audubonmartincounty.

org  772-288-2637

October 2008

Program Meeting : Thursday, October 16th

Mark Your Calendars !
New season, new topics and new meeting location and time! Join us
for our first program of the 2008-'09 season when Palm Beach Community October 2008
College professor Stacy Myers will kick off our International Environ- 16 Program Meeting: “Belize and its Ecology”
ment theme with a presentation about the Tropical Ecology of Belize. with Stacy Myers
17 Field Trip: Kissimmee River Cruise and Lake
Stacy has led numerous expeditions to Belize and data that he has col-
Okeechobee
lected in rainforest, riverine, mangrove and other habitats is shared with 21 Jay Watchers Orientation: 9AM at the
Belize Audubon and others. Belize hosts over 500 species of birds and AoMC office
contains the world's only Jaguar Reserve. 23-25 Audubon Assembly at Crystal River
We‟re trying something new this year – the program meetings will be
“bring your own brown-bag lunch” affairs in the meeting room at the Mar- November 2008
tin County Agricultural Extension Office located at 2614 SE Dixie Hwy in 11 Eaglewatch Orientation: 10AM—Noon at
Stuart. Hospitality begins at 11:00 AM and the program starts at 11:30. the AoMC office.
Bring your own food and drink – we‟ll provide the stimulating speaker. 17 Introduction to Birding: Six session bird ID
and topic! course begins
18 Program Meeting: “Audubon’s Place in the
World Stage”
19 Field Trip: FPL power generation site on
Field Trip: Saturday, October 18th Hutchinson Island
Kissimmee River Cruise and Lake Okeechobee. 23 Audubon Thanksgiving Turkey Hunt:
2PM—5PM at the Possum Long Nature
Part #1 Explore the Kissimmee River at Riverwoods, FAU‟s Center for Center (see page 6)
Environmental Studies Field Lab. Loisa Kerwin, of FAU, will be our
guide on the pontoon boat “Kissimmee Explorer.” We will take a tour of December 2008
the Restoration Project illustrating the interdisciplinary nature of environ-
11 Pre-Christmas Bird Count Seminar
13 Field Trip: Viera Wetlands near Melbourne
mental science and management. We will learn about the watershed and
18 Program Meeting: Latin America Adven
explore the biological habitats of the river to see the wildlife rebounding.
tures Elston Raimindo-Chavarria
Part #2 We will join Audubon‟s Paul Gray at Lake “O” and investigate
the bird life along Hoover Dike and learn about the changing environment
of Lake “O” and the Kissimmee River watershed. To sign up, call
AoMC offices at 772-288-2637 and reserve your spot. Please remember
that until your check arrives at the office you do not have a field trip
seat.Meeting Time: Please arrive in time to depart at 7:30 AM. We ex-
pect to return to Stuart about 5PM. Meeting Location: The east end of
the parking lot of Cracker Barrel, located in the NE interchange area of I-
95 and Kanner Hwy (SR 76). Bring: Lunch, binoculars, sun block, refer-
ence books, water, camera, bug spray, comfortable shoes, sunhat, protec-
tive wear and a sense of adventure!
1
 Board Members 2007-2008 Message from our President
Executive Director – Greg Braun ~~~ Laurie Odlum Audubon of Martin County Non-profit
561-575-2041 Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
President Laurie Odlum 772-223-0339 Habitat is just one of the many words used 621 SE Palm Beach Road, Stuart FL 34994 Permit #57
Vice-Pres Volunteer Needed
to describe our Audubon mission. A single Stuart FL 34995
word with so many meanings. A single word
Treasurer Bob Gordon 772-546-2206
with profound implications. A word we need Florida Scrub-Jay Art Logo
By Brian Sylvester
Secretary, Recording Joan Bausch 772-219-8285 to take more seriously, at every aspect of its
Conservation Bob Matheson 772-283-5999 meaning.
Education George Mirka 740-816-4624 A habitat for birds is not just one place- it
is many places; rivers, lakes, streams, ocean,
Field Trips Volunteer Needed
land, trees and of course, air. Sometimes the
Resource Development Doug Warns 772-452-3751 most obvious habitat for birds is put on the
Membership Curt Wood 772-546-5435 back burner of our thoughts. AIR! All of us
Programs Ed Fielding 772-288-2622 breathe it. Only the birds use it naturally (almost exclusively) in their
Properties Ric Berger 772-286-0634
daily lives of foraging, training their young to fly, and to travel great
distances in their annual migrations. Birds have found a great way to
Public Relations Tom McNicholas 772-219-1719 Office hours are generally 10 am—2pm
utilize air as wind. By catching a ride on the wave of the wind that is
Nature Center Susan Smyth 772-692-3489 pushed ahead of the weather fronts they increase their range so that mi- Monday through Friday.
Newsletter Editor Lisa Fiore 772-528-9707 gration is successful. As you know, as the weather fronts push their Please call ahead at 772.288.2636

