The St.
Petersburg Audubon Society
WingSpan
Calendar of Events -
April 2008 +
April 4, 5 & 6 - Audubon Academy, Vero Beach. Audubon
leadership training, field trips, special speakers.
Apr. 19 - Marine Quest, Florida Fish & Wildlife Research
Institute open house, 100 8th Ave. SE, St. Petersburg. 9am
- 5pm. Call Wanda Dean, 321-3995, to volunteer at our
booth.
Apr. 19 - Dunedin Hammock, Dunedin. Warblers & other
spring migrants. Meet 7:30am at McDonald's, Alt. US 19 &
Curlew Rd., to carpool. Pack a lunch. Leader: Lillian
Kenney, 735-0491.
Apr. 20 (Sun.) - Round Robin Birding, Ft. DeSoto County
Park. Meet at the flag pole at park headquarters at 8am to
form teams & get instructions. Maximize the birding potential
of four different locations in the park. Contact: Lee Snyder,
865-2239.
May 3-4 - Living Green Expo, Harborview Center, 300
Cleveland St., Clearwater. This two-day event will provide
information, ideas, resources, products & motivation to live
more sustainably. Free admission. Log on to
www.pinellaslivinggreenexpo.org for more information.
May 10 - North American Migratory Count (NAMC). All
levels of experienced birders needed to count species &
individual birds throughout Pinellas County. Call Mauri
Peterson, 398-4124, to volunteer.
May 11 (Sun.) - Coffeepot Bayou Bird Island Boat Trip.
$20. Get a close look at an island rookery at the height of
nesting season. Meet on the St. Petersburg Pier by the bait
house at 6:30pm. For reservations call Monique
Borboen-Abrams, 230-0732. (See article in this newsletter)
May-July - Surveys of Beach Nesting Birds and rooftop
nesting Least Terns. Call Monique Borboen-Abrams for
Got Books?
Bring a few of your unwanted, nature-oriented
books to the next St. Pete Audubon meeting.
We’ll place them on a table and sell them for $1
each. All proceeds to SPAS. If it works, we’ll do it at every
meeting. (Be prepared to take your unsold book(s) home at
meeting’s end!)
April 2008
Tuesday, April 15th, 6:00pm at the SCIENCE CENTER,
7701 22nd Avenue N., St. Petersburg 727-384-0027
THE WARBLERS -
Lee Snyder, author, speaker, broadcast
journalist and professional photographer
PLUS POTLUCK DINNER AND
ANNUAL MEETING
Spring is the most colorful time of
the year for birding. The Florida
peninsula is first landfall for many
migrants flying in from Cuba and
Mexico’s Yucatan. Our state is
one of the few places in North
America where so many species
can be seen together. Review identifications and learn which
species are most commonly seen during the month of April
here in the Tampa Bay area.
Lee Snyder’s beautiful bird images and articles have been
in numerous national publications.
Potluck and Annual Meeting
Join the fun at 6pm as we get together for a potluck supper,
and annual meeting. Bring a dish to share (main dish or sides
- serving 8 or more) AND your own non-disposable plate,
glass and flatware to reduce the need for disposables. SPAS
will supply drinks and desserts.
Don’t miss out on our year-end meeting!
Would You Like to…
TSave trees and reduce waste?
THelp defray the cost of printing and mailing
the WingSpan?
TGet a color version of SPAS’ monthly news?
THave more of your membership dollars go to
SPAS’ conservation and education efforts?
If so, we’d like to send the monthly WingSpan to
you via e-mail instead of “snail-mail!”
Just send a note to JoAnne Wilson at
JoAWilson@msn.com (Corrected from last
month!) and you will begin receiving the
WingSpan electronically. It’s one way to help
SPAS extend its outreach efforts.
Thanks for your help!
 PRESIDENT’S M ESSAGE by Mauri Peterson, SPAS President

