presents A Real Great Horned Owl Soap Opera! · 2017-04-05 · Owl Center. She acquired Alice, the Great Horned Owl, to use in educational programs in 1998, which led her to later

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Newsletter of the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society, Inc. April 2017

Upcoming EventsMay 6 ALAS field trip What’s Up on the Bluff May 13 ALAS field trip International Migratory Bird DayMay 17 ALAS program The Sixth Extinction, Eric Anderson

www.aldoleopoldaudubon.org

Wednesday,April 19

7 p.m.

A Real Great Horned Owl Soap Opera!

Lincoln Center1519 Water Street, Stevens Point

Karla Bloem speaker

Aldo Leopold Audubon Societypresents

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Upcoming EvEntsALAS Field Trip

Sunrise on the Buena VistaSaturday, April 22 7:00 am

Join ALAS on the annual field trip to the grasslands at Buena Vista. We will carpool to the grasslands and make several stops in search of Sandhill Cranes, Short-eared Owls, Kestrels and various grassland songbirds.We will meet at the downtown Stevens Point Parking lot across from Chase Bank by the river at 7:00 am.

For more information, call Stan Skutek @ 715-544-0572.

ALAS Field TripA Spring Exploration of Horicon MarshSaturday, April 29 7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Join the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society for a visit to the gem of Wisconsin’s wetlands, the Horicon Marsh. Recognized as a wetland of international importance, Horicon provides critical habitat for over 300 species of birds. We’ll be meeting in Stevens Point at the municipal parking lot just north of Chase Bank, near Pfiffner Park to get organized and carpool. Dress for the weather and pack a lunch. We plan

to be back to town by 4:00 pm. For more information, call Gerry Janz @ 715-340-3834.

Aldo Leopold Audubon Societypresents

Saturday, April 22

7 a.m.

Sunriseon the

Buena Vista

Birders of all levels welcome!Meet at Chase Bank parking lot, Water Street, Stevens Point-

Call Stan Skutek (715) 544-0572 for more information

Pho

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Aldo Leopold Audubon Society presents

Saturday, April 297 a.m.

Spring atHoricon

Meet at Chase Bank parking lot, Water Street, Stevens PointFor more information, call Gerry Janz 715-340-3834

Photo by Gerry Janz

in ages. When food is limited, as is often the case, older siblings will aggressively push younger chicks from the nest. In Wisconsin, the average number of fledglings, about 100 days after hatching, is 1.75 birds. Nests are usually not reused in successive years, even when nesting continues in the same rookery. If there is limited room in a rookery for their nest, the pair will seek other nesting opportunities.

Great Egrets generally have fared much better farther south than here on the northern edge of their range. In fact, the population overall continues to increase. Perhaps climate change will make conditions better for the species here, but if we want our grandchildren to see this iconic species in Wisconsin, every effort should be made to protect rookeries and wetlands now.

Continued from page 5

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A REAl-lifE gREAt HoRnEd owl soAp opERA

First, Victor evicted Wendell and Wheezy from their own territory. Then Wheezy got sick and died so Victor and Virginia ran Wendell off. When Rusty and Iris moved in, Scarlett Owl Hara showed up to try to steal Rusty and kill Alice. Virginia died. Hagar and Helga moved in. Helga

disappeared and Jill left Jack for Hagar. If this sounds like a soap opera, it is! But it’s a real life, true-as-true-can-be owl soap opera that has taken place just outside of Houston, Minnesota and has formed the basis for an in-depth vocal study on Great Horned Owls.

Get the inside scoop on this ongoing owl drama from International Owl Center Executive Director Karla Bloem as she presents “A Real-Life Great Horned Owl Soap Opera” at the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society’s program on Wednesday, April 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Center, 1519 Water Street in Stevens Point. Her program will include audio recordings and video footage of these owls.

Alice or Ruby, the Great Horned Owl, will be present to share her part of the story.

Karla Bloem is the founder and Executive Director of the International Owl Center. She acquired Alice, the Great Horned Owl, to use in educational programs in 1998, which led her to later create the International Festival of Owls and the World Owl Hall of Fame. She began studying Great Horned Owl vocalizations in 2004 and has given presentations on her research in the Netherlands, Germany, Argentina, and Italy. Karla and Alice testified before the Minnesota House and Senate environmental committees to successfully gain protection for Great Horned Owls in 2005. Karla received the Brother

Theodore Voelker Award from the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union in 2001 and was awarded a Bush Leadership Fellowship in 2008.

Aldo Leopold Audubon Programs are free and open to the public.