Wildlife Center Dan Martinelli 772-286-6200

Water Resources
Youth Liaison
Garden Club Liaison
IRL & Speakers Bureau
OTHER IMPORTANT COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Eaglewatch Liaison
Librarian
way along, they channelize and make great wind corridors that have
been used for migration for millennia. Wind is useful for birds, and of
Patrick Hayes 561-747-6397
late has been a buzzword for energy conservation as well.
Devon Green 772-283-3024 These great wind corridors also make for the best places to use wind
Louise White 772-283-4416 turbines to make electrical energy to power our homes and businesses.
Bill Hudspeth 561-667-5123 Yes, windmills were used by the settlers in the west to pump wells,
and in Europe to grind grain. These windmills were short– mostly 40
feet or so. They had little effect on the birds. Today, windmills of a
larger version, aka “wind turbines”, are over 400 feet tall. They are in-
tended to be used for electrical power generation and have been in-
Clare-Rue Morgan 772-286-9833
stalled on the great prairies in the central US, on hill tops in California

Cranewatch Coordinator
Tatyana Sorokina

Pam Hopkins
772-546-8444

772-408-6153
and Pennsylvania, and now, in Florida, there are plans to install these
whirling turbines along the coasts. Our coast is a national bird “airport Welcome New Members !
hub” where raptors and warblers head to the Bahamas and Central and
Cranewatch Co-coordinator Carol Spinney 772-545-7987 Michelle Alloway Joan Cercone Sandra Greeman Sarah McLean
South America for the winter and then return in the Spring.
Joanne Arneson Peg Clifford David Greshem Judy Nordenbrock
Jaywatch Coordinator Pam Hopkins 772-408-6158 Studies in California reported the unintended consequences of the
Brenda Bailey Richard J. Cohn Sharon Jovanovich Sharon Nottingham
Jaywatch Co-coordinator Clare-Rue Morgan 772-286-9833 newly rediscovered green method of energy generation to be increased
Bob & Linda Bassett Carol & Paul Cole Heather Hanle Marlene Pickard
Christmas Bird Count Liz Hailman 561-746-7293 bird mortality due to collisions with the moving blades. Birds collide
not only with moving blades but with the stationary system as well. Warren Becker Jean A. Coleman Debbie Hayner Ian Pollack
Webmaster Ed Fisher edaudubon@yahoo.com
Raptors large and small are especially susceptible to these blades. Danelle Becraft, Phyllis Commons John Hipps Henrietta Reiber
These reports can and should be the factor that removes the plans to Paul Billington, Joan Compare Joan C. Jones Klaus Reinwarth
AUDUBON HOUSE DOCENTS
install such wind turbines on our shores. Florida has such a great wealth Denise M. Boinay Carol Culin Mrs. Robert Joslin Hope Reese
Clare-Rue Morgan, George Mirka, Beverly Poppke,
LaWayne Niedzielski, Mary Ann Woidt, Ed Fisher, of solar energy possibilities that passive solar electrical generation Mauricio Botero B. Dewhirst Lawrence B. Kahn Martha Russell
Carol Coyne should be the “green” energy resource. Perhaps turbines can be installed Katharina Britton Joan Doran Philip Kaigh George & Isabel Shattuck
in areas where birds are not so present. Solar panels are no threat to Lawrence Brothkahn Mary Ellen Drake Peggy Kane Diane Stabbert
Open board seat:
Contact Laurie Odlum or Greg Braun birds. The wind turbines are temporary, but bird deaths are permanent. Maureen Burke Rebecca Dulin The Kelly Family Mac & Kendra Stuckey
Susan Buys Lawrence Flinn Kennedy Pat Stevens
A copy of the official registration and financial information may be The evidence is already in. It is time to step back and review our true Shelley Cabot Joan Fulrath Pam Kuykendall Leonard Sucsy
obtained from the division of Consumer Services toll-free within Florida
800.435.7352. Registration does not imply endorsement,
NEED to install the gigantic wind turbines and simply ask… “Just be- Richard K. Campbell Nancy Gill Cindi LaVoie Erin Walker
approval, or recommendation by the state. cause we can… should we?” There just has Bob Castellano Albert Giordano Charles L. May Cathy Yost
The Scrub Jay is published seven times a year on
to be a better way - actually a variety of
recycled content paper with soy-based ink. ways - to generate energy and let all of us
live in our natural habitat! Announcing our On-Line NewslEtter!
In an attempt to keep production costs down and information letter that includes all the additional items we wish to share
up, we are instituting our new double-vision styled newsletter. with our members including, for this issue, excerpts from “A
Contact your U.S. Senators in Washington DC Think Globally; We will continue to print and mail a simple no bones newslet-
ter with a limited number of pages and graphics. This bare-
Daily of Life with Limpkins” from Harbour Ridge resident
Katherine Seen, Great Florida Birding Trail publication up-
at the following numbers: Kirkland’s Warbler bones printing will provide basic information regarding pro- dates and more. Go to: audubonmartincounty.org. for the full
Senator Mel Martinez: 202.224.3051 Act Locally grams, field trips and general announcement. However, we color extended newsletter.
Senator Bill Nelson: 202.224.5274 will post on-line in our web-site a full color many paged news-

