St.

Petersburg Audubon Society April 2010

WingSpan
Celebrating more than 100 Years of Conservation
1909 - 2009
Calendar of Events SPAS’ Annual Meeting
APRIL - JULY 2010
Apr. 3 & May 1 - Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, 1101 Country Club APRIL PICNIC AND ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP
Way S., St. Petersburg. Leader: Ron Smith. Meet 8 a.m., Nature MEETING
Center parking lot. (Following the round-robin birding)
SATURDAY, APRIL 24TH
Apr. 3 - Cross Bayou Canal and Joe’s Creek Cleanup -- FT. DeSOTO, SHELTER #15
8:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m., intersection of 78th St. and 70th Ave. N. 1:00 p.m.
in Pinellas Park. Sign up for the opportunity to have fun while
cleaning up our waterways. Lunch and raffle giveaways add to the Bring a main dish or salad to share and your own table service.
fun. This cleanup is a part of the Keep Pinellas Beautiful program. Drinks will be provided by SPAS.
Registration is required. Contact Anamarie Rivera by email
arivera@pinellascounty.org to sign up. Visit www.pinellascounty. Election of Officers and Board Members will be held at this meeting.
org/volserv/events.htm. All members of SPAS are encouraged to attend and vote.

Apr. 11 - Ft. DeSoto Park CP, 3500 Pinellas Bayway S., Tierra
Verde. Spring Migration. Meet 8 a.m. at the flagpole at park
headquarters. Contact Judi Hopkins. (Note: Due to a race
scheduled for April 10th, the trip is moved to Sunday, April 11th.)
Apr. 17 - Ft. DeSoto Park CP. Spring Migration. Meet 8 a.m. at
the flagpole at park headquarters. Contact Judi Hopkins.
Apr. 18 - Bird-a-Thon, Contact Mauri Dietrich for information,
398-4124. See inside for details.
Apr. 24 - Ft. DeSoto Park CP. Round Robin Birding. Meet 8
a.m. at the flagpole at park headquarters to form teams and receive
instructions. Maximize the birding potential of 4 different locations
in the park. Leader: Lee Snyder. Contact Judi Hopkins.
Want to be on the St. Petersburg Audubon Board of
Directors?
The St. Petersburg Audubon Society is looking for energetic
volunteers and a lawyer to be on our Board of Directors. If you
support our volunteer efforts and want to be very involved in
our association, please let us know. If you know someone whom
you think we should contact, we’d like that information also.
The nominating committee needs to hear from you by April
23rd. The election of officers will be held on April 24th at our
annual members’ meeting. You can contact Judi Hopkins at
Focus997@verizon.net or Alice Tenney at BirdWVa@aol.com
for more information or to answer your questions.

May 8 - North American Migratory Bird Count (NAMC). The current slate of nominees for the 2010/2011 St. Petersburg
All levels of birders needed to count species throughout Pinellas Audubon Board include the following:
County. Contact Don Margeson to volunteer, 727-527-0227.
Officer Slate
May 9 - Coffeepot Bayou Bird Island Boat Trip. Get a close Mauri Dietrich—President
look at an island rookery at the height of nesting season. Meet Maureen Arnold—Vice President
at the St.Pete. Pier by the bait house at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $25 per Nancy Ogden—Secretary
person. For reservations call Alice Tenney, 894-2062. Rick Potter—Treasurer
Director Slate
May-July Survey of beach/Rooftop Nesting Birds – To volunteer Harold Albers Saskia Janes
call Dave Kandz at 471-0699. Mary Brazier Dave Kandz
Wanda Dean Mark Mueller
June 5 & 6 - Pinellas Living Green Expo -- The St. Petersburg Judi Hopkins Alice Tenney
Coliseum and Sunshine Center, Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. & Sunday
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Admission and parking is free. Contact Wanda

Dean at 321-3995 to volunteer at our booth.

