www.jayhawkaudubon.
org
Volume 31, Issue 6
ESCAPE
TO THE
TROPICS
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26
Q: What would you do if you were dropped
on a small island in the Indian Ocean?
A: If you are Richard Bean you find a dive
shop and carry out a marine survey!
Responding to a lifelong desire to venture to the
Seychelles Islands, JAS board member Richard Bean, more readily to feeder foods in March than any other
birder and beekeeper extraordinaire, enlisted in an
Earthwatch project for July, 2006 on Ile Desroches
located approximately 1,000 miles due east of Kenya
and 500 miles north of Madagascar. He was ready to
help in any capacity but as an experienced diver he
was selected for the marine team. Spending a unique
4th of July on the far side of the world marked the
beginning of two weeks of adventure and service.
We’ll see underwater stills and some action
footage of the beaches catalogued by the team giving
everyday us some visions of the tiny island and its
environs. Enjoy an evening exploring a place as
different from our sweet landlocked Kansas as it is
possible to find and also learn
how Earthwatch teams function.
Join Richard for BYO dinner
at 6 pm at La Parilla, 814 Mass.
Beaches at 7:30. 1245 New
Hampshire. Trinity Lutheran.
Parking east of the church.
University of Texas Libraries.
Perry-Castaneda Map Collection
FEBRUARY, 2007
MARCH IS THE CRUELEST
FOR BIRDS.
MONTH
According to noted birders and authors Kit and
George Harrison (Garden Birds of America, Back-yard
Birdwatching for Kids among other books) supplies of
natural food...last year’s seeds, berries, insect eggs &
larvae...are at their lowest levels in March after the
winter long foraging. In most of North America the
spring is not advanced enough for new sources of wild
food to be available. This means birds have to expend
a lot of energy finding wild food in late winter and
early spring. (from www.enature.com Birding Focus)
Thus the Harrisons advise that birds will respond
time of year. So don’t lose interest in bird feeding yet!
Stock up on seed, feeders and books at this year’s last
JAS SEED SALE on
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3RD.
10:00a - 1:00p
Lawrence Senior Center 745 Vermont
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The GREAT BACKYARD BIRD
COUNT - 2007
The 10th Annual GBBC runs from 2/16 to 2/19.
Last year’s totals for the U.S. and Canada:
60,616 checklists submitted
7.5 million birds counted
623 species identified!!!!
For details on how to be part of this citizen science
extravaganza see the Kids’ Page. Lawrence was
6th in Kansas in 2006in number of checklists sub-
mitted…behind Overland Park, Topeka and Olathe
among others. We have a serious bragging rights
problem here. Let’s set aside the weekend & count!
 2 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY

