Non-profit

Audubon of Martin County Organization

U.S. Postage Paid
621 SE Palm Beach Road, Stuart FL 34994 Permit #57
Stuart FL 34995

Florida Scrub-Jay Art Logo

By Brian Sylvester

audubonmartincounty.org  772-288-2637

March 2009

Program Meeting: Thursday, March 19th Mark Your Calendars !

Office hours are generally 10 am—2pm
Monday through Friday.
Please call ahead at 772.288.2637
EagleWatch
AoMC EagleWatchers continue to report rapidly-growing eaglets at
most of the nests we monitor. Our thanks to Bill Borger, Pat Caruso,
Dale “Doc” Hipson, Jim Kearman, Linda Wishney, Joette Smith, Fran
and Greg Stewart, Paul Yorke and AoMC Eaglewatch Coordinator
Clare-Rue Morgan for their dedication to helping track our local bald
eagles. If you’d like to join AoMC’s Eaglewatch team, give Clare-
Rue Morgan a call at 772-286-9833.
Martin County Scenic Highway 714
Join us on Thursday, March 19th for a
presentation by former Martin County
Commissioner Mary Dawson about the
grassroots “Save the Trees” initiative to get
the westerly-most 12-mile portion of Mar-
tin Grade (C.R. 714) designated as a Sce-
nic Highway. The Scenic Highway desig-
nation would preserve the character and
quality of the roadway, including its over-
arching tree canopy, diverse floral and
faunal communities .
NEW Meeting Location:
The meeting room is at the Martin
County Extension Office at 2614 SE Dixie
A view down Rt 714 Highway. Hospitality-11:00 a.m., Program
Photo by sclands.org -11:30 a.m. (bring a bag lunch) Look for
our sandwich board on Dixie.
March 2009
7 Growth Management Forum
19 Program Meeting, “Rt 714 Scenic Highway”,
21 Field Trip— Rt 714 Scenic Highway and
Allapattah Flats. Meet @ Knights of Columbus
at 7:30 a.m.
27-28 (Fri-Sun) Audubon Academy, Haines City
April 2009
11 Birdathon—contact Laurie at 223-0339 and see
inside for details
16 Program Meeting, “A Birders Photographic
Journal” with AoMC member Marta Gordon
18 Field Trip— to Everglades Stormwater Treat-
ment Area. Meet at Knights of Columbus at
7:00 am
25 Annual Meeting and Earth Day Event, with Vol-
unteer Awards, Student Essay Contest Awards
and Native Plant Sales.

Juvenile Bald Eagle by Doug Galbraith

Field Trip : Saturday, March 21

Welcome New Members! Martin Scenic Grade tour
On Saturday, March 21st, we’ll follow up the program meeting with an
associated half-day field trip to see the Martin Grade scenic highway corri-
Birgit Ager Jane Doggett Brenda King Bernadette Russell dor. We’ll help to compile a bird list of species that use the roadway cor-
Nancy Allen William Feagin Graham Monk Pauline Russell ridor as we stop at strategic locations between Highway 609 and S.R. 710.
Stacei Ankrom Raymond Fredrick Bill & Val Nichols Annamaria Staguhn The road also includes access points onto the Allapattah Flats Wildlife
Maryann Armstrong Management Area, which we will visit after the tour of the scenic high-
William Glover Jean Oakes Robert Strauss
Diana Balasky way.
Irvin N. Goldberg John Ordway Myron Wick Meet at the Knights of Columbus, in time for a 7:30 AM departure.
Ruth & Art Campbell
Billy Hankins Ann Powell L. Wiley Bring your binoculars, camera, field guide and your own refreshments,
Anne Coughlan
Helen D. Hoffman Edna Prescott Joe Zelenski including lunch. Fee - $5 for Audubon members, $10 for non-members.
Simone D'Addario
Lloyd & Linda Kelman Shannon Pritchard
10 1
 Board Members 2008-2009 Message from our President
Executive Director – Greg Braun ~~~ Laurie Odlum
561-575-2028