 President’s Message
As our year winds down,
by Mauri Dietrich

. . . I look back on the past year and a half and marvel at all we have accomplished and experienced.
Our Centennial Year was filled with many activities culminating at the Audubon Assembly held in
October with SPAS winning the Chapter of the Year Award. We continue a long tradition of being an
influential chapter in our community. We were recognized for that leadership at the Assembly and
now, looking forward, we will continue that leadership.
©Don Margeson 2009
At the Audubon Academy, March 27 and 28, our Education Committee will hold a workshop on our
fledgling Teacher Ecology Camp. Harold Albers and Wanda Dean, along with Jeanne Murphy and Brian Lane, will
tell how this program got off the ground and the success we experienced this past year. Plans
are underway to continue that program and expand it to add an advanced class as well. We are
fortunate to receive two grants to help fund this program, but we still need to raise a couple thousand
dollars. If perchance you get asked to make a pledge for our Bird-a-Thon in April, please consider
donating. Our Annual Appeal brought in less money this year than in the previous three years, so
we would like to supplement our income with our Bird-a-Thon.

Our last meeting of the year will be the April picnic, which is also designated as our annual membership meeting. We
traditionally hold the election of Officers and Board members at that meeting. I have agreed to run for the President’s
position again, but would like to make this my last year. I hope you will attend our picnic and the Round Robin birding
event held prior to that. It’s a time to not only support your chapter but to also have fun in the process.

My condolences to the Friends of Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, and especially to Gabe Vargo, in the loss of their Bald
Eagle, Spirit. She is truly flying free now.

Pinellas Birds By the time you read this report . . .

by Ron Smith

. . . a few spring migrants will have already
been reported. Species like Hooded,
Prothonotary and Worm-eating Warblers,
Barn Swallows, Eastern Kingbirds, and
Indigo Buntings. Local birders are excited
with the hope that this spring will be as good
as last year’s.
During the last week of April 2009 birders
at Fort DeSoto and Honeymoon Island
saw record numbers of Cape May and
Black-throated Blue Warblers, as well as
good numbers of Common Yellowthroats,
Ovenbirds, Northern Waterthrushes, and
Blackpoll Warblers. Will this year be as
productive?
The past month or so has produced many Great
Horned Owl nests discovered throughout the
county. I can’t recall knowing of where so
many were. The pair of dark-morph Short-
tailed Hawks has returned to Sawgrass Lake
Park and can be seen most mornings flying
over the Visitor’s Center. Purple Gallinules
haven’t been reported yet, but I suspect we’ll
hear about them soon from Sawgrass Lake
and the Roosevelt Wetlands.
A good number of Canvasbacks (six) were
still utilizing a lake in north St. Petersburg
in mid-March. A small flock of seven
Buffleheads were also enjoying their stay
at the William E. Dunn Water Reclamation
©Les Burdge 2010
Facility in Palm Harbor. norm to get one, maybe two nests, with three
young each year, but this year there were three
At this time of the year the shorebirds often nests with three chicks. In all, she knows of
go unnoticed, but birders should be aware that 41 eaglets in Pinellas County, breaking the
if they see a pair of American Oystercatchers, previous mark of 27 noted in her data from
Snowy Plovers, Willets, or Wilson’s Plovers ’06 -’07. Great job, Barb!
together they’re probably thinking about
nesting. Give them their space. If a bird Visit www.PinellasBirds.com to keep up with
alters its behavior because of your presence, the birding news in our county.
you’re probably too close.
Barb Walker, our county’s EagleWatch
coordinator, advised that her team of
volunteers monitored 25 productive nests
and 34 locations. She said, too, that it’s the
 Field Trip Notes The field trips to the Solid Waste Operations Facility in St. Pete
from Judi Hopkins were a great success!
We had a full van on all three trips (35 The Boyd Hill Nature Preserve trips have “spring migrants.”
participants), and we compiled a total received outstanding participation--thanks
species count of 80--thanks many times over to all who have attended. Thank you, Tom Thanks again for all your support and
to Lee Snyder for leading the trips. The tour Bell and Eric Plage, for “pitch hitting” for participation. Hope to see you soon on one
of the facility and the short film afterwards Ron and leading the trips temporarily. of our scheduled trips.
was very informative. St. Pete Audubon will
even be featured in their newsletter. Thomas Upcoming trips will be to J.B.Starkey WP
Roberts, our driver and facility tour leader, on the 27th of March, Boyd Hill NP on the
said he is looking forward to us returning 3rd of April, then April 11th (Please note that Contact Judi at: 727-526-3725 or
next year. There are tentative plans for one due to a scheduled race the April 10th trip focus997@verizon.net
trip a month in January, February and March. is moved to Sunday), April 17th, and April
Your input would be appreciated. 24th will be at Ft. DeSoto Park to see those Printed on recycled paper