RESULTS OF THE 2006 LAWRENCE CBC

Thirty participants in 11-12 parties, (plus 2 at feeders), found 90 species on 16 December 2006 on the
occasion of the 107th National Audubon Christmas Bird Count and the 63rd Lawrence Christmas Bird Count.
This was the ninth time we have equaled or broken the 90 species threshold since 1993. It was a very fine
effort by all involved. We recorded 16 species of waterfowl and 11 species of other waterbirds. Although
the total number of waterbirds was on the low side (except for Northern Shoveler and American Wigeon), the
number of species recorded was very good for this year’s count. Sparrow and finch numbers continue to be
low this year with the exception of White-throated Sparrow which set an all-time high for the second year in
a row! Blackbird numbers were padded by a large mixed flock of Red-wings and Starlings and a sizeable
flock of Great-tailed Grackles. House Sparrow numbers were again very low, the likes of which we have
virtually not seen since the late 1940s.
The complete list (in the latest AOU order) that follows has the unusual species
and/or unusually high individual numbers underlined. We tied or set all-time record high
counts for eleven species: American Wigeon (33), Northern Shoveler (55), Eurasian
Collared-Dove (32), Barred Owl (19), Short-eared Owl (5), Carolina Wren (98),
European Starling (100,000), Yellow-rumped Warbler (76), White-throated Sparrow
(86), and Red-winged Blackbird (100,000), Great-tailed Grackle (7125). Other unusual
species were American White Pelican (6), Merlin (1), Wilson’s Snipe (1), Long-eared
Owl (2), and LeConte’s Sparrow (1). Notable misses this year include Lesser Scaup,
Red-breasted Merganser, Northern Bobwhite, Cooper’s Hawk (count week only), Prairie
Falcon, Killdeer (count week only), Loggerhead Shrike, Lapland Longspur, Rusty Black- Short-eared Owl.
Daniel Kilby
bird, and Purple Finch.
Thanks to all of this year's participants, to Jayhawk Audubon for covering the participation fee and to
the Prairie Park Nature Center for providing us with a place to hold the compilation dinner. A couple of
significant participant milestones were achieved this year. Cynthia Shaw participated in her 35th consecutive
Lawrence CBC this year. Also this year was my 25th consecutive year as the Lawrence CBC compiler. Hope
to see you all again next year for the 108th National Audubon Christmas Bird Count.
- Galen Pittman, Lawrence CBC Compiler
Hooded Merganser (Species list is on Page 5)
Daniel Kilby

ADD TO YOUR LIBRARY

>>Herpetological Trading Cards- FREE!
The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission has created a set of 25 full
color trading cards of Razorback reptiles, crocodilians & turtles with
photography by Suzanne L. Collins and Eric Maynard. Learn to
recognize the Southern Painted Turtle, Spiny Softshell, Five-lined
Skink, Northern Fence Lizard, Western Ribbon Snake, Pigmy Rattle
snake, Speckled Kingsnake and 18 more herps. Request your free
cards from April Layher at aolayher@agfc.state.ar.us. Thanks to
CABIN FEVER?? Joseph Collins at The Center for North American Herpetology for this
information. (www.cnah.org)
When was the last time you took kids to
>>“A Pocket Guide to Great Plains Shorebirds” from the Great Plains
the KU Natural History Museum? Some-
Nature Center features 38 common shorebirds. There are 75 photos
thing in the collection will catch the eye showing both breeding and nonbreeding plumages-and you will be
of even the most blasé 12 year old & amazed how different these can be! Copies of this book by Suzanne
toddlers love all the space to wander! Fellows & Bob Gress are FREE at the Center or send a $2 check for
mailing to GPNC, Shorebirds, 6232 E. 29th St. North, Wichita 67220.
 3 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY

FEBRUARY CALENDAR MARCH

FEB 3: JAS SEED, FEEDER & BOOK SALE. Last of season. Stock up for March.
10:00a to 1:00p at the Lawrence Senior Center. 745 Vermont.

FEB 7: Rainforest Showoffs. 2:30-4p at Prairie Park Nature Center. Ages 7-12. $5. Call 832-7980 for
info or enroll at www.lprd.org/prairiepark. Pre-enrollment required.
FEB 11: Prowling for Owls. 5-7p at Prairie Park. Dress for hiking. All ages, but under 13 must enroll
with an adult. $3. See enrollment info above.

FEB 14: Kaw Valley Mycological Society meeting. Give your true love a mushroom for Valentine’s
Day!
Learn how to ID Kansas mushrooms. 7p Lawrence Public Library. BYO dinner 5:30 Free State Brewery.

FEB 16 - 19: GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT. Friday to Monday. Check the
Kids’ Page to learn how to participate or visit www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html. Sponsored by
the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society.

FEB 17: Bird Ernie Miller Nature Center. 8 am. Contact Pat St.John. 913-706-5569 or pstjohn@kumc.edu.

FEB 17: Grassland Groundhogs prairie maintenance & preservation. Contact Frank Norman. KS Native
Plant Society. 785-887-6775 or frank.norman@appliedeco.com. Contribute sweat equity to the prairie.