President Laurie Odlum 772-486-2837

Never underestimate "The power of ONE!"
Through history there have been luminary indi-
Vice-Pres Volunteer Needed
viduals like Joan of Arc, Madame Marie Curie,
Treasurer Bob Gordon 772-546-2206 Neil Armstrong and Marjory Stoneman Douglas;
Secretary, Recording Joan Bausch 772-219-8285 just a few of the individuals who put service to
Conservation Bob Matheson 772-283-5999
others ahead of their personal needs.
We are very fortunate to have talented people
Education Volunteer Needed
who are doing the work it takes to make us a
Field Trips Beverly Poppke 772-286-0061 successful chapter. Each one has dedicated him-
Resource Development Doug Warns 772-462-3751 self to AoMC. When we take on a big commit-
ment such as rebuilding Possum Long Nature
Now Showing at the Elliott Museum
Membership Curt Wood 772-546-5435
Center, it takes contributions from many disciplines to accomplish the 2nd AoMC Annual Photography Entries
Programs Ed Fielding 772-288-2622
work that is required. It is when the individuals form a group that we
Volunteer Coordinator Debbie Clark 772-545-2404 accomplish the most. Although it isn't a glory-filled job, one of the most March 4 through March 28
Properties Jim Kearman 772-708-0677 vital jobs on our properties is removing weeds and exotics in established
Public Relations Tom McNicholas 772-219-1719 planted areas. Every job is important to our success. We also need
skilled people to help us complete our building projects. Call Debbie Stop by the Elliott and view our Photo Contest entries!
Nature Center Susan Smyth 772-692-3489
Clark at (772) 545-5435 to volunteer and schedule work hours or sup-
Newsletter Editor Lisa Fiore 772-528-9707 port those who work with a check. All entries are being judged on how well they express the natural environ-
Wildlife Center Dan Martinelli 772-286-6200 In addition to PLNC, we have a number of projects of which to be ment of Florida. Categories include: A) Flora, B) Fauna, C) Wildlife -
Water Resources Patrick Hayes 561-747-6397 proud. First is the Eaglewatch program with volunteers who monitor the Really Close up, and D) General Landscape.
nests in Martin County throughout the nesting season in all types of Awards will be given at our April 16 Program Meeting. Come and see if
Youth Liaison Jessie Green 772-283-3024
weather. And, if necessary, rescue those Eagle chicks (adults too) that your favorite wins.
Garden Club Liaison Louise White 772-283-4416
have been injured in some way. Second is the Jaywatch program that is
IRL & Speakers Bureau Bill Hudspeth 561-667-5123 currently out in the field, on a weekly basis, searching our scrub land for
Scrub-jay families and creating a data base to help create a plan for
monitoring the success of the Jays. Third is the Sandhill Crane sign and Our JayWatchers continue to survey for out that broad-ranging perspective, we’re fear-
OTHER IMPORTANT COMMITTEE CHAIRS scrub-jays in Martin County , although we’ll be ful that our nearly-isolated family groups of
nest monitoring project. Those signs you see on the highways warning
Eaglewatch Liaison Clare-Rue Morgan 772-286-9833 of Sandhill Cranes are installed by DOT and requested through AoMC taking a brief hiatus during the nesting season jays will die out before we are able to preserve
by concerned citizens. And fourth, are the exotic plant removal projects so we don’t unnecessarily disturb nesting jays. the habitat they need. This summer, we’re hop-
Librarian Bev Poppke 772-286-0061 We appreciate the consideration given to the ing to once again work with our partners at The
on our Citrus Blvd and Maplewood properties.
Cranewatch Coordinator Pam Hopkins 772-408-6153
The area in which we need the most help is something with which Photo by Marta Gordon plight of our local scrub-jays by the County Nature Conservancy to expand the JayWatch
