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From LOESS
The Newsletter of the
LOESS HILLS AUDUBON
SOCIETY Volume
36, No. 2, November/December 2009
______________________________________________________
The Loess
Hills Audubon Society meets on the first Thursday of the month at the
Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center
4500 Sioux River Road (Highway 12 North)
Sioux City, IA 51109
Website http://lhas.tripod.com/
Mission Statement–The Loess Hills Audubon Society exists to educate individuals
and the general public, to enjoy and promote birding, and to support ornithology, and to be an advocate for wild areas and
environmental issues.
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
by Jerry Probst
I know we are getting into a very busy
time of the year, but we have some great programs coming up so make room on your calendar.
We also have some great outings planned as we are in the middle of the fall migration.
December has the best outing of the year, in my opinion, with the Christmas bird count season.
The 110th Audubon Christmas
Bird Count (CBC) starts December 14th and runs until January 5th.
We have several in our area including the Sioux City Christmas Bird Count. They
are scheduled so that you can participate in several or you can participate in one that fits your schedule. Our area counts are Cherokee and Yankton (Dec 20th), Ida Grove (Dec 26th), Ponca
and Westfield (Jan 2nd). Call me or someone on the board and they
will get you to the right people.
The Sioux City count is on Saturday,
Dec 19th this year. This returns us to the first Saturday of the season. We will have a good time and see some good birds regardless of the weather. Teams and territories are being formed that put experienced birders on all teams. Attempts are made to fit your timetable with teams that have a similar timetable. There are owling teams that start early in the morning before dawn.
Teams are assigned areas to minimize duplication counting the same birds. Feeder
watchers are always welcome. We re-group at noon for lunch and go back at it
in the afternoon to cover areas that need it and to look for species we are missing.
Then at 5:00 pm we meet at my house to eat various soups and other goodies and compile the results. So please come to our first Thursday of the month meetings and get signed up or give me a call (712-258-1296).
It is very interesting to look at previous
Sioux City CBC's. This can be done on the Internet. The results of the CBC's for every year are available. Go
to www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/ and look
under historical records. Our first count was held in 1909 and it has been annual
since 1938. I don't recall that first count, but it would have been great to
be there, as it must have been a good one. So this year will be Sioux City's
101st year and our 91st count.
I hope to see you on the CBC, Thursday meeting or on another field trip.
CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
LOESS HILLS AUDUBON SOCIETY
Thursday, November 5—LHAS monthly meeting. Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, 7:30 pm. Program—“Adventure Down Under”. Becky Williams
will talk about birds seen on their adventure to Australia,
Tasmania, and New Zealand in 2008. Board meeting 6:00 pm. All are welcome to attend.
PICK UP BIRD FEED NOVEMBER 5.
Saturday, November 21-SHOW AND GO OUTING-We will meet at the Northwest corner of the Super Walmart
parking lot on Singing Hills Blvd. at 8:00 a.m. An email will be sent shortly before the 21st to advise you of the probable
destination and lunch plans. Our web site outings page will also be updated at that time. Contact Jerry Von Ehwegen at: jerryvon@pionet.net
or 276-1546 or Bill Huser at: beehive@longlines.com or 494-1657 for more information. Please note that our ‘December’
outing will be any of the CBC’s to be conducted in our local area from December 14th thru January 5th.
Thursday, December 3—LHAS monthly meeting, Dorothy
Pecaut Nature Center. 7:30 pm. Our own Loess Hills Show
& Tell and Holiday Program. Bring slides/digital/print pictures (not more
than 20 please. If you have more than that, you're worth a program next year). Bring a treat to share. Board
meeting 6:00 pm. All are welcome to attend.
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS
December 19—Sioux City. Contact Jerry
Probst 258-1296 or probsthoney@aol.com
December 20—Cherokee. Contact Dick Bierman dbierman@mchsi.com
December 20—Yankton.
December 26—Ida Grove. Contact Don Pogensee donp@gomaco.com
January 2—Westfield. 8:00 am. Meet at Broken Kettle Grasslands. Compile
numbers at Moats'
residence at 5:00 pm. Soup and appetizers will be served. For more information contact Jody at 712-490-5570.
January 2--Ponca State Park. Contact Jeff Fields at Ponca State Park.
DOROTHY PECAUT NATURE CENTER
Exit 151 I-29, Take State Road 12 North for 4 miles to the Nature
Center. To register for
events or for more information call 712-258-0838 Or check our website - www.woodburyparks.com
Wednesday,
November 4—O.W.L.S. (Older, Wiser, Livelier Souls). DPNC 11:00 am Duck Identification by Steve Griebel,
Iowa DNR Conservation Officer.
