DECEMBER 2004/JANUARY 2005

WINGBEAT
Cullman Audubon Society
PO Box 1444 WINTER
Cullman, AL 35056 WONDERLAND
Francene Van Sambeek, Editor Volume 9, Issue 2
Inside this issue:

PRESIDENT’S ROOST By Henry Beeler January Meeting 3

Dear Audubon Society, November Field Trip 3

First I want to apologize for being late in having this ready for Francene’s first issue of January Field Trip 3
Wingbeat for this year. I want to thank the local Audubon group for giving me the privilege of Audubon Happenings 3
being the President for this year. So far, I am finding the President’s position to be a very easy
position to fill. This is because of the outstanding support I have received from the entire October Field Trip 4
group, especially the officer and board members.
Our Vice-President and Program Director, Neal Culpepper, has already provided us with an
outstanding array of programs. I have heard what he has planned for the rest of the year and Coming attrac-
know it will continue to be a very interesting and informative year for us, program wise. I cer- tions
tainly appreciate Julia Bright stepping in as Secretary- Treasure as well as Publicity Chairper- • December 14, 2004:
son when Karen Lindsey had to withdraw. Meeting 7PM. So-
As always, Francene Van Sambeek is doing a superb job in what I would personally con- cial.
sider the least desirable of our positions simply because I do not like to write, which reflects
• December 19, 2004:
why this attempt is late. Francene publishes our Wingbeat semimonthly and gets out the cards
reminding us of our meetings. Once again Dave Pylant, who is our Conservation Chair and Field Trip. All day.
Field Trip Chair, has done a fine job. Unfortunately, Hurricane Ivan swamped the planned field Christmas Bird
trip to the Bird Fest at Fairhope. Dave and Jimmy Wells came up with a fine substitute outing. Count.
Jimmy Wells is once again handling the Christmas bird count for us. This is something I • January 11, 2005:
would encourage everyone to participate in. I have taken part in the past 3 counts and have Meeting 7PM. Topic:
found it to be very informative as well as fun. Robert Lindsey is handling bird rescue. I am Fire Ants.
sure he can use some assistance particularly form some of you who have retired and might have
some time to transport birds to Birmingham. I understand there is a relay system where some- • January 16, 2005:
times one can meet people in Gardendale and pass on the injured bird. Robert works at Wal- Field Trip. Gunters-
Mart Distribution Center during the day and builds cabinets at night so his time to transport ville State Park.
birds is very limited.
I would like to encourage everyone to attend our meetings whenever possible and when pos-
sible, bring a friend with you. We have excellent programs. I am sorry that our atten- DECEMBER 14,
dance is not better. If anyone has any suggestions for programs, outings, or ways of in- 2004: CHRIST-
creasing our attendance, please contact me or one of the other officers. MAS SOCIAL
Sincerely, Henry S. Beeler, M.D. Please join us at 7
PM for our Audubon
Christmas Social.
DECEMBER 19TH FIELD TRIP-CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT BY JIMMY WELLS Bring your favorite
I went out early the morning of Sunday, November 14th, and went to the North Alabama Hor- finger foods and best
ticultural Research Center. Most of you probably still refer to this as the Auburn Experiment Sta- birding stories to
tion, or perhaps just the Experiment Station. I spent only thirty minutes out there, but I managed share.
to see 23 Blue jays, 4 Northern Flickers, 7 Crows, 3 Turkey Vultures, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Ameri- We will meet in
can Kestrel, 70+ Eastern Meadowlarks, 13 Mourning Doves, 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, 21 Rock the old Science Build-
Pigeons, 12 Eastern Bluebirds, 5 Field Sparrows, 2 White-throated Sparrows, 1 Herring Gull, 2 ing on the campus of
Robins, 400+ Common Grackle, 1 Northern Mockingbird, 7 Mallards, 1 Great Blue Heron, 1 Dou- St. Bernard Prep
School. See the Octo-
ble-crested Cormorant, 3 Common Mergansers, and 4 Ruddy Ducks. My one disappoint-
ber “Wingbeat” for a
(Continued on page 2) map and directions to
the meeting site.