2 11
 More Opportunities to Support
Possum Long Revitalization!
With the completion of phase one of
our Possum Long revitalization project,
our need for your volunteer time and skills
is even more important than ever. Even a
couple hours, whether on a regular or occa-
sional basis, will be a big help. The com-
ing year is going to be a crucial one for the
Chapter; we have received several signifi-
cant grants to help us improve degraded
areas of Possum Long but will still need
help with the administering and manage-
ment the project.
We also have a long term plan for a
major fundraiser but will need help finding
sponsors, keeping donor records, putting
together a Brag Book for publicity, keep-
ing a photographic diary of our activities,
ensuring press releases get out to media,
and many other small but essential pro-
jects.
Also, there is always repair, mainte-
nance and upgrade work to be done; if you
have experience with machinery, plants,
woodworking, computer applications,
plumbing, electrical systems, or fundrais-
ing, we can really use your help. Some-
times we just need to have someone with
some expertise we can go to for advice, so
please sign up and let us know what you
can do--a little of your time can make big
difference.
For more information or to sign up
leave your name and contact details on the
office phone (288-2637) or email
pamaudubon@yahoo.com
JayWatchers Meeting: October 21 JOIN Audubon of Martin County Write your check in favor of “Audubon” and
Mail to: Audubon of Martin County
This year the JayWatchers meeting is
Name Attn: Membership
being held at the beginning of the sea-
621 SE Palm Beach Road
son to maximize the time available for Stuart, FL 34994
conducting surveys before breeding
Address Select your Membership level:
season begins in February. This year
we are going to set up a O Individual or family…………………….$20
schedule of weekly surveys so that we O Senior (over 62) or Student…………….$15
City State Zip
can cover as much of Martin County O Scrub Jay Newsletter only……………...$15
as possible. If you are interested in
participating in one or more surveys or just want to know a little more about Phone Email Chapter Code: 7Ch-E26
our charismatic chapter mascot, the Florida Scrub-Jay, please come to the
meeting which will be held at 9 am on Tuesday October 21st at the Audubon
Office on Palm Beach Road. If you can't attend or want more information Audubon of Martin County Sponsorship
please leave your name and contact details on the office phone,288-2637, or Become an Audubon of Martin County
emailpamaudubon@yahoo.com. Levels and Benefits Sponsor
Yes! I want to be an AoMC Sponsor
In addition to the basic membership, $ 500 Osprey Your tax deductible contribution will help us sustain
you can become an AoMC sponsor. our programs, projects and conservation efforts.
Sponsorship provides funding for pro- Wood Stork benefits plus a natural
Eaglewatch Orientation Meeting: November 11 grams, projects, field trips and history tour led by an AoMC Board
AoMC’s important conservation work. Name
member to the nesting colony at Bird
It is fall again! And it brings the beginning of the Bald Island in the Indian River Lagoon.
$ 50 Great Blue Heron Select your sponsorship level:
Eagle nesting season. AoMC is pleased to once again Special recognition in the Scrub Jay and O Scrub Jay $ 5,000
serve as the Martin County arm of the Audubon of Florida $ 1000 Bald Eagle
a certificate of appreciation. O Bald Eagle $ 1,000
EagleWatch program. AoMC is the county-wide coordi- Osprey benefits plus a natural history O Osprey $ 500
nator for Bald Eagle nesting observation in Martin $ 100 Roseate Spoonbill tour led by an AoMC Board member to a O Wood Stork $ 250
County. To kick-off the 2008-09, Bald Eagle nesting sea- Recognition in each Scrub Jay , a local birding destination of your choice. O Roseate Spoonbill $ 100
certificate of appreciation, an AoMC
son, we plan to hold an EagleWatch Orientation meeting O Great Blue Heron $ 50
t-shirt and one complementary member- $ 5000 and more Scrub Jay
from 10-noon on Tuesday, November 11th at our office O Other $
ship for a person of your choice. Bald Eagle benefits plus a natural history
on Palm Beach Road in Stuart. Come learn about the
tour led by an AoMC Board member to Enclose your donation with this form and mail to:
population of eagles in our area, chat with current watch- $ 250 Wood Stork
Everglades National Park, Merritt Island Audubon of Martin County
ers and join a team to monitor a nest. If you want more Spoonbill benefits plus one copy of the
National Wildlife Refuge, Ding Darling Attn. Treasurer
information please call ClareRue Morgan at (772-286- Sibley Field Guide to Birds and a lunch-
National Wildlife Refuge or Arthur Mar- 621 SE Palm Beach Road, Stuart, FL 34994
9833) or email ClareRue@aol.com In support of the Audubon Center for eon briefing with the AoMC President
shall Loxahatchee NWR.
Birds of Prey and the Audubon EagleWatch - A Volunteer Citizen Science and Executive Director.
Program
AoMC Bird Identification Classes
AoMC‟s education department welcomes long-time AoMC member George Mirka as our new Education Chair. With an
undergraduate degree in Biology, a Master‟s in Environmental Education and many years in the classroom, we are extremely
grateful and lucky that George has stepped forward to pick up where retiring education chair Nathalie Browne left off. As-
sisting George (particularly during the summer months when he is away) we are also pleased to welcome AoMC docent Bev
Poppke as co-chair of the education committee.

