www.jayhawkaudubon.

org

Volume 33, Issue 6 FEBRUARY, 2009

Monday, February 23 Bluebirds nesting in a

natural cavity. The

The Eastern Bluebird in Eastern Kansas

Beacon 2nd Reader.
James Fassett. 1914.
Gutenberg ebook.

Tammy Steeples, our February speaker, first became involved in the Kaw Valley Bluebird Association after hearing a talk on
bluebird trails at a garden club meeting. She was intrigued and joined the monitoring crew at Clinton Lake. Clearly this was a
fulfilling experience since she has served as KVBBA president for a couple of terms now, monitored the Perry Lake trail for the
past several nesting seasons and also helped establish the Rotary Club Arboretum trail.

Interest in restoring bluebird populations began in the early 1900’s as bluebird habitat was disappearing
due to development of various sorts. Competition from introduced species, in particular the House Sparrow
and European Starling, as well as pesticide use in the 1950's and 1960's further contributed to the bluebird’s
decline. As early as the 1930's advocates were promoting "bluebird trails" but it wasn't until the 1970's that
most massive bluebird restoration efforts were started. Some of these were in Minnesota, Kentucky, New
Bluebird & nest box.
York and Kansas! According to a 2002 article in National Geographic the number of Eastern Bluebirds
Jack Schroeder. increased more than 3% a year between 1980 and 2001 so it appears the species is making a recovery.

The Kaw Valley Bluebird Association started in March 1999 although several folks (Wes Seyler, Tom Rod-
house, Martin Jones, Gene Van Hoesen and others) had been working on bluebird trails for years establishing a
trail at Clinton Lake in 1976 and one at Eagle Bend Golf Course in 1998. Today there are trails at Perry Lake,
Rim Rock Farm, the Kansas State Historical Society, Rock Springs 4-H Camp, the Rotary Club Arboretum, the
Bloomington area of Clinton Lake and many member’s homes and farms. In 2008 KVBBA monitors recorded
the fledging of 839 bluebirds from 236 boxes! -Tammy Steeples
Bluebird nest with
Dinner with Tammy Steeples: 5:30 p.m. Angler’s Seafood House. 1004 Massachusetts, Lawrence eggs. Wikipedia.

Program: 7:30 p.m. Trinity Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall. 1245 New Hampshire, Lawrence.
Refreshments. Plenty of parking in the lot directly east of the church.

All programs of the Jayhawk Audubon Society are free and open to the public. Please join us.

FIELD TRIP: SATURDAY, FEBRU-

ARY 21
Gull. Kirsten Munson
National Audubon
Chapter Resources.

