The Albany Limpkin

Newsletter of the Albany Audubon Society

Post Office Box 705, Albany, Georgia 31701
Founded 1972, chartered 1973

Officers:
Melissa Martin, President/Editor Bill Bates, Treasurer
Heather Heldenberg, Secretary

www.albanyaudubonsociety.synthasite.com

May, 2010

Meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. the second Thursday each month,
September through April, in the Wet Lab of the Flint RiverQuarium
Business Office, 117 Pine Avenue, Albany, Georgia.

Membership Spring Picnic Directions: Heading from the bypass

Thursday, May 13th at 6:00
p.m.
The Albany Audubon is having their
Membership Spring Picnic. Please
arrive anytime in the late afternoon
based on how much birding you hope
to do- 5:30 is suggested, but by 6 pm
our attention will turn more toward
our meal and at 6:30 we'll eat. I'm
pleased to announce that our annual
'season end' picnic will be held at the
pavilion at the Flint River Dam. The
site has a large covered area with a
dozen picnic tables, restrooms, and
beautiful views with ample birding
opportunities.
Since this has traditionally been the
membership drive picnic, please feel
free to invite any of your friends or
neighbors that you think might be
interested in our chapter and getting
to know us. While Audubon is
furnishing the meat, each of us needs
to bring a dish to pass. Your guests
can also bring a dish or you can bring
extra in their honor. We must all
remember to confirm our attendance
numbers by May 11th with Melissa at
mmartin@flintriverquarium.com or
229-296-7567 so she can make sure
we have enough fried chicken for
everyone.
or Albany toward Parks at Chehaw
on North Jefferson, immediately
after the underpass on your right is a
tiny street, Telfair, that looks more
like an alley. Turn right on Telfair
just before the Pure sign and the
Shell station on the corner of
Philema Rd. (If you get to Philema
you've gone to far.) In a short block
you'll come to Jewel where you turn
right again. In a short distance,
Jewel will dead end into the GA
Power road, mostly gravel, where
you will turn left. Follow this for
about a mile until you come to a
parking lot overlooking the dam.
After you park, face the dam and the
pavilion will be to your left over the
rise of what must be an old railroad
bed. (If you get lost, contact Myra at
229-669-3403 or Melissa at 229-
296-7567 for assistance.) Tip: bring
bug spray, binoculars, and your
favorite bird guide. Hope to see you
all there, Myra.
Field Trip “Rap”-up
What a great time we had on our
spring trip to Dauphin Island this
year! There were a total of 15
birders in our group out searching
for migrating birds, hoping to catch a
glimpse at a rarity or 2 and adding to
our life lists. Although there were
rain and the threat of severe weather,
we plugged along and pulled out
some winners! And there were many
(Sorry, can’t list them all). Some of
the best birds on our trip included
Magnificent Frigatebird, Reddish
Egret, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon,
American Oystercatcher, Black-
necked Stilt, American Avocet, Red
Knot, Baird’s Sandpiper, Greater
Black-backed Gull, Gull-billed Tern,
Black Skimmer, White-winged Dove,
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Common
Nighthawk, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher,
Philadelphia Vireo, Cliff Swallow,
Gray-cheeked Thrush, Blue-winged
Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler,
Ovenbird, Yellow-breasted Chat,
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Painted
Bunting, Dickcissel, Bobolink and
Baltimore Oriole. The list included a
total of 114 species with 19 warbler
species. Wow! What a list!
Painted Bunting, Dauphin Island, AL
Roy Brown Photography
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Dauphin Island, AL
Roy Brown Photography
Other Birding News
Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf:
Your Help Needed! The tragic oil
platform explosion off Louisiana’s
Gulf Coast is rapidly becoming an
environmental disaster.1
The loss of 11 oil workers may be just
the beginning of this tragedy as
millions of gallons of oil head for
land, putting birds, wildlife and the
coastal environment in grave danger.
Audubon staff across the country are
marshalling resources and personnel
to respond to the looming disaster.
Audubon Florida, Louisiana and
Mississippi staff and chapters are
working to prepare for impacts to
birds, wildlife and important habitat
as the spill makes its way toward
land.
Audubon is coordinating volunteer
efforts and you can help! From
cleaning oiled birds (requires proper
training) to counting birds to picking
up trash on beaches before the oil
hits — there are many things that
you can do to help. If you are
interested in volunteering, please
sign up here. We will be back in
touch soon with more details.
While every hand is needed and
welcome, it's vital that volunteers
offer their help through
coordinated efforts like this so
that the greatest good can be focused
where it is needed the most. Please
avoid going to affected areas or
handling wildlife until you are part of
coordinated responses. Even well-
intentioned people can inadvertently
interfere with important recovery
efforts.
Audubon has our people on the
ground and is working with state and
federal agencies leading the response
— we can help find the best volunteer
job for you.
If you have not already submitted
comments on the Interior habitat, located on Florida's Gulf
Department plan to expand coast. To sponsor a mile, go to
offshore oil and gas drilling, http://operationmigration.org/Mile
now is the time. A long-term Maker2010/SelectMile.php. Excerpt
energy strategy should focus on taken from Operation Migration.
clean, job-producing, renewable
technologies, not expanded drilling
off our sensitive coasts.1 "Size of Spill
in Gulf of Mexico Larger than
Thought," New York Times,
4/29/10. Excerpt taken from Audubon
Action Alert!

