March 2019 Volume 24(7)

Mecklenburg Audubon Society | P. O. Box 221093, Charlotte, NC 28222 | meckbirds.org

Audubon NewsWhat’s Inside?

Coming Events

Silence of the Songbirds 1

Field Trips 2-4

Young Birder Software 4

Lobby Day 4

Landscaping tips 5

Nest Matching 6

Out & About 7

Meet Your Board 8

3/2 Ribbonwalk Preserve

3/5 Wing Haven Senior Walk

3/7 Monthly Meeting

3/9 Beginner Walk

3/13 Mallard Creek Grnwy.

3/16 McDowell Prairie

3/20 Torrence Creek Grnwy.

3/23 Latta Plantation Prairie

3/27 McAlpine Creek Park

3/30 Six-mile Creek Grnwy.

4/2 Pee Dee NWR

4/4 Monthly Meeting

4/6 Congaree NP

4/10 Clark’s Creek NP

4/13 Catawba Preserve

Who’s New?

Angelica Harris

Nancy Brownback

Richard Pockat

Laurie and Bill Lavietes

Cheryl Drake-Bowers

Beau Bowers

Joseph Melton

Julia Zamora

Steve English began watching birds at the age of 6 years, mainly watching through a large picture window looking out into woods and feeders in the backyard. His aunt and uncle encouraged him along with his brother and mother. They spent many vacations and Sundays hitting birding hot spots in and around Lake Erie and northeastern Ohio.

About 10 years ago he became aware of the decimation of wildlife all over the planet. Now retired after 35 years as a chiropractor, he is work-ing with groups in Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica and the Congo to conserve the rainforest. He is dedicated to helping people understand the devas-tating effects of climate change, habitat loss and rising sea levels have on birds and the health of our planet. At this month’s meeting he will discuss these issues and how environmental justice and social justice are interconnected.

Come join the conversation and learn how you can help mitigate these threats at the Tyvola Senior Center (2225 Tyvola Rd.) at 7:15 PM. Refreshments, including very tasty Birds & Beans bird friendly coffee.

The MAS board is looking for a few good men and/or women to serve on the Mecklenburg Audu-bon board. It’s a great opportunity to get to know folks and contrib-ute to the continued growth and health of the chapter. The board works as a team sharing respon-sivities. Please consider joining this dedicated group of people who work hard to provide great pro-grams, field trips and conservation efforts for everyone. If you are interested and/or have additional questions, don’t hesitate to talk with any current board member.

Thursday, March 7th | 7:15 PM |Tyvola Senior Center (2225 Tyvola Rd.)

Speaker: Steve English

Field Trips

Saturday, March 2nd: Ribbonwalk Nature Preserve8:30 AM • Moderate • Contact: Ron Clark [waxwing@bellsouth.net]

Spring migration is right around the corner and this preserve is a good spot to look for early migrants. This 187-acre preserve lies just 6.5 miles northeast of up-town Charlotte. An American beech (Fagus grandifolia) grove in the northern portion of the preserve has been designated a Mecklenburg County Treasure Tree site because of the number of large, old trees and its overall natural integ-rity. We will walk 2-3 miles on dirt trails that can be steep in places and muddy after a rain. We will meet at 8:30 AM in the parking lot on Hoyt Hinson Rd., which is off Nevin Rd. There are no facilities.

Tuesday, March 5th: Wing Haven (Senior MAS members Only)10-11:15 AM • Easy • Contact: Patty Masten [pmasten31@gmail.com]

Do you love nature and birds? Whether you are a novice or bird expert, you are sure to find delight in this special bird walk experience led by Mecklenburg Audubon Society volunteers. MAS has partnered with Wing Haven to offer these special, guided bird walks for Mecklenburg Audubon members. Wing Haven has many benches to sit and observe the birds, brick pathways to stroll and seek, as well as wooded areas to explore. A number of the pathways are ADA compliant and conducive to walkers and wheelchairs. The entire property is about 3 acres. Bring your binoculars and meet/pay at 10:00 AM at the main Garden Gate! The cost is $5/person - seniors only! To register, call 703.331.0664 or register online.

Saturday, March 9th: Beginner Bird Walk (Latta Plantation)1/2 Day • Moderate • Contact: Marcia Howden [howden32@aol.com]

Latta Plantation is a great place to begin learning about birds and birding. Although folks of all levels are welcome, we will concentrate on helping folk new to birding learn the basics of using binoculars, spotting a bird, and identifi-cation. This will be a two-mile walk on dirt/gravel roads including several mod-erately steep hills. We’ll have power line right-of-way, woods and prairie/field. We’ll start at 8:30 AM in the parking lot to the right just inside the gate of Latta Nature Preserve. There are bathrooms at the Nature Center.

