Jan-Feb 2009 Signal Smoke Newsletter Travis Audubon Society

8/9/2019 Jan-Feb 2009 Signal Smoke Newsletter Travis Audubon Society

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INSIDE

THIS ISSUE ...From the President...........................2

Blair Woods.........................................3

Naturalists Calendar.........................4

The Dan Callaway Report...............5

Hornsby Bend News.........................5

TAS Classes.........................................6

Sabine Woods................. .... ...............7

TAS Monthly Meeting News...........8

Notes from Chaetura Canyon........9

Volunteers of the Month................10

Baker Sanctuary News...................11

TAS Events..................................12-13

Hawkwatch 2008.................. .....14-15

Travis Audubon Society

Membership Form ...........Back page

VOLUME 58, NO. 1 & 2 January/February 200

SIGNAL SmokeThe Newsletter f Travs Audubn Scety

AS Regular Monthly Meetings

Thursday, Jan 15, 7:00pm

rds of the Upper Texas Coast

Speaer: Ted Lee Eubansd

Thursday, Feb 19, 7:00pm

Bird Tours Across the WorldSpeaer: Vctr Eanuel

The Redbud Centerat 3601 Lake Austin Blvd. Austin TX

Please note venue is subject to change

Drs pen at 6:30 p fr scal te

see page 8 for

additional details on both events

Photo credits - group photos: Laura Auchterlonie

Photo of Sallie Delahoussaye and owl: Nancy Manning

7th Annual Youth Birding Camp a Success

On October 18th, we enjoyed perfect weather and meeting18 edging birders at Travis

Audubons Youth Birding Camp. We identied some 58 bird species at the ponds and

in the woods at Hornsby Bend Center for Environmental Research. We were delighte

by close up views of a colorful Yellow-headed Blackbird and circled by a ock of American

White Pelicans. The best mom moment was for our ED when her 20 year old daughter,

previously oblivious to birds, was the rst to identify a Green-winged Teal and talked

endlessly about the Killdeer running by the ponds.

Virginia Rose started theday with a wonderful

how to ID birds morning

presentation. Spider

Joe Lapp took us to the

greenhouses to nd bugs

and spiders. And the nale

was Sallie Delahoussaye

with her live raptors!

Thanks to our YBC

coordinator, Julia Balinsky,

for once again surviving

the coordination of somany adults and kids.

Thanks to all of our volunteers: Andy Balinsky,

veteran camper Jesse Huth, Marsh

May, Shelia Hargis, Laurie Foss,

Claude Morris, Martha Renfroe,

Kenneth Zaslow, Jeff Patterson,

Denise Dickey, Kellie Allen, Dian

& Bruce Calder, Bruce Atwell,

Jocelyn Taijeron, Sarah Garry, Ky

Torneten, Theresa Bayoud.

Special thanks to Kevin Anderson

at Hornsby Bend and to Susan

King for providing the Kaufman

Field Guides. A BIG Thank You to

our sponsors who included Travis

Audubon Society, Clif Bar, Papa

Johns on Oltorf, and Wheatsville.

We also thank our friends, Sandy

and Randy, of Naturally Curious.

Nancy Manni


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2 SI GN AL SM OK E / January/February 2009 TR AV IS AU DU BO N SO CI ET Y

COMMITTEE AND SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRS

ABOUT SIGNAL SMOKE

Mission StatementTravis Audubon Society promotes the enjoyment, understanding, and

conservation of native birds and their habitats.

From the TAS President

TAS Rare Bird Alert Eric Carpenter 300-2473select option #3

Advocacy Jeff Mundy 334-4300Bird Records Lawrence Buford 452-6344

Ethel Kutac 346-7659 Habitat Conservation Valarie Bristol 300-BIRD

Education Byron Stone 970-5154 Field Trips Stan VanSandt 300-BIRD

Terry Banks 300-BIRDHornsby Bend Priscilla Murr 477-6192

Hospitality Susan Moak 925-4590Latin America Bob Warneke 300-BIRD

Fundraising/Membership/Volunteer Nancy Manning 300-BIRDPrograms Ann Gardner 306-0737

Property and Finance Kelly Logan 320-8000 Publications Tess Sherman 300-2473

Sanctuary Chair Terri Siegenthaler 263-2237 Society Historian John Kelly 331-8693

Youth Education Julia Balinsky 926-7312Urban Habitat Jane Tillman 794-0058


General Address

3710 Cedar Street, Box 5

Austin, TX. 78705

Phone numbers listed below withoutan area code are local numbers in the

512 area.

OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS2008-09

PresidentMarsha May 300-BIRD

Vice PresidentValarie Bristol 300-BIRD

Treasurervacant

SecretaryClaude Morris 300-BIRD

DirectorsRobin DoughtyBill Edwards

Shelia HargisKelly LoganChris MaseyJeff MundyTerri Siegenthaler

Executive DirectorNancy Manning 300-BIRD

Administrative AssistantJocelyn Taijeron 300-BIRD

BAKER SANCTUARY STEWARDJohn Wilcox 219-8425

CHAETURA CANYON SANCTAURYSTEWARDS

Georgean & Paul Kyle 266-3861

ACT REPRESENTATIVESTony Wood (interim state president)

210 408-1284Bryan Hale (state treasurer) 474-5599

SigNAL SmokE EDITORTess Sherman 300-BIRD

TAS TELEPHONE

The ofce number is 512-300-BIRD(2473). To leave a message for Board

President Marsha May, press 1. To report

sightings of rare or unusual birds in Cen-tral Texas, press 3. To ask a bird-relatedquestion, press 4.

TAS WEB SITEwww.travisaudubon.org

TAS [email protected]

Signal Smoke (ISSN 1931-9282)

Subscription InformationSignal Smoke (ISSN 1931-9282), was pub-lished 11 times yearly through Volume 56,

No.4, and beginning with Volume 56, No.5,is published 6 times yearly. Subscription isa TAS membership benet. To join, use theform on the back page of this issue or go towww.travisaudubon.org for an online form.For address or subscription changes, pleasecall 512.300.BIRD (2473) or e-mail [email protected]. The USPS does not forwardSignal Smoke. Copyright 2009. No part of this

publication may be reproduced

Newsletter DeadlineThe submissions deadline is the rst day of themonth preceding the rst month of publication(for example, June 1 for the July/August issue).Submit uncopyrighted articles, announcements,and art to Tess Sherman, [email protected]; or mail to 210 E. Walnut Dr., Austin,TX 78753. Submissions by email or on a CDare preferred but not required. Call Tess at 300-BIRD if you have questions.

without permission in writing from TravisAudubon Society.

G

reetings! Travis Audubon Society needs your help there

are numerous ways for you to get involved in this wonderful

organization. Please go to our web site and check out the

descriptions for each committee at www.travisaudubon.org/comms.html.

I am sure that there is at least one that could greatly benet from your

expertise.

Winters cold winds soon warm into spring and with spring comes an

array of incredible avian migrants. Hurricane Ike destructively impacted

our Texas Coast last autumn. What will those migrants nd when

they arrive? Winnie Burkett, Houston Audubons Sanctuary Manager,

currently has work days scheduled for January 10, February 14 and

March 14. They may schedule more if needed. Please go to the Houston

Audubon Societys web site for information on what you can do to help:

www.houstonaudubon.org/.

Well, heres to a brighter future and I hope you all have a Very Happy

New Year! Enjoy the Birds!

Marsha May

Snal Se is printed

on recycled paper with soy ink.