2004-2005 Officers/ Committee Chairs
OFFICERS:
President:
(W) 256-739-0455
(H) 256-739-3436
hmbeeler@corrcomm.net
Immediate Past President:
(H) 256-734-6775
(W) 256-775-1389
(F) 256-734-6288
Vice-President:
(W) 256-739-1389
Secretary/Treasurer:
(H) 256-784-6277
(W) 256-352-8036
julia.bright@wallacestate.edu
COMMITTEE CHAIRS:
Conservation/Research:
(W) 256-352-8242
(H) 256-734-5716
david.pylant@wallacestate.edu
Program:
(W) 256-739-1389
Education:
(W) 256-974-6166
(H) 256-739-4589
vmeleski@mindspring.com
Field Trip:
(W) 256-352-8242
(H) 256-734-5716
david.pylant@wallacestate.edu
Publicity:
(H) 256-784-6277
(W) 256-352-8036
brtflds@HiWaay.net
Electronic communications:
(W) 256-734-3894
(H) 256-739-0933
wellsjimmy@hotmail.com
Newsletter:
(W) 256-352-8036
(H) 256-775-6407
francene@mindspring.com
Christmas Bird Count:
(W) 256-734-3894
(H) 256-739-0933
wellsjimmy@hotmail.com
Membership:
(W) 256-737-2259
(H) 256-747-8040
Bird Rescue:
(cell) 256-636-0208
Earth Day:
Cullman Audubon Website: www.cullmanaudubon.com
National Audubon Website: www.audubon.org
Page 2
(Christmas Bird Count. Continued from page 1)
ment was not seeing the Bald Eagle that had been seen there re-
cently.
Henry Beeler What does this have to do with an article on the Christmas Bird Count?
900 Shady Lane
Cullman, AL 35055
Well, it's part of my plea for more people to join us. You see, the Experiment
Station was not covered at all in last year's Christmas Bird Count. I saw 584
Jerry Jacob
birds in one half hours time, 22 species including 4 that weren't seen last year.
251 CO RD 1401 New to our group and wondering what the heck a Christmas Bird
Cullman, AL 35058 Count is? Well, it is an opportunity for you to help out in a national database
j8jacob@yahoo.com
of bird populations that has been accumulating for over 100 years. Birders all
Neal Culpepper over the country on their groups' Count Day fan out in a 15 mile diameter cir-
545 CO RD 1169
Cullman, AL 35055 cle and count as many birds as they can identify. The information goes into a
Julia Bright
database maintained at Cornell University, and is very important in identify-
546 Holmes Drake RD ing trends in bird populations.
Falkville, AL 35622 Counts are designated to be held between December 15 and January 5,
preferably on the same date or timeframe every year. This year, our count will
be held on Sunday, December 19th. We will meet at the Culpepper Real Es-
David Pylant
403 9th St SE
tate office at 6 AM, assign the territories to the groups of birders that assemble
Cullman, AL 35055 there, then go out and count! We will meet back at the office at 12 (noon), and
do a quick preliminary tally, then head back out into the field. After the after-
Neal Culpepper noon session, we will assemble at Culpepper's at 5 PM to tabulate the results.
545 CO RD 1169 Sounds pretty intense, huh? Well, it is. I'd like to take this opportunity to
Cullman, AL 35055
thank those who year after year put such an effort into helping make the count
Vince Meleski
121 CO RD 1415
a success and a lot of fun. But we need more help. Initially, we divided the
Cullman AL 35058 circle into 4 sections, and for the past two years, we added a fifth team. I'd
like to see enough people show up to further divide the areas to cover one
David Pylant more area this year. That would enable us to not miss hotspots such as the
403 9th St SE Experiment Station.
Cullman, AL 35055
Don't think you are good enough at birding to help? Well, if you can
count on your fingers or see a bird, you can help. We won't send you out
Julia Bright
546 Holmes Drake RD alone, we'll team you with another birder. It's a fantastic learning opportunity,
Falkville, AL 35622 and an extra set of eyes or someone to write down the results do the rest of us
a world of good.
Jimmy Wells Can't get out of the house that day? Well, if you live within the
210 CO RD 469
Cullman, AL 35057
Count Circle, you can participate from the comfort of your home.
For example, chapter members Loran and Caila Lamont do this
every year, and add greatly to the totals. All they do is keep track of the
Francene Van Sambeek
266 CO RD 699 birds that visit their feeder that day, and pass the results to me.
Cullman, AL 35055 Where is the Count Circle? Well, we have arbitrarily chosen the intersec-
(F) 256-352-8038 tion of Highway 278 and Interstate 65 as the center, and drawn a circle with a
Jimmy Wells 7 1/2 mile radius from that point. It extends north to the Vinemont Airport,
210 CO RD 469
Cullman, AL 35057
east almost to Berlin, south nearly to Hanceville and west past Spring Hill.
Not in town on that day? Well, we can still use any sightings from the
Rachel Moody
16th through the 22nd. Any species sighted within that period that is not seen
1194CO RD 1043 on Count Day can be added to the total number of species that are seen. This
Cullman, AL 35057 can be important too. We've had counts that were missing common birds, and
Robert Lindsey were only seen on during the three days before or three days after the count.
So in synopsis- Our outing for December 2004 is the Christmas Bird
OPEN Count on the 19th. The teams leave Culpepper Real Estate at 6:30 AM
and 12:30 PM, and return to tabulate at 5:00 PM.
Any questions, I can be reached at 739-0933, 339-3077 or
734- 3894. Thanks!!!
Newsletter deadlines: 20th of the odd numbered months for publication in the next newsletter.
Send to Francene Van Sambeek at the address or email listed to the left. Please include
