The Newsletter of the Apalachee Audubon Society, Inc.

Vol. 108, No. 8 May 2010 www.apalachee.org

Apalachee Audubon Annual Awards Dinner AAS Birding Field Trip

Speaker: Dana Bryan Wilderness Hike on the
Snips and Snails and Limpkin Tales North Side of the River
at Wakulla Springs
Thursday, May 20th
Lafayette Presbyterian Church Saturday, May 15th
4220 Mahan Drive 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Join us for what promises to be a Pasta Extravaganza, according to our chef, Hosted by: George Apthorp
Tim Smith. Tickets are $10 per person and may be purchased in advance at
Skill Level: Moderate physical difficulty.
Wild Birds Unlimited and Native Nurseries. If you wish to buy your ticket at the
dinner, please call Tim at (850) 933-5979 and make a reservation. Cost: Park admission, $6 per vehicle
(2-8 persons), $4 for a single occupant
vehicle.
One of North America’s most curious birds, the Limpkin is singular in appearance
and unusual in its diet, with extraordinary vocal habits and a restricted range in Description: Areas to be visited include
the United States. It looks like an oversized rail, well camouflaged in brown with upland hardwood forest, Sandhill and
spots of white, and is a locally distributed resident in freshwater marsh and riparian spring run biological communities.
habitats from Florida south through the Caribbean islands and Central and South We will also see the State Champion
America as far as Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia. spruce pine tree!
In Florida, where it has been best studied, its diet is almost exclusively apple snails What to bring: Binoculars, field guide,
(Pomacea paludosa), which it deftly finds and opens with the aid of a bent and water/snacks, sunscreen, insect repellent,
twisted bill tip, leaving characteristic piles of unbroken snail shells. The male’s hat, sturdy walking shoes, dress for the
loud and mournful calling is especially distinctive. The sound of several males weather. Protect yourself against ticks.
countercalling has been described as “one of the weirdest cacophonies of nature” Meet Location: To carpool, meet in
(Sprunt 1954: 141). Ritualistic territorial charging displays, courtship feeding, and the parking lot of the Wachovia Bank at
a surprising variety of nest sites add to this species’ unusual appeal. 8:00 a.m. (Wachovia bank is at 3400 S
Wetland conversion for agriculture, flood control, and development has been the Monroe St., SW corner of intersection
largest conservation threat in Florida. of South Monroe and Paul Russell).
Or meet at 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot
With over half of the wetlands in central and southern Florida having been lost
of the Wakulla Lodge. High clearance
during the last century, apple snail habitat has been greatly reduced. Water-
vehicles are preferred for driving in the
level manipulations that harm apple snail populations still occur in the widely
back areas of the park.
engineered and highly political water management environment of southern
Florida. Nevertheless, recent accomplishments and future plans for wetland For more information, please contact
restoration in the greater Everglades and the Upper St. Johns River Marsh offer George at (850) 926-5045 or
substantial hope for improved apple snail and Limpkin habitat. Little is known of 2geoeast@centurylink.net.
the status of the Limpkin elsewhere in its range.
From the Limpkin species account by Dana Bryan Inside this Issue
Birds of North America President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Bird Bits: The Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Dana Bryan is the Environmental Policy Coordinator in the Director’s Office Adventure Kits Thank You . . . . . . . . . 4
of the Florida Park Service, Florida Department of Environmental Protection.  Birdathon Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
He studied Limpkins, Aramus guarauna, for his Master’s thesis at Florida State 2010-11 Slate of Officers . . . . . . . . 4
University, co-directed by Fran James and Bruce Means of the Tall Timbers Butterfly Garden Update . . . . . . . . . 5
Research Station.  He wrote the Limpkin species account for the Birds of North Kayak Birding Trip Report . . . . . . . . 5
America, the Handbook of the Birds of the World, the Rare and Endangered Biota of
Whooping Crane Update . . . . . . . . . . 6
Florida volume, and the Florida Breeding Bird Atlas.
Become a Member President’s Message by Ed Gartner

