Sarasota

THE Audubon
Society
Phone:
941.364.9212

BROWN PELICAN Website: sarasotaaudubon.org

editor: kathwren1@verizon.net

Volume 35, Number 5 February 2008

Team 4: Lynn & Jake Jakubowicz and Mary & Bob

~THE 108th CHRISTMAS Zimmer were the only ones to find Canada Geese;
BIRD COUNT~ Team 5: Edith Miller, Barry Rossheim, Ruth Ellen
Peipert, Paul Antes and Fred Taylor found two
gorgeous Western Kingbirds, rarities for Sarasota.
Sarasota Christmas Bird Count, January 5, 2008 They were aided by At Large counters Ken Allen and
Lyn Atherton in snagging the famous Bell’s Vireo, a
A record 81 counters in the field and 30 backyard Black-throated Green Warbler and a Northern Parula
watchers all helped to make this a record species day at Pinecraft; Team 6: Ellen Richardson and Ann &
for Sarasota, 162. The day’s total of 33,898 birds was Tim Seidenkranz plugged away all day and turned up
slightly less than the previous year. Here’s a team-by- 62 species; Team 7: Paul Lewis, Jane Shannon and
team account: Connie & Tom Plaskett spotted a Spotted Sandpiper
and were one of only two teams to find a Savannah
Team 1: John Ginaven, David Manchester, Peter Rice Sparrow; Team 8: Bill & Margaret Dunson, Nancy
and Dick Ferren found the only Horned Grebes, Edmondson, Greg & Lisette Voigt, Kevin Edwards,
Buffelheads and a super Great Black-backed Gull; Paul Salinas, Richard Stiveck, Miriam Yoder, Zoe Bass,
Team 2: Rick Greenspun, Linda Wilson and Marty Shirley again got the highest
Kathryn Young, Kathy team total of 87 species, including a beautiful Scissor-
Meaux, Mark Davis and tailed Flycatcher; Team 9: Tina Mossbarger, Joni Bos
Sandra VanHullenaar hoofed and Jeff Carson hit pay dirt when they found
it along Siesta Beach and American Pipits, Wild Turkeys and the day’s only
found the day’s only Lesser Prairie Warbler; Team 10: Alison & Mike Bishop and
Black-backed Gulls and one Lorrie Muldowney located the only Merlin and two
of only two Peregrine very early Purple Martins; Team 11: David
Falcons; Team 3: Charlie & Williamson, Barbara Singer, Roxanne Williamson,
Sandy Everly, Carolyn Primus and Barbara Covey Steve Black, Bill Hentges and Daniel Somodi got a pair
lucked out on the only group of Cedar Waxwings (rare of American Oystercatchers and an unexpected
in Florida this winter) and a pair of Baltimore Orioles.; Limpkin; Team 12: Working alone Jeff Fisher got the

SECOND MONDAY ❖OCTOBER-MAY❖7PM SOCIAL PERIOD, FOLLOWED BY MEETING

AND PRESENTATION
Our Meeting Place-Fellowship Hall, First congregational Church, 1031 South Euclid, Sarasota. Directions: US 41 to Bahia
Vista. If coming from the south, turn right on Bahia Vista:if coming from the north, turn left. Take Bahia Vista to Euclid,
then north on Euclid to the church.

