Issue 2, April 2015

Stockbridge
Audubon
www.stockbridgeaudubon.org
Representing Northeast Indiana

P.O. Box 13131, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46864

Have you received numerous renewal requests from National Audubon? Some of us have been
annoyed by getting these repeatedly, even though the membership still has a couple of years to run.
Heres a suggestion: check the mailing label on your Audubon Magazine to find out when it
expires. We have complained to National about this annoyance, with little results.

Presidents Words
By Julie Henricks
.
As everyone knows,
2016 marks the bicentennial of
Indiana statehood. Dare I say
it? I remember the
sesquicentennial back in 1966.
A dear friend gave me a
beautiful bronze
commemorative medallion
which I still treasure. Though I
was only eight years old, I
loved history already and knew
that 66 was a special year.
Many groups are
preparing celebrations for next
year; the Stockbridge board has
discussed what we might do as
a club. We would like it to be
something fun and memorable,
but not costly or complicated.
The idea of a Stockbridge Big
Year was proposed and met
with some early approval. It
really would be just an

extension of what we do
already: we would compile
every bird species seen in
Indiana by a Stockbridge
member, from first thing
January 1 until midnight on
December 31. We have some
time to formulate the rules, if
there are any. The main thing
is that we want to encourage as
many members as possible to
participate, and to look for birds
wherever they go in the state.
Please watch future
newsletters for further
information about this
adventure. And start thinking
about whether youd like to join
us and where in our fair state
you could journey to find the
coolest birds.
Have a wonderful and
safe spring and summer!

BIRD NOTES by Jim Haw

Feb. 1- Apr. 5
A very cold February found
birds scarce and birders inside.
Rough-legged Hawks, though,
were relatively common in Feb.
and March. A Golden Eagle was
at Pigeon River Mar. 10 (Leland
Shaum et al). At least 4 Greater
Scaup were among the ducks at
the Ft. Wayne terminal pond
Feb. 22 (Rodger Rang). Few
Red-breasted Nuthatches came
south this winter, but one was
found at Chain O Lakes Mar. 8
(Jim Haw), and one at Pine
Canyon Lake, Steuben Co. Mar.
12 (Sandy Schacht et al). Purple

Finches were also scarce this

winter, but one was at Mongo
Mar. 9 (Haw). A Hermit Thrush
at Salamonie Feb. 28 (Haw) was
presumably wintering.
A few migrants pushed the
envelope, such as a Gr. Whitefronted Goose in Ft. Wayne Feb.
23 (Diane MacMillan), 4 N.
Pintails at Eagle Marsh Feb. 7
(Rang), a Turkey Vulture over
Roanoke Feb. 9 (Jeff Moore),
and 10 Sandhill Cranes at
Andrews Feb. 28 (Haw).
Warmer temperatures in March
opened the door to expected
migrants. Of note were some
200+ Snow Buntings in
Lagrange Co. Mar. 10 (Shaum et
al). An Am. Pipit was in Allen
Co. Mar. 13 (Rang). Seven
Tundra
Swans
were
at
Limberlost Marsh Mar. 14 (Terri
Gorney) and 24 there Mar. 20
(Gorney, Randy Lehman). Rang
heard the springs first Am.
Woodcock at Fox Is. Mar. 14,
saw the first Fox Sparrow in SW
Allen Mar. 15, and got the first
two Rusty Blackbirds Mar. 18.
Some 30 Rusty Blackbirds were
at Fox Island Mar. 23 (Rang, Ed
& Cynthia Powers), about 125 in
SW Allen Mar. 28 (Rang), and
hundreds flying out of Eagle
Marsh early Mar. 30 (Rang). A
Cackling Goose and 3 Snow
Geese were at Pigeon River Mar.
14 (Sam Plew). Limberlost
hosted a Short-eared Owl Mar.
21 (Gorney, Lehman). Quite
rare was a hybrid Rosss x Snow
Goose in Lakeside Park, Ft.
Wayne, Mar. 22 and 26 (photos

by Harley Winkleblack). A
Lesser Yellowlegs in Geneva
Mar. 28 (Gorney, Lehman)
marked the belated beginning of
the sandpiper migration. The
first Winter Wren was in Allen
Co. Mar. 31 (Ryan Smith).
Other expected arrivals ensued
on time to late.
Upcoming events:
August 11 Tuesday evening, 6:30
pm movie night at Fox Island Five
Lost Birds. A sculptor created
statues of these extinct birds.
Documentary is one hour. Free
with park admission ($2 or use
your pass.)
Our own webmaster, Alex
Forsythe will be leading a summer
field trip on July 12, a Sunday:
We'll be meeting at Trine State
Recreation Area at 8:00 a.m. at
the Visitor's Center (on the
lakeshore where they rent the
boats). (Alex will be 16 by then!)
To get there, travel north on I-69.
Take exit #354 for IN-127. Go
north on 127. When 127 and 50
split, stay straight onto 50 (parallel
with I-69). Turn right on W.
Feather Valley Road (less than a
mile from I-69). The entrance to
Trine will be on your right, and the
visitor's center is by the lake
overlooking the boat docks. No,
we will not be having a picnic or go
boating as a group, although
everyone is welcome to do so on
their own. With luck, Fred Wooley
will be joining us despite his
retirement!

Big May Day Bird

Count
On the second Saturday in May
each year, Indiana Audubon
Society sponsors the Big May
Day Bird Count. Birders all
over the state survey their
respective counties and report
the numbers of each species of
bird they see that day. This
year, 2015, the count is held
on May 9.
This day is chosen because it is
normally close to the peak of
spring migration; for example,
there is a reasonable
expectation that 30 species of
warblers will be seen in Allen
County that day. This is an
excellent time to be out and
learn more about our birds.
The count is conducted by a
number of parties; each made
up of two to four observers, at
least one of them an
experienced birder. Even if you
cant tell a hawk from a heron,
you can make a significant
contribution, because the more
eyes there are, the more birds
will be seen. The more
experienced birders will be on
hand to help with identification.
For more information, or to
volunteer for the count,
contact the compiler listed
below by May 5.

