(2,33 ^ CBC Newsletter for members of the Carolina Bird Club, Inc,, ornithological society of the Carolines Number 1 February 2003 Volume 49 irding in Clemson, SC By Steve Patterson, SC Member-at-large Plan now to attend CBC’s spring meeting in Clemson, SC from April 25-27, 2003. Meeting headquarters will be at the Ramada Inn in Clemson (864-654-7501). Rooms with two queen beds cost $64 per room, plus an additional 9% accommodations tax. These rooms are available Friday night (4-25) and Saturday night (4-26). Arrival time is 4:00 pm and check out is noon. Rooms and rates are good through April 1, 2003. A special feature we will try at this meeting is an optional poetry reading after the Friday night session (or perhaps after the Saturday session if there is a conflict with the executive committee meeting). Birders/CBC members or guests are invited to read up to three poems — not to exceed five minutes, total — of their own writing or by another author. Subject matter should involve birds or birding in some way. We have several poets within our ranks, and probably many more of which we know not. There are so many ways that we all enjoy birds; writing and reading creative verse about them has received little or no attention so far, but it has great potential for further enhancing our birding experiences. We will have field trips to such locations as the South Carolina Botanical Gardens, Caesar's Head State Park, the Townville area, Sassafras Mountain, and the Walhalla Fish Hatchery. Descriptive trip details and registration form will be in the March/ April CBC Newsletter. Join us in South Carolina’s High Country this spring! Mark your calendars to join fellow birders for these future CBC weekends: Save these Dates! Great Backyard Bird Count February 14-17, 2003 Have fun counting birds during this sixth year of the Hickory, NC - Sept. 19-21, 2003 Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). Count birds in your yard or local parks. Invite children, friends, and Beaufort, SC ~ Jan. 29-Feb. 1, 2004 neighbors to participate in the joy of birdwatching. Let’s give them lots of data on birds seen in the Carolinas! For Fontana, NC - April 30-May 2, 2004 more information about getting involved, go to Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology website at www.birdsource.org. CBC Memory By Clyde Smith You don’t have to go to many Carolina Bird Club seasonal meetings before you observe a pattern. There is a hard core group of members which attends just about every meeting regardless of where it is held in the Carolinas. This faithful contingent is supplemented by two other groups. There are the sometime regulars who go when the meeting is conveniently located or the program or field trips are especially attractive. The third group consists of members and visitors from the local area who usually don’t travel far to attend a meeting. The fact of the matter is that the majority of CBC members don’t attend the seasonal meetings. We all belong to organizations because we sympathize with their purpose or enjoy receiving their publications, but have no intention of attending meetings. Don’t we go to too many of those already? I joined the Carolina Bird Club on the recommendation of Bob Teulings, former president of the Club. I took a bird watching class he taught, which was sponsored by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the North Carolina Botanical Garden. The class got me started birding, but I didn’t immediately start attending CBC meetings. The nudge that led me to attend my first meeting was the report of the 1974 spring meeting written by Col. Pat Probst, immediate past president and then editor of the CBC Newsletter. It wasn’t memorable writing, but the picture created in my mind by one paragraph had a telling effect. The meeting was held at the Blue Star Camp near Hendersonville, NC. Pat wrote, “The group began assembling early Friday afternoon. Many were treated to the anties of a pair of Yellow Warblers who had built a nest overhanging the edge of the entrance road to the camp. Other early arrivals wandered thru the lovely mountain countryside looking for the abundance of birds that the area promised.” Somehow that image motivated me to cautiously attend the following winter meeting in Atlantic Beach, NC. I went by myself, stayed in a friend’s mobile home, and left after the Saturday morning field trips. However, one moment still stands out in my memory and was instrumental in turning me into an active CBC member. I entered Flemings Restaurant, next to the headquarters motel, for the Friday evening meal. A smiling, gray-haired lady extended a friendly invitation to join her party, and after introductions, was careful to inelude me in their conversation. I