only Purple Gallinule and came across 10 Eastern
Kingbirds; Team 13: Harriet Siegel, Wade & Betty
Matthews, Judi Meksraitis, Sheila Markin, Sue
Hamilton, Sue Stam and Ginny Tarika covered the two
golf courses at Prestancia coming up with 57 species,
10 more than last year—that team is getting better!
Team 14: Jeff Palmer and Tommy Elliott had a few
solo species: Green-winged Teal, Great Crested
Flycatchers and a Caspian Tern; Team 15: Karen
Jensen, Rita Roehr and Russ & Carole Hoffman found
15 Ruddy Ducks and another Peregrine Falcon; Team
16: Jeanne Dubi, Viktoria Hutter and Matt Massey
went with the Eagle Man, Dale Nauman, on his boat
to the Neville Preserve and struck gold with a Wilson’s
Plover, Reddish Egrets and 6 Roseate Spoonbills, 4 of
which were standing on a roof at The Landings!
Team 17: Don & Karen Schneider covered their
Hamptons neighborhood in Palmer Ranch and found
27 species; and Team 18: Mark Leggett, Jim Kyle and
Ken Pearlman walked the Village Walk and spotted 49
different species.
At Large counters Lyn Atherton and Ken Allen
provided their expertise and their sharp eyes on several
patches: a rare Lark
Sparrow, an Eastern
Screech-Owl, a Yellow-
bellied Sapsucker and 6
Indigo Buntings for
Team 12, an Ovenbird
for Team 5, and an
Eastern Screech-Owl
and a Hermit Thrush
for Team 7.
Backyard counters and neighborhood spotters really
pulled their weight, providing over-the-top numbers
and species for their respective teams. Team 1: Len
Newman and Mary Allyn counted birds in Plymouth
Harbor; Team 2: Martina Ynez and her husband
called in sightings of Annabell and Amadeus, their
neighborhood Great Horned Owls (people like to
name their owls!); Terry & Charlene Proeger emailed
in their sightings; Team 3: After boating on the
intracoastal, Jeanne Dubi found a Ruby-crowned
Kinglet and an Eastern Phoebe and Mike Dubi
spotted the perennial Dubi Ruby-throated
Hummingbird (say that three times quickly), as well as
a Painted Bunting in their yard; Janet Carlock spotted
BIRDING HOTSPOTS
Pick up a copy of the invaluable local birding guide, Birding Hot Spots of Sarasota and Manatee Counties. It includes a
checklist of area birds and provides explicit descriptions of and directions to, good local birding spots. Hot Spots is
available at meetings, on day trips, and by mail. Cost $6 (add $1.75 for mail.)
November 11, 2007 Volume VII
more early Purple Martins (5) near her home. Team 4:
Tina Mossbarger didn’t stop when she got home,
turning up the only Northern Bobwhites for the entire
day and contributing many other birds, including one
Eastern Bluebird from Hanry Wagler’s yard; Julie
Byrne also helped out by finding 2 Limpkins and 2
Hooded Mergansers among others at The Meadows;
Kathy Lawson saw 15 American Goldfinches and 2
Tufted Titmice at her feeders; Team 5: Charlie Everly
started counting the minute he got up and turned in a
nice list before setting off to lead his team; Dick
Quigley called in his sightings of 7 species; Sue Stam
couldn’t stop after counting in Prestancia and found 10
species in her neighborhood; Tami McNally reported 3
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds from her yard; Team 6:
Marianne Yoder called in a Barred Owl among other
species. After getting up at 3am to look for owls
followed by a hard day’s birding, Jeff Palmer spotted
Einstein the Barn Owl, and Jeanne Dubi contributed 2
Bronzed Cowbirds and 3 Ruddy Ducks, all at the
Celery Fields. Team 9 had the valuable help of Stu
Hills (Northern Shoveler), Wilda Meier (Brown
Pelican) and Peter & Frances Rice (White-winged
Doves); Team 7: Ruth Ellen Peipert heard 2 Great
Horned Owls calling before she set off to join her
team; Team 8: Patty Ratcliffe watched and counted in
University Park; Team 13: Jim & Jean Edmundson
contributed a Limpkin, a Bald Eagle and 18 other
species; Team 9: Belinda Perry and Ken Alvarez
emailed in sightings of a Cooper’s Hawk and a Bald
Eagle for their patch; Susan Carter must have been
thrilled to see 3 Painted Buntings among others in her
yard and recorded a Count Week Magnificent
Frigatebird overhead on Friday. Last but by no means
least, Francis Mason tallied up and reported his count
which included 2 Red-tailed Hawks.
Whew, what a day!
Jeanne Dubi, President
~FEBRUARY CALENDAR~
Tuesday, Feb 5 Venice Rookery, Manasota Scrub,
Lemon Bay Park Great photo ops; Great birding.
Meet at McDonalds at 7:30a.m. Bring lunch. Mark
Leggett, 925-7220.
Saturday, Feb 9 Celery Fields Walk Explore birdlife
with a different leader on the second Saturday of each
month. Meet at the gazebo (Palmer & Raymond) at
8a.m. Coordinator: Mark Leggett, 925-7220.
Monday, Feb. 11 Sarasota Audubon Society
monthly meeting at 7pm. Program for the
evening is on The Celery Fields. Peter
Peduzzi of Sarasota County discusses the
wetlands restoration project and what it will
mean for birds and Audubon.
Friday/Saturday, Feb 15/16 Station 5 in Hendry
County Overnight Friday in Clewiston, then an early
visit to the water treatment plant to view all kinds of
birds in these remote marshes. Trip is led by Margaret