I can't remember exactly
the year it started but I
know I was at an Audu-
bon Assembly when they
announced that National
Audubon was restructu-
ring its membership policy.
Subsequently, the money
that chapters would receive from National for new and
renewing members would change as well. The protesting
started immediately. In the ensuing years the uproar has
leveled off but the questions and concerns still remain.
In the last several years it has been suggested by many
chapters to offer a Chapter Only membership. The thought
being that the full amount of the membership would stay with
the Chapter every year as opposed to pennies on the dollar we
get back from National as our “dues share.” When money is
tight and fund raising difficult, that sounds like a pretty good
idea. But for now, St. Pete Audubon will continue to
encourage new members to join National Audubon for one
simple reason: National Audubon works on our behalf on the
National level. The same can be said for Audubon of Florida,
our state organization. Without our financial support, they
would not have the resources nor the influence to effect
change on the National and State levels.
These people represent us when they lobby our
legislators. They work on our behalf staying on top of bills
and policies. They do the science that is necessary to
influence the voters and policy makers. AoF has also
created a network of communication to keep us up to date on
the current issues. If you have not signed up for this at our
meetings, I strongly urge you to do so. You can also go to
http://audubonaction.org/florida to sign up. This link will
enable you to receive updates on environmental issues via e-
mail every week or so during the legislative session and
once a month the rest of the year. In each edition you will
read reviews of both good and bad legislation. Most
important is that you will be alerted to a particular critical
issue where you have the opportunity to make a difference.
You will be directed to click on a button that will send a
prepared letter to your Representative, Senator, and/or
whoever else needs to receive the message of support or
opposition. You have the choice to take action and it will
only take seconds if you choose to do so. This advocacy
could not happen without our membership in the National
organization.
You are a member of St. Petersburg Audubon, but more
importantly, you are also a part of a much larger, well-
respected and influential organization: The National
Audubon Society.

Pinellas Birds by Ron Smith

April in Pinellas County teems with optimism. It allows us to shelve our troubles, call in sick
to the office once in a while, and rekindle our love for nature and the birdlife it promotes.
If you haven’t been birding for very long then April is the month you need to explore. If
you’re an old timer to the hobby then you know what I’m saying and probably are already
making plans. Some of us may only get out once or twice all month, some of us nearly every
day, while others watch only their yards and let the birds come to them. However it’s done,
April rarely disappoints.
In years past Fort DeSoto County Park has hosted 300 hummingbirds in a single morning,
20+ species of warblers many times, dozens upon dozens of buntings, grosbeaks, and thrushes, and the list goes on and on.
Honeymoon Island State Park, which is generally just as good but under-birded in comparison, has many stories to tell, too.
During April I usually receive a few phone calls and e-mails from residents wanting to know what are all these cardinal-like
birds, with red bodies and black wings, doing in their yards? I simply tell them how lucky they are to see a Scarlet Tanager.
I never set a dentist appointment in April. Nor do I get my tires changed if I can avoid it. I don’t want to get tied up.
My April calendar is mostly open and commitments written in pencil. I urge all of you to get out as often as possible this
month, and if you’ve let your birding regress, go out and re-discover it.
MARCH HIGHLIGHTS: South county birders were treated to an unexpected Barred Owl that showed up at Boyd
Hill Nature Preserve in early February and was still around when this newsletter went to press. A male, it has been busy
courting the injured female within the preserve’s aviary.
On March 4th, just west of Lake Maggiore at Little Lake Eli, I observed two adult Limpkins with their three chicks,
feeding along the shoreline. This constitutes the southern-most breeding location of the species
within Pinellas County. The family was seen again on March 10th, still enjoying each other’s
company.
Vaughn Morrison called me on March 8th and said he had just seen 11 Swallow-tailed Kites over
southeast St. Pete. A Lesser Black-backed Gull has been seen several times since January at Lassing
Park. The first Hooded Warbler of the spring was seen (and photographed) March 10th at Fort
DeSoto CP. This marks the earliest sighting of the species in spring by four days, beating the
previous early date of March 14th.
 CONSERVATION NEWS by Dave Kandz

SPAS position on the proposed Downtown Stadium

The St. Petersburg Audubon Society believes the proposal to build a new waterfront stadium in downtown
St. Petersburg would have a negative effect on our environment. Based on information available to us, we
believe the proposed project will require filling approximately 0.6 acres within a State Aquatic Preserve for
a project which is non-water dependent.
The Clean Water Act (section 404) requires that any project requiring “the discharge of dredged or fill
material into U.S. waters” demonstrate the project is the “least environmentally damaging practicable alternative.”
The applicable section of the Clean Water Act has been upheld in numerous court decisions and judicial opinions, such as
“Bersani v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 674 F. Supp. 405 (N.D. N.Y. 1987), aff’d 850 F.2d 36 (2d Cir 1988).”
As one of the area’s oldest and most respected conservation organizations, the St. Petersburg Audubon Society supports
the Clean Water Act, the nation’s most important law limiting water pollution. Since an existing and functional stadium currently
exists, we believe the least environmentally damaging alternative is to utilize our existing stadium and its surrounding land for
the benefit of our City, our residents and our environment.
We look forward to working with the City of St. Petersburg in efforts to achieve our common goals.

