EcobonNewsletter of the Hilton Head Island Audubon Society

Audubon Refuge Keepers

january Program by Charlotte WhiteTuesday, January 13, 2009, 7:30 p.m. at the Seabrook

Human Impacts on Wildlife in the Lowcountry Ourspeakerforthisfirstprogramofthenewyearisaveterinarian,AlSegars,whogrewupinHartsville,SC(NWofFlorencenearI-95.)ThepresentationwillhighlighthowweashumansimpactwildlifebothdirectlyandindirectlyhereintheLowcountry.Whilehighlighting these issues, theprogramwill alsoaddresshowweasindividualscanminimizethatimpactontheanimals,plantsandecosys-tems.Thetopicofwhatcanbedoneforinjuredwildlifewillalsobediscussed.

AlSegarswent toClemsonundergrad, then to theUniversityofGeorgia toveterinaryschool,andthenbacktoHartsvilletopracticemixedanimalmedicine(largeandsmallanimals)for14years.HemovedwithhisfamilytoBeaufortin1996andisnowworkingforSCDepartmentofNaturalResourcesasaVeterinar-ianandStewardshipCoordinator.Inthisjobasaveterinarian,hedealswithsuchaquaticanimalhealthissuesasseaturtlesandshrimp.Inhisstewardshipresponsi-bilitiesfortheACEBasinNationalEstuarineResearchReserveSystem(NERRS),heworkswiththecommunitytoinstillanappreciationofandencourageeffortstoprotectthemagnificentecosystemweallenjoy.TheNERRSwebsite(http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/NERR/about.html) showsa remarkable amountof activity ineducation,researchandresourcemanagement.

IaskedAlwhatheparticularlyfeltstronglyaboutinhisworkandhereishisanswer:“Wehaveawindowoftimeinwhichwecanmakeadifferenceforourkidsandgenerationstocomebymakingappropriatedecisionsnow.Mostpeoplewouldliketodotherightthing;manyjustdon’tknowwhatorhow.Wewanttobe sure theyhave the information tomakegooddecisions forourLowcountryecosystem.”

Tolearnmoreaboutthisveterinarian’sbigpictureonhumanimpactonwild-life in theLowcountry,come to thismeetingonTuesday,January13,WITHAFRIEND,at7:30p.m.attheSeabrook,300WoodhavenDrive,HiltonHeadIsland,SouthCarolina.

FIELD TrIPS by Kay Hodnett

InJanuaryourfieldtripwillbetotheSavannahNationalWildlifeRefuge.ThetripwillbeonJanuary27.WewillmeetintheLaurelHillparkinglotat8AM.(useGoogleifyouneeddirections)OurguidewillbeJackColcolough.

IfyouareinterestedingoingpleasecontactKayHodnettat342-7485orolivhod2@aol.com.Ifyoucontactbyemailpleaseinclude“Audubon”or“bird”inthesubjectlinesoIwillbesuretoopentheemail.Pleaseincludeyourtelephonenumberifyouwanttobenotifiedofaweathercancellation.

ThenextEcobonissuewillcontainascheduleforfieldtripsforFebruary,March,andApril.

January 2009: No. 297

PrESIDEnT'S mESSagEBy Bill Nicol

In lastmonth’sECOBON, EdNashhad an article onourAnnualBirdSeedSale startingon January2, 2009. He also has an article inthismonth’s issue. Ashesaid, theproceedsfromthissalesupport thepurchase ofAudubonAdventureswhichareusedbyourlocalschoolsaspartoftheirenvironmentaleducationprogram.TheAudubonAdventuresProgramshowshowthebirdsfitinthe environment andhowour con-ductcanimpact theirsurvival. Weareallawareof thevariousattacksontheenvironmentthroughoutthecountryandtheworld.Educatingourchildrenontheimportanceoftheen-vironmentandtheimpactofthemostdangerousanimal,man,canhaveoneitherharmingorprotectingitisveryimportant.Themoreresourceswehave,themorestudentswecanreachandthebettereducatedtheywillbe.Pleasedowhatyoucan.

TheannualChristmasBirdcountwasonDecember13,2009andbyallreportswasasuccess.Kudostoallwhoparticipated.BarryLoweswillhaveacompletereportintheFebru-aryECOBON.

JoanandIwishyouandyoursahealthy and prosperousNewYear.Seeyouat themeetingandbringafriend.