recognized the name immediately — Ida Lee Winkler, president of the Carolina Bird Club! I don’t remember a single bird I saw that weekend or whether I actually attended any of the programs, but that one act of kindness had me hooked. I soon became a regular at meetings and three years later volunteered to edit the CBC Newsletter. The rest, as they say, is history. Editor’s note: CBC Memory will be a regular new feature in the Newsletter. Please send me one of your favorite CBC memories (between 300-600 words) to share with others. Feathered Features Bill Evans, one of our featured speakers at the September 2002 CBC meeting in Litchfield, SC, was recently featured in the December 2002 issue of ABA’s Birding. Bill gave an enthusiastic program for CBC members on acoustical monitoring of nocturnal bird migration. He set up his recording device in the hotel parking lot allowing members the opportunity to hear birds such as Swainson’s and Grey- cheeked Thrushes flying overhead. The article by Jay Withgate describes Bill’s journey with acoustic monitoring and the development of a CD-ROM guide. Flight Calls of Migratory Birds ($35, plus $5 shipping), co-authored by Michael O’Brien. Bill encourages birders to build their own recording systems and start learning about the world of nocturnal migration. For more information check out Bill’s website at www.oldbird.org or write to: Old Bird, 605 West State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850. You are invited to join Wake Audubon members as they host the Audubon North Carolina Annual Meeting March 28-29, 2003, at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC. The weekend will follow a similar format to CBC weekends with a social Friday night and fields trips in the Raleigh area Saturday. On Saturday evening there will be a catered dinner and meeting before the featured program speaker, Jim Berry, speaks on The Impact of Roger Tory Peterson on the Environmental Movement of the 20th Century and His Lasting Legacy. Jim is President of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History (RTPI) in Jamestown, NY, hometown of Roger Tory Peterson. RTPI is a nature education and cultural institution curating the life's work of Dr. Peterson. For registration forms and more information visit the Wake Audubon website at www.mybirdlist.com/wakeaudubon.html or call Karen Bearden at 919-844-9050. NC Partner's in Flight 2003 Annual Meeting will be held Tuesday, March 25, at the Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center of Johnston Community College. The program will be Management for Landbirds: Turning PIF Conservation Bird Plans into Action. Enjoy a day of presentations and field demonstrations beginning at 9:30 am. Contact Mark Johns for more information at: johnme@mindspring, www.faculty.ncwc.edu/mbrooks/pif, or 919- 852-5124. Book Reviews: Two North Carolina birding books. Wake Audubon’s A Birdwatcher’s Guide to the Triangle and Audubon North Carolina’s Birding in North Carolina State Parks, were reviewed in the February 2003 issue of Bird Watcher’s Digest. Erik Bloom writes: “Both of these books are well done and easy to use. If you are going to visit North Carolina, you want to have one or both of them, depending on where you will be. If you live in the state you need them both.” Both books are available for purchase at CBC meetings. For information on buying either book contact Karen Bearden at: chickadeebirders(@earthlink.net or 919-844-9050. Happy anniversary to Carolinabirds Listserve, who celebrated their sixth anniversary on December 13,2002! Feathered Features continued Ricky Davis is happy to report American Birding Association’s North American Birds (NAB) has expanded our region (formerly Southern Atlantic Coast) to include all three states (NC, SC, GA). The new region will be called the Southern Atlantic Region. Send your winter season (Dec-Feb) bird sighting reports by March 20, 2003 for NAB (NC, SC, GA) and The Chat-Briefs for the Files (NC, SC) to Ricky Davis at: 608 Smallwood Drive, Rocky Mount, NC 27804; RJDNC@aol.com; 252-443-0276 (H); 919-269-7401 (W); or 919-269-5647 (W-fax). SC Partner's In Flight has compiled a list of "high-priority birds of concern" for South Carolina: Swallow-tailed Kite, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bachman's Sparrow, American Kestrel, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Field Sparrow, Ruffed Grouse, Black-throated Green Warbler, Seaside Sparrow, Barn Owl, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Grasshopper Sparrow, Black Rail, Prairie Warbler, Painted Bunting, Common Ground-Dove, Louisiana Waterthrush, Eastern Meadowlark, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Swainson's Warbler, Red Crossbill, Acadian