3/16

TR AV IS AU DU BO N SO CI ET Y SI GN AL SM OK E / January/February 2009

Our Day at Blair Woods

BLAIR WOODS RESTORATION PROJECT

The Blair Woods Project Is Part of Nationwide Initiative to

Engage Volunteers in Conservation Efforts

S

tanding in awe at the top of the hill, we realized this had

not been the view on September 20th when we arrived with

our volunteers to begin restoration of Blair Woods. Only a

phenomenal amount of energy and dedication could be responsible for

the view at the end of the day on November 15, 2008.

With a grant received from TogetherGreen, a non-prot formed by

National Audubon Society and Toyota, we have managed to breath

life back into Blair Woods, our ten acre eastside sanctuary. This

project represents a new frontier for restoration of urban habitat on

the eastside of Austin. No less important is the success we have had

in engaging a new and diverse group of volunteers. Three 12-hour

work days have produced 70 brand new eager volunteers, working a

total of nearly 800 hours. On our last work day, we were proud to be

joined by 25 very talented kids (they even danced for us!) from Youth

Launch. If you dont know about these amazing kids, please check out

the Youth Launch website and learn about No kidding and Urban

Roots.

Thus far we have chipped and hauled about 195 yards of non-native

brush and never quite believe how much more there seems to be! We

have reached the halfway mark in terms of the grant, but not in terms

of the work. The future of Blair Woods is a hopeful one. Stay tuned

for more of this success story.

Nancy Manning

Photo Credit: Nancy Mannin

Photo Credit: Teri Siegenthaler

Annual Meeting & Board Member ElectionOur annual business meeting will be held March 19, 2009.

At the meeting, current TAS members will vote on a slate of

candidates for the Board of Directors. The new term will begin

on April 9, 2009. The entire slate, along with brief biographi-

cal information, will be published in the March Signal Smoke.

If you would like the information sooner, it will be available on

our website by February 15. If you dont have internet access

but would like the information before the March Signal Smoke,

call Shelia Hargis at 291-1861. Make sure your membership is

current so you can vote in this election and have a voice in the

governance of Travis Audubon Society.

Steve & Judy ScottBroker-Associates

Office: 512-637-8107Mobile: 512-656-4671

www.steveandjudyscott.com

[email protected]

Keller Williams Realty9430 Research Blvd. IV-180, Austin TX 78759

Watch for sponsors, donors, and fun

photos from the Holiday Fiesta 2008

in our next issue.

SparrowFest January 31, 2009Join us for a Sparrow Celebration! This ever-popular one-day

workshop returns to Balcones Canyonlands NWR! Led by

Sparrow Experts Byron Stone, Bill Reiner and Chuck Sexton.

Located about 30 miles NW of Austin, TX. Space is limited.

Online registration begins December 15, 2008

call: 512 965-2473

email: [email protected]

web: www.friendsofbalcones.org/sparrowFest.html


4/16


NATURALISTSCALENDAR

by Bill Reiner

o by Robert Baumgardner

Cold winter weather presents challenges for all animals.

Birds and mammals, including humans, have an advantage

over reptiles, amphibians, sh, and invertebrates, in that

we are homeothermic or warm-blooded. We can maintain

a stable body temperature from the food we eat rather than

depending upon external heat sources. A disadvantage is that

we must eat much more food to maintain that body temperature.

Through the winter, animals active during the day including

almost all birds native to Central Texas, except for the owls and

nightjars are particularly hard-pressed to nd food in the fewer

hours of daylight.

Many birds, especially those that depend upon insects, migrate

southward to avoid starvation as those food sources become

scarce. Birds that stay must protect themselves from the cold

while nding enough food to sustain their metabolism.

On average, birds must maintain a higher body temperature

(ranging from 100 to 110F) than do mammals. This

disadvantage is offset by the better insulating properties feathers

provide compared to mammal hair. Birds also lack eshy

extremities such as ears, tails, and toes that can dissipate body

heat. Their bills are composed of bone and keratin, which are

much more resistant to cold temperatures than the skin. The scaly

legs and feet of birds are mostly tendenous, so are less susceptible

to freezing than the rest of the body.

The feet and legs do have blood vessels. However, in many birds,

the arteries that supply warm blood to the feet are situated next

to the veins that return cooler blood to the body. Heat from the

arteries warms the blood returning through the veins. The blood

reaching the birds feet is cooler, sometimes nearly the same as

the surrounding air, but still warm enough to keep its toes from

freezing. This is especially helpful for ducks and gulls, which may

stand for long periods on ice without their feet freezing.

There is still some heat lost through the legs. A bird can reduce

the heat loss by standing on one leg and pulling the other up into

its belly feathers. It can also squat down to cover both feet with its

feathers. The thinly feathered (or bare) skin around the eyes and

bill can also lose heat, so a bird will tuck its bill and face into the

insulating feathers of the back to sleep.

Feathers are terric insulators, as anyone who has owned a down

vest or comforter knows. They work by trapping pockets of air,

which are then warmed by body heat. A sweater can help you stay

warm in much the same way, but, as with a sweater, the insulating

properties of feathers can be compromised by wind.

Winter weather forecasts often emphasize the wind chill, a way of

quantifying how air feels colder to us when there is a breeze. The

wind chills us by evaporating perspiration as well as by sweeping

away the body-warmed layer of air next to our skin. Birds do not

perspire, but they do lose body heat when the wind penetrates

their feathers. The outermost feathers offer some protection

much like a windbreaker over a sweater but the protection is n

absolute. Gaps in feathers are inevitable as a bird moves about i

search of food or to escape a predator.

Small birds are particularly vulnerable to heat loss, since they

have more surface area in relation to their body mass. This is whmany small birds seek sheltered valleys and the lee sides of ridg

and stands of trees on windy winter days. They must also pig

out every day on high-fat, high-calorie foods just to store enoug

fat to survive the night.

Shelter at night is even more critical than during the day. Some

birds may lose a third of their body mass just maintaining their

temperature during long winter nights. Chickadees, titmice, wre

bluebirds, and woodpeckers roost in cavities in trees. Sparrows,

warblers, kinglets, goldnches, and vireos seek dense thickets

or clusters of leaves to block the wind. A study of the winter

movements and roosting habits of juncos found that the roosts

primarily in densely-foliated crowns of conifers were notespecially warm, but effectively blocked wind. At ve of seven

of these roosts, air temperature within the foliage was only abou

2F warmer, but winds of 18 miles per hour outside the roost we

reduced to less than 2 miles per hour within the foliage.

Inca Doves will huddle together for warmth, sometimes even

piling, pyramid-like, on top of one another. A study of tiny

European Goldcrests (cousins to our Golden-crowned Kinglets)

found that two huddled together at 32F were able to reduce the

heat losses by 23% each; three together reduced the loss by 37%

The tiny Verdins of deserts and mesquite savannas roost in nests

built specically for winter shelter. The spherical clump of twigslined with feathers and other ne materials has a small entrance

hole at the side. It looks the same as a nest built for raising a

family, and sometimes it is the same structure, but it is usually

placed closer to the trunk of a tree or major limb. Though a

nest of twigs might seem poor insulation against winter winds,

particularly in windswept desert areas, a study in California

found that wind penetration inside the nests was only about 2%

outside conditions.

The researchers also calculated how much energy would be lost

by a Verdin roosting in the open compared to one in a nest. They

found that, on a clear night, at 50F, with a wind speed of only 3

miles per hour (rather mild conditions for winter), the exposedbird would likely lose more energy than it could store. The

sheltered bird would, in comparison, expend only 50 to 60% of

reserves. It would emerge in the morning probably very hungry,

but alive. That may seem an uncomfortably narrow margin of

error to us, but its a way of life for many animals in the winter.

Sources for this article included: www.ornithology.com, The AudubSociety Encyclopedia of North American Birds, by John K. Terres.