FEB 17 & 18: GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT with Burroughs Audubon from 10a - 4p at the
Burroughs Library. Network with other birders while you count. 21509 SW Woods Chapel Rd. Blue
Springs, MO. (Fleming Park at Lake Jacomo.) 816-795-8177. More info at www.burroughs.org.

FEB 21: RAINFOREST TREASURES. 2:30-4 Prairie Park. See Feb. 7 above for enrollment info.
FEB 22 & 23: WINTER WILDLIFE ADVENTURES. School’s out. 9a-3p. Prairie Park. Pre-enroll. See above.

FEB 26: JAS MEETING: EARTHWATCH MARINE SURVEY ON ILE

DESROCHES IN THE INDIAN OCEAN. Richard Bean will be our dive guide
at 7:30p at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1245 New Hampshire, Lawrence. BYO dinner- 6pm at La Parilla.

MAR 3: Bird MILL CREEK STREAMWAY. Corinth Square Wild Bird Center Walk. 913-381-5633 for details.
MAR 10:Bird CLINTON LAKE. Topeka Audubon. Dan Gish at 785-232-3731 or gishbear@cox.net.

MAR 26: JAS MEETING: STAN SENNER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,

AUDUBON ALASKA. 7:30p, Trinity Lutheran, 1245 New Hampshire. Dinner location tba.
APRIL 27-29: WINGS & WETLANDS. Cheyenne Bottoms & Quivira NWR. 620-792-2750. Great Bend.
information@visitgreatbend.com.
 4
JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY KIDS’ PAGE

THE GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

IS FOR KIDS TOO!

WHAT IS IT? People all over the United States and Canada count the birds
they see on February 16, 17, 18 or 19. You can count for as
short a time as 15 minutes on one day or as much as several
hours on all four days. Just keep each day’s list separate.
WHERE IS IT? Anywhere you like - your backyard, a park, a wildlife reserve,
a lake, a city street - anywhere you can find a bird to count!

HOW DOES IT WORK? On each day you count, just count the largest
number of birds of each kind that you see at any one
time. For example, if you see 5 Blue Jays and then 15 minutes
later you see 7 Blue Jays, write down 7 Blue Jays. Don’t add
5 & 7 together because it is almost certain that some of them
are the same birds visiting your feeder over and over. It’s
important not to count any birds twice so the scientists get
good information about how many birds are here this winter.

HOW CAN I KNOW ALL THE BIRD NAMES? The library

has books called “field guides” that have pictures of any birds
you might see. Or visit www.birdsource.org/gbbc/press/kids
for pictures and a Bird Quiz to give you practice. The website
also has pictures to color & tips to help identify the wild birds.

WHAT DO I DO WITH MY NUMBERS? Go to the GBBC website,

www.birdsource.org/gbbc and enter your results. Use the
maps to answer the Bird Facts questions on the kids’ webpage.
Check to see how many people in Lawrence sent in lists last
year. Maybe this year we can really show how much we like
birds and move up from being 6th in Kansas to number ???
Can we do it? What do you think?

by Susan Hickman. DONT count this one!

