What's a murmuration?

A friend of Sarasota Audubon Society sent us a link to this video of thousands of starlings. Not sure we all agree with all of the comments in the narration, but we thought you would enjoy the spectacle of these birds.

Where Have We Been Lately? Cool Notes from the Field.

• Felts Preserve, Oct. 2   The trip to this lovely Felts Preserve (a joint walk with 15 members and guests from Sarasota Audubon and Sarasota County Butterfly club) pretty much fulfilled this scenario, although flowers were scarce while Biden weeds were abundant. We spotted 17 different butterfly species, a Great Horned Owl, and three Golden Silk Orb-weaver Spiders. Highlights of the trip included a rare sighting of a Tawny Emperor, Southern Skipperlings, a Two-Spot Skipper, several Long-tailed Skippers (one missing his tail), Orange-barred Sulphurs, Black and Polydamus Swallowtails, and Ceraunus Blues everywhere. Several of our group concluded the morning with a tasty lunch at the Crab Trap 2 Restaurant in Elllenton.  -Stu Hills, Trip Leader

• Robinson Preserve, Oct.6    This morning, I led a group of 9 birders and a photographer from the Herald-Tribune through Robinson Preserve. The weather was absolutely wonderful, but the high winds made looking for passerine migrants quite a challenge. We ended the day with 42 species. Before we started, we saw the local Bald Eagle pair in and around the nest. Just after 8 am, we were able to observe them copulating in the nest. Our most memorable moment, however, occurred while observing a flock of shorebirds. As we watching, the entire flock flew off in unison. We looked around, and an immature Peregrine Falcon appeared out of nowhere! It was zigzagging over the pond and almost took out a Laughing Gull sitting on the water. We all got very good looks as it as it flew over our heads. Nearby, a Merlin was well. -Dan Irizarry, Trip Leader

• Oscar Scherer State Park, Oct.7   Our first walk at Oscar Scherer yielded the usual residents, including Scrub Jays, Brown Thrasher, and Tufted Titmouse. We were treated to a few late migrants and winter arrivals: Scarlet Tanager, Yellow-throated , Pine, and Parula Warblers. Join Audubon any Thursday at 8:30 AM at the Nature Center. -Lynn Jakubowicz and Karen Jensen

• Celery Fields, Oct. 9    Despite the disturbed habitat due to the recent dirt removal and plantings, we found 35 species, including a Sora Rail , Roseate Spoonbill, and Bald Eagle. Least Sandpipers and both Yellowlegs were abundant, along with Blue-winged Teal, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and some early Northern Shovelers. -Lynn Jakubowicz and Owen Comora

• Pinecraft Park, Oct. 16 Sarasota Audubon had a field trip to Pinecraft Park today, led by Edith Miller, with John Ginaven helping. It was a beautiful day. Although birding in the woods was slow, we managed to dig out 30 species: Along the creek highlights: Green Heron, Common Yellowthroat, House Wren, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Buntings, Belted Kingfisher. Overhead: American Kestrel. In the woodland: Blue-headed Vireo, Black and White Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Ruby-throated Hummingbird and two Barred Owls calling.

Come on out with us next time. We have plenty of trips lined up in the next 6 months. Visit http://www.sarasotaaudubon.org/ to learn more.

We're Leading Some Nature, Birding (and Broadway) Trips! Want to Come?

Hope you'll come with us to explore the state and enjoy a little broadway! We have something fun for everyone, always in good company. Sarasota Audubon Society trips have great leaders who make the arrangements for you, and we always enjoy new people.

• Gainesville, Feb. 9-11, 2011   Two-night bus trip to Gainesville, including Micanopy, Paynes Prairie, Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, the Natural History Museum/Butterfly Rainforest and Devils Millhopper. Jeanne Dubi and Karen Jensen (924-2446) always make these trips friendly and fun. Bus, hotel, admission fees, two breakfasts, two picnic lunches and two dinners included. The trip is filling up so reserve your spot soon!

• Billy Elliott, Feb. 13, 2011 at 2 pm   Award-winning Broadway Show in Tampa. We will take a comfortable bus to see this marvelous musical. Dinner at your own expense afterwards. Again, our indomitable trip leaders, Karen & Jeanne, are on board. FUN!!