Winter Birding at Beautiful Perry

Lake
Gull. Kirsten Munson

National Audubon
Chapter Resources.
 2 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY
Poisoning Prairie Dogs Imperils
Ferrets, Owls, Hawks & More
Audubon of Kansas Update
Last August the Kansas conservation community was elated
with biologists’ surveys finding that the captive-raised black-
footed ferrets reintroduced to several locations in the western part
of the state in December, 2007 had produced several litters. This
news, indicating they are thriving in the wild, portended well for
both the endangered ferrets and their prairie dog hosts.
Now, however, comes the disturbing news that the Logan
county commission has notified the US Fish & Wildlife Service
that it plans to poison prairie dogs on 465 acres of one of the
ranches before spring. Adding to the potential damage, they plan
to use the anti-coagulant Rozol which can take days to weeks to
kill an animal by causing internal hemorrhaging and which
persists in the corpse so that a predator or scavenger may also
be poisoned. Prairie dogs are a food source for not only the
endangered ferrets, but also swift foxes, badgers, coyotes,
Ferruginous Hawks, Golden and Bald Eagles, owls and bobcats.
Sadly the USFWS allows the use of Rozol and another anti-
coagulant Kaput in some “pest management” applications even
though there are quicker-acting, non-persistent poisons and other
(slightly) more humane methods of control as well. (See http://
environmentalchemistry.com and look under environmental
issues for a series of articles on prairie dogs.) The Western
Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, representing 23 states
and Canadian provinces, has officially asked the EPA to rescind
permits for use of these two poisons because of their deleterious
effect on “non-target” grassland species.
Sophie Cayless.
South Dakota Dept.Fish, Game & Parks.
There is disagreement on the issue of how much damage ‘dog
towns’ do to rangeland with many ranchers feeling they compete
too heavily with cattle for forage while some studies find that
prairie dog actions actually stimulate plant growth and their
burrow systems collect rain water and help recharge water tables.
(See http://www.prairiedogs.org/resources.html.) In any case,
since some ranchers are able to coexist with and even welcome
them as part of the rich suite of grassland species, there seems no
excuse to wipe them out completely, especially with brutal
poisons that can also kill other valuable animals.
Please write to the EPA to demand that Rozol and Kaput no
longer be used on prairie dogs and that all permits for their use be
rescinded. Here’s the address:
Ms. Debbie Edwards, Office Director
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Pesticide Programs
Director’s Office 7501P
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20460
- Susan Iversen
Prairie Dog habitat
Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Newsletter Expenses Nearly
20% of JAS Budget
Can you help us reduce this cost? The JAS Board of Direc-
tors wants to pare expenses so we better use available funds to
support education and awareness programs such as the Wetland
Learners Program or the Eagles Day event. In so doing, we are
asking all of our members to consider receiving the newsletter
via the website posting. Printing and mailing fewer newsletters
would also be a big green step reducing paper, ink & fuel use.
If you are willing to be taken off the postal mailing list,
please contact Chuck and Ruth Herman either by mail
(20761 Loring Road, Linwood, KS 66052) or by e-mail
(hermansnuthouse@earthlink.net). The most recent newsletter
is usually on the website by the 10th of each month and can be
viewed in its entirety (Kid’s Page and all!) at
www.jayhawkaudubon.org. If you are contacting the Hermans
via e-mail, please be sure to note “JAS newsletter” somewhere
in your subject heading so we will be sure to recognize your
request through our filters!
- Chuck Herman
Want to help make the
changes the planet needs?
There is plenty to be done
in Lawrence and Kansas
and JAS is active in the
work. Join in and
JOIN THE BOARD
The JAS Board of Directors that is. Every May officers and
board members are selected for the coming year. This year we
have special need for a President and Recording Secretary,
an Education Chair and a Migratory Count Chair. The
nominating committee is meeting now to find the right people.
Actually if there is any office you are interested in, please
put your name forward. It could well be that the volunteer
doing that job is ready for a change. We welcome and NEED
fresh ideas as does any organization that wants to be effective
as well as fun.
Being a JAS Board member is rewarding, challenging
and brings with it the bonus of working with a fine group
of committed people. Contact Chuck Herman: 913-301-
3921 or hermansnuthouse@earthlink.net to learn more
and volunteer.
 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY 3