HHI AudubonBoard of Directors:PresidentBillNicol 671-4721Vice PresidentKenNeitzke 705-3970TreasurerKarenMcGinty 681-8498FranBaer 686-6348Recording SecretarySteveWhite 837-4597Corresponding Secretary ShermanBarker 342-6596Members‑at‑LargeHowardCosta 842-9447JimCurrie 681-8525MarianneCurrie 681-8525ClemDietze 837-2612BarryLowes 671-3537NanLloyd 363-2092BettyWalter 842-7147JoanWilson 837-2874Committee Chairpersons:Adopt‑A‑Refuge (Pinckney)ClemDietze 837-2612KarenMcGinty 681-8498Audubon Newhall PreserveJoanShulman 842-9246Bird Walks/Field Trips KayHodnett 342-7485Bird House ConstructionJimCollins 671-1240Bird Seed SaleEdNash 681-5725Christmas Bird CountBarryLowes 671-3537EducationMaryJaneMajor 342-5804HistorianOPEN HospitalityTheaLuba 785-3214Legislation KayHodnett 342-7485MembershipTheaLuba 785-3214Newsletter Circulation MarianneCurrie 681-8525 Newsletter EditorJoanWilson 837-2874ProgramsCharlotteWhite 837-4597Publicity & Public RelationsClemDietze 837-2612Sales TableOPEN 686-6406Shorebirds/ConservationHowardCosta 842-9447Special ProjectsRichardShulman 842-9246Sun City RepresentativeKevinCahill 705-3570Wetlands/ConservationSallyKrebs H:757-2973O:341-4690Website: www.hiltonheadaudubon.orgThe Ecobon isamonthlypublication(SeptemberthroughMay)oftheHiltonHeadIslandAudubonSociety.Subscriptionisabenefitofmembership.DirectinquiriestoP.O.Box6185,HiltonHeadIsland, SouthCarolina 29938 or call one of the above officersorchairpersons.

Page2 January2009

ReflectionsonmissingChristmasBirdCount2008by Clem Dietze

ChristmasCountDayhasalwaysbeenoneofmyfavoritedaysoftheyear.Ilookforwardtoitwithgreatanticipation.Inmy13yearsonHiltonHead,IhavetrodthegolfcoursesofMossCreekbeforetheplayersarrive,spentseveralexcitingwaterborneyearsonHowardCosta’sSkimmer trackingSeasideSparrows inhiddencreeksandlandingondesertedbeachesteemingwithmanyspeciesofshorebirds,andforthepast3yearsCaptainedthePinckneyNWRteam.

ThisyearonDecember13,IamwritingatmydeskinsteadofbeingoutwhereIbelongthankstoarupturedspinaldisc,anditsad-densme.

Inanessay in thecurrent issueofCornell’s“LivingBird” theauthor, desperate to get rid of distinctions between “birder” and“birdwatcher”, describes himself as anAviphile or lover of birds.ThewordwasfirstcoinedbyRogerToryPetersonandasyethasnotmadeittothedictionary.Icountmyselfone,asIamsuredomanyofyou.Thewordencompassesalldimensionsofourpursuitfromlistingtowatchingbehavior,feeding,nestingandfledging,andjustplainenjoyingthesefeatheredgemsofcreation.

Therearejoysandsorrowsoncountday,butbothareimportantandmemorable.Thejoysarefindinglargenumbersofourfamiliarwinteringspecies,theexcitementengenderedbysightingoccasionalwanderers,orthefindofatruerarityfortheareasuchastheRoss’sGoosediscoveredonDecember12andphotographicallydocumentedbyourColletonRiverteam.Thesorrowsarenotfindingthosenor-mallywintering species in number or even singles of commonlyexpectedspecies.

Both,however,constituteextremely importantCitizenSciencestatisticstheentirecountrymonitorsatthistimeofyear.Havemigra-tionpatternschanged?Aresomespeciesontheroadtoendangermentorevenextirpation?WhatisgoingonwithGlobalWarming,habitatchangeandloss,orAvianFlu?

Thenthereisthesheercamaraderieofbirdingwithfriends,andthedayneverseemslongenoughaswehopetocaptureasmuchaspossibleregardlessoftheweather.

So,IamsadthatIwasnotwiththoseofyouwhocounted.IfyouhavenotdoneaChristmasCountbeforeyoudon’tknowwhatyouaremissing.Volunteernextyear.Asforme,Lordwilling,thisAviphile willbebackoutwithyou.AtleastthemedicostellmeIwillbewellridofthisproblembySpringMigration.