• Wakodahatchee, Green Cay & Okeeheelee, Feb. 18 & 19, 2011   Join us as we travel to Palm Beach County. These wetlands have boardwalks and lots of birds, all within easy viewing. Bring your camera for great photo ops. Car pooling. COST $25. Hotel and dinner at your own expense. Call Holiday Inn at 561-968-5000 for reservation as part of SAS group. Dinner at lovely restaurant next door. Kathryn Young at 612-760-1771.

• Eagle Trolley- Sat., Feb. 26, 2011   Our eagle expert, Dale Nauman, will give us the history and great looks at 3 active eagle nests; leave the driving to us on the Eagle Trolley. Meeting place to be announced. $25 for a 3 hour ride and expert leader. Kathryn Young (612-760-1771)

Vote for the Environment in November: YES on Amendment 4

Our Sarasota chapter and at least 11 other Audubon chapters around the state have endorsed Florida Constitutional Amendment No. 4 (commonly known as "Florida Hometown Democracy"). This would require voter approval as the final step to change the long-term Comprehensive Plan for development that each county and municipality is required to have and with which zoning must comply. The statewide Sierra chapter and dozens of other environmental and civic groups around the state, including the major ones in Sarasota, have also endorsed it.


Thus far, I have not found any significant Florida or local environmental or neighborhood groups that are opposing it. But developers wanting to continue bankrolling campaigns of elected officials willing to change

Comprehensive Plans to allow them to build where they wish have formed and funded groups with names like "Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy” to blanket media and the mails against Amendment 4. The website http://www.floridahometowndemocracy.com/ has details on what this amendment would do and why it would neither overload ballots nor tank the economy.

Your ballot obviously contains other opportunities for pro-environment votes. Amendments 5 and 6 attack gerrymandering by requiring fairer redistricting, presumably empowering more environmentally-friendly voters at the expense of deep-pocketed developers. And some candidates are pro-environment and others anti or giving it little importance. While Audubon's tax status does not permit us to endorse or oppose candidates or political parties (we can endorse issues), you can look at candidates' environmental records and endorsements by Googling the national League of Conservation Voters and its Florida affiliate with the same name, or for local candidates, http://www.florida.sierraclub.org/sarasota (Sierra has a different tax status).

-Conservation Chair Wade Matthews

The Joy of Birding: Audubon Camp in Hog Island, Maine

As a neophyte to birding I was very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to attend a course over five days at the Audubon Camp in Hog Island Maine. The Course as the title of this essay is called is “Joy of Birding.”


All the campers arrived on Sunday afternoon in June of this year, and were taken with all their gear by boat to the island. An orientation was held and we were introduced to the staff, and we introduced ourselves to all assembled, including where we were from, our experience in birding and if we had been to Hog Island before and quite a few had been. We then were given our building and room assignments, got acquainted with our roommate(s) and headed for dinner. That night the evening’s program was on the history of Hog Island and Project Puffin.

For the next four days at 5:45 AM we had our early morning bird walk and or bird banding. After breakfast we were broken into four color teams for the rest of our time there. On Monday, two teams did a shakedown cruise of the waters around Hog Island and some of the other islands in the area. The other two teams did “Introduction to Birding.” Half way thru the morning we switched courses.

Lunch was at 12:30 PM and then we had the afternoon courses such as a trip by boat to Wreck Island to see the colony of Great Blue Herons or a 2-1/2 mile hike thru Hog Island. At dinner each night Dr. Steve Kress the director of Hog Island and Project Puffin gave some notes of interest to all assembled. After dinner we had our evening programs which usually started with a short topic on ornithology, then the nightly bird check list and the evening’s main program consisting of “Bird Art & the Evolution of Field Guides.” Another topic was the “Art of Pishing” which is making bird calls with your mouth,. The course was given by the well known birder and author, Pete Dunne and Pete is a fantastic “PISHER.” The days were long and sleep was much appreciated. The lobster boats and their diesel engines started at 4:30 AM and you could not escape the noise.
For the next three days the morning and afternoon schedules included boat rides out to Eastern Egg Rock Island where we saw the Puffins and seals, a trip inland to a blueberry farm, the Medomak Bird Hike (in the rain), workshops on “gardening for birds,” “bird feeding basics” and “birds of Maine.” A total of 57 species were recorded.

The last evening we had a farewell dinner with soup, salad, lobster with all the trimmings an a surprise desert was an individual little cake in the shape of an Atlantic Puffin.


It was a wonderful experience even though as a senior, the climbing on the large rocks on the coast of Wreck Island were a bit difficult to the point that some of the staff had to helpme. They were great. When I arrived home and told my family about my experience, they were quite proud of me. A week later my daughter-in-law presented me with a tee shirt that had a bird on it and below it said “#1 Pisher.”

