Redpolls nest in the Boreal Forests in northern Canada and the slightly smaller Hoary Redpolls nest right out on the Tundra. So winter when they come south in one of these Irruptions is the only time we can see them (unless you make a trip north in summer!).

Traveling in flocks (which are called a “Gallup of Redpoll”!); they seem to roll over one another and skittishly sway from side to side. Like many birds that move in flocks, you can soon learn to recognize their peculiar flocking behavior. We always look closely when we see them --- we’re looking for a Hoary Redpoll!

In general, both Redpolls are tiny birds with red caps (the ‘red poll’!), tiny bills, black faces, and streaky backs and sides, more or less. The Field Guides seem to show somewhat different plumaged birds, but this is misleading as there are many intermediate looking birds that could be the one species or the other. It can be quite hard at times to tell the two species apart except for the individuals at the extreme ends of the plumage variations!

If you’d like to learn more about Redpoll Identification, turn on your computer and check out the many web sites on this OR go to Davis Sibley’s blog ( he of Field Guide fame ) where he talks for 8 pages or so about ‘A Character Index for Redpoll Identification’. Then you’ll realize how little some of the Field Guides actually tell you about how to identify Redpolls! His blog can be found at //sibleyguides.blogspot.com ! It makes for great reading on a snowy, wintry afternoon. And then you too will be looking a lot closer at those Redpolls!

The 8th Annual OHIO Botanical Symposium:

The Ohio Botanical Symposium has been put on by the Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves (also know as DNAP) since 2001 to inform interested Botanists (amateur and otherwise) from around the state of Ohio about a wide range of topics about Ohio’s native flora (that’s “Wildflowers” and other plants) and even some of the wonderful critters who live on and near these flora.

This year’s Symposium has a great slate of interesting Speakers and Topics. These include the Best Plant Finds of 2007, Xeric Limestone Prairies, Mosses, Pollinators, and the Oak Openings region. Mike Homoya, the Indiana State Botanist and the author of the wonderful book Orchids of Indiana, will give the keynote address about the many fascinating native Orchids found in Ohio and adjacent states.

This all-day event takes place on Wednesday, March 19th, 2008, at the Fawcett Center in Columbus. This auditorium is very near the OSU campus. Everyone who is interested in Wildflowers is welcome (even if you’re not a professional botanist). To learn more about this symposium, visit www. ohiodnr.com/dnap !! A number of us in Blackbrook and from Lake County went last year and had an absolute fantastic time! If you go, you’ll learn a lot and certainly see someone you know!

AOU CHECKLIST UPDATE 2007:

by A. Fjeldstad

Every year in July, the AOU (i.e., the “American Ornithological Union” -- it’s the professional group of scientists that study birds) release their now annual changes in the Taxonomy of Birds (where they change the English and Scientific Names of Birds and sometimes the order that they are in). In 2007, just like previous years when we reported this continuing story, most of the Bird News was pretty much “un-Important “ and could pretty much be ignored by the average Birder. In one of these previous years, they surprised us with the News that the bird called the Canada Goose was being split into two different species -- the smallest of which is now be called “Cackling Goose” and the larger still being called the “ Canada Goose. “

Last summer, the Birds News was again pretty much “un-Important” for most of us. For instance, they have now changed the Scientific Name of the Belted Kingfisher from Ceryle alcyon to Magacercyle alcyon. That’s probably not too important to you and you might not even notice it ( except that I’m mentioning it here ! ) . But they also (and this is important!) moved the Vultures back to where they used to be!

You remember that a few years ago (it’s actually been 10 years ago!) the AOU moved both the Black Vulture and the Turkey Vulture from their place with the Hawk Family over to the Heron and Egret Family. On the basis on DNA studies, they had figured out that the Vultures were more closely related to the Herons than to the Hawks. And over the last ten years, the Checklists and the Books have slowly caught up. Nowadays, on most Bird Checklists, you’ll find the Vultures at the end of the list of Herons and Egrets.

Well now, for whatever reason, they have moved the Vultures back with the Hawks !! Sometimes I think these Changes are just the ornithological equivalent of ’paper shuffling’. You can read the whole text of the 48th AOU Supplement, which was published in July 2007, online at www.aou.org /checklist!

A Lake [ a Quotation ] :

"A Lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature.

It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.