January2009 Page3

rEcEnT arEa bIrD SIghTIngSby Jack Colcolough

E-MAILReminderHaveyousentyourE-mailaddressintoNan?

Ifnot,pleasesendittoNanatnan@nanhiltonhead.com.

Winter birding is in full swing andwehave justcompletedanothersuccessfulannualChristmasBirdCountonDecember13. AfewearlyhighlightsofbirdssightedinourCBCwere:SnowGoose,EaredGrebe,out-of-seasonSum-merTanager,RustyBlackbird,aflockof~15,000Red-wingedBlackbirds,BaldEagleonitsnestinIndigoRun,BaltimoreOriole,White-breastedNuthatchandRed-headedWoodpecker.BarryLowes,ourCBCco-ordinatorandhisteamwillreporttheentirefindingsofthisCBCinnextmonth’sEcobon.Unusualsightingsinthenearbyareasinthelastmonthincluded:SnowBuntingonHarborIsland,bluephaseSnowGooseandWhitePelicanonSkidawayIsland,RedCrossbillinShipyardPlantation(firsteverheardofonHHI),Red-dishEgretatFishHaulCreekandPurpleSandpiperatTybeeIsland. Othergoodwinterarrivalswere:Dark-eyedJunco,severalHummingbirdstobeidentified,BlackScoter,Red-breastedMerganser,CommonLoon,Orange-crowned&PrairieWarblers,AmericaBittern,Lesser&GreaterBlack-backedGulls,Wilson’sandPipingPlovers,Seaside&Nelson’sSharp-tailedSparrowsandBarredOwl.Alsoanout-of-seasonOrchardOriolewasreported. Thanks to those reporting these sightings:BarryLowes,CarlosChacon,RichardShulman,DorisMc-Cullough,FranBaer,KayHodnett,DottieBass,PeterZachmann,Roger Johnson,DorothyTimmons,PatBlack,DaveLovett,M.Murphy,DianneFaucette,severalvisitors,etal. To report a rare, uncommonor first of the year(FOTY)birdsightinginourarea,e-mail:jackcolco-lough@aol.com,call689-3455orsendablanke-mailto:BirdingFriends-subscribe@yahoogroups.com tojointhegroupandreportyoursighting.

noTES From ThE nEWhaLL PrESErVEby Joan Shulman

HappyNewYeartoeveryone.Let’smakeappreciationofnatureanditswondersapriorityin2009.ThankyoutoSusanandKellyMurphyformonitoringthetrailsinthePreserveinDecember. As2009opens,I thoughtIwouldshareafewquotesfromour2008visitors’commentbook.Thosewhowriteinthebookarefrommanystatesandanumberofforeigncountries.Mostjustwritethedateofthevisit,theirnames,andwheretheyarefrom.Somelistthewildlifetheysaw--themostfrequentlymentionedanimalistheturtle.Thepondhasmanyresidentyellow-belliedsliders. Somecommentsareveryshort: “Beautiful,Thanks”(Ohio),“Nice--weliketheplantlabels,”“ARealTreat”(Ohio).Othersareabit longer: “Ahh!Peace!Calm--Agem--keepupthegoodwork!”(Ontario)“No gators Hooray! Tons of turtles, butterflies, dragonflies.OneHugeBee.” (Utah)“Thankyouforgivingusasenseofwhattheislandwaslikebeforedevelopment.”(Brooklyn)“Wehada lovelywalk.The5-year-oldwasparticularlyimpressed...”(Oregon)“ThebestplaceonHiltonHeadforme!Anaturalist’sdelight.”(nonameorplace)GeocachingseemstobeacommonactivityinthePre-serve.Severalvisitorsmentionedsearchingforthecacheditems.Hereismypleafor2009:WewouldliketohavemoremembersontheNewhallCommittee.Wouldn’tyouliketohelpustakecareofthePreservetomakesureitcontin-uestoexistforfuturegenerations?Callmeat842-9246fordetails.

