Issue 2, April 2016

Stockbridge
Audubon
www.stockbridgeaudubon.org
Representing Northeast Indiana P.O. Box 13131, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46864

News from National Audubon: all memberships will now be for one year, and cost $20. This will
(we hope) cut down on their repeated requests for renewals for those who had multi-year
memberships. Check the label on your Audubon Magazine to be sure. When you join National,
youre assigned to a local chapter based on your zip code. You can access our website and read our
newsletter on line, or pay $5 for paper copies.

Presidents Words official Bicentennial elusive species that we

By Julie Henricks
. During this
bicentennial year, the
Stockbridge board wanted
to do something special to
commemorate Indianas
founding. The project
would need to be fairly
simple, since were limited
resource-wise, and
obviously its theme should
be bird related. Because
our field trip schedule is so
wide-ranging, it seemed
feasible to set a goal of
seeing 200 species during
Stockbridge-led field trips.
Terri Gorney took on the
task of submitting our
proposal to the state, and
was rewarded with having
our quest approved as an
Legacy Project. need. In any case, youll
To have a better enjoy being out in nature
chance of reaching the as the weather and the
200-species goal, migration heat up.
Stephanie Wagner Many thanks to
volunteered to organize a Terri, Stephanie, John, and
late-spring overnight trip to everyone else who is
Goose Pond. John working to make our
Winebrenner is keeping the bicentennial project
official tally for the year; possible!
he reported that as of
March 20, after only three
field trips, the species total
already stood at 87!
If you would like to
be a part of this project,
please consider joining us
on a field trip. A bird
doesnt have to be seen by
BIRD NOTES
everyone in the group in
By Jim Haw
order for it to count;
Feb. 1-March 31
however, you might be the
Limberlost Swamp hosted
first person to spot an
two rare gulls, a Glaucous
1
on Feb. 6-7 9Don Gorney 22-Apr. 1 (Sam Plew et al), centennial of the treaty,
et al) and a Lesser Black- becoming record late for and events across the
backed on Mar. 12-13 NE IN. country are being held to
(Becca James, Don and celebrate 100 years of
Terri Gorney et al). A Expected spring migrants migratory bird
Gray Catbird at Pokagon arrived, including a high conservation. But why
State Park March 6 (Fred count of 11 Am. should we celebrate? Here
Wooley et al) was out of Woodcock at Eagle Marsh are a few good reasons: the
place by date. A first Mar. 7 (Rang), and high Great Auk, the Labrador
report for NE Indiana was counts of 100 Rusty Duck, the Heath Hen and
a Says Phoebe in Allen Blackbirds at Eagle Marsh the Passenger Pigeon.
County Mar. 28 (Barbara Mar. 8 and Mar. 26 (Rang).
Derr, Katy Schoelkopf). Most unusual was a Prior to the Migratory Bird
Greater White-fronted Brewers Blackbird in SW Treaty, the State
Geese were 60 at Eagle Allen County Mar. 26 Ownership Doctrine was
Marsh Feb. 13 (Steve (Rang). Very early were 3 the law of the land. In Geer
Sarratore et al), 12 at dowitchers at Limberlost v. Connecticut, the
Limberlost Swamp Feb. 20 Swamp Mar. 27 (Clara Supreme Court ruled that
(Jim Haw), 17 at Loblolly Conroy). wildlife was owned by
Marsh Mar. 5 (Haw, Sandy the states, not the federal
Schacht, Marisa Windell), government. The states had
and 15 at Pigeon River the sole authority to
Mar. 19 (Stockbridge field regulate hunting. This did
trip). Single Snow Geese not work well for the
were at Eagle Marsh Feb. migratory birds that
21 (Rodger Rang) and crossed state lines. While
Mississinewa Mar. 15 some states, like
(Haw, Schacht, Windell). Massachusetts, passed laws
Ten Cackling Geese were to protect non-game birds,
at Pigeon River Feb. 22 similar measures failed in
(Haw), along with 4 other states.
Tundra Swans. Two more
Tundra Swans were at The federal government
Limberlost Mar. 17 (T. attempted to change the
Gorney, Randy Lehman). 100 years of the law on several occasions.
Four White Pelicans flew Migratory Bird In 1900 the Lacey Act
over Eagle Marsh Mar. 15 Treaty made it illegal to transport
(Steve Kiermaier), and 30 By Alexandra or sell a bird in one state if
were at Roush Lake Mar. it was illegally hunted in
27 (Galen Yordy).
Forsythe another state. In 1913 the
Wintering Long-eared Weeks-McClean Migratory
On August 16, 1916, the
Owls graced the Bird Act declared that all
United States entered into a
Stockbridge field trip to migratory game and
treaty with Canada: the
Pigeon River and vicinity insectivorous birds were
Migratory Bird Treaty.
Mar. 19. A Snowy Owl within the custody and
This year marks the
was in Lagrange Co. Mar. protection of the federal
2
government, and it
prohibited spring hunting
of migratory birds. When
the Act was challenged, the
Supreme Court held fast to
their Geer decision and
declared the Act
unconstitutional. In the
meantime, birds were
being hunted to extinction
for their meat, for their
feathers, and for
entertainment.
In 1916, the United States
signed a treaty with
Canada: The Migratory
Bird Treaty. The treaty,
signed by Great Britain on
behalf of Canada, and later
signed by Mexico (1936),
Japan (1972) and Russia
(1976), prohibits all
hunting of migratory birds,
establishes hunting seasons
for game birds, and makes
it illegal to take, possess,
import, export, transport,
sell, purchase, barter, or
offer for sale any migratory
bird, including any of the
birds parts, nests, or eggs,
without a permit. There are
a few exceptions to the
rule: House Sparrows and a
few other invasive species.
Any violation will result in
fines up to $2000 and/or
jail time of up to two years.
That means that no one,
without a federal permit,
may keep a birds nest for
show-and-tell, or purchase
earrings made from Blue
Jay feathers (there are
some for sale on Etsy as I
write this). It also means
that todays birds need not
go the way of the
Passenger Pigeon.
The Migratory Bird Treaty
should be celebrated for
the protection it provides!
To celebrate and help raise
awareness, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service has
put together a large list of
activities and events.
Check them out at the links
below. Happy Centennial!
http://www.fws.gov/birds/
MBTreaty100/nestbox.php
http://www.migratorybirdd
ay.org/events.html
Stockbridge Trip to
Goose Pond
June 3-5, 2016
Leave Friday afternoon
with return to Fort
Wayne on Sunday
afternoon.
Those interested in
participating in this
extended field trip should
contact Stephanie
Wagner at
sewsings328@gmail.com
or 260-348-6855 by May
1, 2016. Details related to
hotel and camping
3
accommodations to
follow.
More reasons to visit
Goose Pond: Its big!
Around 8000 acres!
Of the 100 Whooping
Cranes in the Eastern
population, 23 were
counted at GP this past
Christmas Bird Count with
a total of 54 in the lower
Wabash valley. That total
number was greater than
any other state in the
nation. The bird species
list for GP now stands at
275. The Spotted
Redshank (a Eurasian
species) visited GP twice
in 2013. Before that, a
Hooded Crane visited from
Asia, and some years back,
a Roseate Spoonbill!
Black-necked Stilts created
a sensation when they first
appeared, but now are
nesting there. You never
know what may turn up!
Goose Pond is in Greene
County, near the town of
Linton. Its about 221
miles from Fort Wayne.
Check your road maps
(remember those?) and
plan to join us!