England of Hendr y-Glades Audubon.
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED. Hotel at own
expense. Contact Kathryn Young, 924-5565.
Saturday, Feb 23 Cockroach Bay, Ruskin Jeanne
Dubi (355-1709) will lead a trip to this newly reclaimed
and restored environmentally sensitive area in southern
Hillsborough County. This is a reliable spot for
Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. Leave McDonald’s at
7:15a.m. Bring Lunch.
Saturday, March 1 Pinecraft Fest Join us for a great
morning working together to rid this park of exotic
plants and garbage. **WE NEED PRIZES** Call
Jeanne Dubi at 355-1709 to help in any way you can.
Tuesday, March 4 Red Bug Slough Ken Pearlman
(587-5992) will lead us on a walk through pine and oak
hammocks. Meet in the parking lot of Red Bug
Slough, just south of Proctor on Beneva, at 8a.m.
~OUR WEBSITE~
Check out our website at sarasotaaudubon.org. Dave
Munro has been doing a great job of updating the
website. He has recently added directions to all Day
Trips.
***********************************************
OUR SPONSORS
Wild Bird Center
8323 Lockwood Ridge Road Sarasota, FL 34243
(941) 351-9500
November 11, 2007 Volume VII
***************************************
~CELERY FIELDS CLEAN
UP~
Thanks to Karen Jensen, Penny Rist, Jody Allen, Mark
Legget and Jeanne Dubi for collecing garbage along
our adopted road - Palmer Boulevard, January 22. We
picked up about 80 lbs of trash. Where does it come
from? Please help us on the next clean up day,
Tuesday, March 18 at 8a.m. at the gazebo in the Celery
Fields.
~TRIP REPORTS~
Sleeping Turtles, Jan. 1 We started out with a Wood
Stork in the parking lot at McDonalds, it was a life bird
for one of our northern visitors joining us today.
Mark handed out his maps and we were off. As we
entered Sleeping Turtles it started raining - we thought
it would blow over so we moved into the park looking
for birds. No birds, then it started to pour; now there
were even fewer birds. We lost 1/2 the group, the rest
of us went to the shelter at Carlton Reserve and had
some New Years Day snacks and waited. The rain of
course let up and we were off into the park. We found
25 species to include Red-headed Woodpecker,
Common Ground Doves, White-eyed Vireo, American
Kestrel, Eastern Phoebe, Carolina Wren, Palm and
Yellow-rumped Warblers. We also heard a Barred Owl
and an Eastern Towhee.
Kathryn Young & Mark Leggett, Trip Leaders
North Longboat Key, Jan. 8 The day was glorious to
be on the beach. Twenty-nine birders, many of whom
were guests, started the walk with several Northern
Gannets (including at least one immature) flying off
the coast. Leaders Wade and Betty Matthews were
grateful for the help given by expert members and
guests to ensure that novices in the group knew the
difference between the various terns and gulls, as well
as others of the 49 species (plus the colorful Longboat
resident Peafowl) seen. Following the beach walk, we
hiked around Leffis Key, noting the flock of White
Pelicans off shore. A dozen of us then enjoyed a
seafood lunch at Moore’s Restaurant, where we
searched in vain for the illusive white phase Great Blue
Heron in its nest across the channel.
Wade and Betty Matthews Trip Leaders
George Simmons Park and TECO, Jan. 3
The thermometer outside my! window registered 29
degrees at 6:30a.m. and howling winds were being
reported. ! Would anyone show up at McDonalds?!
Well, six intrepid Auduboners and guests braved the
elements to record 31 bird species for the day,
including Loggerhead Shrikes, Spotted Sandpipers,
King Fishers, and a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.!
The Tampa Electrical Company plant at Apollo Beach
yielded close-up views of more than 30 Manatees
enjoying their baths in the warm water discharged from
the power plant, a welcome escape from the chilly gulf
waters.! In the Manatee Museum near the viewing area
we learned that these vegetarian grass eaters consume
ten percent of their body weight every day!! Another
highlight at TECO was the sight of two diamond-
shaped Spotted Rays leaping five feet out of the water.
Despite the frigid weather, the trip was considered a
success, but, alas, the tall power-plant chimneys
belching their pollutants into the region was not a
pretty end to the day.
Stuart Hills, Trip Leader
Phosphate Mines, Jan. 15 Starting out at 7a.m. and
45 degrees, 29 SAS birders made their way to the
Mosaic Phosphate reclamation ponds for a full day of
birding. Led by Dr. Paul Fellers of Lake Audubon and
Diana Youmans of! Mozaic. We birded from pond to
pond by caravan. Though numbers of birds were down
considerably from last year, we did manage to tick off
79 species. Mostly large numbers of ducks, including
100's of Ruddys, Shovelers, Scaup, Pintail and sharp
eyed Tina Mossbarger spotted two female Buffleheads.
After a hearty lunch, some had to leave for home. The
rest continued on to much of the same birds that were
seen in the morning. We did add 4 American Avocets.
With the last of the sun slowly sinking and with one