Third Annual Round Robin--April 24th

Two years ago we began an experiment in group birding. We called it the “Round Robin.” For those unfamiliar, all participants gather,
then are divided into four groups and each group in turn visits a site on Mullet Key changing sites on the hour. The result is that in four
hours all have visited the four hotspots and each succeeding group gains the advantage of seeing birds already located by the previous
groups. Last year among the 73 species seen were Golden-winged Warbler and a rare Lazuli x Indigo Bunting. This year’s event is
April 24th at Ft DeSoto Park. Meet 8 a.m. at flagpole, park headquarters. You’ll be done by noon. We look forward to another great
event.

BIRD-A-THON--April 18th
This year I have challenged the Board members to raise money for our Audubon Adventures Program and Teacher Ecology Camps. But
it also occurred to me that many of you may also want to help. Here’s how.

You can contact me if you would like to be on a team, or you can form your own team. The goal is for each team to raise $1000. If you
have four team members, each member need only raise $250. To do this is fairly simple; ask your friends, relatives, neighbors or co-
workers to pledge a certain dollar amount for each species of bird seen, or they can pledge a set amount. I have a pledge request form
that is perfect for emailing that I would be happy to share. On the day of the Bird-a-Thon, we will fan out across Pinellas County to see
as many birds as possible. There is a possibility of seeing 100 species or more. Afterwards, you will collect your pledges.

Please join me on April 18th and support our very worthwhile education programs. Call Mauri Dietrich at 727-398-4124 to volunteer or
for more information.

FL SPECIALTIES BUS TRIP !