Audubon Thanksgiving Turkey Hunt !

Join AoMC for the debut of our fall version of an Easter Egg Hunt.
Members and friends of Audubon of Martin County are invited to par-
ticipate in a no-bird-will-be-harmed fun family event from 2PM-5PM
on Sunday, November 23rd at Possum Long Nature Center. For the cost
of a single one-day use Audubon Hunting License, you can search in
our urban forest for hidden turkeys redeemable at the Audubon License
Headquarters for a grocery store turkey, gift certificates for dinner at
local restaurants, or other fun other prizes. No reservations necessary,
refreshments will be available. Bring the family!
10
With concurrence from the AoMC Board of Directors, one of George‟s first expansions
of our education program is to begin offering two Bird Identification courses each year.
Our six-session “Introduction to Birding” course will begin in mid-November and con-
tinue through mid-December. We will then follow up with an Advanced Birding course
that will be offered in the spring. At press time, we‟re still working on the details, but call
the AoMC office (288-2637), or contact George at gmirka@columbus.rr.com or (740-816
-4624) for more information or to reserve your seat.
Environmental Education in Martin County Schools
Not resting on Nathalie's‟ Laurels…. We want to build on the educa-
tional program successes that Nathalie generated, so if you‟re interested in
helping with programs in the schools, the student essay contests, our
scholarship for teachers, the Audubon Adventures program, or if you have
other ideas that you‟d like us to consider, please give us a call or e-mail
George or Bev with your ideas.
3
 New Resources for AoMC !
Your Audubon Board of Direc- We‟ve signed a contract through which the Possum Long and our other properties.
Everglades Restoration
tors has been busy over the last several Florida Department of Agriculture and A second grant which is likely
months searching for the human and finan- Consumer Services (FDACS) will provide (but not under contract as of press time) From “The Everglades Report”…. almost all environmental values were lost.
cial resources to continue and enhance the funding for Land Stewardship Volunteer involves the engineering and construction In 1992, Congress passed historic legislation to
programs, environmental advocacy activi- Coordinator services. Funding will come of a storm water retrofit project on the We relay that “the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- restore the Kissimmee River. When complete,
ties, and land stewardship work that are the through the state‟s Urban and Community grounds of our Possum Long property. neers has awarded a contract to backfill more than 40 square miles of river-floodplain,
focus of our mission. We‟re pleased Forestry Pro- The antiquated, obsolete surface water an additional 3.8 miles of the channel- including almost 20,000 acres of wetlands and 46
to report that the investment of time gram. We‟ll use management system that has been margin- ized Kissimmee River. Work is ex- miles of historic river channel, will be restored.
in these pursuits is beginning to bear the funds to de- ally functional for years (perhaps decades) pected to begin in August. The backfill- This will be accomplished by increasing water
fruit-both literally and figuratively. velop and imple- will be replaced with a modern, state-of- ing and other contract components will storage levels in the upper chain of lakes at the
The wildlife-friendly plants that ment a more the-art system that will not only retain take approximately 2½ years to com- river‟s headwaters, filling in 22 miles of canal,
were acquired through grants from well organized storm water on site, but also hopefully plete. The section to be backfilled is excavating some original river channel, and other
the Institute of Food and Agricul- work force to provide an aesthetically pleasing water called Reach 4 and is adjacent to the components.
tural Sciences (IFAS) and the Na- help us maintain feature that will attract birds and other Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Today, the project is more than halfway com-
tional Audubon Society and planted and make im- wildlife. Park in Highlands and Okeechobee plete. Ten of the 22 miles of channelized river
in the spring have taken off in re- provements at As described elsewhere in this counties. have been backfilled. All the land needed to
sponse to summer time rains. They newsletter, these are matching fund grants, The Kissimmee River Restoration pro- complete the restoration has been acquired: more
are now doing their thing-providing and we‟ll need the help of members, ject is one of the world‟s largest river than 102,000 acres.
food and habitat for birds, butter- friends, and the community to generate our restoration efforts. Many years ago, the Jeffery Couch, senior project manager with
flies, and other wildlife. share of these ambitious projects. Give us river flowed in a serpentine course from the Corps of Engineers said, “The return of wild-
We‟ve also recently re- a call if you can help! south of Orlando to Lake Okeechobee. life has been greater than anything anybody ex-