A bill recently introduced by Senator Michael S. Bennett (district 21) could have a disastrous effect on
local and State Conservation lands
Senate Bill 1506 exempts electrical transmission lines from local government land use decisions. Should this bill pass in
its current form, any electric utility could use land within Brooker Creek Preserve, Weedon Island Preserve or other publicly-
owned land for their own purposes, regardless of any zoning or land use designations. Local land use regulations would be
pre-empted.
SB 1506’s worst provision:(8) A directly associated linear facility, including an electrical transmission line, pipeline, or
railway line, is exempt from local government land use plans and zoning ordinances under part II of chapter 163, and is not
subject to local government land use determinations or hearings held under this section.
The bill contains various other provisions which appear designed to shortcut or otherwise exempt electric utilities from local
and State land use regulations. As we go to press, the bill is undergoing revisions.
“No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the Legislature is in session” - Gideon J. Tucker
Should we allow our public utilities to bypass safeguards that protect our last and wildest lands from development? Should
we give utilities a free hand over our lands? Speak out for YOUR public lands! Visit our web site (stpeteaudubon.org) and click
on the “Issues and Actions” link to see how you can speak out to preserve our precious public lands!

For those of you following the horseshoe crab/red knot issue in New Jersey, here is summary of the latest news, from the NJ
Audubon website...
March 18, 2008 -- The NJ Senate passed the horseshoe crab moratorium legislation yesterday by a vote of 39 to 0! The bill
now goes to the Governor for his signature.
You can find the latest updates at stpeteaudubon.org/redknot

THANKS TO A UDUBON A DVENTURES C AMPAIGN C ONTRIBUTORS

Thank you to Mr. & Mrs. Don Brenner and to the Shell Key Shuttle (Alva Sholty), and to all who contributed to the
AUDUBON ADVENTURES Campaign. This environmental education program for children in grades 4 to 6 presents basic,
scientifically-accurate facts about birds, wildlife, and their habitats. AUDUBON ADVENTURES ’ content is aligned to the
national standards for the language arts and science, as well
as specifically to the state academic achievement standards
in 12 states, including FL.
Shell Key Shuttle Shell Out
$22/adult
Partnerships are So Important & Sunset Cruises $11/child <13
Captain Alva Sholty, a SPAS member and Skipper of the
Shell Key Shuttle, generously provides the Shuttle to ferry MERRY PIER
us to Shell Key for bird counts, work days, and much more. 801 Pass-A-Grille Way Ž St. Pete Beach, Florida
Thanks, Captain Alva! 727-360-1348
www.shellkeyshuttle.com
C aptain A lva S holty
CONSERVATION NEWS - CONTINUED
Concerning the “We Need a Good Least Tern Year”
A couple of weeks after the Sand Key beach was posted
I ventured North from Belleair Beach to check on the Least
Terns. I found the posted area, but no sign of birds. Just
empty sand and a mournful wind blowing past lonely posts
and twine.
What sort of world will we have made, without the
cheerful cries of these determined but overwhelmed fragile
creatures?
“While traveling, their light but firm flight is
wonderfully sustained, and on hearing and seeing
them on such occasions one is tempted to believe
them to be the happiest of the happy.”
- John James Audubon on Least Terns
Here’s hoping for a good Least Tern year.
USF Hosts Sustainability Expo
The EXPO is a multifaceted event, with exhibitors, speakers,
workshops, and films about going green, both as a consumer
and as a business. Several thousand attendees are expected.
It will be held on Sat., April 12, from 10am-4pm at the USF
Sundome on the Tampa campus. The EXPO is intended to:
! Showcase goods, services, information & ideas about
renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable design,
resource efficient development & green building;
! Foster growth of local sustainable product lines or
services;
! Stimulate community-wide interest in sustainability, and
jump starts actions to avert climate change;
! Feature sustainability-related careers
! Expose Tampa Bay to the nation & world as an
excellent place to grow a business or industry.
The event will be held on the Tampa Campus of the
University of South Florida. The Sun Dome will house all
of the exhibitors, including hybrid cars, electric vehicles
(EVs), biofuel trucks, solar vendors, green builders, etc.
For more info: http://www.goinggreentampabay.com/
expo-and-event-details/green-expo
April at the Weedon Island Preserve
Cultural & Natural History Center
Required: call (727) 453-6500 to pre-register for
all events
Saturday Guided Hikes
Apr. 5, 12, 19, and 26; 9am - 11am - Guided hikes
through coastal and upland ecosystems of the Preserve.
Join us to learn about the coastal environment and
the early residents of Weedon Island Preserve.
Bring water and a snack; hat and closed-toe
shoes. Reserve space by 2pm on the
Friday prior to the hike. Free. Recommended
ages: 6 and up.
Spring Weekend Turtle Workshops - Diamondback
Terrapins: Living on the Edge
Apr. 5, 9am – Noon; April 6, Noon - 5pm.
Field biologist and environmental educator George
Heinrich is teaching a series of “Turtle Workshops.” This
workshop focuses on the Diamondback Terrapin, and
includes a Saturday classroom session and canoe trip at the
Preserve on Sunday. Canoes provided. Registration fee
$75. Recommended for adults.
Saturday Guided Canoe Trips
Apr. 5 and 18; 12:30pm – 3:30pm - Take this opportunity
to explore a portion of the south canoe trail at the Preserve.
Trained canoe guides lead you through mangroves and
over seagrass and oyster beds, while pointing out various
flora and fauna that live here. Cost is $10/person or
$20/canoe for a max of 3 people/canoe. Minimum age:
Children must be 6 years or older and accompanied by an
adult.
Weedon Naturalist – Coastal Aquatic Workshop
Apr. 20, 12:30pm - 3:30pm - Interpretive techniques from
curriculum of the National Association for Interpretation
will provide tools to participants for sharing their
knowledge of the natural world with others. The Coastal
Aquatic workshop includes a classroom discussion,
collection of organisms in the shallow water areas of the
Tampa Bay estuary, and a lab session. Be prepared to get
your feet wet. Free. Recommended for adults.
Spring Weekend Turtle Workshops - Florida’s Riverine
Turtles: Identification, Natural History, and Conservation
Apr. 26, 9am - Noon and Apr. 27, 9am - 3pm
George Heinrich is teaching a series of “Turtle
Workshops” at the Preserve. This workshop focuses on the
turtles found in Florida’s riverine systems. Classroom
session on Sat. and a Sun. field trip to Rainbow Run in
Dunnellon with canoeing and snorkeling. Canoes
provided; bring your own snorkeling gear. Registration
fee $75. Recommended for adults.
Painting Our Florida Waters
Apr. 26, 2pm - 3pm - Nationally-recognized Florida artist
Christopher Still captures the beauty of our Florida waters
in works of fine art. Oceanographer and Tampa Bay
Aquatic Preserves Manager Dr. Randy Runnels, has
worked with Still for many years. Together they’ve
synthesized the best of art and science to depict FL’s
unique marine and freshwater environments. Join us to
learn about the art and science illustrated in Still’s unique
work. Free. Recommended for adults, suitable for ages 12
and up.
 IT’S GREAT TO BE GREEN by Barb Howard