Energy Savings Attending Winter-nest Use by Verdins (Auriparus

aviceps), by William A. Buttemer, et al., in The Auk, vol. 104. Habit

Use and Flock Activity of Dark-eyed Juncos in Winter, by Bradley M.

Gottfried and Edwin C. Franks, in The Wilson Bulletin, vol. 87, no. 3.


5/16

TR AV IS AU DU BO N SO CI ET Y SI GN AL SM OK E /January/February 2009

THE

DAN CALLAWAY

REPORTDan Callaway,photo by Robert Baumgardner

Participants: Ethel Kutac, Ingrid Huskey, Catsh Kelly and Dan

Callaway

We began birding at Bull Creek Park then headed West

on 71 and birded the county roads starting with Bob

Wire, (not barbed wire) and ending with Old Ferry

Road. Good sightings included Common Raven, American

Robin, Western Scrub-Jay, Chipping, Field, and White-crowned

Sparrow, Golden-fronted and Ladder-backed Woodpecker,

Carolina Chickadee, Black-crested Titmouse, Canyon, Bewicks,

and Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Orange-crowned

and Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, Red-tailed Hawk,

Hermit Thrush, American Goldnch, and Spotted Towhee. At

Pace Bend Park we added Osprey, Ring-billed Gull, American

Kestrel, Great Blue Heron, and Vesper Sparrow.

In the afternoon we birded Paleface Ranch and Haynie Flats

Roads. At the golf course we stopped to check a water hazard

next to the road. Catsh took pictures of what we rst identiedas a pair of Mottled Ducks. Since one had a shorter and not-so-

yellow bill as the other, we compared the pictures with Sibley.

The bill, head, and neck coloration resembled characteristics of

not only Mottled Ducks, but also Black and Mexican Ducks.

Sibley does note that all three do hybridize. If the ducks are

there later, we suspect they could be semi-domesticated.

Janene Rowan and Emil Levasseur birded Hornsby Bend

and South Park Meadows. Their interesting nds included

Bufehead, Common Goldeneye, Eared Grebe, Ring-necked

Duck, Coopers Hawk, Crested Caracara, Sora, Greater

Yellowlegs, American Pipit, Savannah, Lincolns and Song

Sparrow, and Lesser Goldnch.

Total species for Travis County: 71

Birding to Pace Bend - 11/26/08

Hornsby Bend News

This column shares my experiences on the monthly

bird survey at the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory

(www.hornsbybend.org/). The survey has been going

on for close to ten years now, and I have been participating

on and off for most of that time. Ive lived in Austin since

1983 and have been birding in the Austin area since 1996.Unfortunately, these days I only visit Hornsby once a month

for the survey. Since 2006, most of my birding has been in

my neighborhood in far northwest Austin. (I blog about it

here: www.birdingonbroadmeade.blogspot.com).

November 8, 2008

For this months survey my group of three covered the ponds

and part of the river trail. The weather was excellent cool

and clear with little wind. It was a joy to be outdoors and

looking for birds. Fall and Winter bring many ducks and

sparrows to the ponds. Around Pond 1 West in the tall grass

we found Lincolns Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, dozens of

Savannah Sparrows, a single White-crowned Sparrow, and

we counted eight Marsh Wrens. American Pipits were also

back, ying over often. The only shorebirds we saw were

several of the year-round resident Killdeer, nine Spotted

Sandpipers, about sixty Least Sandpipers, and just two

Wilsons Snipe. At about 8:30 we saw a dark column of

smoke rising from the road and we wondered what it was.

Pond 1 East and Pond 2 had hundreds of ducks, mostly

Northern Shovelers, Ruddy Ducks, and Green-winged Teal.

We found smaller numbers of Blue-winged Teal, Gadwall,

Northern Pintail, Redhead, and Ring-necked Duck. (We

learned later that another group found some Canvasbacks,

which we missed.) There were a few grebes around too,

including a single Least Grebe which we were excited to see

in Pond 2.

At the southeast corner of Pond 1 we went into the woods

to see what songbirds we could nd. Right by the pond we

found some newly returned winter residents like Orange-

crowned Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped

Warbler and a Hermit Thrush. Walking downhill towards

the river we got to hear and then see a Blue-headed Vireo.

Then we entered the Black Willow Trail, one of my favorite

spots at Hornsby. The only bird we added to the list there

was a Red-bellied Woodpecker, but the tall sunlit tree canopy

was beautiful to see. So was the clear, glassy water in the

Colorado River with fallen leaves drifting on its surface.

We ended the morning with sad news. The column of smoke

over the road we had seen from the ponds earlier was from a

fatal trafc accident on FM 973. A young man had attempted

an illegal pass and had a head-on collision with an 18-

wheeler. The truck driver was OK but the young man died

at the scene. Please be careful on this road when visiting

Hornsby!

Mikael Behrens


6/16

6 SI GN AL SM OK E /January/February 2009 TR AV IS AU DU BO N SO CI ET Y

TAS ClassesWaterfowl Identication ClassBegin the new year by learning how to identify those ducks!

If youve been walking around Town Lake and wondering

what kind of ducks you see, this class will provide you with

answers. Travis Audubon Society is pleased to announce that

Jean Martin will again teach the Waterfowl Identication

Class. Jean also teaches the Beginning Birding Class, and has

almost 20 years birding experience. This course will focus

on ducks, grebes, geese and other waterfowl found in Texas,especially during the winter months. It is well suited for

birders who have completed the Beginning Birding Class or

for those who have ignored ducks because all those females

look alike.

The class will consist of two lectures (followed by eld

trips) plus a third eld trip on a different afternoon. Lectures

will be on Saturdays, Jan. 24 and Feb. 7, from 8 to 10 am.

at Hornsby Bend. The rst two eld trips will begin a few

minutes after the lecture sessions end and will last until about

2 pm.; locations will be announced at class time. A third eld

trip will be held Saturday, Feb. 21, from noon to about 7 pm.Participation in eld trips is considered an important part of the

class learning experience. Tuition is $45 for Travis Audubon

Society members and $60 for nonmembers. The class will be

limited to 14 participants. To register, e-mail waterfowlclass@

austin.rr.com, or call Jean Martin at 343-7053.

Beginning Birding ClassesIf you enjoy seeing birds in your yard and want to learn to

identify them, or if youve been looking for a new nature-

oriented hobby, perhaps a birding class is just what you need

to begin the new year right. Once again TAS will sponsor

both a daytime and an evening series of classes for beginning

birders. Participants may register for either series, and each will

include four lecture/slide sessions and four eld trips. Because

eld trips provide the opportunity to put into practice the skills

taught in the classroom, we strongly encourage registrants

to make a commitment to attend the eld trips as well as the

lectures.

Jean Martin is beginning her 10 th year teaching the classes,

which are designed to provide new birders with the techniques

and skills to help them identify unfamiliar birds. Participants

will receive a beginning birding booklet, plus many other

handouts. Among the topics to be discussed are choosing

binoculars and eld guides, identication tips, bird biology, and

migration.

The lecture/slide presentations will be held at a location in

northwest Austin. Field trips will be taken to various locations

in Travis and nearby counties later in the same week as the

classes. Trips begin early in the morning and end between noon

and 2 pm.

Schedule for the Tuesday Afternoon ClassLecture/slide presentations will be held from 1-3:30 pm on Feb.

24, Mar. 10, Mar. 17, and Mar. 31.

Field trips will be on Wednesdays beginning about 7 am. The

rst two eld trips will end about noon and the last two will

end about 2pm; the dates are Feb. 25, Mar. 11, Mar. 18, andApr. 1.

Schedule for the Thursday Evening ClassLecture/slide presentations will be held from 7-9:30 pm on Feb.