everybody can help. We need new and long time members who are will- Commission during AoMC’s recent debriefing monitoring program in Martin County . If
Cranewatch Co-coordinator Carol Spinney 772-545-7987
ing to get involved. So please talk to your friends and neighbors about at a County Commission Meeting. We are you’ve got some time and would like to help
Jaywatch Coordinator Pam Hopkins 772-408-6158
Audubon of Martin County and invite them to a program meeting or to Scrub-jays hopeful that AoMC and the County will partner these friendly birds, please contact Pam Hop-
Jaywatch Co-coordinator Clare-Rue Morgan 772-286-9833 visit PLNC. All of our talented leaders could use help. Just look at your for grant funding to develop a county-wide kins, either at the AoMC office (772-288-2637)
Program Calendar, read and share the newsletter and refer to our web-
and Jaywatch habitat conservation plan for scrub-jays. With- or electronically at pamaudubon@yahoo.com
Christmas Bird Count Liz Hailman 561-746-7293
site, and you will see all of the projects that could use your assistance.
Webmaster Ed Fisher edaudubon@yahoo.com Each member of the Board of Directors is the head of a standing com-
mittee i.e.: Finance, Education, and Conservation. The most vital areas Liz Albertson John Griner Barbara McGill Cynthia Rogers
AUDUBON HOUSE DOCENTS of need are in publicity, education, field trips and membership recruit- Greger C. Anderson Jack Hailman Harry McVeigh Bernadette Russell
Clare-Rue Morgan, George Mirka, Beverly Poppke, ment. You don't have to devote much time to make a difference. If you Sharon Archer Liz Hailman David Melton Janet Ryerson
Ed Fisher, Carol Coyne can't volunteer your time, volunteer your money, if not your money, Robin Beckett Laurie Hand Vic Merritt Katharine Senn
then moral support or at least some recruiting. We can provide the train- Sonia Bollinger Jamie Hansen Peter Merritt Joette Smith
Open board seats: ing you need if you are willing to make the effort. If for some reason Greg Braun Irene Hart Glen Muench Fran Stewart
Contact Laurie Odlum or Greg Braun you are not able to help with your volunteer hours, then you could give Nicky Campbell Pat Hatch Laurie Odlum Gary Sutton
your support by thanking those who do and write the check to help with
A copy of the official registration and financial information may be
obtained from the division of Consumer Services toll-free within Florida
materials and basic costs to support their efforts. Even a onetime effort
John Carroll
Pat Carroll
Michael Henderson
Pam Hopkins
Mel O'Mara
Carlotta Parsons
Davies Tainter
Gayle Tainter
Thanks
is better than never.
800.435.7352. Registration does not imply endorsement,
approval, or recommendation by the state. The individual parts of a building foundation make the whole thing
Florence Chatowsky
Tony Chatowsky
Pat Hoshkind
Hank Hull
Ralph Pike
Bev Poppke
Tom Tomlinson
Christopher Vandello
to
The Scrub Jay is published seven times a year on
recycled content paper with soy-based ink.
stronger. Even matchsticks put together in the right
sequence can make a house. Any help is worth the ef-
Chick Clipsham Dotty Hull Nancy Price Ralph B. Vogel CBC
Daisy Davis John E. Jones Jane Quickel Mabel Vogel
fort, and all help is appreciated.
It truly is the power of one that makes the difference.
Ollie Davis Carolyn Kline Deborah F.Quincy Jamie Weir Participants
Contact your U.S. Senators in Washington DC Evie Day Phillip Kline Peter Quincy Bill Wolters
at the following numbers: Remember, you are the ONE for us. Join us in person Bill Edmunds Robert D. Leonard Hope Reese H. Curtis Wood III
and make the AoMC stronger. Rebecca Elliott George Lowe Lorraine Roberts Paul Yorke
Senator Mel Martinez: 202.224.3051
Senator Bill Nelson: 202.224.5274 Marta Gordon Christina Macon Richard Roberts Susan Yorke