Thursday,
November 5—Spiders! DPNC 10:00am-noon. Kids
join us on your day out of school for a fun morning learning about these 8-legged creatures.
Please pre-register at 258-0838.
Friday, November
6—The Ladybug Waltz, DPNC 10:00 am. Join
author Jeanette Hopkins for a reading, activity, and book signing. Appropriate
for children of all ages.
Tuesday,
November 10—Nature Tales, DPNC 10am. Preschoolers,
join us with an adult for this special storytime about preparing for winter. If
weather allows we will take a hike. Pre-register.
Saturday,
November 14—Animals Coping with Cold. Snyder Bend Park
near Salix. 10:00 am. Dress for
the weather and join us outdoors for an observation hike to look for migrating birds and animals getting ready for winter. Please pre-register. Snyder Bend Park
is located 3 miles southwest of Salix, IA.
Wednesday,
December 2—O.W.L.S. (Older, Wiser, Livelier Souls)
DPNC 11:00 am. America's Lost Landscape:
The Tallgrass Prairie. Award winning DVD and discussion.
Tuesday,
December 8—Nature Tales, DPNC 10:am. Preschoolers
join us with an adult for this special storytime about Whitetail Deer. Please
pre-register.
Saturday,
December 12—Snowshoeing, DPNC 10:00 am.
Dress in layers for this outdoor activity. Snow boots are required. Class limit: 16. We will not be able
to snowshoe unless there is a minimum of 4” of snow on the ground. Please
pre-register.
Tuesday,
December 22—Snowshoeing. DPNC 2:00
pm. See December 12 notes.
Wednesday,
December 30—Winter Fun Day. DPNC
10:00 am – 3:00 pm. Join us for a fun day of winter activities. We will snowshoe, build a snow shelter and hike outdoors if weather allows.
There will be plenty of indoor activities as well. Dress appropriately.
ADAMS HOMESTEAD
AND NATURE PRESERVE
Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve is located 1 mile west and ˝ mile south of I-29,.
Exit 4 in South Dakota.
For information and pre-registration, call (605) 232-0873 or e-mail Jody Moats @state.sd.us
Saturday, November
14—CHRISTMAS AT THE HOMESTEAD 12:00 – 4:00 pm. This free, family event allows participants to tour the Stavenger Church, Shay/Adams
House, and Lamont Country School decorated for the Christmas season. Adams Homestead
volunteers will be showing off their talents in each of the homestead buildings. St.
Bonifice Choir will be singing carols in the church from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. Roast
hot dogs and popcorn over a campfire, enjoy refreshments in the Visitor Center and make children's crafts in the school throughout
the day. Area organizations will be displaying their talents with the Christmas
Wreath contest. Visitors will vote for their favorite wreath in the community
room. If you are interested in participating in the wreath contest, please have
your wreath at Adams by 4:30 pm. On Friday, November 13. For more information
call Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve at 605-232-0873.
Little
Naturalist Program. Friday, November 13—Delightful Deer
Friday, December 18—Penguin
Party
These programs are for children 2-4 years old and their parents or guardian.
Toddlers will learn about each theme through games, crafts, stories and songs.
Class starts at 10:00 am. Free fun for the little ones. Please pre-register by calling 605-232-0873.
Saturday, November 21—Winter Wildlife Prep. 1:00 –
2:00 pm. Junior Naturalist Program for youth 7-12 years to explore the outdoors
and learn about the rich natural and cultural history of South Dakota. The program
also encourages youth to be physically active in the outdoors. Kids are asked
to participate in 5 interpretive programs and do at least 3 recreational activities.
A South Dakota Junior Naturalist Patch will be given on completion of the program.
Please pre-register.
PLYMOUTH COUNTY
PARKS
Hillview Park is located west of Hinton, Iowa at 25601 C60. For
information and registration call 712-947-4270 or www.plymouthcountyparks.com
Saturday, November 14—Trapping and Shooting Clinic. Hillview
Park. 9 am – 3 pm. Cost is $10/person. Lunch is included. Must pre-register.
Wednesday, December 30—Winter Camp. 8 am – 5 pm.
For children grades 4-8. Cost is $20/child. Lunch is included. Must pre-register.
BIRD FOOD SALES
I have put the bird food order in and you can pick up your bird food at the November 5th meeting. If you will not be able to pick up your order at that time, please contact me and I’ll make arrangements
for you to pick up at another time. I have ordered a few extra bags of the most
ordered items if you need more of something.