26, Mar. 12, Mar. 19, and Apr. 2.

Field trips will be on Saturdays beginning about 7 am. The rst

two eld trips will end about noon and the last two will end

about 2 pm; the dates are Feb. 28, Mar. 14, Mar. 21, and Apr. 4.

The class tuition is $55 for Travis Audubon Society members

and $65 for non-members. Class size is limited, so register

early, especially for the evening class, which always lls

quickly. To register, send e-mail to Jean Martin atbegbird@

austin.rr.com or phone her at 343-7053. Be sure to specify

whether you want to attend the class with the Tuesday

afternoon lectures and Wednesday eld trips or the class with

the Thursday evening lectures and Saturday eld trips.

Our DonorsWe thank these persons and groups who generously made re-

cent contributions to Travis Audubon Society (as of press time):

Painted Bunting

Larry Ringstaff

Barbara VinsonJill Hinckley

Claudia Hisky

Vireo

Frances & Oskar Cerbins

Cordelia Hanzlik

Joseph Acosta

Joanna Hitchcock

Thomas Linker

Thomas Camp

Penny Potter

Bill & Ann Edwards

Cheryl HazeltineAnna Faye Peterson

Warbler

Sarah Heather

Chimney Swift Tower in

Memory of Gray Jolink

Edward Travis

Mark Silverstone

Robert Groves

Michael Hatch

James WillsDonald Davis

Sally Mandell

Daniel Byrne

Jane Tillman

Larry Jones

Cleve Tandy Foundation

Memorial Gift in Honor of

Maribel Cullen

Loren J. Okrina

Chaetura Canyon

Steve Janda, in memory ofBettie Janda

Tess Sherman

Unrestricted Donations

Janice Summer & Kay Little

Mary Blackstock

Ingrid Huskey

Olive G. Forbes

The Powell Foundation


7/16


Much of Texas Ornithological Societys Sabine Woods,

just over four miles west of Sabine Pass in southern

Jefferson County, is on an old beach ridge which

is between ve and eight feet above sea level, yet the woods

were inundated on September 13th, 2008 with six to eight feet

of salt water in the storm surge of the hurricane. Essentially

all the man made structures in the woods were destroyed bythe combination of wind and water. Boardwalk sections were

broken apart, and some deposited in various places around the

woods. Much of the former boardwalk is simply unaccounted

for, and presumably in small pieces somewhere in the marsh

north of the Woods. The picnic shelter is no more. Most, but

not quite all, of the benches are gone to places unknown.

Fortunately, there were no man made structures to the south of

Sabine Woods, and only marsh grasses came into the woods

from outside. The combination of the wind and salt water top

killed all the underbrush, and caused the leaves that remained on

the trees to turn brown. Many of the weaker trees in the Woods

had been felled by the winds in Hurricane Rita (September 25,

2005) and additional tree losses were only moderate at most.

Three large oaks were among the casualties. The ponds are lled

with salt water. The fence along the highway is now in relatively

poor shape; the fences on the other three sides were damaged,

but appear repairable. The water system is still intact, but we

have not been able to test it to see if there is any damage.

On the brighter side, almost all the trees have put out new green

leaves, and some of the underbrush is beginning to show new

growth. The Woods were completely brown when we were rst

able to check them a week or ten days after the storm. Now,

they stand out as a green oasis. There was a good rain two days

before the rst work day, but we still need many more such rainsto help wash the salt away, even though the rain did make the

going a little muddy on the work day.

With the much appreciated assistance of 29 volunteers, the rst

work day at Sabine Woods was held on October 18th to begin

the process of recovering Sabine Woods from the ravages of

Hurricane Ike in weather that could not have been better: little

wind, pleasant temperatures and decreasing humidity as the

day progressed. On this rst work day, essentially all the old

boardwalk sections were broken into pieces that can be moved

without heavy equipment. We considered attempting to salvage

portions of the boardwalk for reuse as boardwalk, but the more

we got into them, the clearer it became that is was not practicalto save any large sections. Most were wedged in and between

trees and many were badly buckled and otherwise damaged.

Many were in locations where it would likely be impossible

to bring in equipment without damage to trees. Boardwalks

section are very heavy! So, we broke and cut the boardwalks

into manageable sections and piled them out of the path of the

trails. When we had nished, the trails were almost all cleared,

save for three large trees that will need to be dealt with by

professionals.

Birds are already beginning to use the Woods again, and we have

no doubt that there will be food for migrants in the spring. The

ground and underbrush dwelling species may not be very happy

with the relatively open understory. White-throated Sparrows,

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are among the wintering species already

present.

For the immediate future, we are still looking for a viable way to

drain or dilute the salt water in the main pond. We still have some

fence repair to do on the west and north boundaries. The fence

along the highway will eventually need to be completely replaced,

which will involve clearing a path for it, and which will likely

require a contractor, but it is not as urgent as it does not serve to

keep cattle out as the fences on the other three sides will need to

do again when cattle are brought back to the area. However, we

maybe should replace the gates and gateposts sooner rather than

later. It would be nice to have a couple of picnic tables to replace

those lost, and replacement of the shelter would provide some

cover when it rains. We will need to work on the water system.

We dont currently know whether city water service is functional

at the location, although there is no obvious damage to our system

We will need to have the back ow preventer tested and we plan

to add additional outlets for use when we plant trees using the

Birding Classic grant funds next winter.

While we will need almost certainly need to pay a contractor

or contractors for some work at the Woods in the intermediate

term future. TOS (Texas Ornithological Society) will continue

to appreciate your nancial contributions towards such work.

Volunteer help on the work days is valuable way beyond anything

that you probably realize. Contracting for even simple tasks

means paying for travel time as well as the cost of the labor andthe very signicant overhead costs that contractors have. The

ability of volunteers to distinguish between an oak tree and a

tallow tree and similar environmental sensitivities reduces the

need for management and supervision to a minimum. Contracting

for any work in the somewhat out of the way location of Sabine

Woods is not easy in the current environment in which there is a

great surplus of available work. We have considerable difculty

in providing oversight of any weekday contractor work. In

short, TOS benets enormously from the contributions of time

and effort by volunteers, and thanks them most sincerely for it.

Tentatively, we are proposing February 28th for the next work

day, and considering the possibility of a further one on March 28th

if necessary. The latter might be necessary to deal with invasiveexotics. We have a unique opportunity to access some areas

that are normally inaccessible underbrush, and we will need to

aggressively deal with any exotics hopefully not many species

that prove to be more salt-tolerant than the native species we want

to encourage.

John A. Whittle

Golden Triangle Audubon Society

December 9, 2008

Hurricane Ike and Sabine Woods


8/16


Alamo InnLower Rio Grande * Lodging for

BirdersGuiding * Guides include Benton Basham

Artists studio * Grover Terry BeamanOptics dealer * Brunton & Alpen

956-782-9912www.alamoinnsuites.com

801 Main Street, Alamo TX

across from El Dorado Restaurant

Monthly Meeting InformationTAS Regular Monthly Meeting - 7:00 pm

(doors open at 6:30 pm for social time, 7:00 pm for announcements, speaker at 7:30 pm)

Location: The Redbud Center, 3601 Lake Austin Blvd. Please note that this locaton is subject to change. Notication

will be made via the webpage and email blasts. Parking available in the adjacent lots. Refreshments provided. No

monthly meetings during June, July, or August.

January 15, 2009Guest Speaker: Ted Lee Eubanks

Topic: Faces of Flight - Birds of the Upper Texas

Coast

Teds presentation will cover aspects of the avifauna as

outlined in his two books (copies will be available). More

importantly, he will describe the impacts of Hurricane

Ike, and what we can expect as a recovery over the next

several years.