2 9
2008 Christmas Bird Count –The Results - Liz Hailman
Florida Bluebird Society
There were 72 participants in the Stuart Christmas Bird Count ther west. Some of the first birds of these species in Florida may The Florida Ornitho-
held Jan. 4, 2009. We found 128 species listed below (last year's have been escapees. logical Society reports
count was 132). It is exciting that there are three new species for We had new high numbers for 4 species: 95 Tri-colored Herons that there’s interest in
this count: Black-bellied Whistling-ducks, Common Peafowl and (previous record 85 in 2002), 1609 White Ibis (1583 in 1988), possibly forming a Flor-
House Finch. The Whistling-Duck and House Finch have been 525 Glossy Ibis (1583 in 1988) and 411 Mottled Duck (405 in Introducing Debbie Clark! ida Bluebird Society,
spreading in Florida in recent years but were originally from fur- 2005). which would be associ-
Debbie is our Volunteer Coor- ated with the North
dinator. Some of you met her American Bluebird So-
17185 total birds 13 Bald Eagle 6 Black Skimmer 288 European Starling ciety.
2 Northern Harrier 193 Rock Pigeon (Rock Dove) 484 Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) on the Adams Ranch field trip.
Bluebirds are sus-
20 Pied-billed Grebe 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk 39 Eurasian Collared-Dove Warbler She will be coordinating Photo Courtesy of Allaboardtours.com
pected to be summer-
42 Northern Gannet 6 Cooper's Hawk 8 White-winged Dove 1 Black-throated Green various workday events at our time breeding residents in western Martin County,
579 Brown Pelican 28 Red-shouldered Hawk 457 Mourning Dove Warbler properties and non-physical but this is a species which we know little about
176 Double-crested Cormorant 1 Broad-winged Hawk 12 Common Ground-Dove 10 Yellow-throated Warbler volunteer opportunities at regarding the local population.
255 Anhinga 12 Red-tailed Hawk 17 Monk Parakeet 51 Pine Warbler AoMC events and at our office. For more information, contact Bill Pennewill at
4 Magnificent Frigatebird 108 American Kestrel 1 Eastern Screech-Owl 5 Prairie Warbler Call Debbie at (772) 545- billsbluebird@yahoo.com
161 Great Blue Heron 3 Merlin 2 Great Horned Owl 275 Palm Warbler 5435 to volunteer.
223 Great Egret 1 Peregrine Falcon 1 Barred Owl 2 Black-and-white Warbler
131 Snowy Egret 7 Wild Turkey 1 Chuck-will's-widow 13 Common Yellowthroat
210 Little Blue Heron 2 Purple Gallinule 9 hummingbird sp. 2 Eastern Towhee
95 Tricolored Heron 111 Common Moorhen 47 Belted Kingfisher 132 Northern Cardinal
485 Cattle Egret 22 American Coot 84 Red-bellied Woodpecker 29 Painted Bunting 2009 Birdathon is Coming ! !
15 Green Heron 99 Sandhill Crane 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 31 Red-winged Blackbird
11 Black-cr. Night-Heron 16 Black-bellied Plover 15 Downy Woodpecker 2 Eastern Meadowlark
4 Yellow-cr. Night-Heron 300 Killdeer 3 Northern (Yellow- 443 Common Grackle APRIL 11, 2009
69 night-heron. imm. 1 American Oystercatcher shafted) Flicker 294 Boat-tailed Grackle Your Participation and Support is critical for this
1609 White Ibis 2 Greater Yellowlegs 7 Pileated Woodpecker 27 Brown-headed Cowbird
525 Glossy Ibis 2 Lesser Yellowlegs 30 Eastern Phoebe 11 American Goldfinch Annual Fundraising Event
2 Roseate Spoonbill 48 Willet 5 Great Crested Flycatcher 12 House Sparrow
86 Wood Stork 9 Spotted Sandpiper 18 Loggerhead Shrike 1 House Finch On April 11 teams from Audubon of Martin County will conduct a "Birdathon" to seek out as many bird spe-