-Myron Mendelson

Where the Least Terns Nest

Can you spot the Least Tern chick hiding in this photo? 
It's our little one out on Siesta Key.

With little undisturbed habitat left on beaches, Least Terns are using flat, gravel rooftops for nesting. A threatened species in the state of Florida, Least Terns are also the smallest of all terns in the country.

This summer approximately 100 Least Tern chicks fledged on the rooftop of the Carlton water treatmeat plant. It was a hugely successful season. Many thanks to Ellen McLean, along with Frank DeSteno and Nancy Edmondson, who inspected the roof each week.

Ellen reported the progress to us with such pride—like a new mom.

Since our beaches were unproductive for nesting Least Terns and Black Skimmers, this was a ray of hope in a gloomy outlook. No colonies on either South or North Lido, but a miracle occurred on Siesta Key: One Least Tern nested on the beach near Access 7, the first tern nesting on Siesta Key in over 30 years!

The Florikan roof near the Celery Fields produced 30-40 Least Tern chicks, another success for which we are grateful!

We thank everyone who cares about this special bird and especially those who volunteered their time to look after the nesting areas this summer.

Siesta Key Beach Nesting Successful, Thanks to the Efforts of Many

New Snowy Plover Nest on Siesta Key Beach,
taken by Claire Smithers

Wow...from this summer, we see that so much is possible when people who care come together to make a difference. Thanks to a fabulous group of volunteers and organizations, we were able to help seven (7) Snowy Plover chicks and one (1) Least Tern chick to fledge this year. Several factors contributed to the success:

• Sarasota County (and the BOCC) allowed us to close the pedestrian path from the Access 7 parking lot. Go Sarasota County!  We are grateful.
• Nighttime security guard on duty at Accesses 7 & 8 to limit after hours shenanigans; funded by Parks & Rec. How awesome is that?
• Volunteers in the parking lot spoke to many folks, handed out brochures and did a fab PR job for the birds. It's all about forming new friendships with potential advocates, and of course, education.
• Many volunteers located the chicks in the morning and then trailed the chicks on the beach (an exceedingly hot and arduous task, especially on holiday weekends) to keep folks away from them, also educating them in the process—another fab PR job.
• Success in limiting beach raking in the nursery area.  
• Buffering nesting zones, some on private property (with permission). 
• Many volunteers and organizations helped in this effort, and they should all be very proud of what they did. We give great thanks to an incredible team.

Growing Snowy Plover on Siesta Key Beach by Claire Herzog

People who made this possible:

Jean Adams, Susan & Nick Almario, Nancy Bangham, Sarasota Board of County Commissioners, Marie Brooks-Demaud, Julie Byrne, Tony Damian, Judy DeMersman, Nancy Douglass, Jeanne Dubi, Nancy Edmondson, Lynda Eppinger, Jerris Foote, Ann & Rima Gasparini, Cheryl Gladdie, Rick Greenspun, Mary Heinlen & daughter, Rachel Herman, Claire Herzog, Stu Hills, Karen Jensen, Ann Kaplan, Wilma Katz, Dianne Kennedy, Marianne Korosy, Barbara Loveridge, Bob & Catherine Luckner, Peg Magee, Nick Marin, Kristen Mazzarella, Maria Elisabeth Mantius, John McCarthy, Dick Miles, Linda & Rich Moreau, Robert Pasquali, Ruth Ellen Peipert, Jonathan Poyner, Kathi Rader-Gibson, Penney Rist, Barry Rossheim, Bonnie Samuelsen, Pat Sharp, Kyle Shenk, Andrea & Mike Shlasko, Carolyn Smithers, Claire Smithers, Michelle van Deventer, Jennifer Vreeland, Paula Wagner, Gayle Wardner, Deurita Wieczorek, John Whitehead, Roxanne Williamson, Allan Worms.

Organizations that made this possible:
Sarasota County Parks & Rec, Gulf View Condominiums, Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, Siesta Key Association, Beachaven Condos, Mark Clibbard (beach raker), Coastal Wildlife Club, and Sarasota Audubon. Many thanks to all the beachgoers who stopped, looked, listened and learned. Many did not know that these birds nested on our beaches.


Now how is that for a community-wide effort? We give our thanks to everyone who helped these special birds survive. It's been a great summer thanks to you.

-Jeanne Dubi, Sarasota Audubon Society President