BIG MAY DAY BIRD
COUNT: MAY 14
By Ed Powers, compiler
for Allen County
If you liked the CBC,
you'll love the
BMDBC. First, better
weather. Second, more
birds, and more colorful
birds.
Instead of mid-winter, the
BMDBC comes on the
second Saturday in May,
this year the 14th. This is
the height of spring
migration. In Allen
County, we typically get
over 140 species, with as
many as 31 warblers. Also
flycatchers, vireos,
swallows, thrushes,
sparrows, blackbirds (this
includes Bobolinks,
meadowlarks, and orioles),
and finches. Among non-
songbirds, herons,
shorebirds, gulls and terns
can be found, as well as all
our year-round residents,
and sometimes, some
surprises.
The statewide count is
organized by the Indiana
Audubon Society rather
than National Audubon
Society, and counts are by
county rather than in 15-
mile circles.
If you would be interested
in participating, please
contact me no later than
May 7,
at zzedpowers@aol.com.
Neighboring Counties:
Eric Helfrich, Noble
County, at:
conqur1066@gmail.com
Terri Gorney, Adams
County, at:
bandtgorney@aol.com
Get ready for
hummingbirds!
By Cynthia Powers
Its almost time to put up
your hummingbird feeders.
In northern Indiana they
come back about the first
week in May. Put the
feeder right near a window,
or by your deck, as they
will come up very close!
To make hummingbird
nectar, just put cup of
plain table sugar in a glass
measuring cup and fill it
with clean tap water. That
gives the 1:4 ratio that you
read about. Then I warm it
in the microwave enough
to dissolve the sugar.
Dont put red coloring in
it! Hummingbirds are
hyper enough without
artificial dyes.
Prepare to be amazed. We
normally get only one
species of hummingbird
here, the ruby-throated. I
4
say normally, because
every once in a while a
Rufous turns up! A few
years back we even had
one on the Christmas Bird
Count. It stayed all winter
at a feeder maintained by
an incredibly patient
family near Lima Road.
They even put a heat lamp
over the feeder, and a little
shelter to keep it dry. They
invited a bander to come,
who gently captured the
bird and banded it. It
finally left in April. It
turns out that there are
records of Rufous
Hummingbirds almost
every year in Indiana. I
guess some of them dont
read the bird book, that
says they belong out west!
South America is really the
epicenter of hummingbird
diversity: one source we
have says 328 species!
And they are found only in
the western hemisphere, so
Europe and Asia dont
have them.
One more reason to say:
Its a privilege to live in
Indiana!
Just so you know: here are the remaining field trips for this spring.