Of course, I’ll need help unloading on the 5th. I’ll email you the specific time of delivery as soon as I know it. I’ll provide you with coffee and donuts if you will come and help!
Bird
food sales profits help to support the activities and programs of Loess Hills Audubon so your orders are greatly appreciated.
If you have any questions, please contact me at: dpopp@cableone.net or 274-1979.
LHAS OUTINGS
by Jerry Von Ehwegen
Saturday, 12 September 2009.
Tucker L., Anne S., & Jerry V. met on a foggy, damp morning to do some birding at areas south and east of Sioux
City. The fog lifted fairly quickly however, and most of the morning was dry until some light rain began to fall late morning.
We made stops at New Lake, Brown’s Lake, Sandhill Lake, both dairy ponds, and Owego Wetlands before calling it a day
around noon. We recorded a total of 69 species for the morning.
Highlights included a Cooper’s Hawk perched in a tree as we headed south on hwy. 75, 8 Eurasian Collared-Doves
in Sgt. Bluff, Common Yellowthroats, Green Heron (in a tree), Eastern Screech-Owl, and Belted Kingfisher at Brown’s
Lake, 41 Pied-billed Grebes, a lone White-faced Ibis, and several entertaining Marsh Wrens (right outside our car windows
while we were viewing the Ibis) at Sandhill Lake, Northern Harrier, Great Horned Owl and Blue Grosbeak at Owego, and a White-fronted
Goose at Sioux Jersey Ponds. Due to the low overcast skies, some light rain, and calm conditions, we did not see either a
Red-tailed Hawk or Turkey Vulture. The entire species listing can be found on the Outings Highlights Page on our web site
at: http://lhas.tripod.com/.
Saturday, 10 October 2009.
Tucker L., Bob & Phyllis N., & Jerry V. met on a cold, crisp, cloudy, morning (after a little overnight snow)
to do some birding at areas south and east of Sioux City. Temps were in the upper 20’s with a brisk wind but the skies
cleared late morning and we had some very good birding. We made stops at Luton W.A. South, Dairy Ponds, Owego Wetlands, Table
Marsh, had a nice lunch at the Sloan Café, and then birded Sandhill Lake, and Brown’s Lake before calling it a day around 1:30.
We recorded a total of 68 species for the day.
Highlights included: two White-faced Ibis at Owego and five at Table Marsh, American Avocet, Black-crowned Night-Heron,
a Merlin harassing shorebirds at Table Marsh, American White Pelicans, Northern Harrier, Red-headed Woodpecker, Great Egrets,
and a Brown Thrasher. At Brown’s Lake we observed a Sharp-shinned Hawk make several pursuits after a Belted Kingfisher.
The Kingfisher would return to its perch before being attacked again with dips and dives and loops over the water with the
Sharpie in hot pursuit. When we left, the Kingfisher was still claiming its perch and maybe the Sharpie was thinking about
finding some smaller prey! The entire species listing can be found on the Outings Highlights Page on our web site at: http://lhas.tripod.com/
Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas II Update
By Jerry Von Ehwegen
The Fall 2009 edition of the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union ‘IOU News’ publication contained an article
on the status of the BBA project after the 1st two years of the five year project. Some of those results are listed below.
After two years of atlasing, nearly 3200
hours of observation have been collected by about 200 volunteers. 630 of the total 791 blocks have been worked in and 189
species have been recorded as possible nesters in Iowa. The 1st Iowa BBA project was completed in the years 1985-1990 and there are some interesting
trends when comparing the two projects.
From 1985-1990, there were only 3 confirmations of Bald Eagles nesting in the state, but as of August 2009, there have
been 29 confirmations and many reports of probable nesting. During the 1st BBA there were only 7 records of Henslow’s Sparrows, but
so far in the second BBA, nearly 100 records have been reported for this grassland species. Some species not found 20 years
ago and now beginning to nest more frequently in the state include Trumpeter Swan and Eurasian Collared-Dove.
With over 150 blocks having no coverage yet, and with many of the covered blocks having less than 5 hours of coverage
(the goal is 20 hours per block), there is still much to be done. Some species are more difficult to find and may mean spending
time in the evening for those species more active at night such as Owls. Also, don’t forget about early season nesters.
When deciding which blocks to visit, go to blocks with little or no time and data, or go back to ones already visited and
try to upgrade breeding evidence of species found previously.