Flycatcher, Worm-eating Warbler, Loggerhead Shrike, Kentucky Warbler, and Wood Thrush. Some of these species are common and widespread, but based on 30 years of Breeding Bird Survey data, are exhibiting long term population declines; a few may not be declining, but occur in relatively small numbers or occupy a restricted habitat type. The Black-throated Green Warbler is of concern only in the Outer Coastal Plain (the so-called “Wayne’s” Black-throated Green Warbler, to distinguish it from the mountain populations, which seem to be holding their own). For more information, or to join the email distribution list, contact John Cely atjcely@clemson.edu or write to: John Cely, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Sandhills REC, PO Box 23205, Columbia, SC, 29224. Welcome New Members Webster Lupton, Fayetteville, NC Jeff Popke, Greenville, NC Mary Ann Rettino, Tarboro, NC Doug Rogers, Mt. Pleasant, SC Remember to send your renewal membership forms to CBC. As of December 2002, CBC has 905 members. Deceased Members Zack Bynum, Jr., Winston-Salem, NC Laurence S. Farer, Arden, NC Florence High, Myrtle Beaeh, SC A New Look CBC Newsletter has a new look and a new editor. Thanks to Judy Walker, who served as editor the past two years! My name is Karen Bearden. I’ve been a CBC member five years. My main priority as editor is to notify and encourage members to attend upcoming CBC weekends and trips. Please notice I’ve changed the deadline date for articles to the 5th of January, March, May, July, September, and November. I thank the artists for their permission to use their bird artwork. Binoculars above the return label are by former CBC board member, Lynn Barber. Since Clyde Smith, former CBC editor for 22 years, encouraged me to take this job, I asked him to share the first CBC Memory. Thanks for this opportunity to serve CBC, and for sharing our love for birds and the environment! Karen An Evening for the Birds— February 7 An invitation to CBC members! Join the Chattanooga chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency for An Evening for the Birds, a benefit featuring Kenn Kaufman, a bird expert, author, and artist, and Choogie Kingfisher, a renowned, traditional Cherokee storyteller. The evening takes place at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo on Friday, February 7, 2003 at 6:30 pm. The event will benefit the Cherokee Memorial Park to be built on the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge and conservation projects protecting Sandhill and Whooping Cranes, and other migratory birds. Admission is $15 and includes a ticket to sample desserts donated from restaurants throughout the Chattanooga area. For lodging, the Chattanooga Choo-Choo is offering a special $69 package (call 1-800-872-2529). The event officially kicks off the 11th Annual Cherokee and Sandhill Crane Viewing Weekend, held each year in Birchwood, Tennessee. There you can view Bald Eagles, thousands of Sandhill Cranes, and enjoy numerous presentations. For event details or to purchase a ticket, go to www.chattanoogatos.org or call (423) 886-4130. For more information contact Dr. David Abom at 423-425-5236 or David- Abom@utc . edu. Giovanni Argenlati "Birds bring to our human world nourishment , warmth, inspiration, beauty, and enjoyment. " Laura Erickson, For the Birds: An Uncommon Guide www.lauraerickson.com CBC Trip to Costa Rica By Simon Thompson Carolina Bird Club's November 2002 trip to Costa Rica went very well. The weather was almost perfect, despite the torrential rain the last evening. The river rose about 1 5 feet during breakfast and we were almost marooned at the hotel. Thankfully, a combination of a great driver and receding water gave us a chance to escape and head towards San Jose. The nine CBC members making the trip were: Wayne and Fran Irvin, Zora Rhodes, Jay Davies, Rodney and Susan Stalheim, Steve Tracey, Edwin Poole, and Simon Thompson, who plotted and schemed the whole thing up. We all met up in Raleigh and jetted off to the warmth and sunshine (who said rain?) of San Jose. The trip went really well, with barely an upset. Still there were memories, such as the time we forgot about breakfast at the San Jose hotel or the wind bringing down trees around us at La Selva and Carara. We slogged in the mud and got quite wet one evening, ate some fairly large picnic lunches, and some folks even hiked back and forgot where the hotel was! So how were the birds? I could list them all, but that would take forever as we saw around 400 species. For those that really want to know all of the details, you can get a complete list from the CBC website. Here are some of the bird-inspired highlights: Great Tinamou; Boat-billed and Bare-throated Tiger- Herons; White Hawk; Laughing