ceived good news that two grant The meandering 103-mile-long river pected.” Native plants, fish and other wildlife
applications for Possum Long re- nourished a 1- to 2-mile- have returned in substantial numbers. Ducks,
lated programs have been approved. wide floodplain, home to wading birds, largemouth bass and shoreline
migratory and wading birds species have all come back to the restored river
and many other wildlife and its floodplain. The restoration will be com-
species. plete in 2012. Monitoring will follow. For more
In the 1960s, the gentle information, visit www.saj.usace.army.mil/dp/
woodpeckers for the rest of my days! I will, doubtless, not see or Kissimmee was channel- krr/index.htm.”
Summer-time birding notes - Greg Braun ized to provide flood pro-
hear one, but I sure now know the difference between pileated
tection to growing central Sign up now to join us on a pontoon boat
Our thanks to Katharine Senn, who kept us in the information and ivory-billed. A pileated woodpecker flew into my yard about
Florida. The curving river excursion of the restored portion of the
loop as she watched the nesting activities of a family of limpkins a week later and I KNEW that is what is was!!!” Go Caryl! Our
at Harbour Ridge over the summer (see pages 8-9).
thanks to TNC‟s Linda Finch for organizing the program and was replaced with a straight Kissimmee River on Saturday, Oct 17th
inviting our participation. 56-mile-long canal. While (see field trip flier for details).
Congrats to Margo Stahl and Jackie Isaacs at Hobe Sound
the flood control mission worked as planned,
National Wildlife Refuge for their continued efforts of habitat
management at the refuge. With the increase in beach width as a
result of the recent beach nourishment project and stepped-up
protection from disturbance, least terns returned this summer to Kudos!
nest on the national Wildlife Refuge beach – the only beach- Greetings from the Great Florida Birding Trail! able to print a small number of copies of the newsletter. How-
nesting location in Martin County. AoMC Congratulates Dupuis Management Team of Bert ever, there is no limit to electronic subscriptions. We encourage
Great Photos, Larry Shores. Over the summer, Larry has kept Trammell, Valerie Sparling and Kimberly Kanter for recently you to try our free electronic subscription!
AoMC is pleased to relay the following news from Selena
the shutter clicking – recording nestling purple gallinules, being recognized as the Land Conservationists of the Year by Instructions on adding your name to the newsletter subscrib-
Kiser, of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commis-
moorhen chicks and early-season migrating shorebirds. We Florida Wildlife Federation. The Dupuis team‟s work to restore ers‟ mailing list:
sion:
encourage other nature photographers to provide photos they‟ve the habitat and re-introduce red-cockaded woodpeckers to former Visit the link http://myfwc.com/recreation/requests.asp to
“We are spreading the word about our good news! We are
taken to be posted on the photo gallery pages of the AoMC web- habitat on their 22,000 acre property is the result of years of ef- request a subscription to the GFBT newsletter. Scroll down to
very excited to inform you
site. fort and a great collaboration between governmental agencies, The Great Florida Birding Trail and click on a checkbox for your
that the Great Florida Birding
AoMC president Laurie Odlum reports the summer-long pres- including the S. Florida Water Management District, the Florida choice of electronic or paper version of the newsletter. Then
Trail (GFBT) newsletter will
ence of ruby-throated hummingbirds near her home along the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Florida Atlantic
be back this fall! It was last scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Submit”
South Fork of the St. Lucie River. There must be a nest around University‟s Center for Envi- box. This will take you to a new page. Make sure it says “1
printed in 2005, but it has
here somewhere, but where? Hummingbirds have such an abun- ronmental Studies. We en- GREAT FLORIDA BIRDING TRAIL NEWSLETTER” at the
been reinstated and will be
dance of nectar sources in South Florida that they rarely visit courage our members to stop
published twice a year. The top of this page (followed by electronic or paper version depend-
feeders, but it is always a treat to see these flying jewels. by the visitor‟s center at Du- ing on what you have chosen). Then proceed to fill out your
newsletter will continue to
Birders from Martin and Palm Beach Counties were pleased to puis (located ___miles west of
cover the GFBT, but will also name, address and email address. Then click the “Submit Order
be able to attend an August meeting at The Nature Conser- Stuart on State Rd 76), see the Information” button. You should receive an email telling you that
include articles about other
vancy’s Blowing Rocks Preserve to hear David Luneau give an new exhibits and express your you have successfully been added to the mailing list.”
wildlife viewing opportuni-