Spring Cleaning
Many of us are creatures of habit and have used the same household cleaning products for years. Look
at what you are using now. Do the labels say things like corrosive, danger or warning? Do they tell you
that it may burn your skin or to use in a well-ventilated room? This probably isn’t what you want to continue to use since
it isn’t good for you or the environment. It’s time to give some of those green cleaning products a second chance. They
do a great job cleaning without the hazards and they’re easier to find now that they are being sold in grocery stores as well
as on-line.
So many things in our homes can be cleaned effectively without doing environmental harm.
Dishwasher detergent, fabric softener, laundry soap, tub and tile cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner and more
can be replaced with equally good green products. Look on the label for the words non-hazardous,
mild, non-irritant, or neutral pH. Don’t be fooled by cleaners that state they are all-natural or use
citrus. They can still be bad for the environment, due to all the chemical processing it takes to convert
fruits into cleaning agents.
Products from companies like Seventh Generation (www.seventhgeneration.com) or Simply Safe
(www.sim-plysafeproducts.com) are working to make green cleaning products affordable and available.
Seventh Generation products are available at local grocery stores or on line at www.drugstore.com.
Simply Safe products will be available for purchase at their website sometime in March. Don’t forget the wonderful
c om m o n h o u seh old p ro du cts lik e vin eg ar (w w w .v in eg artip s.co m/clean in g) an d bak in g so da
(www.thenewhomemaker.com/bakingsoda). The tips on the vinegar and baking soda websites are great!
This spring, turn over a new leaf and clean green. While you’re at it, don’t forget to buy other green household
products like toilet paper, paper towels, and printer paper made with 100% recycled paper. Be sure to recycle your own
paper, junk mail, cardboard, and newspaper at local bins supplied by Pinellas County. To locate one near you, check their
website at www.pinellascounty.org/utilities/recycle.htm.

Green Tip: No curbside pickup? Tired of hauling those recyclables? Check out a new curbside recycling
program in St Pete at www.oursprs.com. You can recycle aluminum, glass, newspaper and plastic for a modest monthly
fee.