Wednesday, March 13th: Mallard Creek Greenway1/2 Day • Easy • Contact: Judy Walker [birdwalker@me.com]

The flat, gravel trails of this greenway can produce some interesting birds. There are several entrances to this greenway in the university city research park area. We will meet where the greenway crosses David Taylor Dr. (9533 David Taylor Dr.) at 8:00 AM. There are no facilities.

Saturday, March 16th: McDowell Prairie½ Day • Moderate • Contact: Ron Clark [waxwing@bellsouth.net]

We will be looking for winter migrants including waterfowl at Copperhead Island. We will be walk 2-3 miles on trails that can be uneven at times. There are no facilities. Brief directions: Turn right on Shopton Road off Hwy 49. In 0.7 miles, turn left on Four Horse Rd. Follow it about 3/4 mile to the green gate on the right. We will meet at 8:30 AM.

Audubon News Page 2

All Mecklenburg Audubon Field Trips are free and open to the public. Directions for all trips can be found on the Mecklenburg Audubon website - meckbirds.org/trips/trips.html. Please remember to contact the trip leaders several days before the trip. If you don’t, you may not receive information about last minute changes or cancellations. Also, if they don’t know you are coming, they might leave without you!!

Physical Difficulty Key

Easy - Trails are level to slight grades usually paved; .5-3 miles walking

Moderate - Trails can be uneven with some hills; 2-4 miles walking.

Strenuous - Trails vary greatly; 4+ miles of walking.

* Trails are handicapped acces-sible.

Eastern Bluebird ©Jeff Lemons

Black & White Warbler ©Jeff Lemons

True friends know you’re a good egg, even if you’re a little cracked.

Audubon News Page 3

Wednesday, March 20th: Torrence Creek Greenway1/2 Day • Easy • Contact: Judy Walker [birdwalker@me.com]

We’ll walk this little birded greenway in the northern part of the county to see what it might have in store for us. Early neotropic migrants may be arriving, while winter migrants may be lingering. We will meet at 8:30 AM at the green-way entrance on Bradford Hills Lane. There are no facilities on the greenway. [From I-77 take exit 23, Gilead Rd.; turn left; go 1.7 miles to Bradford Hill Lane; turn left onto Bradford Hills.]

Saturday, March 23rd: Latta Plantation Prairie1/2 Day • Moderate • Contact: Ron Clark [waxwing@bellsouth.net]

Early spring migrants should be arriving on the prairie, while winter migrants may still be lingering to provide a wide variety of species. Meet at 8:30 AM in the parking lot of the Nature Center, just inside the main gate. The 2 mile prairie walk is on a gravel road which can be steep and uneven at times. There are bathrooms available at the nature center and lake parking lot.

Wednesday, March 27th: McAlpine Creek Park1/2 Day • Easy • Contact: Judy Walker [birdwalker@me.com]

This park/greenway doesn’t get birded as much as it use to. The Cottonwood Trail has a wetland created by beavers that can produce some interesting birds. Fields and edges are great for sparrows. Early spring migrants should be arriving on the prairie, while winter migrants may still be lingering to provide a wide variety of species. We’ll walk about 2 miles on mostly flat, wide, dirt/grav-el trails. There are no facilities. Meet at 8:00 AM in the main parking lot off of Monroe Rd.

Saturday, March 30th: Six-mile Creek Greenway1/2 Day • Easy • Contact: Ron Clark [waxwing@bellsouth.net]

This greenway may be short (1 mile in length), but it has produced some inter-esting birds over the years. It has some interesting habitat that attracts migrat-ing birds. We will also take a look at the wetland across Marvin Rd. Meet in the parking lot at 8:30 AM.

Tuesday, April 2nd: Wing Haven (Senior MAS members Only)10-11:15 AM • Easy • Contact: Patty Masten [pmasten31@gmail.com] • MAP

Do you love nature and birds? Whether you are a novice or bird expert, you are sure to find delight in this special bird walk experience led by Mecklenburg Audubon Society volunteers. MAS has partnered with Wing Haven to offer these special, guided bird walks for Mecklenburg Audubon members. Wing Haven has many benches to sit and observe the birds, brick pathways to stroll and seek, as well as wooded areas to explore. A number of the pathways are ADA compliant and conducive to walkers and wheelchairs. The entire property is about 3 acres. Bring your binoculars and meet/pay at 10:00 AM at the main Garden Gate! The cost is $5/person - seniors only! To register, call 703.331.0664 or register online.