outstanding presentation about his pursuit of Ivory-billed wood- support and appreciation to For more information, contact Selena at
ties in Florida.
peckers in the swamps of the southern US. Several AoMC mem- Bert and the staff for their on selena.kiser@myfwc.com or 850.488.9453. .
We would like to invite all of our friends to subscribe to the
bers attended and Bird ID class alumnus Caryl Vignoli enthusias- going work.
updated newsletter. And, there will now be two options: elec-
tically reported “I will probably be on the alert for Ivory-billed
tronic and paper. As our resources are limited, we will only be
4 9
 Bird of the Month Your brown back, which Field Trip Report kayaking tour through the meandering view. Trip participant Jim Kearman was
By Susan Whiting
is mottled with white strips Limpkin upper reaches of the South Fork. What a also a big help – his familiarity with the
and spots, makes you fairly (Aramus guarauna) peaceful area - it seems like a world away property and its trails is an incentive for as
Would you like to be called a Limpkin? Not only would you inconspicuous as you wan- Having taken the summer off from from the nearby hustle of traffic on I-95. all to spend more time in our local conser-
have a strange name, but you would have no close relatives. der around the marshes and organized chapter field trips, our last field Thanks also to Pam Hopkins, our knowl- vation lands.
They all would have disappeared about fifty-four million years swamps, but the minute you open your mouth people know trip was an excursion along the South Fork edgeable guide We look forward to Mar-
ago during the Eocene Period. Your great-grandparents and where you are. Ken Kaufmann, a famous ornithologist, consid- of the St Lucie River back in April. The on the landside tin County‟s future work
maybe even your grandparents were hunted out of Florida but ers your call a “piercing banshee wail”. When you skulk trip began with an introduction to the re- portion of the to make habitat improve-
lucky for you, the conservationists put a stop to the hunting of through the marshes and swamps looking for food, you have a cently acquired “Delaplane Peninsula,” trip. Pam‟s ments along lakeshores in
Limpkins in the 1920‟s and you and your friends and relatives strange gait which is jerky and seems to make your tail twitch. from which we got views of South Fork familiarity the southern reaches of
have made quite a comeback. You are a loner as are all limpkins. Not much is known about wildlife, including ospreys and dolphin. with the plant Halpatiokee. Transform-
You could describe yourself as a cross between a crane and a your breeding behavior except that you tend to join small colo- Birdlife was difficult to spot, but calls of life was par- ing steep-banked pond
rail. You have a slightly decurved bill that is yellowish near nies of other Limpkins. You and your mate build a platform cardinals and catbirds accompanied us ticularly help- edges to wide, shallow,
your head and darker at the tip. And your bill is kind of differ- type nest just above the water or maybe up in a mangrove 20 or throughout the trip. We could see the tre- ful when the littoral zones is sure to
mendous progress made by the Marine vegetation increase foraging habitat
ent because it bends slightly to the right. You asked your par- more feet in the air. If your are a female you will lay between
Resources Council in removing Australian became too for herons, egrets and
ents why, when you were little and still four and eight eggs which are buffy in color with brown
Pines and other invasive pest plants, but dense for us to other wading birds. Join
be fed by them. They answered that and gray spots but after that we know that you and your
we realized there‟s need for a lot more of find our feath- us for a future field trip –
when you got bigger and had to feed mate take turns incubating the eggs but no one seems to
this kind of work – maybe a site for a fu- ered friends it is always enjoyable to
yourself, your food of choice would be know how long it takes for the eggs to hatch. Nor do they
ture work day? flitting nearby go on an outing with
an apple snail and the bend makes it eas- know how long it takes for the young limpkins to leave
Next we went to Halpatiokee Park, – but were knowledgeable guides
ier for you to remove the snail from its their nest. where we separated into water-based and elusively al- and fellow nature enthusi-
shell. You found that not only did you You and other Limpkins have the honor of being found terrestrial groups. Our thanks to AoMC most always asts!
have a bend in your bill, but also there only in the New World. The vast majority of Limpkins in Board member Patrick Hayes who led the just out of
was a slight gap between your upper and the United States are found in our native State of Florida
lower mandible. Curious you thought although there are a few in Georgia. Stray have been found
until you picked up your first snail and as far north as Nova Scotia and as far west as Texas. Your
found the gap helped you manipulate the Photo courtesy of Andreev.org Limpkin cousins are found from Mexico to Argentina in
snail readily. Latin America.