We Need a Good Least Tern Year! by Monique Borboen-Abrahms

Last year, during our first beach survey (thanks to our volunteers, the
whole length of Pinellas County beaches are surveyed - a model in the
state), I was assigned Sand Key. At a wide part of the beach, as I was
carefully scanning ahead with my binoculars, I saw a white spot moving
on the upper beach. Barely detectable, but yes, it was what I was hoping
for, a Least Tern. It flew up then came back to the same spot on the
beach. Three other birds flew in. During a disturbance, I approached the
spot and saw two eggs, so cryptic in their scrape. I had found a nesting
Least Tern (LETE)… and felt horrible: LETE are colonial nesters, but
where were the other birds? Were these four birds the remnant of a
colony we had here a few years back? LETE live long and are attached
to their historical sites… Was I witnessing the disappearance of a species Least Tern by Dave Kandz
from our county? From our state - as much of Florida is predicted to
look like our county soon?
Well, our studies are only a few years old and more data are needed. It is quite possible that LETE are experiencing
a few bad years, or that they moved to a better place. But we really need to keep an eye out. And we need to see if our
efforts to protect them better are helping.
So please consider joining us for our surveys and other protection efforts. Our training session will be Thursday,
April 17th; e-mail Beth Forys at forysea@eckerd.edu if you can participate.
As for the four Sand Key Least Terns, we gave them a chance: some dedicated volunteers went and posted around
the two nest scrapes with ropes and informative signs. The birds abandoned their eggs within a week, probably unable
to fight off predators like a colony could have.
Out of the mouths of babes...
When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, “I’m not sure.” “Look in your underwear, Grandpa,” he
advised. “Mine says I’m four to six.”
A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, “Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make
babies today.” The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool.
“That’s interesting,” she said, “How do you make babies?” “It’s simple,” replied the girl. “You just change ‘y’ to ‘i’ and
add ‘es’.”

The St. Petersburg Audubon Society

N ON -P ROFIT O RG .
P.O. Box 49087 St. Petersburg, FL 33743-9087 U S P OSTAGE
www.stpeteaudubon.org 727-384-0027
Chapter Representatives
PAID
St Petersburg, FL
President: Mauri Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398-4124
Vice President: Maureen Arnold (M embership) . . . . . . 577-0448
Permit #6340
Treasurer: Rick Potter (W ays & Means) . . . . . . . . . . . . 822-9637
Secretary: Nancy Ogden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 894-5940
Board Members and Duties:
Harold Albers (Education) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 864-1113
Mary Brazier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 867-7151
Suzanne Cooper (Newsletter) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 813-892-4342
W anda Dean (Special Events) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321-3995
Peter Edm ond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593-1796
Barb Howard (Programs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343-1272
Dave Kandz (Conservation & Publicity) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471-0699
Mark Mueller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 686-3179
Jeanne Murphy (Program s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391-8362
Lee Snyder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 865-2293
Gabe Vargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 864-2683
Neighborhood Outreach: Barb Zias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521-4997
Least Tern Project: Monique Abram s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230-0732
Shell Key: Barb Ranck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374-7039

SPAS N OMINATING C OMMITTEE

R EPORT
Seminole Electric is a BNB
Sponsor - Thanks!
Your Nominating Committee: Barb Ranck, by Rick Potter
and Jeanne Murphy and me, has developed
the slate of SPAS officers and board
members for the 2008-2009 calendar year.
We have a great group of Officers and S eminole Electric Cooperative, Inc., has again joined us
Directors returning: as one of our Beach Nesting Bird program corporate spon-
sors. They are a non-profit organization that makes
Mauri Peterson, President significant investments in their operations toward
Maureen Arnold, Vice President protecting and preserving Florida’s environment and
Rick Potter, Treasurer natural resources.
Seminole Electric
Nancy Ogden, Secretary Cooperative is a genera-
Directors: tion and transmission
cooperative serving 1.6
Harold Albers Mary Brazier Wanda Dean million customers in
Barbara Howard Dave Kandz Mark Mueller portions of 46 Florida
counties.
Jeanne Murphy Lee Snyder
We thank them for
Also on the slate for election to the SPAS Board for their continued, generous
2008-2009 are two new candidates: Alice Tenney and support.
Judi Hopkins. If you want to become
If you are interested in joining us or finding out more a select business sponsor
about the Board of Directors’ duties, please contact me, of the Beach Nesting Bird
Suzanne Cooper, at 813-892-4342 or suzanne@tbrpc.org. project and help preserve
these unique birds for future generations, contact the
Join us at the Year-end Potluck Dinner and Program SPAS Treasurer (me) at rpotter5@tampabay.rr.com or
on April 15th to elect the Officers and Board for 2008-09. 727-822-9637.