Ted Lee Eubanks, currently residing in Austin and

Galveston, received a BA in Journalism from the

University of Houston in 1978, and since 1984 has been

involved in the founding and development of a series of

businesses. Eubanks founded Fermata in 1992, and since

that time has been engaged in studying and promoting

experiential tourism and outdoor recreation as sustainable

approaches to community revitalization and conservation.

Eubanks frequently speaks and conducts workshops

on nature-based tourism and its economic potential

for communities, agencies, and landholders. Eubanks

addresses state tourism conferences, wildlife meetings,

and economic development forums. Eubankss natural

history writings and photographs are widely published.

His books, published by Texas A&M Press, include

Birdlife of Houston, Galveston, and the Upper Texas

Coast, coauthored with Bob Behrstock and Ron Weeks,

andFinding Birds on the Great Texas Coastal Birding

Trail, coauthored with Bob Behrstock and Seth Davidson.

Business Members

Travis Audubon is delighted to

recognize its Business Members:

Capital Printing Co.

Jeff Baker Stanberry Realtors

Powell, Ebert & Smolik, PCTo learn about the benets of supporting Travis Audubon as

a Business Member, please go to www.travisaudubon.org and

click on Business Members, or contact Travis Audubon at

512.300.BIRD (2473).

February 19, 2009Guest Speaker: Victor Emanuel

Topic: Bird Tours of the World

Join us for Victors presentation on over 30 years of bird

tour leading, how his company, VENT (Victor Emanuel

Nature Tours), got started, and some memorable moment

along the way. VENT is the largest company in the

world specializing in birding tours. VENT has played a

pioneer role in helping develop ecotourism and is a strong

advocate of supporting local conservation organizations.

Victor Emanuel started birding in Texas 60 years ago

at the age of eight. His travels have taken him to all the

continents, with his areas of concentration being Texas,

Arizona, Mexico, Panama, and Peru. He is the founder

and compiler for 50 years of the record-breaking Freepor

Christmas Bird Count, and served a term as president of

the Texas Ornithological Society. Birds and natural histor

have been a major focus throughout his life. He derives

great pleasure from seeing and hearing birds.


9/16

TR AV IS AU DU BO N SO CI ET Y SI GN AL SM OK E / January/February 2009 9

Notes from Chaetura Canyon

Grey Fox on the side deck

Photo credit: Paul D. Kyle

The primary remembrance for 2008 was the prolonged

drought. However, Chaetura Canyon did fair better

than many surrounding areas with a total of 19.95

inches as of December 1st. Comparing that total to the 45.49

inches in 2007 and 29.51 inches in 2006 (for the same time

period) is cause for concern.

In late October, the 153rd avian species was added to theongoing property list when a Downy Woodpecker spent

a few days on the Sanctuary. This brings the woodpecker

species count to six including Ladder-backed, Golden-

fronted, Red-bellied, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Northern

Flicker.

Although not a

new species, we

were graced with

the presence of a

young Grey Fox

who spent aninordinate amount

of time around

the residence. He

showed up on the

deck just outside

the kitchen to

partake of some pecans we had set out for the local Western

Scrub Jays.

In mid November our neighbor Ron Wood helped process th

pile of cedar branches that had been accumulating from our

habitat management since the rst of the year. There is now

nice pile of mulch to use on the trails of the Sanctuary.

Throughout 2009 we will be hosting many of the events

that have been popular and successful over the past two

years: Chimney Swift Tower Workshop, Habitat Stewards

Workshop and Lunch, Chalupas and Chimney Swifts

Mexican Food Buffet, Second Saturday Swift Watch (May

thru August), and the ever popular Dinner with the Swifts in

the fall. Check the TAS web site and calendar for dates and

specics.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge a very generous

donation to Chaetura Canyon in memory of Bettie Janda.

Bettie, her husband Laddie and all of their children werelong-time supporters of conservation efforts at Chaetura

Canyon even before Travis Audubon took over ownership o

the Sanctuary.

Happy New Year!

Georgean and Paul Ky

Sanctuary Steward

Gray Jolink Memorial Chimney Swift TowerWorkshop at Chaetura Canyon

In 2008, TAS Board Member and long-time conservationistGray Jolink passed away unexpectedly. Friends andcolleagues have donated generously to build a Chimney Swift

Tower as a memorial to Gray. This Kiosk Tower will be located

at Mayeld Park.

You are invited to attend a free workshop sponsored by the

Education Committee, the Chaetura Canyon Management

Committee and the Gray Jolink Chimney Swift Tower Fund. If

you have ever wanted to learn more about Chimney Swifts and

how to provide new habitat for this fascinating and benecial

species, there will never be a better time. Join Sanctuary

Stewards Georgean and Paul Kyle to participate in this unique

conservation opportunity.

The rst part of the workshop is scheduled for Sunday, March

15th from 1:00 pm til 4:00 pm at Chaetura Canyon Sanctuary.

Chaetura Canyon has been the epicenter for Chimney Swift

conservation and research world-wide for more than 20 years.

The workshop will begin with an introduction to Chimney

Swifts that includes video highlights from a typical nesting

season.

Participants will then construct the nest chamber for the ChimneSwift Tower. After the project is completed, participants will

take a one-mile walking tour of the Chaetura Canyon Bird

Sanctuary. There are currently 16 Chimney Swift towers on the

property that demonstrate a variety of designs and materials. On

of the towers will be opened, and the class will be shown

how to evaluate the nesting productivity of last years season.

Refreshments will be served on the deck overlooking the Canyo

following the tour. The second part of the workshop involves

installing the tower at Mayeld Park. This will include preparing

the site, pouring the slab, building the tower and attaching the

surrounding Kiosk. The date for the installation will be schedule

to have the tower completed by April 1st. The nishing touch wil

be a plaque to memorialize Grays commitment and contributionenvironmental conservation.

Registration is limited to 12 builders (16 years of age and older)

For more information or to sign up for the workshop, please con

Anne Donovan at 472-3030 or email her at ajdonovan@austin.

rr.com

For a preview of the walking tour, visit www.ChimneySwifts.org

and click on the Chaetura Canyon Bird Sanctuary link.


10/16

10 SI GN AL SM OK E /January/February 2009 TR AV IS AU DU BO N SO CI ET Y

Volunteers of the Month(s)

More worms = More birdsFor A Natural lawn building approach

Call JR at 512-567-2024Early birds get the free assessment!

www.soilsalive.com

For the months of January and February we are honoring

two committed volunteers; Claude Morris and Julia

Balinsky. Yes, we just happened to get a shot of them

together at Youth Birding Camp.

Julia Balinsky coordinates Youth Birding Camp for us

each year and is the chair person of the Youth Education

Committee. In her past life she was a teacher and now lends

that wisdom to us as she patiently juggles kids, parents,

presenters, and volunteers in the weeks before Youth Birding

Camp, somehow managing to bring it all together just in time.

Less known is the fact that she brings and then takes home

the dishes to wash each year so the kids will learn that plates

shouldnt be thrown away!

Claude Morris is a current Board member, but you are

likely to know him because of his leadership of the monthly

Colorado River monitoring survey. Each month Claude and

his band of river birders collect data for Kevin Anderson at the

Center for Environmental Research. He also leads the oating

trips each September from Webberville to Big Webberville

Park and is known to help lead the Hornsby Bend Walks

several times a year. Claude is also the most likely person

to respond to requests for a bird survey and lets not forget

his willingness and patience to teach the young edglings at

Youth Birding Camp.

The 2009 TAS Copper Canyon OdysseyEaster in the CanyonJoin Fellow TAS members April 11 - 18, on a journey to

Barrancas del Cobre. Mexicos Copper Canyon, offers

something for everyone: spectacular scenery, Mexican history,

indigenous population, an incredible train ride known for its

challenging engineering feat as well as amazing vistas, and of

course, great birds.