JAS officers & Board Members

President: Chuck Herman: 913-301-3921
hermansnuthouse@earthlink.net
Vice President: Richard Bean
Recording Sec’y: VOLUNTEER NEEDED
Corresponding: Sec’y: Pam Chaffee
Treasurer: Jennifer Delisle
Member Chapter
Change Report: Chuck & Ruth Herman
Membership
Promotion: Dayna Carleton
Newsletter: Susan Iversen: 785-843-1142
siversen@sunflower.com
Conservation: Sara Katich
Save Prairie Park Nature Center! Programs:
Education:
Joyce Wolf
VOLUNTEER NEEDED
Field Trips: Steve Roels
Due to budget reduction proposals at the state level, Dave Publicity: Dayna Carleton
Electronic
Corliss, our City Manager, is recommending the permanent Communications: Karyn Baker-Riney
closure of Prairie Park Nature Center. If you want the Bird Seed Sale: Linda Lips
Birdathon: Richard Bean
nature center to stay open and continue to provide excellent Christmas Count: Galen Pittman
environmental education please attend the City Commis- Migratory Count: VOLUNTEER NEEDED
sion meeting on Eagles Day: Ed & Cynthia Shaw
Hospitality: Esther Smith
Tuesday, Feb. 3rd at 6:35 pm at City Hall. Historian: Ron Wolf
Books & Feeders: Ron & Joyce Wolf
Board Member: Dena Friesen
You can also let your commissioners know how you feel Board Member: Lisa Grossman
by email or phone: Board Member: Mark King
City Mngr: Dave Corliss: dcorliss@ci.lawrence.ks.us; 785-832-3400 Board Member: Jake Vail
Board Member: Alice Weis
Mayor: Michael Dever: mdever@sunflower.com; 785-865-4202.
Vice Mayor: Rob Chesnut: robchestnut@sunflower.com; 764-3220
Commissioner: Mike Amyx:mikeamyx515@hotmail.com;842-9425 Wings & Wetlands
Commissioner: Sue Hack:suehack@sunflower.com;842-6608.
Comm: Boog Highberger: boog@laawrence.ixks.com; 843-0995
Great Bend, Kansas
April 24-25-26, 2009
Also contact your state representatives: In connection with World Wetlands Day
District 10: Tony Brown: tony.brown@house.ks.gov; 785-296-7885. on February 2, it is worth noting that only
District 2: Tom Sloan: tom.sloan@house.ks.gov; 785-296-7654. 24 wetlands in the United States have been
District 46: Paul Davis; paul.davis@house.ks.gov; 785-296-7630. designated by the Ramsar Convention as
District 44: Barbara Ballard: Barbara.ballard@house.ks.gov; wetlands of international importance and
Kansas has 2 of them: Cheyenne Bottoms
785-296-7697. and Quivira NWR. The Wings and Wet-
lands Birding Festival is a great introduction
Most of you won’t see this newsletter until after the meeting on the to the area with guided tours and workshops
3rd. We hope a final decision will not be made at that meeting. It is led by very knowledgeable birders. It is
very important for YOU to let the commission and state legislators only held every other year and this is one of
the years. Call (620) 792-2750 or visit
know your thoughts on this issue. We have to be ‘the squeaky www.visitgreatbend.com for more informa-
wheel’. Write to the Journal World also. Learning to appreciate and tion.
be comfortable with nature is crucial for our children and the planet. For more on the Ramsar Convention visit
This is what Prairie Park accomplishes. www.ramsar.org.
 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY
It’s the 12th Annual
Great Backyard
Bird Count
FEBRUARY 13-16, 2009
Here’s how to participate:
Visit www.birdcount.org for instructions, including
tips for identifying bird species. Download a check
list for your area.
Count the birds you see, wherever you choose to count.
You are not restricted to counting in your backyard!
You can count in a local park or favorite birding spot
or off your balcony if you don’t have a backyard.
Write down the highest number of individuals you see
at one time--that way you will avoid counting any
bird twice.
After at least 15 minutes of watching in one place,
report your results online at www.birdcount.org.
You can spend more time observing if you prefer.
You can repeat your count at the same place on each
day of the Great Backyard Bird Count. You can also
visit other locations and submit separate tallies for
those areas as well.
Count birds with Burroughs Audubon Society of Greater
Kansas City. Contact: (913) 764-7759. Learn about
the birds that winter in Northeast Kansas from experi-
enced birders at Ernie Miller Nature Park 909 North
Highway 7, Olathe. Saturday, 2/14, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.
VIEW YOUR RESULTS
Online maps & lists are updated throughout the count,
so you can see how your birds fit into the big picture.
SHARE YOUR PHOTOS & VIDEOS
Submit your digital images of birds & birders for the
online gallery and photo contest at www.birdcount.org.