March 13, 2010
The weather was warm and sunny and WINDY. The rain dumped a
ton of water in Osceola County leaving many fields and ditches along
the road with standing water. Those two events conspired to make
the birds elusive. But despite that, we were able to see 79 species as
a group. It was a big raptor day: Bald Eagles, Crested Caracara, Red-
tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks,
Osprey, Snail Kite, Swallow-tailed
Kite and Northern Harrier were all
seen. Sadly missed were Whooping
Crane, Red-cockaded Woodpecker,
and Burrowing Owl. Heard but not
seen were Bachman’s Sparrow and
Brown-headed Nuthatch. But we
had great views of Purple Gallinule
and Red-headed Woodpecker.
©Les Burdge 2010
This was one of our best-attended
trips; we had 42 participants including the leaders, coming from as
far away as Washington DC, Pennsylvania and California! Lunch at
Forever Florida was pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, coleslaw, baked
beans and apple cobbler for dessert. Special
thanks to Dave Goodwin, our Bird Expert and
Historian extraordinaire, who not only helped
us find the birds but also regaled us with local
history and lore. Each year is distinctive--so
if you missed a life bird this year or missed
the trip entirely, we plan to offer this trip
again next year. Hope burns eternal--maybe
next year you’ll be able to go and get that lifer
missed this year!
©Lee Snyder 2010
 Conservation News
from Dave Kandz
At its last 2011 budget workshop, Pinellas
County Commissioners discussed the
Education Centers at both Weedon Island and
Brooker Creek and the need to do something
“dramatic” with their operation. The
discussion focused on either “mothballing”
the centers (aka closing them) or finding a
partner to operate them.
It was clear from the discussion that some
commissioners were misinformed about the
centers and their operation and were instead
relying on whatever personal experiences or
memories they could call upon. Fortunately,
at the close of the discussion, county staff
was charged with providing them current
center operating information.
Three things you can do --
1) Commissioners need to hear from as
many citizens as possible about the value
both centers offer and why closing them
cannot be an option. I’m sure many of you
visit Brooker Creek and Weedon Island often
and value the benefits our Education Centers
bring to you personally and to the county as
a whole. If you want to continue to enjoy
those benefits, now is the time to speak out!
Email or call the commissioners as soon as
possible and support the continued operation
of the centers. Let’s get “mothballing” off
the table.
To email the Commissioners, go to http://
www.pinellascounty.org/forms/bcc_form.
A Word from Eric Draper--Audubon of Florida
Dear Friends,
Before the day ends I want to share with you
something I was reminded of this morning
and have been thinking about all day.
One hundred ten years ago a small group
gathered in Maitland, Florida to found
Florida Audubon Society. Their purpose
in organizing was to stop the slaughter of
Florida plumage birds, whose feathers and
bodies were being used for fashion. They
won that battle never imagining that they
were creating an institution that would
outlive them.
I have always loved this story because it
carries the very values that motivate me
to work for Audubon. Volunteers take
Dear Friends of Environmental Education,
htm. Click on the checkbox by each
Commissioner’s name and type your
message into the box below. This will send
your message to each Commissioner.
If you have a personal “Center Experience”
to share, please share it in your message.
Perhaps you attended a lecture and learned
something new and inspiring about Florida’s
ecosystems. Or met a famous author or
photographer (like Clyde Butcher) and, for a
few moments, experienced the world through
their eyes and mind.
Or you could simply “cut and paste”
something like the following into the
text box: Remove the mothballing of the
Weedon Island and Brooker Creek education
centers from the 2011 budget “to do” list.
Through Pennies for Pinellas, county voters
have invested heavily in both centers. In
turn, the centers and their staffs have made
excellent contributions to the public. Any
savings achieved from mothballing will
be insignificant when weighed against the
investment the public has already made
and the costs associated with closing and
keeping them closed for the foreseeable
future. Continuing the current “bare bones”
operation, while not ideal, at least protects
the public’s investment while providing
strong environmental and historical education
opportunities for students and adults.
2) Attend a meeting at Weedon Island
on April 14 at 6 p.m. to discuss the
responsibility for defending an important
part of our environment. While the
circumstances are different, the actions and
ideals are the same.
As interim director of Florida Audubon I
have been wrestling with ways to recast our
message to motivate more people to help
with our conservation mission and to take
leadership roles in our chapters, programs
and board. Our predecessors’ success
was defined in abundance of native birds,
which reflects functioning ecosystems,
which reflects human intervention to
preserve, to conserve and restore native
landscapes, which reflects people making
conservation and restoration a social and
potential closings with Commissioner
Karen Seel. Pinellas County Commissioner
Karen Seel has agreed to attend an April 13
meeting at Weedon to discuss the potential
closing (aka “mothballing”) of Brooker
Creek and Weedon’s Educational Centers.
The meeting will be at 6 PM at the Weedon
Island Education and Cultural Center,
1800 Weedon Drive, St Petersburg. www.
weedonislandpreserve.org.
3) Share your stories about the Centers.
If you have a personal story of enrichment
the Weedon and/or Brooker Creek Centers
have made in your life, share it! Besides
sending your story to the Commissioners,
here are other ways to share:
a) Write a short Letter to the Editor of
the St. Petersburg Times. It’s easy! Just visit
http://www.sptimes.com/letters/ and paste in
your story.
b) Send it to us here at St. Petersburg
Audubon - just reply to this email. We’ll
publish it on our web site (stpeteaudubon.org)
and possibly in our “Wingspan” newsletter.
c) Send it to the Friends of Weedon
Island in care of their President, Bob Kersteen
at NITTANYRAK@AOL.COM.
Thanks for all you do for Nature in Pinellas
County!
©Lee Snyder 2010
economic priority, which reflects shared
and influential knowledge and values. That
is our lineage.
So let us set the stage today for the next 110
years. The challenges are different. To save
our birds we need to deal with climate change
and water issues, and we need to manage
habitat and ecosystems that have been so
altered that they need human intervention
to functionally benefit wildlife.
Let us honor our conservation inheritance
by resolving to give our successors a
Florida abundant with birds and other native
species and where people are connected
with nature.
Coffeepot Bayou Cruise Our annual trip to
Mark your calendars now for May 9, 2010 Coffeepot Bayou will
take place on May 9,
at 6:30 p.m. I am already looking forward to this trip after viewing
the birds creating their nests on the island today. The Brown Pelicans
seem to be claiming the same nesting spots as the Great Egrets. The
Great Egrets are already getting their breeding feathers, and there
were two Roseate Spoonbills flying around the island selecting just
the right spot for their nests. This is going to be a wonderful trip to
observe young birds! Please join us! Reservations and payment of
$25 per person are required prior to the trip. Please mail to Alice
Tenney, 315 15th Ave. NE, St. Pete, 33704. For more information
email Alice at BirdWVA@aol.com.