The canyons are home to 290 recorded bird species,including

the Military Macaw, Thick-billed Parrot, Russet-crowned

Motmot, Rufous-bellied Chachalaca, Sinaloa Wren, Bare-

throated Tiger-Heron, Eared Trogon, Red-faced Warbler and

numerous ycatchers, trogons, and hummingbirds. Your Copper

Canyon birding guide, Carlos Granados, is a native of the region

and while there are no guarantees to what you will see, he

looks forward to welcoming you to his hometown and showingyou around. Price per person in double room: $1895; Single

Supplement $300

WHATS INCLUDED?

Lodging for 7 nights with taxes and gratuities

All meals as listed

Local transportation including Chihuahua al Pacico trainbetween Chihuahua and El Fuerte

Guide services of certied local tour guide with experienceguiding birders

Escort from TAS

Dinner and presentation with representatives of Tierra Nativa

Basic gratuities for lodge staff and guide

Travel Guard Group Insurance Protection Plan

Tax deductible donation to Travis Audubon Society

Donation to Tierra Nativa

Checklist to the birds of Copper Canyon

Trip limited to 11participants (plus the TAS escort)

Sign up now & receive a detailed itinerary by e-mailing:[email protected], subject line TAS Copper CanyonOdyssey.

Photo credit: Nancy Manning


11/16


South Central Texas is still

experiencing drought conditions.

In fact, the average rainfall for

our area is 30 inches for the year, but the

Sanctuary has received just over 18 inches

of rainfall as of November 2008.

Several state and federal agencies such

as NOAA, the Texas Forest Service,

USDA and Texas A & M University post

information on their web sites that include

maps displaying the Keech-Byram

Drought Index, the US Drought Monitor/

South, and the Palmer Drought Severity

Index. The US Drought Monitor, issued through

the National Drought Mitigation Center on

October 30th, shows long-term drought conditions generally

ranging from abnormally dry to extreme across the region.

Rainfall decits for 2008 continue to increase and havereached as high as over 20 inches below normal in some areas.

Water usage remains high in our part of the state, so area

reservoir, lake and river levels continue to fall at a slow,

steady pace. Lake Travis normal pool elevation is 681.00

feet. As of October 31, 2008 Lake Travis was at 657.10 feet.

According to Texas Commission of Environmental Quality,

there are several public water supply systems with mandatory

water use restrictions in place across the Hill Country and

south Central Texas.

Baker Sanctuary News

The Climate Prediction Center

Outlook for January indicates

a higher likelihood for above

normal temperatures across Sout

Central Texas. The outlook also

shows higher chances for belownormal precipitation in January

across the region.

The Texas Forest Service uses

the Keech-Byram Drought Index

(KBDI) as a system for relating

current and recent weather

conditions to potential or expecte

re behavior. By way of refresher, th

KBDI is a numerical index calculate

daily for each county. Each number is an estimate of the amount of

precipitation in hundredths of an inch, needed to bring the soil back

to saturation. The index ranges from 0 to 800, with 0 representinga saturated soil and 800 a completely dry soil. At this time, all of

Travis County has a KBDI ranging from 600 to 700, which puts ou

part of the state under D3 Drought-Extreme conditions. In addition

as of October 30, 2008 the Texas Forest Service Fire Danger Impac

map shows 49 Texas counties under burn bans (this year, the Volen

Volunteer Fire Department has begun posting burn ban notices,

when in effect, on the Travis County rights-of-way on both 2769 an

Lime Creek Road as part of their community awareness program).

The Baker Sanctuary is currently served primarily by two re

department/rst responder agencies. The Volente Volunteer Fire

Department (Travis County Emergency Services District #14) serv

the part of the Sanctuary south of Lime Creek Road and North LakTravis Fire and Rescue (ESD #1) serves the Sanctuary north of Lim

Creek Road. Each year, because of the critical mission of the Baker

Sanctuary, I include a donation to each of these agencies in the

Sanctuary budget as a token of our appreciation for their dedication

and commitment to our community health and safety.

Baker Sanctuary Stewardship Day

A Stewardship Day at the Baker Sanctuary is scheduled for Februa

14, 2009 from 8:00 am until 12:00 noon. We will line trim the tall

grass out of the Orange and Blue Trails (the South side of Lime

Creek Road) in preparation for the Golden-cheeked Warbler SeasoIf you are interested in helping out and can donate your time and a

gasoline powered line-trimmer (the Sanctuary can furnish 50:1 gas

oil mix and .095 trimmer line), please meet us at the parking lot at

12221 Lime Creek Road that morning.

NOTE:

The Baker Sanctuary will remain closed until January 31, 2009.

John Wilc

TAS-Baker Sanctuary Stewa

Photo courtesy of John & Marcie Wilcox


12/16


TAS Events - Jan 2009Saturday, Jan 10

7:00 am & 4 pm

Tuesday, Jan 13

7:15 am to 1 pm

Saturday, Jan 17

7:30 am to Noon

Sunday, Jan. 18

3:30 5:45 pm

Tuesday, Jan 209am to 11am

Saturday, Jan 24

7:30 am to 2 pm

Tuesday, Jan 27

9am to 11am

Saturday, Jan 319 am to 1 pm

Monthly Bird Count at Hornsby BendSponsored monthly by the Hornsby Bend Bird Conservatory. Contact Eric Carpenter at ecarpe@gmail.

com for more information.

Super Tuesday! at Pedernales Falls State ParkMeet at the park-and-ride in Oak Hill (near Jims Restaurant) to carpool to the state park.

Bring picnic lunch, money for park entrance fee and for gas. Contact Stan VanSandt, empidider@yahoocom, for more information. No registration required.

Monthly Bird Walk at Hornsby BendAustins premier birding site. Field trip leaders this month are Stu Wilson and George Kerr. No registra-

tion required - visit www.hornsbybend.org for information and maps.

Winter Bird Walk at Meadow Lake (Round Rock)There should be plenty of ducks to scope out in the late afternoon on this suburban lake. Directions:

From IH-35, take Exit 254 (FM 3406) and go east on Old Settlers Blvd. Go straight through two trafc

lights (Mays St. and Sunrise Rd.), then turn left onto Settlement Drive. Go about a quarter mile, and

park along the side of the road (the park and 65-acre lake will be on your right). No registration re-

quired. Contact Kathy McCormack ([email protected], 512-698-9880) for more information.

Two Hour Tuesdays!Seasonal eight-week series of free, accessible bird walks, perfect for students, seniors, newcomers to

Austin, or anyone who can spare two hours on a Tuesday morning. Most sites visited will be in the city

limits and convenient (on alternate weeks) to those who live north or south of downtown - its a great

way to explore your own neighborhood hot spots! No registration required, just follow the published

directions and spend a couple of hours birding with a group led by TAS eld trip leaders. Beginners

welcome, but bring your own binoculars! All winter walks will start at 9 am, one hour later than the fall

walks.

Two Hour Tuesday! at Walnut Creek ParkA large city park with 15 miles of wooded hiking trails off of North Lamar. Entrance to the park is onwest side of Lamar between Braker and Yeager, continue on entrance road to large parking lot on left

(across from ballelds). No registration required.

Field Trip to Granger Lake led by Tim Fennell and Byron Stone.This Trip is FULL.Mountain Plover, Spragues Pipit, McCowns Longspur, Grasshopper Sparrow, Sedge Wren and many

more - this trips possibilities are mouth-watering. Sign up early for one of TASs most popular outings -

limited to 14 participants. Bring water and snacks and gas money for carpooling. Contact Stan VanSandt

at [email protected] to register.