Upload videos to YouTube with the tag “GBBC” and
the best will be posted on the Great Backyard Bird
Count website.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is hosted by the National
Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
4
RESULTS OF THE
2008 LAWRENCE CBC
By Galen Pitman, Compiler
Thirty (plus three at feeders) participants, in 13 parties,
found 93 species on 20 December 2008 on the occasion
of the 109th National Audubon Christmas Bird Count
& the 65th Lawrence Christmas Bird Count. This was
the eleventh time we have equaled or broken the 90 spe-
cies total since 1993, when we first broke the 90 species
threshold. It was a very good effort by all in spite of
the cold windy conditions. We recorded 24 species of
waterfowl and other water birds. In general, overall bird
numbers were low or just average. House Sparrow and
House Finch numbers continue to be very low as were
other sparrows, blackbirds, and finches. The only
exceptions to that trend, in that group of species, were
Dark-eyed Junco and American Tree Sparrow numbers.
The complete list (in the latest AOU order) that follows
has the unusual species and/or unusually high individual
numbers underlined or highlighted. We set all-time
record high counts for three species: Canada Goose
(13,300)..…exceeded the previous high by over 225%,
Cackling Goose (100), and Bufflehead (100).
Other unusual species were Greater White-fronted
Goose (3), Ross’s Goose (2), Ruddy Duck (4), Glaucous
Gull (1), LeConte’s Sparrow (1), Brewer’s Blackbird (1),
and Common Redpoll (1). Notable misses this year in-
clude half a dozen duck species, Prairie Falcon, Killdeer,
Bonaparte’s Gull, Long-eared Owl and Winter Wren.
Thanks to all of this year's participants, to Jayhawk
Audubon for covering the participation fee and to the
Prairie Park Nature Center for providing us with a place
to hold the compilation dinner Hope to see you all again
next year for the 110th National Audubon Christmas
Bird Count
Winter feeders. www.ponddoc.com
 5 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY
Species List for the 2008 Lawrence CBC
Greater White-fronted Goose – 3
Snow Goose – 1020
Ross’s Goose -- 2
Canada Goose – 13,300 (High)
Cackling Goose – 100 (High)
Gadwall – 63
Mallard – 2070
Northern Shoveler – 14
Green-winged Teal – 1
Ring-necked Duck – 1
Lesser Scaup -- 5
Bufflehead – 100 (High)
Common Goldeneye – 242
Hooded Merganser – 23
Common Merganser – 2180
Ruddy Duck - 4
Wild Turkey – 107
Northern Bobwhite -- 14
Pied-billed Grebe – 41
Double-crested Cormorant – 31
Great Blue Heron – 3
Bald Eagle – 28
Adult - (15)
Immature - (13)
Northern Harrier – 20
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 3
Cooper's Hawk – 3
Red-tailed Hawk – 80
Rough-legged Hawk -- 1
American Kestrel – 24
American Coot – 10
Ring-billed Gull – 1500
Herring Gull – 25
Glaucous Gull -- 1
Snow
Geese.
Environment
Canada.
Hermit Thrush. San Diego
Museum of Natural History
Rock Pigeon – 440
Eurasian Collared-Dove – 3
Mourning Dove – 173
Eastern Screech-Owl – 1
Great Horned Owl – 6
Barred Owl – 5
Belted Kingfisher – 3
Red-headed Woodpecker – 16
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 78
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 9
Downy Woodpecker – 52
Hairy Woodpecker – 9
Northern Flicker – 66
Pileated Woodpecker – 1
Loggerhead Shrike – 1
Blue Jay – 103
American Crow – 298
Horned Lark – 1140
Black-capped Chickadee – 112
Tufted Titmouse – 66
Red-breasted Nuthatch – 4
White-breasted Nuthatch – 23
Brown Creeper – 14
Carolina Wren – 50
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 7
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 4
Eastern Bluebird – 172
Hermit Thrush – 6
American Robin – 2170
Northern Mockingbird – 6
European Starling – 5000
Cedar Waxwing – 420
Yellow-rumped Warbler -- 29
Spotted Towhee – 1
American Tree Sparrow – 1140
Field Sparrow – 1
LeConte’s Sparrow –1
Fox Sparrow – 8
Song Sparrow – 283
Lincoln’s Sparrow – 1
Swamp Sparrow – 29
White-throated Sparrow -- 82
Harris's Sparrow – 103
White-crowned Sparrow – 25
Dark-eyed Junco – 3030
Lapland Longspur – 585
Northern Cardinal – 320
Red-winged Blackbird – 2330
Eastern Meadowlark – 59
Western Meadowlark -- 6
Golden-crowned
Kinglets
Sturnella, spp.-- 274
Rusty Blackbird – 33
Brewer’s Blackbird -- 1
Common Grackle – 60
Great-tailed Grackle - 2
Brown-headed Cowbird – 28
Purple Finch -- 10
House Finch – 133
Common Redpoll -- 1
Pine Siskin – 13
American Goldfinch – 332
House Sparrow – 326
Galen Pittman,
Lawrence CBC compiler
 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY KIDS PAGE 6

