The Chirp
HSV Newsletter - Summer 2017 Kathy Jurek, Editor
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
To all fellow HSV Audubon Members,
Welcome to the Summer of 2017. The years are flying by. Many of us are on the road during the Arkansas summer months, visiting friends and relatives, in order to escape the hot and humid weather in the Village. Birding, being our hobby, isn’t much fun here in the heat, plus the chiggers. Yuck.
So pack up your birding I.D. books and your binoculars and take them with you on your journey. See how many birds you can find that aren’t in our area currently. Those Juncos and Red -breasted Nuthatches are smart, you will find them up North building their nests. There are so many spots to find birds, the local parks, the wild life refuges, and the sea shore, each offering a variety of species.
I have a little job for you to do while out there birding. See if you can find an IBA sign. What is that? IBA stands for Important Bird Area. Audubon, along with other organizations, began this program in the 1990’s. It is a global effort that identifies and protects habitat that will protect sustainable populations of birds. The groups work together to implement conservation solutions. Arkansas initiated a program in 2001. There are currently 33 IBA located in all regions of the state. If you would like more information, google Audubon, IBA.
I first saw an IBA sign when our son took us to Montrose Harbor on Lake Michigan in Chicago. He pointed the sign out to us and thought it was funny, wondering what that important bird was! He even took a picture of us standing by the sign. Being the Google person I am, I had to find out what that sign was all about. I found it very interesting.
Should you come across any of the signs over the summer, take a picture, tell the location, and send it on to me at dscondon@juno.comI will share with our members. Enjoy your summer and have safe journeys, wherever they may take you.
Good Birding,
Diane Condon
President, HSV Audubon
LES DANIELS
Upon retiring and moving to Hot Springs Village, with his wife Carolyn, Les became interested in birding, among other things, and joined HSV Audubon in 1994. It didn’t take long before he was actively involved and became chairman of the Bluebird Monitoring Committee in 1999, a position he held until 2014.
Les helped this program grow to 300 nest boxes on 9 golf courses, Coronado Center and Woodlands/Grove park area, managed by 40 volunteer monitors. Early in the season Les would ensure that all nest boxes were in good condition, making repairs/replacements as necessary in preparation for the nesting season. During the summer months he would touch base with the monitors, checking on progress. At season end Les gathered all the data from the monitors, and compiled that into an annual report for the membership.
In 2008 Les was presented with an unusual problem, an extraordinarily high number of baby bluebird deaths. He conducted extensive research working with Arkansas Game and Fish and The Wildlife Lab in Wisconsin. Over the course of two years it was determined that Buffalo Gnats were causing the deaths and that using pure vanilla around the nest boxes would eliminate the problem.
Thanks in a very large part to Les Daniels, HSV Audubon has a very successful Bluebird Monitoring Program.
For his years of membership, service and dedication, HSV Audubon has placed this plaque at the Grove Park Bluebird trail in his memory. Please stop by, take a moment to enjoy the trail and remember Les.
BLUE BIRD MONITORING
Our bluebird population is busy, busy, busy at this time of year. Lots of laying, hatching and fledging going on. Just a reminder to stay vigilant with the vanilla, either spraying or using on cotton balls. Hopefully, by September, (definitely October) we will be able to provide the statistics for the 2017 season.
FIELDS TRIPS
September (tentatively) a trip to see lots of hummingbirds with Tana Beasley at the Potlatch Conservation Education Center, Cook’s Lake. Tana is the only person trained and certified to band hummingbirds in AR.
PROGRAMS
September 8th – After taking a summer hiatus our first speaker/presenter will be Rodney Paul. Rodney has always been a good draw brining raptors and whatever birds of prey that are rehabbing or recovering at his facility that are able to travel.
October 13th – Wildbirds Unlimited
November 10th – Tim Ernst
Bird Seed Sale – Keep in mind this is our main money maker to support campers. Sale starts in September. Pickup will be in October.
HALBERG ECOLOGY CAMP
It is a pleasure to announce the following students, representing their schools, some of whom have achieved the coveted goal... to be invited back to the camp the following year. Congratulations to each of them, especially the two young ladies who will be attending the Arkansas Audubon Society Johnson Advanced Ecology Camp at Mount Eagle, July 2-9th. They are; Bailey Helton from Fountain Lake and Bayley Brown from Mountain Pine. They are the “crème de la crème,” or the “cream of the crop.” The reason this is such an honor is that in order to get invited to the advanced camp, one must have been a first year camper (1 of 50), a senior camper (1 of 14) and then 1 of 6 to be invited to the advanced camp. Way to go girls!
Attending camp as “grand old seniors” or second year campers will be: Ben Combs and Katie Osborn from Jessieville and Brooke Miser from Mountain Pine. The eager junior or first year students are: Kiley Branch and Stephanie Thurman from Fountain Lake; Danielle George and John Canaan Taylor from Jessieville; and Olivia Smith and Skylar Rucker from Mountain Pine. The juniors and seniors will be at Camp Clearfork, about 20 miles west of Hot Springs off of 270 west. Anyone desiring to learn more about the camp and why we spend our hard earned money here, can attend their graduation ceremonies. First session is on a Friday, June 16th; second session, Friday, June 23rd. Or check out the ecology camp site on the web; www.arbirds.org. We honor these campers at our July Potluck Dinner Meeting, July 14th, with Teri LaBove and Andrea Mueller in charge.
Now to give special thanks to everyone who donated to the camp, bought bird seed, feeders or houses, thank you! Wayne Krone who manages the bird seed sales and to Adolph Juarez who builds and installs the feeders and houses, a great big thank you! Our President, Diane Condon, and her board who authorizes the scholarships and believes in investing our money in educating our young people to appreciate and learn how to protect our environment, THANK YOU. Lastly to Maury and Barbara Baker, the dynamic duo, thank you for funding our 11th camper this year. Without all of you, it would not be possible.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call either Teri at 915-9101 or Josie at 922-3398.
Audubon Potluck Dinner
Friday - July 14, 2017
THA Community Center in Valencia Courts
Set up 5:15. Dinner @ 6 pm
Contact ANDREA Mueller @ 915-8110
Teri LaBove @ 984-1384 or email terilabove45@gmail.com
Let us know: entree, veggie, salad or dessert
Or if you can help set up or clean up
Our guests will be the Ecology campers & their families
THANK YOU. COME ENJOY THESE KIDS
“BIRD” BRAIN TEASERS
(these are puns based on songs by the Byrds)
Cover of a 1965 Supremes hit, “Back in My __________”
Cover of a jazzy 1970 Van Morrison hit, “_____ Dance”
Cover of a 1978 Gloria Gaynor disco hit, “____ Survive”
One of their own hits from 1965, “T____ T_____ T_____
Partmigan, Loon, Owl, Tern, Tern, Tern