stop left, we were treated to close up views of 3
American Bitterns and then a bobcat ran across the
berm, heading for dinner at the cormorant roosting
site. We arrived back in Sarasota almost 12 hours after
we had left. Another long and rewarding day. Proceeds
from the trip were donated to Lake Audubon.
Rick Greenspun Trip Leader
Celery Fields Walk, Jan. 12 Thirty-eight birders
enjoyed seeing 43 species at the Celery Fields
Walk. ! Species highlights were American Bittern,
Grasshopper Sparrow and Wood Duck.!
Lynn Jakubowicz, Mark Leggett and Jeanne Dubi, Trip
Leaders
~WIN A DAY BIRDING
WITH JEANNE DUBI~
!Come to the next general meeting Feb. 11th and put
your bid in to win a day with Jeanne Dubi. Proceeds
will be used to match a grant of $900 from Audubon
of Florida to send local kids to an environmental camp
run by Sarasota County this summer--kids that
normally couldn't afford to go. Last year, 600 children
were served with SAS donating money for 10
scholarships of $45 each. We are ramping it up this
year, hoping to send 40 altogether: 20 from our
resources and 20 from the AOF grant. Kids are our
future.
The winner of the auction and his/her guest will
spend a 1/2 day with Jeanne birding in the Celery
Fields and other nearby hot spots.! They will travel in
Jeanne's car and
finish their
privately escorted
birding outing
with lunch at the
Packinghouse
Cafe. ! The date
for the outing will
be determined by
the winner and
Jeanne. After!they
are done her
husband has requested that she be returned to him. We
hope you turn out to bid for an opportunity to have a
special time with our popular president and expert
birder.
~GREEN TIP OF THE
MONTH~
Did you know that the!average American household
receives unsolicited junk mail in the equivalent of 1.5
trees every year, and 44% of that is thrown away
unopened? ! ! Audubon members, stop the insanity!
Request that your name be removed from mailing lists
of unwanted catalogs.! All it takes is a short call to!the
organization's customer service number or a visit
to!their web site.!E-mail this suggestion to 10 of your
friends and family members, and let's start cutting out
the waste. ! For more, visit http://
greenlivingideas.com/waste-reduction/5-simple-ways-
to-stop-junk-mail.html.
Susi Bowie, Public Information
 BELL’S VIREO
A Bell’s Vireo was found this January by Rick
Greenspun at Pinecraft Park here in Sarasota. It was
fun to see this rare visitor from the central and
southwestern U.S. It is still being seen at Pinecraft
Park across from the horseshoe pits in the scrubby
area by the river (behind the chain linked fence).
Jeanne Dubi also found the Bell’s last year in an area
off University Pkwy.
The species was named by Audubon for John G. Bell
(1812-1899), a New York taxidermist who
accompanied him on his trip up the Missouri River in
the 1840’s. This small vireo is drab gray to green
above (upperparts) and white to yellow below
(underparts). It has a faint broken eye-ring and two
pale wingbars, the lower bar being more prominent. It
has a thick slightly flattened hooked bill, like a
miniature shrike. They are insectivorous eating aphids,
spiders and various larvae which they glean from
leaves, twigs and branches. A widespread breeder in
central (to MN and WI) and western US, it is a rare
visitor to Florida. They prefer dense, scrubby
vegetation, especially along stream and river corridors.
These areas are being degraded and lost due to flood
control projects, firewood cutting, cattle grazing,
agriculture fields and housing development. Cowbird
parasitism are also causing declines. Fragmentation of
habitat increases Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism
and isolates small fringe populations. Domestic cats
are also a significant predator to the Bell’s Vireo.
According to Sibley and Cornell Lab, two populations
are distinguishable in the field. Eastern populations
which are brighter, more gray green on upperparts and
have yellow wash to the underparts. They also can be
found bobbing their tail like a Palm Warbler. The
Western population is more gray on their upperparts
and white to the underparts. They have longer tails
and flip this tail up and sideways like gnatcatchers.
Eastern may have brighter blue legs than the western
variations.
Websites used to write this article were: eNature.com, All
About Birds -Cornell Lab, and Birds of North America
Online. I also used Sibley’s Guide to Birds.
Kathryn Young, Editor
~RECAPTURE BACKYARD
HABITAT~
Your backyard was once a Florida native environment.
Sign up for a free 3-hour workshop to get practical
tips on recapturing some of the lost habitat. Feb 8 at
Twin Lakes Park. We will be giving away a free 10’ x
10’ backyard plot makeover. You have to register to be
eligible. Call Jeanne Dubi at 355-1709 for more details.
All photos for this newsletter were taken by Rick Greenspun of
Sarasota Audubon. First page photo is of Greater Scaup,
second page photo is a Short-tailed Hawk, and on the last page
is the Bell’s Vireo.
 THE
BROWN
PELICAN