WORLD WETLANDS DAY IS FEBRUARY 2, 2009

Upstream-Downstream: Wetlands connect us all

To see some frogs trying to figure out what to do with the disgusting garbage
coming downstream into their wetland home, click here:
http://www.ramsar.org/pictures/wwd2009-a-comic1-e.jpg

Be a friend to frogs, birds, other humans and the planet:

DON’T LITTER. Litter washes into rivers! Better yet: RECYCLE, REDUCE, REUSE!!
Ask your parents to go easy on fertilizer & poisons in your yard. Extra ends up in the river.
When you drink a glass of water, think about all the wetlands upstream that helped save
that delicious water for your thirsty body.
Make a frog. Color, Cut & Fold your frog following the diagrams RIBBIT, RIBBIT!
on the Ramsar Wetlands Convention website:

To print a copy of an origami frog you can make, click on this link.

http://www.ramsar.org/wwd/9/cd/wwd2009-frog2-e.pdf
For instructions on folding your frog, click on this link
http://www.ramsar.org/wwd/9/cd/wwd2009-frog-instr-e.pdf

Cartoon and frog template from www.ramsar.org. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. There is a lot of
information on this website about the efforts of people all over the world to conserve their wetlands.
Remember that it’s good to know about the rest of the world, but you need to make things better in your
own backyard! Happy World Wetlands Day!
 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY 7

The Nature of Kansas Lands

Beverley Worster, ed. The Librum

Reviewed by Barbara Watkins

As February begins, many of us are tired of being cooped up indoors by the winter cold, snow, and ice. As a respite from
cabin fever, I highly recommend reading The Nature of Kansas Lands, a strikingly beautiful new collection of photos, essays, and
ecosystem facts edited by Beverley Worster and published by the University Press of Kansas (2008) in partnership with the Kansas
Land Trust (KLT), a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving lands of significance in Kansas.
In her Preface, Beverley Worster, president of the Kansas Land Trust, describes the book’s purpose:
to help readers get to know and understand the impressive diversity of landscapes in this state, to open their eyes to its
beauty and complexity. We want to encourage people to explore back country roads, to learn the native grasses and wildlife,
and to be more aware of other long-distance travelers, such as the monarch butterflies and the many species of birds, that
depend on this place for rest and sustenance during their migrations.
Donald Worster, Kansas University Hall Distinguished Professor of American History and author of several award-winning
books and numerous articles on environmental history, echoes and expands on these sentiments in his Foreword:
The book’s collaborators . . . take us down seldom-traveled roads or trails to quiet ponds, remnant prairies, and wetlands
where fellow beings . . . live their lives more or less as they have for thousands of years. . . Excursions into the more
natural parts of the state can offer lessons in how to build a sustainable life, how to use resources efficiently, how to solve
difficult problems, and how to make our lives a work of grace and beauty.

The heart of this book is a collection of seventeen essays by Elizabeth Schultz, KU Chancellor’s Club Distinguished
Professor of English emerita and author of books and articles on Herman Melville and the environment. These essays were originally
published in her column Stewardship Notes in the Kansas Land Trust newsletter. One of my favorite essays describes the pond in
the Fitch Natural History Reservation northeast of Lawrence, a secluded, heavily wooded area, which used to belong to the Delaware
Indians and later to Charles Robinson, first governor of Kansas, that I have often visited and dearly love. Hikes there and along the
Kansas (Kaw) River provide exercise, mental health therapy, and solace in all seasons of the year. Winter hikes on the Kaw are
particularly invigorating as the wind comes off the ice and eagles hunt near the Bowersock Dam.