Operation Migration Launches 2010

MileMaker Campaign! Last season
you demonstrated incredible
generosity despite the current
economic picture and helped to
ensure that every mile was Blue Grosbeak, Albany, GA
sponsored. While it was looking Larry Gridley

sketchy toward the end of our

journey, everyone rallied, some with
very generous challenges, which
helped to encourage new and repeat
MileMaker's. For this, we thank you,
and hope that you will again come
forward and help us to reach a fully-
funded migration.
Your generous support and financial
commitment will allow us to care for
the Class of 2010 and to finance their
first-ever southward migration
following our ultralight aircraft later
this fall. Please become a MileMaker
sponsor TODAY and help us to get
the 2010 generation of Whooping
crane chicks to Florida!
The cost to sponsor a full mile is
$200, half mile is $100 and quarter
mile is $50.
Every dollar raised helps to cover the
costs associated with the southward
ultralight-guided migration. The
journey will begin later this fall when
our 12-person team will depart from
Wisconsin with the Class of 2010
Whooping cranes and guide them
over Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky,
Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and
eventually to their new winter
We Need Your Assistance
The Albany Audubon Society is
partnering with the Flint
RiverQuarium to provide volunteers
to assist their staff with
interpretation in the Aviary. In
return the RiverQuarium gives
Audubon free advertisement and
meeting space. If you are interested
in volunteering with the birds, no
experience is required. By
volunteering for this opportunity,
you become a RiverQuarium
Volunteer and benefit from their
volunteer incentives which include:
10% discount in the gift store, free
social events, 40 hour contribution
receives $10.00 discount on a
membership, 75 hour contribution
within one year receives an
individual membership, 150 hour
contribution within one year receives
a family membership and 225 hour
contribution within one year receives
a Family Adventure Membership.
For more information, contact
Melissa Martin at
mmartin@flintriverquarium.com or
229-639-2650 ext. 226.
Every August Mrs. Evelyn Paschal, a Join Albany Audubon
beloved Albany Audubon supporter, Society
invites our group to sit on her porch
and observe Ruby-throated
If you would like to become a
Hummingbirds visiting her feeders.
member of our local Chapter, please
She can have around 100 individuals
fill out the form below and include a
at once! Due to some unfortunate
minimum payment of $20.00. A
circumstances, Mrs. Paschal is in
benefit of local membership is
need of assistance with cleaning out,
knowing your contribution will be
filling and hanging hummingbird
used to fund local concerns.
feeders. If you are interested in
Enrollment in our local chapter does
volunteering for this effort, please
not include membership in the
contact Melissa Martin at
National Audubon Society nor
mmartin@flintriverquarium.com or
subscription to the Audubon
229-296-7567.
magazine.

Yes, I want to become a member of the Albany Audubon chapter!

Name: ______________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Phone number:__________________________________________________
E-mail address: _________________________________________________
Enclosed is my minimum payment of $20.00 or $__________________________
I am currently a member of the National Audubon Society:____________________
Please mail this form and your payment to Albany Audubon Society, P.O. Box 705,
Albany, GA 31701. Thank you!