Tropical Storm Fay Summer at Possum Long

What a way to end „the drought‟! We‟re glad the water
level of Lake Okeechobee is back into the “normal” range – but
we really didn‟t need to make up the deficit all at one time.
Rainfall from Tropical Storm Fay in late August reminded us,
though, of the unrelenting power of Mother Nature and the fact
that the natural environment in Florida is one that is adapted to
extremes. It has been interesting to observe the effects (or lack
thereof) of this storm in urban and natural areas. It seems like
it‟ll be hard to forget the experience of flooded streets (and
houses), but the effects on most of our natural areas were mini-
mal. Lets hope that Fay reminded us of the value of urban wet-
lands – we need “lowlands” that are available to soak up these
rains. If we fill them all in, then roads, residences and busi-
nesses become the lowest areas – and the first ones to flood.
Why No Election Endorsements from Audubon?
As most long-time Audubon members know, federal guide-
lines prohibit non-profit organiza-
tions from endorsing candidates for
political offices. We do suggest,
however, that our members learn
about the voting records of incum-
bents and the positions of all candi-
dates before voting in local, state and
federal elections.
8 5
With the unfailing assistance of Doug Arbeau every
Wednesday afternoon throughout the summer the worst of the
weeds were kept at bay, especially the Air Potatoes. We man-
aged to plant a few coco-plums and some Muhlie grass in the
flatwoods and made good progress clearing exotics out of the
hammock area west of the chickee. This area is almost
ready for re-planting. Tom Tomlinson & Master Gardeners
Ruth Ann, Paulette & Geri have put in some valuable weed
control hours too. The Butterfly Garden has been a crowd
puller: both people and butterflies. I have spotted Mums with
strollers, dog walkers and home-schoolers as well as Mon-
archs, Gulf Fritillaries, Giant Swallowtails, Zebra Longwings,
Polydamus Swallowtails and many more which have yet to be
identified-there's a project for someone! In addition to the
birds, Possum Long is home to a
spectrum of 'critters' from the rab-
bit that lives under the Ruth Miles
House and the squirrels that live in
its roof to the Box Turtles, Black
Racers, tiny Brahminy Blind
Snakes, Glass Lizards, and the
Brown and Green Anoles. Most
recently a Gopher Tortoise has
taken up residence. Anyone visit-
ing Possum Long is invited to re-
port 'critter' sightings to our office
or by email to pamaudu-
bon@yahoo.com.
Condolences
Since our last newsletter, we regret the passing of several
friends of the natural Florida environment. In June, a plane crash mental Studies at Florida Atlantic University , where he super-
in Lake Placid resulted in the death of the
pilot, Mason Smoak, and two others, David
Maehr and Hank Smith.
The pilot, third-generation Floridian and
agriculture leader Mason Smoak, and conser-
vation biologist David Maehr were killed by
the crash as they were surveying black bears
in Highlands County . David, who was work-
ing as a visiting researcher at Archbold Bio-
logical Station is best known locally as the
co-author of “ Florida ‟s Birds”, for which he
collaborated with former Audubon of Florida
ornithologist Herb Kale.
Since 1993, Hank Smith was the District
Biologist for wildlife resources with the Flor-
ida Park Service, where he oversaw 25 state
parks in SE Florida . He was also an Affiliate
Researcher and Assistant Professor of Biology and Environ-
vised student research, internships, and theses in
biology and environmental studies. He was a driv-
ing force in the “Parknership” program that linked
the Florida Park Service with various institutions
and students to conduct research that met the man-
agement needs of the public lands of Florida .
Hank authored or co-authored various papers on
the ecology of colonial waterbirds, human impacts
on wildlife resources, bioeconomics of wildlife
management, and, in recent times, exotic herpeto-
faunal colonization dynamics in Florida . Most
recently, Hank‟s input was critical in the develop-
ment of a request that the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission consider adding the
Gull-billed Tern to the state list of protected spe-
cies.