In describing the Wakarusa Wetlands at twilight in October, Schultz comments that “[w]hen the light changes there’s a
chance that the most familiar place may become unknown. . . . You don’t turn off your eyes at dusk . . . but like the animal that you
are and like the animals who surround you, . . . your senses of smell and sound intensify in the gathering darkness.” Although, as
Schultz asserts, “a winter field is all subtlety,” spring brings great transformation. While hiking the Dornwood nature trail in
Shawnee County in March, she is dazzled by “the fuchsia haze of redbuds, ubiquitous in town and countryside, the distinguishing
feature of Kansas spring.” On another spring day in Greenwood County, watching smoke from burn-offs, she comments “I felt like I
had been in touch with all the elements—earth, water, fire, and air . . . I rolled down the windows and let the meadowlarks sing in to
celebrate elemental loveliness.”

Edward C. Robison’s stunning color landscape photographs and Kyle Gerstner’s wildlife close-ups complement the
essays, as do sidebars about wildlife, wetlands, weather, agriculture and grasslands by biologist Kelly Kindscher. Did you know, for
example, that the Cheyenne Bottoms is one of the most important stopover sites for migrating shorebirds in the North American
interior and neighboring Quivira National Wildlife Refuge is a staging area for more than 500,000 birds during spring migration?

This impressive book entices us to explore and enjoy the natural treasures of our state. Profits from the sale of The Nature of
Kansas Lands will support the KLT’s preservation of Kansas lands of scenic and ecological significance. Jason Fizell, KLT director,
notes that this organization has protected 7,000 acres from development and hopes to double that figure in the next five years.

More Good Books on Kansas

Lynn Byczynski and Timothy J. Kent. Exploring the Kaw Valley: A Guide to the Natural and Historic Treasures of the Kansas River
Valley. Lawrence, KS: Breadbasket Publishing, 2002, pbk.
Bob Gress and George Potts. Watching Kansas Wildlife: A Guide to 101 Sites. Lawrence, KS.: Univ. Press of Kansas, 1993, pbk.
Paul K. Stuewe, ed. Kansas Revisited: Historical Images and Perspectives, 3rd ed. Univ. of Kansas Continuing Education, 2004, pbk
 Jayhawk Audubon Society Nonprofit Organization
P.O. Box 3741 U.S. Postage
PAID
Lawrence, KS 66046 Lawrence, KS
Return Service Requested Permit No. 201
p. 3
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Application for New Membership in both: National Audubon Society and Jayhawk Chapter
___$15 Student; ___$20 Introductory for NEW members; ____$15 Senior Citizen.
(Make check payable to National Audubon Society.)

Application for Chapter-only Membership (Jayhawk Audubon Society). No Audubon magazine.

___$7.50 Chapter-only (Make check payable to Jayhawk Audubon Society.) Those with National Audubon
memberships are encouraged to support the chapter by voluntarily paying these dues. Chapter membership
expires annually in July.

National Audubon Society members receive four issues per year of the Audubon magazine and are also
members of the Jayhawk Chapter. All members also receive 10 issues of this newsletter per year and are
entitled to discounts on books and feeders that are sold to raise funds to support education and conservation
projects. Please send this completed form and check to Membership Chairs at the following address:
Ruth & Chuck Herman; 20761 Loring Road, Linwood, KS 66052; e-mail contact:
hermansnuthouse@earthlink.net . {National Members Renewing: please use the billing form received
from National and send it with payment to National Audubon Society in Boulder, CO}.

Name __________________________; Address ___________________________________________;

City ___________________________; State ______; ZIP Code (9) digit _________

Telephone (with Area Code) ___________________

J02: 7XCH

Bluebird leaving nest box.

Wikipedia