What Color is your Bird-watching? History Trivia--Saskia Janes

By Tim Vargo, Manager of Research and Citizen Science
Urban Ecology Center “Noted Editor Enlisted in Effort to Protect Bird Life”
Many of us like to look at birds, in part because of their striking colors. A
cardinal in February brings a brilliant flash of red to a white landscape, while David C. Cook, noted publisher of Chicago who owns
a male Wood Duck in breeding plumage looks as if he came straight from a beautiful home near St. Petersburg, and who with his
a color-by-number book. But my focus for this article isn’t on the color of family spends his winters there, has become so interested
birds, but of their watchers. Literally speaking, birders should avoid wearing in bird conservation, largely through the influence of St
white or other brilliant colors that may scare away birds, but that’s for another Petersburg Audubon Society, that he has taken out of his
day. publications all advertisements of eight business firms
offering air guns for sale.
Today, I’m going to focus on the figurative colors of birdwatchers and the
impact of their actions. The color green has come to symbolize nature and For a number of years several of these advertisements were
ecologically-sensitive issues (green products, green buildings, etc.). Birding displayed in Boys World, a widely circulated paper for
would seem to be a “green” hobby and often it is, but consider the following young readers, but when Mr. Cook realized the vast number
examples: Many birders are “listers,” engaging in personal or competitive of valuable birds destroyed by these weapons in the hands
goals of maximizing the number of bird species on their life list (or state or of boys he immediately ordered every advertisement of air
county list). Joe Birder decides that he needs the Fluff-breasted Sneezlehort guns out of all his publications.
on his life list, so he gets on an airplane and flies many thousands of miles
to East Sneezle Island, not considering the huge carbon footprint his actions From the Winter Park Post, April 6, 1916
entail. Or consider Sally Birder who just saw an endangered Lesser-rumped
Syrup-Sipper at Riverside Park. She posts her sighting on the internet
and hundreds of people get in their cars to see this bird (again the carbon MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
footprint), which then gets harassed day and night until it leaves. INTRODUCTORY MEMBERSHIP
$20.00 (New membership only)
Both Joe and Sally mean well, but they may want to look at a couple of Q Please enroll me as a member in the National Audubon
resources that could help them understand the broader impacts of their actions. Society. Start my subscription to AUDUBON magazine & send
The American Birding Association put together a Birder’s Code of Ethics my membership card.
(www.aba.org), which sets guideline to ensure bird safety and well-being. Q I do not wish to receive AUDUBON magazine.
Plus, there is a growing green-birding movement started by Sparroworks Name ___________________________________
in Canada. Green or carbon-neutral birding focuses on lists generated by Address _________________________________
human power with the associated benefits of reducing greenhouse emissions,
increasing exercise and coming to know and appreciate the birds in your own City ______________ State___ Zip___________
neighborhood. Phone __________________
Q I wish to receive the SPAS WingSpan electronically.
So for 2010, I am going to create a BIGBY (Big Green Birding Year) list to E-mail address _____________________________
see how long a bird list I can generate from my home without using extra
Please enclose a check, payable to the
fossil fuels. Luckily, I just moved to the Washington Park area, which is an National Audubon Society, and mail to:
excellent spot for birds. I can also add to my list by biking to local green
St. Petersburg Audubon Society
spaces including Riverside Park. Post Office Box 49087
St. Petersburg, FL 33743-9087
If you would like to join me in creating your own BIGBY list, please visit Q National Audubon occasionally makes its membership list
available to carefully selected organizations whose mailings
www.sparroworks.ca for guidelines. There are three categories: the walking you may find interesting. To have your name omitted from this
BIGBY, the self-propelled BIGBY (add bikes, canoes, etc.) and the public list, please check here.
transit BIGBY. If you’re up for a bit of healthy competition, shoot me an e- Q I would also like to help my local chapter. I have a special
interest and/or skills in:
mail and I’ll accept a friendly wager involving baked goods or a canoe trip.
Q Local conservation issues Q Board of Directors
According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, birding is a $100 billion Q Education /Audubon Adventures Q National Bird
Counts
industry with 50 million birders in the U.S. alone. If even a small percentage Q Legal Q Publicity Q Financial Matters
of them considered using more people power to get to the birds (or carpooling Q Hospitality - Greeters / Refreshments Q Insurance
Q Membership Q Exhibits at fairs and festivals
or public transit or fuel-efficient vehicles), the color of birding would turn a
C9ZE060Z
much deeper shade of green. This form is only for new memberships, not renewals.
 Clearwater Audubon Society Monthly Meeting
Monday, 4/5/10, 7:30 p.m.
Moccasin Lake Nature Park, 2750 Park Trail Lane, Clearwater
Guest Speaker: Ron Mayberry, photographer
(View images at www.ronmayberry.com) Contact: 727-462-6024 for information
Go to http://clearwateraudubon.org/index.php for field trip opportunities.