Join National Audubon Society
and Apalachee Audubon!
For just $20 a year you can be a member of both National
Audubon and our local Apalachee Audubon chapter. Your
membership will include Audubon, our bimonthly flagship
publication. Each issue of this award-winning publication
features beautiful photography and provocative journalism.
Our chapter newsletter will keep you informed of local and
statewide Audubon and other nature-related events.
You can pay for membership using a credit card by calling
Audubon’s toll free membership number. (Please mention
our chapter ID C0ZE190Z for AAS to get full credit for a
new membership).
1-800-274-4201
If you prefer to pay by check for an annual membership, send
your $20 check made payable to National Audubon Society
and mail to:
National Audubon Society
PO Box 422246
Palm Coast, FL 32142-2246
Allow 4-6 weeks for arrival of your first issue of Audubon. The
cost of membership is tax deductible except for $7.50 (which
is allocated to Audubon magazine).
Every job needs the right tools. When the job is about ideas,
such as environmental problems, the best tool based on
my own intensive training, is analytical thinking. My past
messages have tried to convey that. We all have friends or
neighbors who seem to jump on temporal band wagons,
and we can help them if we use this tool. When faced with
an opinion, or a claim, which is not either obviously true or
obviously false, we should question it, but especially question
the reliability of the source. Most individuals and most
companies have an agenda of their own. If the claim seems
to reenforce their aims, it should be doubted. A fundamental
tenet of science is that all information is false until proven
true. Especially question your own beliefs if you sense an
underlining bias. So the first tool is to know the source.
All else rests on that. So try to spread truth and interrupt
misinformation and disinformation.
AAS Awards Dinner Location
Lafayette Presbyterian Church
4220 Mahan Drive
Tallahassee, Florida

Apalachee Audubon Society (AAS)

2009 – 2010 Officers and Board Members
President: Ed Gartner (850) 386-6543
Vice President: Harry Hooper (850) 668-0498
Secretary: Lynn Reynolds (850) 421-1074
Treasurer: Harvey Goldman (850) 385-5222

Directors:
Ben Fusaro (850) 297-2052 (Past President)
Jan Bordelon (850) 942-8078
Chris Borg (850) 893-4153
Ann Bruce (850) 224-4760
Melissa Forehand (850) 510-4877
Karen Wensing (850) 386-7766

Newsletter Editor: Kathleen Carr (850) 322-7910

Newsletter is published 8 times yearly
(Sept.-May, except December).
Webmaster: John Boutelle (850) 656-3346
Apalachee Audubon Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 1237
Tallahassee, FL 32303
www.apalachee.org