Allen County:
Ed
Powers 260-638-4291
zzedpowers@aol.com
LaGrange County: Mark
Weldon, 427-6806
mark@kidszoo.com by May 5
Noble County: John
Winebrenner, 260-414-4866
jcwinebrenner@ymail.com.
Adams County: Terri Gorney
490-6725
bandtgorney@aol.com.
And if youre not May Day
counting, you might like the
new Indiana Dunes festival.
Its going to be as famous as
Magee Marsh!

7 Tips for
Better Bird
Photographs
2015 * Jeff Parker * www.
Explore in Focus. com

1. Dont put the bird in

the center of the
frame.
One thing most great
bird photographs have in
common is that theyre
interesting. Thus, in the
spirit of adding interest,
do your best not to place
your subject dead center
in the frame when
composing the shot.
Instead, use the rule of
thirds, a visual trick
which breaks the space
into, well, you guessed it,
thirds. The eye tends to
find an object off to one
side or the other more
pleasing than one sitting
smack dab in the middle.

2. Go where the birds

are.
If herons act skittish at
your local pond, go
where theyre not so
nervous (i.e. fishing
docks). Need your spirits
to soar with Bald Eagles?
Head to Wabasha,
Minnesota. Roaring to
ride the wind like a

raptor? Glide to El Paso

for Golden Eagles, Corpus
Christi for its annual
Hawk Watch, or
Pennsylvanias Hawk
Mountain Sanctuary.
Crave dramatic Snow
Geese and Sandhill Crane
sunrise silhouettes? Set
up your tripod at New
Mexicos Bosque del
Apache.

3. Be aware of the light

angle.
Ask pros about the single
most important element
in photography and most
would say, The right
light! With that in mind,
generally speaking, for
birds you want front light
(light coming from
behind you). Back light
works for nice silhouettes
and on wading birds with
plumes (...ah, the
elegance this adds to the
already-elegant Great
Egret!). Try to avoid side
light as it rarely does our
winged friends justice.

4. Select a photoworthy perch.

If youre creating your
images at a feeding
station, youve got the
flexibility of providing
your own perch, so get
creative! Pick something

interesting and make it

even more so by adding a
little something
interesting (i.e. berries,
flowers, lichen, etc.). But
be careful not to add too
much or youll distract
from the beauty of the
bird. And keep in mind
the size of the perch
versus the size of the bird.
A dainty Painted Bunting,
for example, will look out
of place on a big log.

5. Try to capture a
moment.
What pros call bird on a
stick shots refer to the
kinds of photos that,
even though they might
display birds clearly and
follow other tips featured
here, tend to be pretty
boring overall. Lets face
it - we like seeing animals
in action! Capturing a
behavior makes for a
much more interesting
image and can still show
off the beauty of the
bird. Even a small
onelike an Orchard
Oriole chomping on a
berrycan give great
glimpses into species'
personality. (Sure, a
spider would be better,
but don't underestimate
the power of a berry!)

6. Find knowledgeable
help.
Hiring a guide or taking
part in a tour gets you in
the right place at the
right time. For example,
South Texas photo
ranches offer exceptional
opportunities to generate
high quality images of
dramatic scenes like
Crested Caracaras duking
it out, but you
need a guide to
gain access. And, if
its good
photographs
rather than distant
sightingsof
endangered
Whooping Cranes
youre after, youll
need to take a boatbased photo tour. In
addition, someone who
not only knows the local
avian species, but is also
an expert photographer
will understand when
and where the animals,
lighting, and other
conditions suit your lens
best.

7. Watch that
background!
A messy, jumbled
background that distracts
from the real object of
beauty spoils many

otherwise fine
photographs. Any
background elements
need to be far enough
away to go out of focus.
And keep an eye out for
distracting bright spots.
Remember: when
photographing near a
feeder, that perch can be
moved!

*************************
*************************
*************************
**************
Awardwinning photographer, Jeff
Parker
leads the naturally curious
on friendly & informative
photo tours & workshops
throughout North & South
America.

HUMMINGBIRD FACT SHEET

Hummingbirds are the smallest of all birds, measuring between 2-8 inches in length.

A newborn hummingbird is about the size of a honeybee, an egg, the size of a small bean.

There are about 340 species of hummingbirds in the world, all in the western hemisphere.

Only the Ruby-throated Hummingbird breeds east of the Mississippi River.

Ruby-throats fly non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico 500+ miles.

Ruby-throat beats its wings 40-80 times a second, and maintains an average flight speed of 30 mph.
Escape speeds can reach 50 mph.

Hummingbirds are the only species of birds that can truly fly backwards.

Igor Sikorsky considered the exceptional hovering ability of hummingbirds when developing his
pioneering designs for helicopters.

Hovering is the most metabolically expensive form of flight because of the energy consumed. A
hummingbird has the highest measured rate of aerobic metabolism of any living thing.

Birds of all sizes have a more efficient respiratory system than humans, because oxygen runs through
their entire system of auxiliary air sacs that maintains a constant flow to the lungs.

Hummingbird body temperature ranges from 105- 108F

A hummingbird lives a relatively short life of great intensity (9 years,) while large creatures that move
slowly (elephants, whales) live longer (60 years for wild elephant.)

Eighty percent (80%) of all birds, including hummingbirds, will not live to see their first birthday.

To make hummingbird nectar, use c. sugar in 1 cup of warm water. Food coloring not necessary!