The project could always use more volunteers. The IOU web site at iowabirds.org (click on the breeding bird atlas information)
has all the information you need to determine how you might contribute to this project. It includes all kinds of reports on
what has been recorded for each block. The volunteers in our area have done a pretty good job of expanding out to those blocks
in the various surrounding counties so they have at least some coverage, but there is still a lot to be done. So when next
Spring comes around, maybe you can help add some important data to this state-wide project and at the same time have a fun
time birding and exploring new areas. Plus you never know what you might find! On a personal note, a few of my surprises were:
Least Bittern, Gray Partridge, Upland Sandpipers, Loggerhead Shrikes, and Northern Bobwhites. I was also surprised by the
numerous Blue Grosbeaks I found in many of the blocks. Good Birding!
POTPOURI
Calendars—LHAS Audubon Society will NOT be selling Audubon
calendars this year. You can find them at Shopko, Barnes & Noble, or other
calendar outlets.
TV Program—Birding Adventures, an all-new birding TV show can
be found on cable channel 48 (Fox Sports North) at 7:30 am on Saturdays. Join
host, James Currie, as he searches the globe for the most exotic and threatened birds on the planet.
Project Feeder Watch—Help scientists track changes in bird numbers and
movements from year to year though Project Feeder Watch, a citizen-science program from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and
Bird Studies Canada. Project Feeder Watch begins November 14 and runs through
early April. Sign up at www.feederwatch.org or call the Cornell Lab at 1-866-982-2473.
Birdathon—Chuck Johnson reports income of $680 from last spring's
Birdathon.
FOR THE BIRDS: WHICH SEEDS ARE BEST?
Excerpted from a National
Wildlife Magazine article by David Lukas
As the weather turns cooler, it's time to clean out feeders and stock up on supplies
for winter feeding. The answer to which bird seed to buy is not clear-cut. Very little science has gone into understanding the nutritional needs of wild birds
or even which seeds they like to eat. To promote smarter decisions about bird
seeds and how to feed wild birds, David Horn, associate professor of ecology at Millikin University, recently established
the National Bird-Feeding Society (www.birdfeeding.org). Many of the group's recommendations will be based on Project Wildbird,
a 2005-2008 study led by Horn in which several thousand volunteers contributed observations from their backyard feeders. Among the study's results are that black oil sunflower, white proso millet, nyjer
seed and sunflower chips are the most highly sought after seeds.
To stay healthy, birds must consume a mix of fats, proteins, carbohydrates and various
vitamins & minerals to fuel a metabolism that can require up to 10,000 calories a day (equivalent to a human consuming
155,000 calories). A bird's inner furnace burns especially hot during flight,
the breeding season, and on the coldest days. A backyard feeder is an especially
efficient place to forage because it mimics what scientists call a “resource patch,” a cluster of food much like
a fruit-laden apple tree. Birds still sample a wide variety of foods because
any bird that becomes dependent on a single patch of food will perish if it runs out.
This means you don't have to worry that birds will become overly dependent on your feeder.
Whichever seeds you buy, a growing body of evidence shows that backyard feeding helps
wild birds—their growth rates, survival rates, breeding success, and clutch sizes all improve when they have access
to feeders.
HOW CITY NOISE IS SHAPING BIRD SONG
Did you know that birds sing in dialect? The song of a Great Tit from the countryside is a far cry from that of his city cousin. And some song dialects can change nearly as fast as human slang. The Indigo Bunting changes tune from year to year.
To investigate the cultural evolution
of such songs researchers have recently completed a study of adjacent White-crowned sparrow dialects from 1969 to 1998 in
San Francisco. Biologist David Luther of the University of Maryland and ornithologist
Luis Baptista of the California Academy of Sciences hypothesized that the pressures of urban noise would tend, over time,
to eliminate the lower ranges of the bird's song and cause the sparrow to prefer to learn songs at the higher range. Simply put, birds that sang too low would be drowned out by rumbling buses, honking
cars, or other typical city noises.
The lowest frequencies of bird song
in the Summer of Love were lower than those to be found during the Dotcom craze. And
since sparrows are relatively short-lived—average lifespan of just 2 years—this effect spanned generations. Much like humans, the sparrows seem to be raising their voices to be heard over the
sounds of the city. At least one birdsong dialect died out entirely, though there
were some bilingual birds, and the so-called San Francisco dialect came to dominate all songs, likely because it was tuned
higher.
It seems that the need for effective
communication in the local environment is the fundamental driver of cultural traits that are passed on from one generation
to the next. Ya hear that?!
BE A CITIZEN SCIENTIST
PARTICIPATE IN A CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