AAS is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. All contributions

are tax deductible. Inquiries can also be sent to 76 Dogwood
Forest Rd., Crawfordville, FL 32327-0588.
Mission Statement: Protection of the environment through
education, appreciation, and conservation.
Electronic version of this newsletter
is available on the AAS web site.
2 Apalachee Audubon Society www.apalachee.org May 2010
Bird Bits: The Hunt by Harry Hooper (© January 1997, reprinted with permission)
The sun, a brilliant yellow orange
sliver was just breaking the horizon as
Fran and I started down the dike on
a beautiful clear cool spring morning.
I chose this particular trail at St.
Marks National Wildlife Refuge so
Fran could see her favorite bird up
close, the spectacular Southern Bald
Eagle. The air temperature was in the
mid-50s with not a hint of a breeze.
Stoney Bayou Pool No. 1 was as
smooth as a mirror, the wildlife very
quiet.
Though the sun’s glare was in our eyes
as we walked, I could just make out
the silhouettes of two eagles on a tall
thin snag far ahead, a popular perch
for these birds early in the morning.
As we rounded the curve on the dike, the sun was now to our
side, enhancing the brilliant image of these two impressive
birds a few hundred feet away. Fran stood and glassed with
her binoculars for several minutes taking in every motion
these two birds provided.
Suddenly, both eagles were airborne heading southeast over
the deep-water pool. But just as quickly as they took to the
air, their flight slowed to a non-purposed lazy Sunday glide.
As the two continued over the pool, small rafts of blue-
winged teal began to scatter in all directions. No attention
was paid to the puddle ducks by these beautiful gliding
raptors.
But then it happened. One of the pair dropped suddenly to
within several feet of the water’s surface, turned north and
put on its afterburners. To observe the intensity of this high
speed flight just above the quiet pool, simply indescribable.
Now dozens more teal were airborne and panic was felt in the
air. Birds were flying everywhere. The eagle continued on its
path north for several hundred yards and just as quickly as
this avian wonder accelerated, the eagle banked sharply to the
west, heading straight for us. No sooner could we yell with
the excitement that we felt as we watched the eagle rapidly
approach, then two coots popped up into our view with the
eagle right behind. Before we could absorb the unfolding
drama, we watched in awe as the eagle brought its golden
yellow talons forward ready to grab one of these fleeing birds.
And then, gone! The coots nose-dived straight down into the
pool and disappeared. The stunned eagle slowed, rose to about
30 feet over the water and began circling, drifting slowly to
the south. The hunt was over. I kept glassing back to where
the coots vanished while at the same time keeping an eye on
the eagle hoping to see it hunt again. Time seemed like an
eternity. How long could those coots
stay underwater or did they surface
and scram without my noticing?
Then Fran yelled that the eagle was
on the move again. Closing its wings,
the bird dropped, talons extended,
and made a pass at an invisible prey
just below the water’s surface. Just
before what would appear to be a
crash landing into the water, the eagle
pulled up and rose to its previous
height. Its intended target also
sensing the bird’s presence, splashed
on the surface and disappeared. The
eagle made two additional diving
Bald Eagle, photo by Dave Menke passes with the same results.
(Wikipedia Commons)
With the intensity of each splash by
the hunted, I suggested that the eagle
was after one heck of a big fish.
The eagle then made a fourth attempt but instead of pulling
up as before (and as we watched in disbelief ), pancaked,
talons first into the pond. Seconds later it was airborne,
shaking the water from itself as if it was an osprey. And after
making a tight circle, the eagle again dove and landed in the
water, took off, shaking as it flew, talons empty. Before we
could regain our senses as to what we had just witnessed, the