156 Black Vulture 75 Ruddy Turnstone 1 White-eyed Vireo 4 Black-bellied Whistling
487 Turkey Vulture 132 Sanderling 11 Blue-headed Vireo Duck
cies as possible in one day as a measure of the ecological health of our community. Put your team together
31 Muscovy Duck 14 Least Sandpiper 118 Blue Jay and contact Laurie with their names.
23 Wood Duck 1 Stilt Sandpiper 2 Florida Scrub-jay Yours and the collective efforts of this generous community will provide for very vital conservation and edu-
9 American Wigeon 10 Wilson's Snipe 17 American Crow UNESTABLISHED cation initiatives that will help keep the birds vibrant and alive.
28 Mallard 406 Laughing Gull 2565 Fish Crow EXOTICS, ESCAPEES,
2 Mottled-Mallard hybrid 9 Bonaparte's Gull 1891 Tree Swallow FERAL AND DOMESTIC
Audubon of Martin County leaders, members and community volunteers will strike out in the wilds of Mar-
411 Mottled Duck 451 Ring-billed Gull 6 Carolina Wren FORMS tin County to find, identify and record bird species.
33 Blue-winged Teal 61 Herring Gull 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet Bring in or send in your pledge forms !! See below and on our website.
6 Ring-necked Duck 10 Great Black-backed Gull 68 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2 Egyptian Goose (exotic)
344 Lesser Scaup 2 Caspian Tern 628 American Robin 2 Common Pea Fowl
20 Hooded Merganser 36 Royal Tern 110 Gray Catbird
5 Red-breasted Merganser 43 Sandwich Tern 212 Northern Mockingbird Audubon of Martin County—2009 Birdathon PLEDGE FORM
147 Osprey 23 Forster's Tern 3 Brown Thrasher Your support is critical for this Annual Fundraising Event!
Yes, I would like to help support Audubon of Martin County’s Birdathon 2009 by pledging to donate
the following amount per species identified.
their annual travels. We’ve also met with representatives from
Conservation Corner several of the state and federal resource agencies, and they’ve Amount Pledged per species $______________ OR Flat Amount Pledged $____________
expressed their appreciation for the work we’re doing. Most re-
AoMC continues to work with Martin County on a project search on piping plovers has been done when the birds are on Name ________________________________________________________________________________
through which we’re learning more about the numbers, habits and their summer-time nesting grounds, so it is good to learn more
preferred habitats of the small group of Piping Plovers that reside about their winter-time habits and habitats. Our thanks to the Street ___________________________________________ City _______________ ST_____ZIP _______
in Martin County during the winter. During a late January sur- following AoMC members who are helping with the surveys:
vey, we were able to find (and photograph for the first time) sev- Greger Anderson, Greg Braun, Nicky Campbell, Florence and Phone: ___________________________ E-Mail __________________________________
eral banded piping plovers on a shallow tidal flat near the St. Tony Chatowsky, Bob and Marta Gordon, Flip Harrington, Pam
Lucie Inlet. As of this writing, we haven’t heard back about the Hopkins, Jim Kearman, Carolyn and Bob Leonard, Bob Mathe- Clip and Mail to: AoMC at 621 SE Palm Beach Road, Stuart, FL 34994
details (e.g., age, nesting population, …) of these banded birds, son, Beverly Poppke, Nancy Price, Fran and Greg Stewart, David
but knowing that information will help us understand more about Thorne, Tom Tomlinson and Soo Whiting. Remember...Your contribution is Tax Deductible!!!