“Audubon” in the subject line.
WINGBEAT
 JANUARY 16, 2005 FIELD TRIP:
GUNTERSVILLE STATE PARK
With this great natural resource available to us, how
could we not schedule a field trip to Guntersville State Park. On
January 16th will depart St. Bernard parking lot at 5 AM if you
want to carpool. Otherwise, meet at 6 AM (daylight) at Guntersville
State Park on highway 227 where Town Creek crosses the road. The
early start will allow us to watch the bald eagles come off the roost.
For those wanting a later start, meet at 8:30 AM at the boat ramp
on highway 69 on right side of road just before crossing causeway.
From here we will bird the Guntersville waterfront. Plan on seeing
eagles and many types of waterfowl on this trip.
Look for the postcard reminder next month if there are any
changes to this field trip. Dress warmly and remember all are wel-
come to these FREE birding field trips!
AUDUBON NEWSWIRE HAPPENINGS
Volume 2, Number 19, November 1, 2004
1. The National Audubon Society has released the first
national "The State of the Birds" report docu-
menting the health and abundance of North Amer-
ica's birds. Appearing in the October issue of
Audubon Magazine, "The State of the Birds"
paints a disturbing picture. Almost 30 percent of North
America's birds are in "significant decline." The overall
state of the birds shows: 70% of grassland species are in
statistically significant declines, 36% of shrub-land birds
are declining significantly, 25% of forest bird species are
declining significantly, 13% of wetland bird species are
declining significantly, 23% of bird species in urban
areas are declining significantly. According to the
"State of the Birds," these declines are abnormal.
Not part of the natural cyclical rise and fall in bird
populations, "statistically significant declines" are
due to outside factors such as loss of native grasslands,
overgrazing, development of wetlands, bad forest manage-
ment, invasive species, pollution, and poor land use deci-
sions." Like the canary in the coal mine warning the miner
of danger ahead, birds are an indicator of environmental
and human health," said Audubon President John Flicker.
"Birds signal that we are at risk next." Flicker went on
to say, "People created these problems and people can
solve them if we act now." For the full release on the State
of the Birds Report, visit www.audubon.org/news/
press_releases/index.html.
2. On October 7, 2004, Jon Stravers and David Kester of
Audubon's Upper Mississippi River Campaign captured an
adult female Cooper's Hawk at their raptor banding sta-
tion near Effigy Mounds National Monument on the Mis-
sissippi River. The hawk had been previously banded as a
second year bird on October 14, 2000 near the town of
Jalapa in Vera Cruz, Mexico. The distance between these
two banding stations is approximately 1750
miles. This is an amazing journey. Mortality
rates of most raptors are significant during the
Page 3
JANUARY 11, 2005: FIRE ANTS
For the January 11, 2005 meeting of the
Cullman Audubon Society, we are pleased
to have Charles Pinkston with the Ala-
bama Cooperative Extension Service, as our
featured speaker. Charles will be discussing the fly
that was released on St. Bernard campus to con-
trol fire ants. As this is something we all deal with,
don’t miss this important information!
The meeting starts at 7 PM and will be held in
the old Science Building on the campus of St. Ber-
nard Prep School. Birding doorprizes given away
after the meeting.
first year - as much as 70%. Likely born in 1999,
this is a bird that has survived five migrations to
the tropics and back. This story has an interesting
personal note in that Ernesto Ruelas, director of
Pronatura, a conservation organization in eastern Mexico,
banded this particular Cooper's Hawk in 2000. Ruelas
first came to the U.S. in 1989 and worked with Jon
Stravers in the Goshute Mountains of Nevada at a raptor
banding station operated by Hawk watch International.
For more information, contact Jon Stavers at
hawk2@alpinecom.net.
Volume 2, Number 18, October 8, 2004
1. Gateway Valley, a very wet 1000-acre valley in the
dry East Bay hills of San Francisco Bay, has been saved
from development through the conservation efforts of the
Golden Gate Audubon Society, led by long-time environ-
mentalist, Conservation and Education Director Arthur
Feinstein.
The Valley was designated an Aquatic Resource of
National Importance by the federal EPA and USFWS
several years ago, due not only to its wetland and peren-
nial stream habitats, but also to the golden eagles and
over 100 other bird species that call the Valley home.
Golden Gate Audubon has fought hard to preserve this
land for 14 years through four different development pro-
posals, but when a multi-billion dollar hedge fund bought
the land, the outlook for this land turned bleak. The
Audubon Chapter hired a lawyer, and submitted com-
ments in response to the Army Corps of Engineers public
notice of development.
Hoping to find a compromise to benefit both parties,
Arthur Feinstein contacted the developer. "I called and
said let's talk," said Feinstein. "We did so for two long
years and in July, signed a Settlement Agreement that
provides for the developer to build on 215 acres of the
valley, while setting aside not only the remainder of
Gateway Valley - 750 acres - but 600 acres of
(Continued on page 4)
WINGBEAT
 Cullman Audubon Society
PO Box 1444
Cullman, AL 35056