Published Monthly October through May by:

SARASOTA AUDUBON SOCIETY
P.O. BOX 15423
SARASOTA, FL 34277-1423

For Membership Information email,

NEW MEMBERS!!!!!!
LYNN@SARASOTAAUDUBON.ORG
OR LEAVE MESSAGE AT 364-9212
Mary Ally Judy Harding
Arthur Armitage Tana Johnson Shane O’Neill
George Bahr JoAnn Park
Janie Kagy
Peg Conklin Allison Petrat
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Gladys Lippincott Marilyn Probst
Burt Finkelstein
Charles Locatell Elayne Sims
John Forbes
Karen Gannett Linda Lombard Joe & Joan Sintov
Janice Glanz Joan Lyon Chalyce Sullivan
Wes &Elizabeth Rose Mattran Jean Thieroff
Gray Martina Venz
Georgina McGandless
Lois Greene Judith Wolfe
Ruth Gutmann Paul &Mary Neuhauser
Jackie Newville Jacqueline Young
Mr.& Mrs. J.Guzzo

SAS NAME TAG

If you are a new member or do not have an official SAS NAME TAG, you can get one delivered right to your door. Send
your name, full address and telephone number, along with your check for $4.50 made out to: Michael Fox, 2749 Ringling
Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34237. For an extra $2 (total of $6.50) you can get a badge that attaches by magnet-no pinholes!
Be sure to identify yourself as a member of Sarasota Audubon Society.