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dEligHtfUl BiRds i HAvE Known

Great Egret (Ardea alba) Alan HaneyRounding a corner shielded by several

large cypress trees, deep in Okefenokee Swamp of southern Georgia, I was startled by a prehistoric-sounding croak that might have echoed from the throat of a dinosaur. Jerking my eyes forward, I watched the clumsy take-off of a large, white bird. In this location, it might have been the white morph of a Great Blue Heron, called a Great White Heron, but the black legs dangling awkwardly behind the bird told me that it was a Great Egret, a cousin of the heron. Actually, the Great Egret is considerably less heavy and somewhat smaller than the Great

White Heron, but they feed in similar settings in the Southeast, and are close enough in size that they can be easily confused. If seen in Wisconsin, a white, wading bird of this size could only be a Great Egret. Great White Herons seldom stray far from southern Florida.

Great Egrets are another conservation success. Near the beginning of the 20th century, Great Egrets, along with several other wading birds, including the Snowy Egret, were rapidly becoming rare--victims of over-harvesting for the millinery trade. During the breeding season, long plumes grow from the back of the egret, called “aigrettes,” which were greatly prized for fancy hats. Enough people raised concern that a national campaign to protect these birds was initiated. Indeed, it was this campaign that led to foundation of the Massachusetts Audubon Society in 1896 by Harriett Hemenway and Mina Hall; within two years, Audubon Societies were begun in 14 other states, including Wisconsin. In 1900, Frank M. Chapman initiated the first Christmas Bird Count to encourage bird-watching as an alternative to the then-common winter sport of shooting birds. In 1901, the state Audubon organizations formed an association that would become the National Audubon Society, and the Christmas Bird Count became an annual event. It was concern for the wading birds that led the Audubon Society to establish the first national wildlife refuge, Pelican Island on Florida’s eastern shore, in 1903. Thus, the Great Egret became the symbol of the National Audubon Society as well as for bird conservation, and because of that movement, we can still observe this delightful bird in Wisconsin.

Our Great Egrets, representing the far northern edge of the distribution

Great Egret Gerry Janz

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of the species, return south in the winter, along with herons and other birds that wade in shallow water to forage. Great Egrets over-winter along the southern Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and throughout South America. They return up the Mississippi by late March and can be found around Horicon Marsh by early April. They have nested as far north as islands off the Door Peninsula.

All is not well with Great Egrets, however. Herons and egrets are sensitive to disturbance around their colonial nesting sites, called rookeries. Stick nests are built high in trees, often the largest and tallest trees they can find in a remote location, frequently on offshore islands. The limited number of acceptable habitats for rookeries coupled to the vulnerability of their nest placements is another contributing factor in egret and heron conservation. For example, a severe wind associated with a thunderstorm on May 31, 1998, destroyed the largest rookery in Horicon March, where in the previous year 550 pairs of great blues and Great Egrets nested. Nearly all young were destroyed, and the birds have not returned to rebuild a rookery in that location. Rookeries also have a limited environmental lifetime. Adults forage widely, ranging up to 20 miles for fish, frogs, and other aquatic species that are swallowed and regurgitated for young at the nest. Over time, the excessive accumulation of nutrients leads to nest-tree mortality, and eventually causes abandonment of rookeries. Additionally, many wetlands have been eliminated or reduced by human development and encroachment.

Partly as a result of the National Audubon Society’s campaigns, and related bird conservation efforts, most bird species are now protected from hunting, and Great Egrets have recovered to some extent. By 1929, at least a few Great Egrets were again nesting in Wisconsin, and the population continued to expand through mid-century. However, it began to decline again, probably a result of widespread use of pesticides and loss of wetland habitat, and it was listed as a state-threatened species in 1970. It continues to struggle with only a handful of active nesting sites in Wisconsin, each with only a few pairs of herons and egrets. Human disturbance or a storm could jeopardize nesting egrets in the state.

Great Egrets are among the first wading birds to return to nesting sites, and they may encourage other species to join the rookery. Beginning when he is about three years old, the male builds a large nesting platform of sticks, about three feet in diameter. If he successfully attracts a mate, they will complete the nest together, using smaller sticks. The nest is lined with finer plant tissue to form a cup-like structure up to a foot deep. Three to four eggs are most common, laid sequentially and incubated by both parents. Sequential hatching results in young that may be several days different

Continued on page 2

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Time for Some Atlas II Blockbuster Parties!

As many of you may already know, the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology is in the middle of it’s second survey to record the breeding birds of Wisconsin. Our local chapter adopted a priority block in the Buena Vista Grasslands last season, and thanks to the efforts of many voluntary surveyors, it is now considered to have been successfully completed.

As the third year of the project begins however, many areas remain to be covered. As a way to continue our efforts, particularly in Portage County, the Aldo Leopold Chapter is once again taking to the field, and birders of all levels of expertise are invited to join us.