We welcome beginners! Always pack your lunch for the all day trips, and bring
drinks and snacks for the others. We form car pools, so if you can drive, have a full
tank of gas. We chip in gas money for the drivers, so bring a few dollar bills. Dress
for the weather, and bring bug spray.

Sat. Apr. 30 Salamonie Reservoir. Leave at 7:30 a.m. from NE corner of Rural King
parking lot, Village at Coventry, US 24 just W of I-69, or meet us at 8
a.m. at Forks of the Wabash, SW corner of US 24 and IN 9 in Huntington;
return around 5 p.m. Leaders: Ed Powers, Sandy Schacht.
Lots of varied habitat, views from the dam and many birds in the State Forest. Quite a bit
of walking on this trip.

Sat. May 7 Fox Island. Meet at Dulin Wildlife Observation Bldg. lot at Fox Is., 7324
Yohne Rd., at 8 a.m., finish by noon. Leaders: Ed Powers, Rodger Rang
Lots of warblers, vireos, and thrushes, identified by song as well as sight. A magical time
of year. (Bug spray, for sure.)

Sat. May14 Big May Day Count; see details elsewhere in this newsletter.

Sat. May 21 Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Ohio. Leave at 6:30 a.m. from lamppost K,
Meijer lot on Maysville Rd. just W of I-469 at IN 37; return around 6-7
p.m. Leaders: Margit Codispoti, Ed Powers.
This area has a fantastic long boardwalk, where one can see warblers often at eye level as
they congregate before attempting to cross Lake Erie. Its also fun to
watch all the birders and photographers with their long lenses. Everyone
helps point out rare sightings, maybe a whippoorwill, a screech owl, and a
woodcock.

Sat. May 28 Willow Slough FWA/Kankakee Sands; leave at 6:30 a.m. from Scotts,
NW side of jct. IN 14 west and Scott Rd.; return about 6:30-7 p.m.
Leaders: Ed Powers, Steve Sarratore.
On this trip, we often see western species such as Blue Grosbeaks, Dickcissels, Lark
Sparrows, and maybe a Western Meadowlark.

Sun. May 29 Evening trip to Eagle Marsh; meet at 7 pm at Boy Scout Bldg lot at end of
frontage rd. on E side of I-69; finish at dark. Leaders: Ed Powers, Rodger
Rang.
We might hear a Virginia Rail or even a bittern. Easy walking on grassy path.