Bird Count Saturday May 12 by Matt Heyden

Details for Meet, Greet, Eat and Count

Saturday, May 12th, 2012

This is Space Coast Audubon’s participation plan for the North American Migration Count.
Matt Heyden will be the coordinator for Brevard County for this spring count. If you would like to participate in the count and/or the picnic, please contact him at 321-264-8909or mheyden716@aol.com. His address is 516 Lake Dr. Titusville, Fl. 32780

At this point in time, all areas are open. No one has claimed any areas, so call now to reserve your favorite! You can count for as long or as short a time as you wish. You can even include feeder counts. The form just asks you to keep track of how long you bird, whether by foot , car, or boat and climatic conditions.

The picnic location for this spring count is Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge visitor’s center. We will be there from 1PM to 2 PM. We’ll be meeting, greeting and eating in the parking lot. Folks can turn in their tally sheets at that time, or if they wish to continue their count, they can email or mail the sheets to Matt before May 22. Everyone should bring their own lunch.

Do come…because this is the opportunity to make new friends and talk bird sightings. We have over 1,000 members just in this county.

Some guidelines:

• Anyone can participate. You can bird alone if you know what you’re doing. You can bird with someone else, or if you are completely new to this, Matt will try to place you with someone in your region.
• We’re trying to cover this entire huge county, so there is lots to do, and everyone is both welcome and needed.
• This is important. If it weren’t important….we wouldn’t be doing this. These data are vital to bird conservation studies.
• Our education chair person, Lora Losi has strongly suggested that we bring along young non-birders, to expose them to the fun side of what we do.
• Make it fun. This isn’t a competition. We’re doing it for the birds

Groundbreaking Video Feed Shows Rare Glimpse Into Heron Nest

From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Two heron hatchlings see their first morning light on April 28.Ithaca, NY--In a first for technology and for bird watching, thousands of people watched live this weekend as a tiny Great Blue Heron emerged from an egg in between its father’s gigantic feet.

With high-definition and nighttime cams streaming 24/7 from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Sapsucker Woods in Ithaca, New York, viewers around the world are now able to follow the surprising lives of herons, including rare views still little known to science.

“From the very first night, viewers witnessed little-known events, such as herons courting and mating by moonlight,” said Dr. John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “They’ve watched live as the herons defended their nest, uttering rarely heard, spine-chilling defensive screams as Great Horned Owls attacked in early morning hours. Even the professionals are gaining new insights from these live cams.”

The nest has survived several Great Horned Owl attacks, as well as a snowstorm that would have buried the nest in snow if not for the parent steadfastly sitting on the eggs.

More than half a million people from 166 countries have watched the heron cam since March 27. With around-the-clock coverage, viewers Tweet and post screenshots and video clips to help scientists document notable events.

“We’ve entered an exciting new age for understanding and sharing in the daily lives of birds,” said Fitzpatrick. “Live cams, whether they feature hummingbirds, eagles, or herons, are incredibly popular. What’s most amazing is that these live videos are equally riveting for scientists, schoolchildren, families, and people of all walks of life.”

On April 30, the nest had four hatchlings. The last egg is due to hatch any time.

To watch the heron nest live, visit www.AllAboutBirds.org/CornellHerons

Magazine Gallery Features Audubon’s Iconic Birds

Reprinted from Audubon Chapter Leader Update

John James Audubon spent the better part of six decades making environmental strides long before conservation was trendy. He banded birds, catalogued and drew hundreds of species, even offered early warnings about the dangers of mistreating our planet. Celebrate his birthday with Audubon magazine’s online gallery featuring iconic works by the man who lent his name to a movement—and our publication.
http://www.audubonmagazine.org/multimedia/audubons-iconic-birds

Audubon Assembly 2012

Save the Date!

• Date: Oct. 25-27, 2012
• Location: Hyatt Regency Sarasota on Sarasota Bay
• Keynote Speaker: Cynthia Barnett, Author of Mirage and the Blue Revolution

Our staff is hard at work preparing this year's programs and events. Please stay tuned in the coming months for additional information, including registration material, Assembly theme announcement, field trip details, prices, and guest speakers.