The fluviatile trees next to the shore are the slender eyelashes which fringe it,

and the wooded hills and cliffs around are its overhanging brows. "

HENRY DAVID THOREAU, (1817-1862), was an extraordinary essayist as well as one of the first people we would recognize as a 'naturalist' and was most certainly one of the earliest 'environmentalists'. For him (and others like his friend Emerson), nature was almost a religion. The quote above is certainly a different way of looking and thinking about the Lake; remember this quote when on your next walk along the shore of Lake Erie and perhaps ponders its ( and our ) meaning in the world. No one looked at the world in ways like this before he did and now many of us do. Thoreau seems to take notice of simple incidents, small lifeforms, or scenes from the natural world and from them develop deep, philosophical ideas and poetical prose images (like here).

This quote is taken from the "Ponds" section of his greatest work, WALDEN, which was first published in 1854 in Boston and has never been out of print since. Pick up a copy and read it again (or perhaps for the first time!!).

The Continued Mystery of Animal Navigation

By Marian B. Williams
Manager of Public Programs
The Holden Arboretum

Many species of animals migrate: Monarch butterflies from the Eastern US and Canada spend the winter in a small area of Mexico then return North to lay eggs. Salmon return to the stream where they were hatched to lay their own eggs and birds fly thousands of miles between breeding and wintering areas. But how these animals find their way on these journeys is still largely unknown. To investigate this Dr. Walcott and his colleagues have put radio transmitters on homing pigeons and followed them by airplane. A homing pigeon released several hundred miles away from its loft in unknown territory first figures out the direction to home then it uses a compass system based on either the sun or the earth's magnetic field to fly in the homeward direction. But what cues the pigeon uses to finds its way to its ultimate destination is still mysterious. In this lecture Dr. Walcott will explore some of the latest information surrounding migration issues.

Charles Walcott is Professor of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University and serves as the Dean of the University Faculty. Dr. Walcott received his AB from Harvard and his PhD from Cornell. He served on the faculties of Harvard, Tufts and The State University of New York at Stony Brook before coming to Cornell as Director of the Laboratory of Ornithology in 1981. He retired as the Louis Aggasiz Fuertes Director in June of 1995 to return to teaching and research.

In addition to research on the hearing of spiders, the navigational ability of homing pigeons, magnetoreception in bees and vocal communication on Loons, Dr. Walcott has participated in projects designed to interest the public in science. These have included a television series for in-school use, Exploring Nature, The Elementary Science Curriculum Study, NOVA and 3-2-1- Contact.

Program Information:

February 23, 2008

Lecture 4pm-5pm followed with light refreshments and a chance to speak one on one with Dr. Walcott.

Fee: Free for Members; With Gate Admission for Non-members

Registration Required at 440-602-3833 or 440 946-4400

SPRING BIRD WALKS:

I know it’s hard to think that spring is not far away but it really will be coming soon! Mark your calendars now for the annual “Spring Birdwalks”, the ones Blackbrook has been doing for over 60 years now.

There are a number of Spring Bird Walks at a number of locations throughout the whole Cleveland area. Here in Lake and Geauga Counties, there are seven “Bird Walks” you can go on! These walks are always held on the last 3 Sundays in April and the first 3 Sundays in May! And they always start at 7:30 a.m. on those Sunday mornings!

Blackbrook’s “Bird Walk“, the [1] Mentor Marsh walk, meets at the Zimmerman Trail Parking Lot on Headlands Road, ¼ mile West of the entrance to Headlands Beach State Park. This is at the northern end of SR 44 in Grand River, Ohio.

The other six “Bird Walks” are : [2] Geauga Park District (they visit different parks each Sunday; call them for more info); [3] Holden Arboretum’s main entrance and at their [4] Lantern Court (contact them for more info); [5] Lake Metroparks’ Lakeshore Reservation and their [6] Penitentiary Glen (again, call them for more info); and finally at Cleveland Metroparks [7] North Chagrin Reservation (give them a call for more info).

Beginners are more than welcome!! The Leaders and other birders are more than willing to help you I.D. the birds and welcome you to the joys of Birding! And if you know where they meet, you don’t even need to call; just show up and look for the folks with the Binoculars!

BLACKBROOK AUDUBON SOCIETY

PO Box 1306

Mentor, OH 44060

Nancy Dilgren - President

Bruce Roberts - Editor

Save the dates:

Birdathon dates for 2008 are Sun May 11 to Sun May 18.

More information in the next Hushwing.

Some “light” humor:

How many chickens does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Two. One to screw it in and the other to cross the road.

How many News Letter Editors does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Two; one to change the bulb and one to issue a rejection slip to the old bulb.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mentor, OH 44060

Bruce Roberts - Editor