8 3
Field Trip Reports - on the island from the overlook. Occasion- family to have this
ally you could see a wing or two as they Bird of the Month second molt in the American Goldfinch
The Field Trip committee was very busy in popped up over the vegetation from spring; all the other Carduelis tristis
By Laurie Odlum
January with two field trips, over 60 people, the birds on the South side of the species have just one
carpools and challenging weather. island. We did have a small pod of molt each year in the fall. In
wild dolphins cruise between us Small Birds, Big Payoff Male winter plumage— winter, both males and females
Pelican Island—January 17th and the island. Courtesy of Ggph.com are brownish or greyish above,
We saw a good variety of birds A familiar and abundant small colorful but the male has a yellow wash
by Ollie Davis
but not in large numbers because it bird, the American Goldfinch is frequently on the head.
found in mixed flocks feeding in weedy fields and visiting feed-
It was a brisk 43 degrees when 22 Audubon was quite windy. My favor- These are one of the latest nesting birds.
ers. It shows a particular fondness for thistles, eating the seeds
members gathered at The Knights of Colum- ites were a raft of Hooded Mergan- It usually does not start until late June or
bus. KofC sounds like KFC (The first time sers, White Pelicans & a juvenile Coopers and using the down to line its nest. early July, when most other songbirds are
we met there I Hawk. We saw a lot of butterflies including The American Goldfinch, often called wild Canaries, is a small finishing with breeding. The location of
The Pelican Island bird list: bird whose bill is small, pointed, conical, and pink. The male
admit to looking several Mangrove Buckeyes that were sun- the nest is usually five to 10 feet high in
for a KFC). We ning themselves in the path. Turkey Vulture body coloring is bright yellow with the female being a dull brown trees or shrubs and often near a water
carpooled North Some of us decided to have lunch on Wa- to olive. Wings dark with large white wingbars; tail short and source. The late timing may be related to
Black Vulture Male—Breeding Plumage
to Sebastian in basso Island at the Environmental Learning notched. During the breeding season (July and August) the male the availability of suitable nesting materi-
Pied-billed Grebe
Indian River Center. On the way home we talked about is bright yellow with black cap and wings. The birds are 7 – als and seeds for feeding young.
Great Blue Heron inches and only weigh .39 to .71 ounces
County to visit what made this trip a special one. It was being The American Goldfinch is gregarious throughout the year. In
with friendly birders, some we hadn't seen for Tri-colored Heron Their song is a long series of twittering and warbling notes. winter it is found almost exclusively in flocks. In the breeding
the Pelican Island Little Blue Heron
National Wildlife a while, and meeting new ones. See the en- Common contact call a "tsee-tsi-tsi-tsit" which is often given in season it feeds in small groups. Whether it maintains breeding
tire bird list below. Little Blue Heron -white morph flight by the male. territories is debatable. This bright finch is mostly monogamous,
Refuge where we met Bob Montanaro. Bob White Ibis
presented our Jan. 15th program meeting If you go to the PINWR on your own, American Goldfinches live coast to coast from Southern Can- but a number of females switch mates after producing a first
don’t worry if you don’t have a scope, there Osprey ada through most of the United States. As temperatures fall, they brood. The first male takes care of the fledglings while the female
with his outstanding photography slide show
are two mounted directly on the observation Belted Kingfisher will move south from their northernmost territo- goes off to start another brood with a different