~ Photo above courtesy of Fran Baer

Page4 January2009

U507XCH

PLEASENOTE: Currentmembersareencouragedtousethismembershipformtosignupfriends,relatives,andneighborsasnewmembers.OurChapterbenefitssignificantlyfroma“returnofdues”fromNationalifourlocalformisusedfornewmemberships

NatioNal auDuBoN SoCiety Chapter mEmbErShIP Form new 1 yr. - $20 2 yrS. - $30 nEW mEmbErS onLy Senior 1 yr. - $15 2 yrS. - $30 junior 1 yr. - $15 2 yrS. - $30 Name ______________________________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________________City___________________________________________State__________Zip ________________Phone__________________________PreferredFirstName(s) ___________________________FullYearResident______PartYearResident______I/WefirstjoinedAudubonin_______________MailacheckpayabletoNAtIoNAL AuduboN SocIetyNationalAudubonSociety,ChapterMembershipDataCenter,P.O.Box51001,Boulder,CO80322-1001

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Hieveryone,It’stimeforwinterhummingbirdbandingagain.LastseasonwascutshortwhenIcamedownwithpneumoniainearlyFebruary.ThisseasonI’dliketomakeupfor lost time.I’malreadygettingre-ports of hummingbirds, including possible Ru-fous,Allen’s, and Calliope Hummingbirds backfortheirsecondorthirdwinter.

I’llbebandingalongtheSouthCarolinacoastduringNovember,withatriptotheColumbiaandAugusta areas in earlyDecember. Please letmeknow if you’ve got hum-mers, including Ruby-throated, coming to yourfeeders. Even if you areonlyseeingthemoccasion-ally,pleasecontactme.I’dlove to come band yourbirds.Thanks,Doreen

bIrD SEED SaLE STarTS january 2by Ed Nash

OurannualBirdSeedSalefundraiserstartsJanu-ary2,2009withanewemphasis.Weneedtoraisealittlemoremoney to fully fund theAudubonAdven-tures magazine for the middle schools. We want toaskmoreAudubonmemberstoparticipate,as“Manyhandsmakelightwork”andjustassurely,“Manybuy-ersmakemoreprofits”.Oursaleshavebeengoodandour profits nice, butwehavehad50 to70buyers ofabout325bagsfromamembershipofabout550.Wewanttoencourageeverymembertobuyabagortwo!Thiscouldincreasesalesto500bagsorevenmore,al-lowingeveryonewhofeedtheirbirdstodirectlysup-portthismiddleschoolnaturestudyprogram.OurseedfromWildBirdsUnlimitedinIndigoParkarealwayshighqualityandfresh.Youshouldbuythemnow(youmustusetheenclosedAudubonOrderFormforustogetthecredit)andthenpickupyourseedsfromthestorewheneverneededduringtheyear.Nobigstoragespaceneeded at your home. The seeds are available in 5#

and20#bags,andareavailablein10variet-iestomatchyourbirdfeedingneeds.

THANK YOU for your support of this Audubon Charter.

Winter hummingbird

update #1

January2009 Page5

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Page6 Printedonrecycledpaper January2009

EcobonP. o. box 6185

hilton head Island, South carolina 29938

Title:Ecobon

IssueDate:January2009

Frequency:MonthlySept.-May

Organization:HiltonHeadIslandAudubonSociety

P.O.Box6185

HiltonHead,SouthCarolina29938

Issue#:297

non Profit organizationu.S. PoSTagE

PaIDhilton head Island, Sc

Permit #39

january ~ FEbruary 2009 calendar

january

Thurs.Jan.8 board Meeting at the Seabrook ......................... 2:00 pmTues. Jan. 13 Monthly Meeting at the Seabrook ..................... 7:30 pmTues. Jan. 27 field trip toSavannahNWR ............................. 8:00am

FEbruary

Thurs.Feb.5 board Meeting at the Seabrook ......................... 2:00 pmTues. Feb.9 Monthly Meeting at the Seabrook ..................... 7:30 pm

b E Q u E S T S If youwish to honor a familymember or friendwith amemorialgift,orremembertheAudubonNe-whall Preserve or theHiltonHeadIslandAudubonSocietyinyourwill,yourgiftmaybeintheformofsecu-rities,cash,lifeinsurance,realestate,or other property.

ContactyourownestateplannerorourAudubonChapteratP.O.Box6185, Hilton Head Island, SouthCarolina29938.

SharingyourestatewithAudubonnot only reduces the taxes onyourestate butwill help protect birds,wildlife,andtheirhabitatintheyearstocome.

0

MonthlymeetingsoftheHiltonHeadIslandAudubonSocietyareregularlyscheduledat7:30p.m.onthesecondTuesdayofeachmonth,SeptemberthroughMay,intheAuditoriumattheSeabrook,300WoodhavenDrive.Membersandguestswelcome!