Under the leadership of Brad Zinda and Rob Pendergast, ALAS will be doing several “Blockbuster” field trips to survey unfinished blocks in the County. Anyone interested in participating is encouraged to attend an informational and organizational meeting being held this April. The how’s and where’s of the project will be covered by Brad and Rob, and any questions you may have will be handled by this pair of experienced birders and Atlasers.

Please join our effort and meet at the Schmeeckle Reserve conference room on Wednesday, April 19th from 3:30 to 4:30 pm.

ANNUAL ELECTIONS

The nominating committee* of the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society is seeking nominations for the 2017-2018 Board of Directors. Officers serving two years and board members serving one year will be voted on at the annual meeting in May. A slate of potential officers and board members will be published in the May newsletter, prior to the program. Committee chairpersons are appointed by the President, approved by the board of directors and have full voting rights.

*Jan Seiler, Sue Hall

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WISCONSIN MASTEr NATUrALIST TrAININg

Are you fascinated with nature? Want to learn more about the geology, forests, waters, plants, animals and ecology of Wisconsin? Do you want to make Wisconsin a better place by volunteering at parks and other public lands? The Wisconsin Master Naturalist program (WIMN) is a statewide effort to promote understanding and stewardship of our natural resources and to develop a statewide corps of informed volunteers. YOU can become a Master Naturalist Volunteer.

Registration is now open, through April 14 for a training course to be held on 5 Saturdays from April 22 to June 3 at Hartman Creek State Park in Waupaca. Another 5-day intensive course, will be held from August 14-18.

Hartman Creek State Park contains a variety of ecosystems, geological features, lakes and streams and includes Pope Lake State Natural area. The Ice Age Trail loops through the park as well as well -developed hiking, biking and horse trails and camping. Classes will be held in a heated shelter near two lakes and the training relies heavily on field work with the instructors and guest experts. Past field trips, all held in or near the park, included study and monitoring of lakes and streams, dragonflies and birds, forests, fungi, geology, etc. Kayak field trips have been offered in the past.

Cost is $250 and includes a huge notebook of resource materials, excellent, personalized instruction and field trips. Scholarships are available (both from the state and from Friends of Hartman Creek State Park). Like the Master Gardener Program, graduates are required to donate 40 hours of volunteer time a year and obtain 8 hours of advanced training, and many opportunities are available, say program graduates.

More for information visit: www.wimasternaturalist.org and look for trainings. You can also check out Friends of Hartman Creek State Park on Facebook, or friendsofhartmancreek.org. For any registration problems call WIMN office at 608-262-0020 or email Martha Martin at [email protected].

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Kids’ KornerThanks to WDNR EEK! and National Wildlife Federation

April Phenology...Did You See That?

Are you observant? Phe-nol-o-gy is the study of changes in plants and animals as they respond to weather, climate, and the seasons. Each spring we anxiously await the first returning robin in the hope of warmer weather. That is a phenological event. It happens every year but the return date depends a lot on the weather. Migration and flowering are two more examples of phenological events.

Look around for the following seasonal/phenological changes...

Wood frogs and spring peepers begin calling this month. Can you hear them?

Ospreys return to Wisconsin from warmer southern states. Spring wildflowers bloom this month (we hope). Watch for pasqueflowers, hepatica, and marsh marigolds. Look for whooping cranes as they

migrate north from Florida. Sandhill cranes return. At dusk and dawn, the male woodcock performs a spiral flight to court female birds. Raccoon kits are born in a hollow tree, cave, brush pile, or rock crevice. Trees leaf out. Keep an eye on the roads after the ground thaws and the weather warms. Salamanders are on the move during the first warm, hard, and long nighttime rain. During this time of year, many fish are moving about in Wisconsin's waters to spawn. Keep an eye out for walleye, smelt, northern pike, steelhead, suckers, and lake sturgeon at these fish watching hot spots. Listen as you visit a prairie for the sweet rolling trill that sounds like "Kip-ip-ip-ip-ip-ip." This means the upland plover is near.

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Spring Detective

Daffodils

Date

How many spring things can you find?

Mud Puddle

Date

Rainy Day

Date

Baby Birds

Date

Tree Buds

Date

Bu"erfly

Date

Spring Peeper

Date Date Date

NATIONAL'WILDLIFE'FEDERATION®'

© 2011 RANGER&RICK&JR﹒ and its logo are trademarks of the NATIONAL&WILDLIFE&FEDERATION. All rights reserved.

Karner blue butterfly larvae emerge from eggs and begin to feed on wild lupine. Listen for a drumming and booming sound in the woodlands and prairies. This is the peak time of year to hear the ruffed grouse "drum" and prairie chicken "boom." It's a great time to plant a tree. Remember that Arbor Day is April 25.