Two Hour Tuesday! at Mary Moore Searight ParkLocated in far south Austin off of Slaughter Lane. From I35, take Slaughter Lane west about two milesand turn south (left) onto Bilbrook. Go about one mile and turn right onto Watchful Fox, then take sec-

ond left onto Decker Prairie and drive to parking lot at end of road. Note: we do not meet in the main

parking lot off Slaughter. No registration required.

Ecological Literacy Day at Hornsby BendEvery last Saturday of the month, For more information: Priscilla Murr at [email protected],or Kevin Anderson, 972-1960.


13/16


TAS Events - Feb 2009Tuesday, Feb 3

9:00 am to 11:00 am

Saturday, Feb 7

10:30 am to after dusk

Tuesday, Feb 10

9:00 am to 11:00 am

Saturday, Feb. 14 through

Monday, Feb. 16

Presidents Day Weekend

Saturday, Feb 14

7 am and 4:00 pm

Saturday, Feb 21

7:30 am to noon

Saturday, Feb 289 am to 1 pm

Two Hour Tuesday! at St. Edwards ParkLocated on Bull Creek in northwest Austin, take Spicewood Springs Road about 2.3 miles from either Hwy

183 or Loop 360. Meet in main parking lot. No registration required.

Bell County Short-eared Owl Field Trip led by Rich Kostecke and Barry LyonStarting with a picnic lunch on Ft. Hood or at Stillhouse Hollow Lake, this trip will explore the lakes, elds

and woods of this area and culminate, hopefully, with sightings of the ghostly Short-eared Owl. Limited to

participants so sign up soon. Bring water, lunch, snacks for later, and gas money for carpooling. Contact KeZaslow at [email protected] to register and for more information.

Two Hour Tuesday! at Hornsby BendTake Hwy 71 east, turn left at rst light past airport (FM 973), continue north about one mile and take pave

left into Hornsby Bend. Turn right after rst gate into parking lot at Ecological Research Center. No registra

tion required.

Field Trip to Junction, Texas led by Kathy McCormackSeveral local birders will join at least two TAS eld trip leaders in exploring the Junction area, an easy 2.5-

hour drive from Austin. Four fully-stocked blinds at South Llano River State Park should be hopping with

sparrows, the WWTP ponds should have ducks, and Black Phoebes and all three species of kingshers shou

be found along the river in town. A one-hour bus tour is scheduled for Sunday afternoon through the turkey

roosting area at the state park, and we may also investigate the river bottom on the Texas Tech campus and grasslands around the airport. You will be responsible for arranging your own accommodations at a Junctio

hotel. Contact Kathy McCormack ([email protected], 512-698-9880) to register and for more details (e

recommended hotel, birding resources, daily itinerary, etc.) regarding this trip.

Monthly Bird Count at Hornsby BendSponsored monthly by the Hornsby Bend Bird Conservatory. Contact Eric Carpenter at [email protected]

more information.

Monthly Bird Walk at Hornsby BendAustins premier birding site. Field trip leaders this month are Gary Newgord and Eric Stager. No registrati

required - visit hornsbybend.org for information and maps.

Ecological Literacy Day at Hornsby BendEvery last Saturday of the month, For more information: Priscilla Murr at [email protected], o

Kevin Anderson, 972-1960.

About TAS Field Trips All TAS eld trips are open to members and nonmembers and to experienced and inexperienced birders. Wear appro-priate clothing and walking shoes, and bring binoculars and water. Unless otherwise noted, eld trips are free. Please see the new Field Trips Poli-

cies at www.travisaudubon.org/eldtrips.html. For complete, up-to-date information on eld trips, including cancellations due to weather or other

circumstances, please check the TAS website at www.travisaudubon.org. Because of the xed pub lication schedule of the newsletter, be aware that

event days and times may change after publication. If you do not have Internet access, please contact the person(s) listed with the event description.

About Hornsby Bend Maps and other information about the Hornsby Bend facility may be found on the Hornsby Bend website at www.hornsbybend.org

FIELD TRIPS Committee ChangesLaurie Foss has stepped down after a pioneering year and a

half at the helm of the eld trips committee. Lauries skill

and competence has been much appreciated by the Board

and staff. Her creativity in nding exotic birding locations

was only matched by her exchange program with Hous-

ton Audubon. We will miss her energy and creativity but

know she will stay involved with TAS.

Stepping up to the helm we have Stan VanSandt and Terry

Banks, chair and co-chair. We welcome them to this important

position and thank them for accepting the torch from Laurie.

Stans Two-Hour Tuesdays have been wildly successful and

provide an amazing opportunity for outreach. This type of

creativity and energy is exactly what ensures that this com-

mittee will take the lead in promoting the enjoyment and

understanding..of native birds and their habitats.


14/16

14 SI GN AL SM OK E / January/February 2009 TR AV IS AU DU BO N SO CI ET

Hawk Watch 20082008 Hornsby Bend Hawk Watch

Final Report - October 31, 2008

The 2008 Hornsby Bend Hawk Watch was conducted fromAugust 20 through October 23, 2008. The hawk-watcher spent349.45 hours at the watch, averaging 5.46 hours per day. There

were 65 days in the watch period, including 9 days where no

watch occurred. The number of days where the hawk-watcher waspresent totaled 57.

Weather conditions, late August through October 23

Five days had no watch due to weather conditions. The Austin

area has been in an extreme drought situation for much of 2008,

and little rain has fallen recently. On several days, the watch

was not held because of extremely clear skies. No clouds create

a situation where birds are difcult to nd and to track, making

locating and identifying raptors very difcult. It was decided that

time and energy spent on these days was largely in vain, after a

few attempts were made to nd birds in these conditions. I decided

that I needed to rest up for days when conditions were better.

Hurricane Ike passed well east of the Austin area on Sept. 13, and

had little effect in Austin other than high winds for several days.

In general, winds were higher than usual for much of the watch

period, which may have inuenced bird movements. High winds

and the lack of rain also made it difcult to maintain the hawk

watch at the location previously used. This location is too close to

the Dillo Dirt production facility, and blowing dust and debris was

very heavy, especially on days with north or north-east winds. The

watch point was therefore moved to a spot between Pond 1-West

and Pond 2. I feel that this did not affect the number of raptors

observed, because the main track of most birds was over the watch

point, or slightly to the west.

Observations and comparisons to previous years16 raptor species were observed, which is average for Hornsby

Bend. In past years, species numbers ranged from 15 to 17. No

unusual species were observed in 2008.

Vultures

Numbers were up from last year. Turkey Vulture numbers were

higher than in 2007, but did not exceed the peak number of 5277

observed in 2006. Turkey Vulture migration occurred in October,

with the peak number occurring on October 17. Migration in

Black vultures is harder to observe. These birds do not pass in the

large numbers observed for Turkey Vultures, and although large

kettles of Black Vultures were seen on several occasions, thesebirds were not observed to leave the area. Only 68 Black vultures

were counted as migrants, with the highest number recorded on

October 9.

Kites

Mississippi Kites were low this year, especially compared to the

high number observed in 2007. Kites were observed on the rst

day of the watch, and were observed regularly in low number until

late September (Sept. 24). Two very late Mississippi Kites were

observed on October 17, bringing the yearly total to 360. No other

Kite species were observed this season.

Accipiters, Osprey and Northern Harrier

Compared to the average from 2001 2007, numbers of these

birds were down in 2008. Osprey and Harrier numbers were

almost half of what might be expected, while accipiters were

about 75% of what might be expected. Accipiter numbers peaked

in early to mid-October, with the highest numbers coinciding wit

high numbers of Turkey Vultures. Osprey and Northern harriers

passed through sporadically throughout the watch period. Osprey

numbers were difcult to judge, as two Ospreys moved into the

Hornsby Bend area relatively early, and were observed on an

almost daily basis thereafter.