The St. Petersburg Audubon Society NON-PROFIT ORG.

P.O. Box 49087 • St. Petersburg, FL 33743-9087 US POSTAGE
www.stpeteaudubon.org • 727-384-0027
PAID
St. Petersburg, FL
Chapter Representatives
President: Mauri Dietrich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398-4124
Permit #6340
Vice Pres.: Maureen Arnold . . . . . . . . . . . . .577-0448
Treasurer: Rick Potter (Ways & Means) . . . 822-9637
Secretary: Nancy Ogden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 894-5940
Board Members and Duties:
Harold Albers (Education) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 864-1113
Mary Brazier (Finance) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 867-7151
Wanda Dean (Newsletter & Special Events) 321-3995
Judi Hopkins (Field Trips) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526-3725
Saskia Janes (Historian) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481-7839
Dave Kandz (Conservation & BNB). . . . . . . 471-0699
Mark Mueller (Climate Coord.) . . . . . . . . . . . 686-3179
Alice Tenney (Membership) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 894-2062
Shell Key: Ron Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525-4782
Co-Editor Newsletter, Lee Snyder . . . . . . . . .865-2293
Membership Chair, Linda Emslie . . . . . . . . . . 392-2907

Know your bird songs

“Konk-a-reee-ya.” Red-winged Blackbird
“Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.” White-crowned Sparrow
“Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo.” F. Sinatra

Avian Facts
Gaping is a term used for the manner in which birds feed by inserting
their bills and opening them--often to spread apart stems, leaves, seeds
or soil. Two New World families are among the group known to do this-
Corvidae (ravens, crows, magpies and jays) and Icteridae (meadowlarks,
“Free Spirit” cowbirds, blackbirds, grackles and orioles). The European Starling, an
We will always remember your call Old World transplant, also uses this feeding behavior. As expected, and
For as long as we remember how to hear unlike species using more conventional methods, the bird’s muscles for
We will always remember your beauty opening the bill are stronger than those for closing thus occupying a larger area in the
For as long as we remember how to see bird’s head. ANIPA
We will always remember your heart
For as long as we remember how to feel
We will always remember your soul
For as long as we remember how to breathe
We will always remember you Free Spirit
Because we will always remember how to love
In Memory of our girl Free Spirit, you will
never be forgotten and will live in our hearts
forever.

~Mitakuye Oyasin
Keely ‘Many Feathers’ Sinclair”

photos and poem by BHNP Volunteers