bird for a third time crash landed as before. But this time, the
eagle’s massive wings spread across the water like pontoons.
Then this raptor proceeded to extend its head under water
several times, we assumed, to kill its prey. A minute passed,
maybe less, but the eagle now was ready to take its meal
to a dryer location. Two attempts were made to gain flight
status, both unsuccessful. This mysterious prey could not
be extracted from the grasp of the pond. The eagle let go
of its prey, took off, shook as before and circled. Moments
later, a coot surfaced, flapping wildly, one of the coots the
eagle attempted to capture while in flight. Apparently, the
eagle had been following the coot’s underwater escape route,
unbeknownst to the coot. And when the coot tried to surface
for air, the eagle commenced its attack. Now as we were
watching the coot, the eagle appeared in our vision swooping
low over the pond, talons again extended and in an instant
the coot was airborne in the eagle’s grasp. We slowly regained
our composure as we watched the eagle fly deliberately for the
tall pines in the distance.
This eagle honored us not only with its presence but also
provided us with a vivid glimpse of nature in action. Viewing
life in the wild can have its great moments.
Note: Where was my video camera when I needed it???
May 2010 www.apalachee.org Apalachee Audubon Society 3
Thank You Apalachee Audubon!
As a fourth grade teacher in
Wakulla, I am one of the happy
recipients of the Audubon
Adventures kits. For the last several
years, I have been able to extend
and enrich my science and math
lessons by incorporating lessons
from Audubon Adventures. With
titles such as “Grizzlies,” “On the
Go! Animals That Migrate,” and
“Stink, Bite, Hide, Fight!” I have
been able to stimulate further
interest in our lessons on species,
habitats, and animal behavior. The
“booklets,” which are double-folded
to create two outer pages, two inner
pages, and one poster-sized inner-
most page, are eye-catching and
well-designed for our grade level.
There are a variety of activities to
involve all of my students. The
use of charts and graphs reinforce
math lessons on data collection and
graph construction. Additionally,
the colorfully illustrated pages are
student-friendly and are very useful
in teaching students to “read”
the whole page. When reading in
the content area, students have a
tendency to only see the black and
white text. Materials like Audubon
Adventures provide an opportunity
to teach students that information
comes in a variety of formats, not
just print. One of the best lessons for
this year is titled “Power from our
Planet.” This booklet presents the
problems with fossil fuels and the
advantages as well as disadvantages
and availability of power from
wind, the sun, wave energy, and
geothermal energy. This material
is balanced, while being accurately
informative. The innermost poster
page with this lesson is fabulous!
It gives specific, simple examples
of how we can reduce our carbon
footprints giving the formula to
find pounds of carbon saved for
each lifestyle change. Finally, for
our tech-savvy students there are
website recommendations for those
who want to explore further. As a
co-sponsor of our ecology club for
3rd-5th grade, I am especially pleased
that we have such a great resouce as
Audubon Adventures.
Maggie Strickland
Birdathon Update
Results and reports are still coming in
and will be available later this month at
the AAS web site and in the September
newsletter. Meanwhile, we would like to
thank our corporate sponsors:
Great Egret Level
OneWorld Sustainable, Inc
Colbert GA
Benson’s Heating & Air
Tallahassee
Snowy Egret Level
Native Nurseries of Tallahassee
The Store for Nature Lovers
For Over 30 Years
Native Plants • Wildlife Gardening • Herbs
Wild Bird Shop • Organic Gardening Supplies
850-386-8882
1661 Centerville Road
Tallahassee, FL 32308
www.nativenurseries.com
Massage Therapist
Melissa Forehand
CranioSacral, Relaxation &Therapeutic
1102 Hays St. 850-510-4877
Tallahassee, FL 32301 License #MA31638