Buteos

Five buteo species were observed during the watch period.

Numbers of buteos were down, compared to the average from

previous years. Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks are

difcult to count at Hornsby Bend, but numbers in 2008 were

about 1/3 to 1/2 of what are normally counted. Broad-winged

Hawk numbers were up in 2008 from the early years of the

watch, but were signicantly lower than in 2007. Swainsons

Hawks were also higher than 2007s dramatic low, but were

nowhere near the high numbers reported from 2002 2004. Asingle Ferruginous Hawk was observed in 2008, which is averag

for Hornsby Bend, and no Zone-tailed Hawks were seen this yea

Falcons

Numbers of falcons observed were generally down 50% from

previous years. Only three falcon species were observed in 2008:

American Kestrel, Merlin, and Peregrine. No Crested Caracaras

were considered as migrants, although several were frequently

observed in the Hornsby Bend area. Prairie Falcon was not

observed in 2008.

Eagles

Bald Eagles were observed fairly often this season. A pair wasreported from the Webberville area, east of Hornsby Bend,

and these birds were observed somewhat regularly. Three Bald

Eagles were counted as migrants, including one adult and two

immatures. The highest number of Bald Eagles recorded in

migration over Hornsby Bend was 5 in 2006, so this is well

within the normal range. Eagles are considered rare in the Austin

area, so sighting them on a semi-regular basis was quite special.

General comments on the 2008 seasonMy general impression of this year is that of low raptor

movement through the Hornsby Bend area. The median number

of raptors observed per day was 9.5. The maximum number

of raptors in a single day between Aug 20 and Sept 29 was 78.This is quite low compared to what might be expected. Numbers

uctuated between 0 and 20 birds for 35 days during this period;

only 6 days had above 20 birds.

Between Sept 30 and October 23, there were 9 days with fewer

than 20 raptors observed, and 12 days with more than 20.

Maximum number of migrants during this period was 2628 on

Oct. 17. Most of these were Turkey Vultures. The second highest

day was October 4, with 2156 raptors, most of which were

Swainsons Hawks. Only 7 days had more than 100 birds; these

all occurred between Sept. 30 and October 18.


15/16


It is difcult to state whether the low numbers of migrating

raptors observed at Hornsby Bend in 2008 indicate any trend in

the overall populations of these birds. In general, Hornsby Bend

probably does not reect larger trends, but instead reects local

and regional conditions. Most hawk watches are located along

the coast, or along mountain ridges, where prevailing winds

and updrafts help the birds to achieve lift, and make migration

easier. Hornsby Bend is basically a random spot on the

map, especially as far as migrating birds are concerned, so any

movements probably reect local factors that the birds are eitherseeking or are trying to avoid.

Reasons for the uctuations in numbers of migrating raptors at

Hornsby Bend are not clear. Several possible factors include

the increased urban development near Hornsby and along the

I-35 corridor in general. We do not know if the raptors are

following any landmarks, or are guided by the Colorado River

through the Austin area. With the loss of habitat in and around

Austin, it is possible that the birds are steering around the

urban area, because the habitat they require for roosting is not

present any longer. This doesnt completely explain the lack of

birds on good-weather days, but the birds may be sensitive to

the possibility of having to stop, and may plan their routes

according to the potential habitat should a halt in migration

become necessary.

The recent pattern of extreme drought in Central Texas may also

have been a factor this year. In 2001 and 2002, I was privileged

to observe both Mississippi Kites and Swainsons Hawks stop

at Hornsby Bend to feed. Both species prey heavily on insects,

especially grasshoppers and dragonies.The numbers of theseinsects were down this year at Hornsby, and likely also across

the region. It may be that the raptors were avoiding drought-

stricken areas because of the lack of food available.

A third factor that may have contributed to the lower numbers of

birds observed was the difcult viewing conditions encountered

this year. Most of the season the weather was bright and sunny,

nice for sitting outside, but very bad for spotting distant raptors.

Sunny, cloudless days are especially difcult when birds are

coming through one or two at a time. Raptors can be virtually

invisible in a clear sky.

The lack of rain, and presence of a north to northeast wind for

many days also made conditions difcult in regards to blowing

dust and debris. I began the season at the usual Hawk Watch

corner, on the levee above the compost operations between

Pond 1-East and Pond 1-West, but I was forced to move back

between Ponds 1-West and Pond 2. Blowing Dillo Dirt made

it too difcult and unhealthy to remain at the old site. The new

position has a slightly different perspective, but I think that it

is perhaps better for several reasons. Most important was the

lack of dust getting in the observers eyes and nose. Second, the

track of most migrants was from the north, Platt Pond area, so

birds were observed that might have been missed from the old

site. Birds kettling in the hayelds were still visible, although

they were somewhat more distant, but since most eventually

went over the ponds, this did not seem to be a problem. Finally,

the presence of more cover near the Hawk Watch allowed for

more other migrants to be observed. While these did not gure

into the ofcial count, many more species of passerines were

observed than in previous years. Butteries and other insects

were also easier to observe, and helped the slow hours pass more

happily. Eighty-seven non-raptor species of birds, and thirty-

four species of lepidoptera, plus numerous other insects were

observed over the duration of the watch.

Final thoughtsIn general, I consider 2008 to be an interesting data-point for

migration of raptors over Central Texas. Overall numbers were

rather low, but this is likely to be due to climate conditions. I

think the Hornsby Bend Hawk Watch, while located in a non-

traditional place, is well worth continuing. Tracking trends of

migrants through the center of the United States might give

important information on where hawks are migrating when they

do not pass through the more traditional points such as Hazel

Bazemore and Smith Point. The Hornsby Bend Hawk Watch is

also a high-prole activity for TAS and the HBBO. I posted my

results on the TexBirds e-mail list, and received many replies

and began several interesting discussions regarding raptors and

migration. I also had many visitors from out-of-town stop by, and

was able to help in educating people on raptor migration, as well

as the importance of preserving habitats such as Hornsby Bend,

for both birds and birders.

AcknowledgementsThanks must go to Travis Audubon Society, and especially

Nancy Manning, for sponsoring the 2008 Hornsby Bend Hawk

Watch. The support from Travis Audubon made it possible

for me to sit out at Hornsby Bend for the two months. I

must also extend thanks to Kevin Anderson of the Center for

Environmental Research at Hornsby Bend for providing access

to the facilities, encouragement on slow days, and the foresightto establish the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory. I also want to

thank the workers of the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management

Plant, who made my time there much more productive and

comfortable by mowing the hawkwatch point, xing the roads

around the ponds and by stopping by to chat from time to time.

The time was also made easier by the many visitors who stopped

by, and who let me know what was being seen elsewhere on the

site.

Finally, I must extend my thanks to Arnold Pfrommer, who came

by almost every day to sit with me. Arnie helped nd birds, and

allowed me to take breaks without worrying about whether

the canopy would blow off into the pond (it didnt!), or that Iwould miss that kettle of 5,000 Swainsons Hawks or another

Swallow-tailed Kite (I didnt). Priscilla Murr was also a great

help, providing much encouragement (and pizza on Ecological

Literacy workdays!). And, to the many people from Austin and

elsewhere who stopped by or replied to my posts on TexBirds,

thank you all! It was gratifying to know that you were reading all

that, and really great to have met you.

Peg WallaceHawk Watch Coordinator and Ofcial Counter for 2008


16/16


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Jan-Feb 2009 Signal Smoke Newsletter Travis Audubon Society

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