Audubon Happenings (Continued from page 3)

an adjacent valley also owned by the developer."
As a result of the Agreement, over two square miles of land is preserved and will be owned by the East Bay Regional
Park District and the East Bay Municipal Utility District with strong conservation easements to prevent future develop-
ment. The preservation of this area completes a twenty-five-mile-long corridor of publicly owned wild lands in the East
Bay, ranging from Castro Valley to San Pablo. For more information on Golden Gate Audubon, visit www.
goldengateaudubon.org.

OCTOBER 17TH FIELD TRIP REPORT BY DAVID PYLANT

On the 17th of October, Jimmy Wells led the Cullman Audubon Society on a birding field trip to the
Lacon area of Morgan County. The first stop we made was a wetland area surrounded by wooded
hills. We immediately heard a Great Horned Owl and later a Barred Owl. After recording several species there,
we moved to a farm adjacent to the Lacon Trade Day. This property is composed of several different habitat
types/land use patterns, and provided us with a whole variety of bird species. Included is a beautiful marsh just
off Flint Creek. We hope to visit the marsh again when more waterfowl arrive.
Sixty one species were observed. These included:
Great Blue Heron Wood Duck Mallard Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel
American Coot Killdeer Common Snipe Mourning Dove
Great-horned Owl Barred Owl Belted Kingfisher Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Phoebe Eastern Kingbird Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow Blue Jay American Crow Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Carolina Wren
Winter Wren Eastern Bluebird American Robin Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher White-eyed Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo
Chestnut-sided Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat Northern Cardinal Blue Grosbeak Indigo Bunting
Rufous-sided Towhee Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Savannah Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird American Goldfinch Starling
House Finch