Excerpts from “A Daily Diary of Life with Limpkins” By Katherine Seen
DEC 3: Anyone for Limplin laza-
gna? Limpkin stew? Roast Limp-
kin? There's gonna be a Limpkin dead
body available SOON. This stinkin'
bird, of whom I was so enamored, is
driving me nuts. Having paraded
around for weeks in the daylight so we
all could see him, he's now decided he
is, after all, NOCTURNAL. And he
must be LONELY. He's taken to
roosting in the bush behind our house,
and about 3 a.m. each morning he
SCREAMS this horrible screech which
sounds like a child being stabbed:
EEEEIAAHUH---OW---OW---OW---
OW---OW. At that first loud scream,
Harley comes flying off the bed, I sit
up with my heart in my mouth (Larry
sleeps right on), and then the dog and I
realize it's the damned bird again and
lie back down. Lothario then continues
this soliloquy for the next hour or so,
with the "OW's" following the initial
screech varying in number from 5 to
10. Then he gets quiet again...until
about 5:30 a.m. when he starts it up all
over. Larry is a hunter and has guns,
and I'm about to learn to use them...
DEC 14: Yes, the loudmouth is still
screaming out behind us most
nights. Yesterday, I watched for over
an hour as my brown friend worked
slowly and meticulously BUILDING
A NEST (!!!!!!!!!!) in the bush behind
our house. He (she?????) then stood
on the very messy, flimsy pile of sticks
and went to sleep (worn out from night
-crying) for about 2 hours. Could it be
that "he's" a "she?" And could she be
pregnant? (That's just what we need:
baby Limpkins screaming for food!) If
she lays eggs, can one lone bird guard
eggs, feed chicks, and take care of her
own needs? I guess we'll find out.
(Or, maybe there are two here after all:
one behind me and one over at Mar-
shalls? Love--of the bird kind--seems
to be flourishing in HR. Must be that
time of year!
DEC 27: I now have a PAIR of Limp-
kins in the bush behind our house. We
returned from our Christmas trip
North, only to find an email stating not
6 7
one, but TWO, of these diabolical
birds had been sighted in the marsh off
RR-16...We've now installed a noise
machine in the bedroom, and last night
slept peacefully to the sound of falling
rain. This morning, at breakfast, the
shrieks began, and there Lucy Limpkin
was, working assiduously at her messy
nest. But no Lothario. Perhaps the
report was mistaken. We should be so
lucky. Tonight, they both flew in,
screaming, cackling, laughing, crying
and hollaring. They have a HUGE
repertoire of available noises, and now
that they're so happy in love,
they're voicing all of them. It will be
interesting to see what two parents and
a gaggle of little ones sound like.
JAN 17: Boy, did I ever have it
wrong! All morning, I've been watch-
ing our pair of Limpkins out behind
our house. I even called my photogra-
pher friends over to take pic-
tures. Pointed out to them that there
was the female, Lucy, working away at
her nest in the bush while the male,
Lazy Lothario, loitered in the weeds
grooming himself…. Lucy (so I
thought) would pull a branch loose,
throw it in the pile of sticks, and then
make a clicking sound towards Lo-
thario. When that failed to get his at-
tention, she would shriek plaintively,
and then go dutifully back to work. As
I watched, she left the nest to crawl out
to the longest branch growing in his
direction. "OW,OW OW..." brought
no response. Suddenly, "she" hopped
to the ground and flew over to him,
with me thinking, "Now, he's gonna
get it.."------------and get it "he"
did. "She" hopped right up onto "his"
back and mated, right before my won-
dering eyes. "She"'s the
"He"!!!!!! Therefore: the male is the
smaller of the two. The male is the
worker of the two. The female is the
vainer of the two. (Nature does not
always imitate Life!) After this inter-
esting interlude, Lothario jumped off,
walked two compete circles around
Lucy, who was nonchalantly looking
for snails in the mud. He made these
WIERD noises and then he, too, begin
to feed.
So I guess we really are going to be
loaded with Limpkins! Stay tuned!
MAR 29: I was out back when Laza-
rus and Lucy made their usual noisy
entrance yesterday afternoon. This
was around 2 p.m. Lazarus (his neck
wound looking MUCH better) immedi-
ately lay down in the nest and re-
mained there all afternoon (I HOPED
he was actually Lucy, laying
eggs.) Lucy (or Lothario, if the UN-
wounded one is the male) hovered
around, on the ground, in the bush. (I
really need to find out which is the
male and which is the female.)
APR 12: The good news is the Limp-
kin couple has eggs in the nest in the
bush behind our house. The bad news
is the Limpkin couple has eggs in the
nest in the bush behind our house.
Those of you who have had the pleas-
ure of hearing Lucy and Lothario will
understand that dichotomous and am-
bivalent announcement.
First of all, I have now conclusively
been able to determine who's Lucy and
who's Lothario...and Lothario can't be
called Lazarus because he's not the one
who is wounded--Lucy is. Since I ac-
tually saw them do the nasty several
times, and the one with the wound on
the back of the neck was definitely on
the bottom, I have concluded, astute
birder that I am, that the wounded one
is the female. You'll be glad to know
her HUGE wound is healing
Typical Egg
nicely--new feathers growing in,
etc. However, she's been left with a
large unsightly bump on the back of
her (now) scrawny neck so she's distin-
guishable from her more handsome
and vain mate. In addition, there's a
vast difference in the observable divi-
sion of labor: Lucy does all the sit-
ting. If she hatches these eggs without
starving to death, it'll be a miracle.
She first sat down on the nest this past
Monday, April 7. Since none of my
bird books know how many days a
Limpkin incubates her eggs, I called
Martin County Audubon. Greg Braun
finally found one reference which said
27 days...so I'm counting. Lucy sits
most of the day, and Lothario flies in
at random to feed nearby and preen
nearby--not once have I seen him take
a turn at incubation. And since we
have grandchildren here once again,
I've been out at our pool A LOT. Lucy
leaves the nest once or twice a day (in
desperation???) and while she's gone
you can see 2-3 eggs. The nest is
deep, so there could be many more.
And while the screaming has dimin-
ished, and when done, is done more
quietly, they still have things to say
during day and night.
MAY 2: Lucy and Lothario are still
sitting on their eggs, although Lucy
does WAY more than her share of the
sitting. Stay tuned.
MAY 9: They've hatched!!!! On the
THIRTY-FOURTH day...I was sure
the eggs were dead...Lucy and Lo-
thario Limpkin are the proud parents of
at least six little black balls of fluff.
When we got up this morning, there
she sat, looking tired and bored, in the
same old position, and, I was sure,
starving. But then, as Larry and I sat
down to eat lunch, she stood up in the
nest and Larry (with the binocs)
thought she was looking down at
something. I was sure it was the same
old collection of static eggs, but I got
the scope anyway, and Presto! There
was a little fluffy black head! Lucy
promptly sat back down. We watched
for about an hour when both parents
flew to the water beneath the nest, and
To the left is a
well-disguised
Limpkin stand-
ing above the
nest behind
Katherine’s
home.
How easily they
disappear just
before our eyes.
Range Map
these little, bitty, bitty things started
jumping out of the nest and into the
sticks and weeds below. We were able
to count six, but could have missed
some if they jumped out the other side.
The parents then clucked quietly (!)
and one by one, rounded the babies up
and got them hidden in the weeds near
the nesting bush. Lucy pulled grass
and straw and covered them with
it. Now the two parents are searching
for snails (I guess) and the little lemon-
sized babies are nowhere to be seen. I
HOPE they'll emerge at some point
and we can see them and get pictures,
but I'm just delighted to know they've
entered the world. May they have
more luck at survival than our other
hatchlings have this year; and may
they have a wonderful summer.
Thank you Harbour Ridge Birders and
especially Katherine Seen for keeping
and sharing her Limpkin Journal.