Falcon; Crested and Black Guans; Black-breasted Wood-Quail (yes!); Sunbittem; Olive-backed and Chiriqui Quail-Doves; GREAT GREEN MACAW (bird of the trip?); Pacific Screech-Owl; a pair of Black-and-white Owls; Short-tailed Nighthawk; 30 hummingbirds; Turquoise-browed Motmot; White-whiskered Puffbird; five toucans, including Fiery-billed Aracari; Cinnamon Woodpecker; nine woodcreepers (!!!); Plain Xenops; Spectacled Antpitta; Black-faced Antthrush; Purple-throated Fruitcrow; Orange-collared and White-ruffed Manakins; 51 flycatchers (arg!); Long-tailed and Black-and-yellow Silky-Flycatchers; ten wrens, 29 warblers, including Flame-throated and a "lost" Yellow-rumped; 30+ tanagers, including Black-and-yellow, Spangle-cheeked, and Silver- throated and many, many more. For those who are fans of creatures with more than two legs, the Brown and Emerald Basilisks were incredible, both three-toed and two-toed sloths, magnificent Blue Morphos and Owl Butterflies, an Olingo ("honey-possum") walking down the wire to drink from the hummer feeders, Spider and Howler Monkeys, several Poison-Arrow Frogs, and a magnificent Orange-kneed Tarantula! Another CBC Grouse Trip Planned to Colorado April 15-20, 2003 After Derb Carter led the successful CBC trip to Colorado in April 2001, he received many requests for another trip. This trip will begin in Denver on April 15 and conclude on April 20. Cost will be $500 and cover all ground transportation, lodging, and fees. Birders will visit leks of Greater and Lesser Prairie Chicken, Greater and Gunnison Sage Grouse, and Sharp-tailed Grouse, looking for other Colorado specialties enroute. Pre-register (postmarked no earlier than February 3) by sending your name, address, phone number, and email address (plus $100 deposit payable to CBC) to: CBC Headquarters Secretary, 1 1 West Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27601-1029. Limit is 13 participants with priority to first registrations received. For more information contact Derb at: 919-833-4859 or derbc@msn.com. CBC Travelers The CBC Costa Rica Trip in November 2002 was a big success (see accompanying article) and we are busy planning another trip for later in 2003. Here is where we would like some input from you. Perhaps there is a favorite place you would like to return or a new birding location you would like to visit. We might stay in the US, head south to Mexico — a close destination and probably one of the richest countries in the world for birds — or try a birding safari to East Africa. The choice is yours. Please take a few minutes to write your suggestions on the lines below, tear out this page, and return to the Ventures office at: Ventures Birding and Nature Tours, PO Box 1095, Skyland, NC 28776. Thank you, Simon Thompson www.birdventures.com 2003 CBC Venture How long would you prefer the trip to be? Where would you like to go? 1. Within the USA: 2. Central America, Mexico: 3. East Africa: 4. Europe: 5. Any other destination: What time of the year would you like to travel? Name: Address: Phone Number: Email: Any other comments: Carolina Bird Club, Inc. 11 West Jones Street Raleigh, NC 27601-1029 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARIES 3 9088 01273 3101 Nonprofit Organization U.S. Post Office Raleigh, NC Permit No. 1654 3000 E 0 SM MMF: 25-MRE WASHIMBTON DC 20b6O ITHSOMIAN libraries 154 i ■ S 1 ■ I n • j 1 i 5 i I • i I j • : : h : • H CBC Board Members President, Van Atkins 843-766-7000/843-729-0271 Vatkins@awod.com Vice Presidents Donna Bailey, Winnsboro, SC Dick Blee, Brevard, NC Kent Fiala, Hillsborough, NC Secretary Sue Pulsipher, Linden, NC T reasurer Stephen Harris, Wilmington, NC NC Members-at-large Susan Campbell, Whispering Pines Sandy Cash, Durham Charlotte Goedsche, Weaverville Dwayne Martin, Claremont SC Members-at-large Steve Patterson, Pickens Open Immediate Past President, Len Pardue, Asheville, NC Editor of The Chat, Bob Wood, Columbia, SC Editor of CBC Newsletter, Karen Bearden 1809 Lakepark Drive, Raleigh, NC 27612 919-844-9050, chickadeebirders@earthlink.net Submission deadlines are due the 5th of January, March, May, July, September, and November. Headquarters Secretary, Tullie Johnson, Raleigh, NC Rare Bird Alert: 704-332-BIRD Website: www.carolinabirdclub.org The CBC Newsletter \s published bimonthly by Carolina Bird Club, Inc. Founded in 1937 the membership is open to anyone interested in birds, natural history, and conservation. Current dues are: Individual & non-profit, $20; Associate (in household with individual), $5; Student, $15; Patron, $50 and up; Life, $400; Sustaining & businesses, $25. Submit application for membership and change of address to: CBC Headquarters Secretary, 11 West Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27601-1029.