2010-2011 AAS Officer Nominations

This year’s nominating committee, currently consisting of Kathy
Besbekos and Judy Goldman are pleased to present the following
proposed slate for election:
Help the St. Francis Wildlife
Past President: Ed Gartner Association raise funds for Baby Bird
President: Julie Wraithmell Season. Enter the drawing for a week’s
stay at a beautiful Indian Pass beach
Co-Vice-Presidents: house. Tickets available until May
Jan Bordelon & Elizabeth Platt 26th. Winner will be announced May
Secretary: Ann Bruce 27th.

Treasurer: Harvey Goldman Buy your tickets online at

StFrancisWildlife.org or at these
Board members: businesses: Panhandle Pet Supply
Sean McGlynn (all stores), Native Nurseries, 10,000
Sunny Phillips Villages, and Divas & Devils.

4 Apalachee Audubon Society www.apalachee.org May 2010

Great Backyard Butterfly Garden Taking Shape
Bird Count Follow-up Visitors to the Picnic Pond area at St. Marks NWR this spring will see an expanded
by Elizabeth Platt butterfly garden with many new plantings. A team of AAS volunteers recently
added a roadside border of goldenrod, blazing star, and several other varieties of
The 2010 GBBC took place February nectar plants for pollinators (and people) to enjoy.
12-15. This annual four-day event
Meanwhile, the previously planted area at the south end of the parking lot has also
engages bird watchers of all ages in
received additions, including more host plants such as milkweed and passion vine.
counting birds to create a real-time
In mid-April, there were Monarch butterfly caterpillars again on the new-growth
snapshot of where the birds are across
milkweed. And at press time, blanket flowers and coral honeysuckle were providing
the continent. Anyone can participate,
color, while Whirlabout Skippers and Tiger Swallowtails were visiting our purple
from beginning bird watchers to
thistle.
experts. Here’s how Tallahassee did in
this year’s count. A big Thank You! to Victor Spencer for the expert tilling. Greatly appreciated
also were the efforts of our planting team—Ann Bruce, Ed Gartner, Elizabeth
States/Provinces submitting the most
Platt, Jean Quincy and Lynn Reynolds—for setting in and watering nearly 100
checklists: Florida ranks 9th with 3551;
new plants. Improvements and additions will continue throughout the spring and
New York ranks 1st with 5719.
summer, and more volunteers are needed for this worthwhile project. If you would
States/Provinces reporting the most like to help, please contact Ed Gartner. (See page 2 masthead for contact info.)
species: Florida ranked 3rd with 277;
Texas ranked 1st with 347.
States/Provinces reporting the most
birds: Florida ranks 1st with 1,988,119.
Texas ranks 2nd with 757,115.
Localities submitting the most
checklists: Tallahassee ranks 4th with
484. Mentor, Ohio ranks 1st with 709.
Localities submitting the most
species: Tallahassee ranks 9th with 139.
Tivoli, Texas ranks 1st with 175.
Localities in Florida reporting the
most checklists: Tallahassee ranks 1st
with 484. Tampa is 2nd with 158.
Localities in Florida reporting the
most species: Tallahassee ranks 1st with
139. Tampa is 2nd with 127.
photo by Harry Hooper
I think we in AAS can take some credit
for a very great increase in the number Kayak-Birding on Lafayette Passage Paddling Trail
of checklists during the past four years. Ten birders in nine kayaks paddled Lake Piney Z and Lower Lake Lafayette on
In 2007 there were only 362 checklists, April 3rd, enjoying a beautiful spring day on the water. Among the 50 species
this year 484. Could our Wildlife- noted were Wood Duck, Green Heron, Bald Eagle, Barred Owl, Great-crested
Friendly Yards tours have anything to Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Parula Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, and Eastern
do with this? Meadowlark.
One highlight was an American Bittern which spooked and flew ahead of our lead
Wild Birds Unlimited boats for a short distance, then turned back into the marsh and disappeared. At the
Everything for the birds
halfway point, while paddlers rested under the cypress, a flock of over 200 white
and the serious birder! ibis sailed over at tree-top height. We enjoyed close-up views of the activities at six
Nature Gifts osprey nests along our 6.4 mile route, and a visit from a ribbon snake upon our
Optics ~ field Guides ~ feeders
BirdBaths ~ seed ~ Nest BOxes
return to the parking area. Great paddlers and birders Lydia and David Burns,
Mike Dunaway, Pam Jackson, Peter Kelly, Holly Kennedy, and Carolyn
1505-2 Governor’s Square Blvd. Tallahassee, FL 32301 and Eric Smith joined trip leaders Harry Hooper and Lynn Reynolds for this
(850) 576-0002 tallahassee.wbu.com
excursion.
May 2010 www.apalachee.org Apalachee Audubon Society 5
Apalachee Audubon
P.O. Box 1237
Tallahassee, FL 32302-1237
Your membership expiration date is shown at top right above your name. For problems with membership, call the National
Audubon Society Office at 1-800-274-4201. For problems with mailings, contact Pam Flynn at pflynn@us.ibm.com.
Apalachee Audubon Society Calendar: May 2010
The Annual Awards Dinner begins at 6:30 at Lafayette Presbyterian Church, 4220 Mahan Drive—map on page 2. For more
information, call (850)510-4877 or visit: www.apalachee.org.
Chapter/Audubon Events
May
15 Birding Field Trip: George Apthorp will lead a
morning walking tour of the woods on the north
side of the Wakulla River. (Details, pg 1)
20 AAS Annual Awards Dinner (Details, pg. 1)
Related Events
May
15 Volunteer Orientation: St. Francis Wildlife is
training new volunteers Saturday, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
at St. Francis. For more information contact Teresa
Stevenson at (850) 627-4151.
23 Sharks & Chablis: Sunday from 4:00-7:00 p.m.,
enjoy the 2nd Annual fund-raiser for the Gulf
Specimen Marine Laboratory. For $35/person, you
can enjoy wine tasting, seafood from the Seineyard
Restaurant, musical entertainment, and a silent
auction. Buy your tickets at the lab or call
(850) 984-5297.
Non-Profit
Organization
US Postage Paid
Permit No. 30
St. Marks Whooping Cranes
Spring 2010 Update
All 10 members of the class of 2009 are safely back home
in Wisconsin! Eight of them – 908*, 910, 911, 914*,
915*, 918, 925*, and 926* – began migration on March
24th. They were detected in flight over the Necedah NWR
area on April 21st and made a spring wandering movement
to Allamakee County, Iowa, on that date. Birds 906 and
912 left the St. Marks NWR release pen on April 14th and
completed migration to the Necedah NWR area on April
20-21.
Chassahowitzka NWR update: All nine juveniles departed
their winter home on the morning of April 5th. One bird
from that group, 924*, was detected in flight on April 18th
with five of the eight birds that had wintered at St. Marks
NWR.
Several members of the St. Marks Class of 2008 have also
returned to Necedah. Others were last seen en route.