on Ospreys. Bob has a very nice, laid back,
platform and the boardwalk is wheelchair Yellow-rumped Warbler ries to more moderate climates. male.
way of sharing information.
We visited two areas of the PINWR trail friendly. Remember to read the names of all White Pelican In winter they can be found To attract the Goldfinch to your yard provide
system. The first is just off Jungle Trail as the national wildlife refuges with their crea- Yellow-crowned Night Heron south to Mexico and Florida. their favorite food – black thistle seed in their
you enter from A-1-A. The mangrove lined tion date carved into the planks of the ramp; Black-crowned Night Heron They rarely winter in the inte- special feeder. You will be set for fun and col-
brackish-water ponds did provide good view- the imprinted planks are placed on the ramp Great Egret rior parts of the United States. orful bird watching as these energetic and acro-
ing of Hooded Merganser, Little Blue Heron, in order of creation Coopers Hawk The American Goldfinch batic birds visit the feeder.
Kingfisher and Osprey. A few Little Brown with Pelican Island Hooded Merganser changes from winter plumage Don’t look these birds after early April in Flor-
Jobs made themselves known but stayed just at the top. undetermined warblers (“Little to breeding plumage by a com- ida, as they are returning to their nesting grounds
plete molt of its body feathers. Female year-round plumage
too far away (and flew too fast) for identifica- Brown Jobs”) although they have been recorded as late as
Courtesy of Kiroastro.com
tion. Gull - species It is the only member of its June.
The second area was the boardwalk and
observation area for Pelican Island. White Non-bird species:
Pelicans were sighted flying from the island Bottle-nosed Dolphin
toward the Intra-coastal Waterway as we ap- Mangrove Buckeye Butterfly AUDUBON ACADEMY 2009 GOES TO THE FLORIDA SCRUB
proached the overlook. Because of the sig-
nificant wind, we did not observe any birds The ancient islands along the spine of Florida form an ecosystem unique in the world. Audu-
bon Academy 2009 will be held near Haines City at the FFA Leadership Training Center, lo-
cated in this fascinating and little-known part of Florida.
Meet other Audubon activists from chapters throughout the state and learn more about
timely conservation issues of interest to our colleagues and other conservation partners. Car-
Public Land Acquisition Update bon footprints, the future of solar power in Florida , grantsmanship, E-Birding and citizen sci-
ence are among the workshop topics for the 2009 Audubon Assembly that will be held March
27-29 in Haines City , Florida.
AoMC continues to be involved with acres in size to over 500 acres), and habi- Make plans now to learn more about Audubon in Florida.
Martin County’s public Land Acquisition tats preserved (from coastal dunes and For more information or to register, see http://audubonoffloridanews.org.
Selection Committee, through which rec- mangroves to interior oak hammocks and
ommendations are made to the County pine flatwoods).
Commission for properties that are worthy We are grateful for Governor Crist’s
of purchase through the half-cent sales tax reinstatement of the Florida Forever pro-
that was approved by the voters in 2006. gram, and we hope for continued success
We’ve closed on several properties which in obtaining matching funds from various
Help Wanted
so far have included quite a variety in regional, state and federal grant programs. Are you concerned about Sea Level rise and its effect on Florida? Learn and share at the same time by be-
terms of geographic extent (from barrier coming our Climate Change activist – a volunteer
island parcels on Hutchinson Island to a willing to be Audubon of Martin County’s “go-to” person on climate change.
former cattle ranch northwest of Indian-
town), size (from small tracts less than 5