Thanks to Sarasota Audubon Society for their help with field trips and local logistics.  Don't miss what is sure to be the best Assembly yet, mark October 25-27 on your calendars right now!

See you in October.

Jay Watch - Training Dates and Locations

New to Jay Watch?
Learn to identify juvenile and adult Florida Scrub-jays in their nesting habitat.Learn about jay behavior and how to census their family groups. Make a difference for Scrub-jays by collecting important data for agency biologists and land managers!

2012 Jay Watch Training Sessions
Welcome aboard! Bring friends and family to learn about one of Florida's most imperiled habitats, Florida scrub, and our state's only endemic bird species, the Florida Scrub-jay.

Jay Watch training sessions are for new volunteers and for previous volunteers who want a refresher on survey protocol, bird behavior, or identification of juvenile and adult jays.

General Information on Training
Each session will consist of two segments:

1. An overview of Florida Scrub-jay biology, nesting behavior, identification, and a walk-through of the survey protocol.  
2. A short vehicle ride to Scrub-jay habitat (4WD vehicles will be provided where needed) and hands-on practice with observing jays and recording data. 

2012 Jay Watch Training Schedule

• Polk County - Saturday, May 12th, 8 am to 12 noon
  where: FL Leadership Training Center, 5000 Fire Tower Rd., Haines City
• Marion County - Saturday, May 19th, 8 am to 12 noon
  where: 49th Avenue Trailhead, 12555 SW 49th Avenue, Ocala
• Volusia County - Saturday, June 2nd, 8 am to 12 noon
  where: Lyonia Preserve - Environmental Learning Center, 2150 Eustace Ave., Deltona 
• Highlands County - Tuesday, June 5th, 8 am to 12 noon
  where: Flamingo Villas/Lake Wales NWR, 11849 County Road 700, Sebring 
• Martin County - Wednesday, June 6th, 8 am to 12 noon
  where: Education Center, Jonathan Dickinson State Park, 16450 S.E. Federal Hwy, Hobe Sound

For more information contact Marianne Korosy, Jay Watch Coordinator. To register for a training, send name(s), email address, and phone number to:

Marianne Korosy, Jay Watch Coordinator, Audubon Florida
mkorosy@audubon.org
727-742-1683

Tell Washington to Reject Weakening Protections for Bald and Golden Eagles By Steve Holmer, American Bird Conservancy

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has proposed a rule change that will result in more eagles being killed at wind energy projects. They have proposed providing wind companies permits that would legally allow developers to kill majestic Bald and Golden Eagles throughout the United States for 30 years.

Please join ABC in telling Congress and the Fish and Wildlife Service to withdraw this dangerous proposed rule change and protect these iconic birds for future generations of Americans.

Click here to take action: http://bit.ly/I0zkZ3

It wasn’t that long ago that Bald Eagle numbers plummeted to just 800 breeding birds, placing them on the Endangered Species List and putting their very existence in doubt. Majestic Golden Eagles, also suffered declines, and continue to struggle today in the face of ongoing threats.

The federal government currently allows corporations to get permits to avoid prosecution for killing limited numbers of eagles as part of their normal operations if they also promise to offset this damage. These permits must be renewed every five years, giving the government regular opportunity to assess an industry’s operations. However, at the request of wind energy industry lobbyists, the federal government has now proposed making the permits good for 30 years! That means 30 years without the possibility for public review of the permit.

This will lead to more dead eagles, more costly lawsuits, and more Americans who will wonder why some private businesses are getting a free pass to kill some of our nation’s most remarkable birds.
Click here to take action: http://bit.ly/I0zkZ3

For the Herp Enthusiasts: Snake Survey by Rosemary Webb

Who knew? On a statewide birding list I read, someone described a close encounter with an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake while birdwatching. Eventually, the following appeared. So, for you budding herp enthusiasts out there, here's a link to the 2012 national _snake_ count:

Since the conversation has turned to snakes, some readers might be interested in participating in the Center for Snake Conservation's snake survey May 12-20. Go to www.snakecount.snakeconservation.org to sign up and get more information.

I am just passing this along, and have not participated, nor do I know anything else about this except what's on the above-listed website.