 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY 5

Species List for the 2006 Lawrence CBC

Snow Goose-82 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker-20

Canada Goose – 2900 Downy Woodpecker-116
Cackling Goose – 8 Hairy Woodpecker – 8
Gadwall – 32 Northern Flicker – 168
American Wigeon – 33 (High) Pileated Woodpecker – 4
Mallard – 1570 Blue Jay – 161
Northern Shoveler – 55 (High) American Crow – 252
Northern Pintail – 8 Horned Lark – 165
Green-winged Teal – 194 Black-capped Chickadee – 258
Canvasback – 5 Tufted Titmouse – 97
Redhead – 3 Red-breasted Nuthatch – 1
Ring-necked Duck – 39 White-breasted Nuthatch – 71
Bufflehead – 24 Brown Creeper – 21
Common Goldeneye – 250 Carolina Wren – 98 (High)
Hooded Merganser – 60 Winter Wren – 3
Common Merganser – 26 Golden-crowned Kinglet – 13
Wild Turkey – 123 Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 4
Pied-billed Grebe – 1 Eastern Bluebird – 251
American White Pelican – 6 Hermit Thrush – 2
Double-crested Cormorant – 21 American Robin – 2360
Great Blue Heron – 20 Northern Mockingbird – 14
Bald Eagle – 39 (3) European Starling – 100,000 (High)
Adult - (27) Cedar Waxwing – 374
Immature - (9) Yellow-rumped Warbler – 76 (Tied for High)
Northern Harrier – 35 Spotted Towhee – 8
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 5 American Tree Sparrow – 327
Cooper's Hawk – (count week) LeConte’s Sparrow – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 119 Fox Sparrow – 6
Rough-legged Hawk – 3 Song Sparrow – 189
American Kestrel – 45 Lincoln’s Sparrow – 2
Merlin –1 Swamp Sparrow – 74
American Coot – 1 White-throated Sparrow – 86 (High)
Killdeer – (count week) Harris's Sparrow – 70
Wilson’s Snipe – 1 White-crowned Sparrow – 11
Bonaparte’s Gull – 153 Dark-eyed Junco – 1230
Ring-billed Gull – 4250 Northern Cardinal – 449
Herring Gull – 21 Red-winged Blackbird – 100,000 (High)
Rock Pigeon – 243 Eastern Meadowlark – 7
Eurasian Collared-Dove – 32 (High) Western Meadowlark – 50
Mourning Dove – 163 Sturnella, spp.-- 114
Eastern Screech-Owl – 3 Common Grackle – 360
Great Horned Owl – 5 Great-tailed Grackle – 7125 (High)
Barred Owl – 19 (High) Brown-headed Cowbird – 2
Long-eared Owl – 2 House Finch – 80
Short-eared owl – 5 (High) Pine Siskin – 4
Belted Kingfisher – 11 American Goldfinch – 247
Red-headed Woodpecker – 40 House Sparrow – 395
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 122
 Jayhawk Audubon Society Nonprofit Organization
P.O. Box 3741 U.S. Postage
PAID
Lawrence, KS 66046 Lawrence, KS
Return Service Requested Permit No. 201

ale
ee d er & Book S
S Seed , F ird Count
FEB 3: JA Great Backyard B
:
FEB 16-19 AS Meeting- CEAN-Pa
ge 1
F EB 26: J N D I A N O
EI
DIVE TH e2&5
C B C R e sults: Pag
Lawrence in g cards: P
age 2
E tra d
FRE

Application for New Membership in both: National Audubon Society and Jayhawk Chapter
___$15 Student; ___$20 Introductory for NEW members; ____$15 Senior Citizen.
(Make check payable to National Audubon Society.)

Application for Chapter-only Membership (Jayhawk Audubon Society). No Audubon magazine.

___$7.50 Chapter-only (Make check payable to Jayhawk Audubon Society.) Those with National Audubon
memberships are encouraged to support the chapter by voluntarily paying these dues. Chapter membership
expires annually in July.

National Audubon Society members receive four issues per year of the Audubon magazine and are also
members of the Jayhawk Chapter. All members also receive 10 issues of this newsletter per year and are
entitled to discounts on books and feeders that are sold to raise funds to support education and conservation
projects. Please send this completed form and check to Membership Chairs at the following address:
Ruth & Chuck Herman; 20761 Loring Road, Linwood, KS 66052; e-mail contact:
hermansnuthouse@earthlink.net . {National Members Renewing: please use the billing form received
from National and send it with payment to National Audubon Society in Boulder, CO}.

Name __________________________; Address ___________________________________________;

City ___________________________; State ______; ZIP Code (9) digit _______________;

Telephone (with Area Code) ___________________

J02: 7XCH