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Spring Peepers

“Even after many years of studying nature, I am still amazed at how clear particular first experiences remain in the recesses of my mind. Part of this, I am sure, has to do with the many reminders of them I’ve since encountered. Take, for example, spring peepers, a quasi-tree frog about half an inch long that is widely distributed throughout much of eastern North America. The spring peeper (Pseudacris [Hyla] crucifer) is without question one of my favorite frogs...

...I find great joy in walking the woods in spring, just when life is awakening after the long cold, and often come here again and again. At first there appears to be nothing afoot and stirring. Then suddenly the air is filled with a symphony of peeper song and its hopeful message that life has survived winter. These descendants of past growing seasons sing of life’s renewal, a continuance of the species beyond now. The spring peeper’s music coats the surface of what is happening in these woods; otherwise, except for the patter of rain, the whoosh of a breeze, or the scurrying of a squirrel, all is very silent. If the peeper music ever stops, fades away in spring seasons yet to come, the earth is in big trouble...

...So I take this opportunity to enjoy the sounds of the spring peeper where and when I can, one spring to the next. Sometimes when winter has been slow in coming, fooling the frogs into a false sense of spring so that they breed early, I might even hear them in the fall. In summer, when their songs are drowned in the cacophony emerging from many other small creatures, I must simply trust that the peepers will come again with spring. But the seasons are fickle here in the north. Like much of nature, they steadily ask us to bend, to pause, to pay attention to the minutia we’re free to ignore elsewhere. They remind us that we can’t predict the return of the peepers by the calendar or the almanac or any of our other tools; we have to watch the weather and simply come here, again and again, listening until we hear the fleeting melodies of frog song. They along with the rest of the life sounds in the forests and fields, right now are setting the mood, tone, and tempo of an unfolding acoustical drama. We are called first to attention by the spring peepers, whose impending silence welcomes warmer days; then, as summer arrives, the repertory of returning songbirds and frogs from permanent water will sound. Much later the insect musicians will enter, and although by this time the peepers’ melodies will have faded, nature remembers them and keeps their promise alive: after winter comes the spring.”

Allen M. YoungSmall Creatures and Ordinary Places

Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2000

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Officers

President

Gerry Janz 340-3834

Vice-President

Eric Anderson 592-4423

Secretary

Joe Schultz 341-5521

Treasurer

Larry Graham 344-0968

cOmmittee chairsBird Seed Sale

John Munson 341-1208

Conservation

Kent Hall 344-8081

Education

Karen Dostal 592-4706

Field Trips

Maureen Brocken 570-3193

Invasive Plants

Anne Graham 344-0968

Membership (Mailing list)

Eric Anderson 592-4423

Membership (Recruitment)

Bob Lane 824-3978

Newsletter

Lora Hagen

Programs

Larry Graham 344-0968

Web Wizard

John Zach 252-8532

DirectOrs

Mary Bratz

Ned Grossnickle 693-6095

Sue Hall 344-8081

Alan Haney 592-6949

Tom R. Johnson

Carol Kropidlowski 677-4831

Debbie Manthey 341-6897

Pat Perzynski 252-2100

Jan Seiler 344-0168

Dick Stevens

Brad Zinda

emeritus DirectOrs Bob Freckmann 344-0686

Anne Graham 344-0968

Bob Juracka 824-5339

Donna Martens 457-2276

Nancy Stevenson 341-0084

Jen Zach 252-8532

�

alDO leOpOlD auDubOn sOciety

�Yes, I would like to join the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society. My check for $25 is enclosed. I will receive the almanac newsletter and invitations to ALAS programs and activities. My dues will support local chapter activities and environmental studies exclusively. ALAS will notify me when my annual membership is due.� I’ll help conserve resources, protect the environment, and save postage! Please send my newsletter via email.Name:

Address:

City: State: Zip:

Email:

ALAS will not distribute your contact information to any other organization.

Please make all checks payable to: Aldo Leopold Audubon SocietyMail to: Aldo Leopold Audubon Society Membership PO Box 928

Stevens Point WI 54481-0928DONATIONS TO THE ALDO LEOPOLD AUDUBON SOCIETY ENDOWMENT

Please consider making a donation to the ALAS endowment to support our work. Please also consider including ALAS in your estate planning.

Purple Finch $25 Snowy Owl $500-749 Cedar Waxwing $50-199 Bald Eagle $750 and up Ruffed Grouse $200-499

Donations to the ALAS endowment can be made online by going to the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin www.cfcwi.org/give/make-a-gift.html Please be sure to designate ALAS as the donor recipient.To join the National Audubon Society, go to www.audubon.org and click “Join” at the bottom.

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