4 7
 JOIN Audubon of Martin County Adams Ranch—January 31
Write your check payable to “Audubon” and
Mail to: Audubon of Martin County Again the weatherman brought us chilly air and a stiff
Name Attn: Membership
breeze as we carpooled to Adams Ranch in western St Lucie
621 SE Palm Beach Road
Stuart, FL 34994 County.
Address Bud Adams was there in person to greet us as well as give
Select your Membership level: us a history of his family's ranch in both photos and verse; he
O Individual or family…………………….$20
took questions about the cow/calf beef business and the
O Senior (over 62) or Student…………….$15
City State Zip ranches’ environmental stewardship. Not only do they breed
O Scrub Jay Newsletter only……………...$15
and produce their own crossbreed of superior beef cattle for
Phone Email Chapter Code: C9ZE260Z the Midwestern feedlots, they breed their own horses to work
the herds as well. Crop rotation is practiced, although most
city folks don’t understand why crop rotation relates to ani-
mals; they move the cattle herds around the sectioned grass
Audubon of Martin County Sponsorship Become an Audubon of Martin County fields every 2 to 3 weeks to allow the grass to regrow be-
Levels and Benefits Sponsor tween herds. “All cattle ranchers need to be good grass Photo by Debbie Clark
Yes! I want to be an AoMC Sponsor growers”, said Bud. “As grass is what makes good beef cat-
In addition to the basic membership, $ 500 Osprey Your tax deductible contribution will help us sustain tle.” Bird List: Cattle Egret
you can become an AoMC sponsor. our programs, projects and conservation efforts. Our glassless bus allowed for good views of the working ranch and of the
Sponsorship provides funding for pro- Wood Stork benefits plus a natural Red-shouldered Hawk
grams, projects, field trips and history tour led by an AoMC Board winged wildlife. Two spectacular highlights were: witnessing the natural Killdeer Robin
AoMC’s important conservation work. Name
member to the nesting colony at Bird hunting skills of a Red-shouldered Hawk as it Boat-tailed Grackle Moorehen
$ 50 Great Blue Heron Island in the Indian River Lagoon. Select your sponsorship level: attacked and killed a Cattle Egret right in front Turkey Vulture Great Blue Heron
Special recognition in the Scrub Jay and O Scrub Jay $ 5,000 of our eyes and the flyby of a Crested Cara- Black Vulture Carolina Wren (heard)
a certificate of appreciation. $ 1000 Bald Eagle O Bald Eagle $ 1,000 cara who made a quick ground stop and then
Osprey benefits plus a natural history
Tri-colored Heron American Kestrel
O Osprey $ 500 flew away. Quick eyes and a few cameras Common Grackle
$ 100 Roseate Spoonbill tour led by an AoMC Board member to a O Wood Stork $ 250 recorded both very notable events. See below
Recognition in each Scrub Jay , a local birding destination of your choice. Sandhill Crane Other species:
O Roseate Spoonbill $ 100 for the entire bird list.
certificate of appreciation, an AoMC
O Great Blue Heron $ 50
Starling Bovine
t-shirt and one complementary member- $ 5000 and more Scrub Jay By 10 o’clock the temperatures had modi- Mourning Dove Alligator
O Other $ fied and the crystalline sunlight gave us clear
ship for a person of your choice. Bald Eagle benefits plus a natural history Belted Kingfisher White-tailed Deer
tour led by an AoMC Board member to Enclose your donation with this form and mail to: views of the many herds of deer. Coyotes as American Crow
$ 250 Wood Stork Bud Adams telling us about the
Spoonbill benefits plus one copy of the
Everglades National Park, Merritt Island Audubon of Martin County well as Bobcats hunt on the ranch; over 100 Red-winged Blackbird Off site in the swale on
Bobcat he had just seen..
National Wildlife Refuge, Ding Darling Attn. Treasurer Coyotes had been removed from the ranch
Sibley Field Guide to Birds and a lunch- Photo by Paul Yorke Blue-winged teal Rt 68:
National Wildlife Refuge or Arthur Mar- 621 SE Palm Beach Road, Stuart, FL 34994 (trapped) just this past year. Coyotes wait for
eon briefing with the AoMC President Little Blue Heron Snowy Egret
shall Loxahatchee NWR. the pregnant cows and deer to give birth and then kill the young; too many
and Executive Director. Hooded Merganser Woodstork
losses like that can negatively impact both herds. Crested Caracara
Bud met up with us at their artesian well and oak hammock for an early
lunch. He had just seen a Bobcat in the glade on his ride out to the picnic
area. Our very knowledgeable bus driver and trip guide was Peter Harrison,
Bud’s nephew.
Property Work Days All who attended had a special day and the rare opportunity to visit a work-
ing ranch with an eye toward environmental sustainability. Our sincere
Our thanks to our various Web-site Updates
thanks to Bud, Peter and all their staff for a truly Great Day!
members who have been To learn more about the entire Adams Ranch operation go to:
helping with work days at our AoMC appreciates the
on-going efforts by Ed adamsranch.com
AoMC properties. Our own-
ership of several hundred Fisher, our volunteer
acres of preserves require on- web master, who con-
tinually makes improve-
going management, and Photo sequence courtesy of
ments to the AoMC web
we’re appreciative of the Paul Yorke
site - audubonmartincounty.org. Artesian Well and picnic area
manual labor donated by our friends and members who help
with removal of pest plants, trail maintenance and other activi- If you haven’t visited us in a while, please take a
look. Ed’s been working to expand our member’s
ties to help provide habitat for native plants, birds and other
photo gallery; if you have nature photos you have
wildlife.
taken that you would like to have added, please email
We also thank the Martin County chapter of the Florida Na-
Ed at edaudubon@yahoo.com.
tive Plant Society for the help of their
If you have suggestions for improvement, please
members in developing a plant inven-
contact our president Laurie Odlum by phone or at
tory for our Maplewood Preserve in lodlum@att.net.
Palm City.

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