Tuesday, April 2nd: Pee Dee NWRFull day • Moderate • Contact: Judy Walker [birdwalker@me.com] • MAP

We tend to focus on Pee Dee in the winter because of all the ducks that come to the refuge, but spring is also an amazing time to bird there. Early spring mi-grants should be arriving and lingering winter migrants should also be around to provide an wider variety of species. Although we will be doing a lot of driving from one section to another, we’ll probably walk 2-3 miles as well on gravel roads and dirt trails. We will meet at 7:30 AM at the main entrance bathrooms on Rt. 52. Depending on how many folks come, we will car pool onto the ref-uge from there. Remember to bring a water, lunch, snacks and bug spray (just in case). Sunscreen & hat might also be helpful.

Field Trips

Northern Parula ©Jim Guyton

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher ©Jeff Lemons

Red-headed Woodpecker ©Jeff Lemons

Audubon News Page 4

Saturday, April 6rd: Congaree National ParkFull Day • Moderate • Contact: Ron Clark [waxwing@bellsouth.net] • Map

Did you know we have a great National Park only 100 miles to our south? If you didn’t, then you are in for a treat. Congaree National Park preserves the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States and is located just outside of Columbia, SC. We will be primarily looking for warblers such as the Hooded and Prothonotary who breed in the park. But there should be a good number of others migrating through.

We will meet at 6:30 AM in the Food Lion parking in Ft. Mill, SC (1046 Regent Pkwy., Fort Mill, SC 29715). Bring snacks, water, and lunch. It can get buggy so bring spray as well. The trail is an elevated boardwalk through the swamp. We will be walking about 3 miles.

Wednesday, April 10th: Clark’s Creek Nature Preserve1/2 Day • Easy • Contact: Judy Walker [birdwalker@me.com] • MAP

Spring migrants should be arriving to the popular preserve in the northern part of the county. We will be walking about 1.5 miles on mostly flat, smooth, dirt trails. Meet in the parking lot on Hucks Rd. at 8:30 AM. There is a port-a-john.

Saturday, April 13th: Catawba College Ecological Preserve1/2 Day • Moderate • Contact: Steve Coggin [scoggin@catawba.edu] • Map

We will be birding on the Catawba College Ecological Preserve. This 189 acre natural area has a creek, mature swamp forest, ponds and upland forest. The swamp has a healthy population of nesting Prothonotary Warblers. We can ex-pect to see other summer resident and migratory warblers, flycatchers, vireos, thrushes and more. Meet at 8:30 AM in the circle by the Chapel. Take I-85 Exit 76 then take Innes St. north to the College.

Field Trips

Young Birder Program from

Thayer Birding SoftwareAny young birder in pre-K through

twelfth grade can download the new version 7.7 of Thayer’s Birds of North America at NO COST using the following code:

MecklenburgAudubonYoungBirder

Kids can get the software by visiting www.ThayerBirding.com, clicking the Windows or Mac download button and entering the code shown above.

In addition college & grad stu-dents can get a 50% discount by using the code STUDENT. Teachers can get a 50% discount by using the code TEACHER. And Wildlife professionals can get a 50% dis-count by using the code WILDLIFE.

Flock to Raleigh for our third annual Audubon NC Lobby Day! With your in-person support, we can strengthen relationships with lawmakers and make inroads on issues that matter for our birds: clean energy, conservation funding, and coastal protection.

On March 26, we will gather in the morning for a briefing on our key issues, then visit state senators and represen-tatives in small groups. We’ll reconvene in early afternoon to share stories and celebrate together.

You don’t need to be an expert to speak up for birds at Lobby Day! We will offer webinar trainings and talking points in advance, plus a briefing on key issues the morning of Lobby Day.

Register today [http://bit.ly/2tuwSpZ] and help make this our biggest – and most impactful – Lobby Day yet.

Speak UP for the Birds

Audubon News Page 5

Birds choose environments that provide them with food, water, and shelter. Take a bird’s-eye look at your backyard. Does it provide those things? If not, there are plants you can grow and many other ways you can enhance your yard to make it more bird-friendly. Here are some tips to help you:

EvaluatE Your rEal EstatE First, take stock of what you

already have. Draw a map of your property including buildings and other structures, sidewalks, fences, trees, shrubs, and the location of feeders and nest boxes. Note sun-ny or shady sites, low or wet areas, sandy sites, and plants you want to keep.

start with a Plan Before you start digging holes

and rearranging your yard, de-velop a planting plan. Draw each new plant onto a piece of tracing paper, then place that over the map of your yard (of course, you could do this on your computer, too). Once your plants are in, use your map as a reminder about which need to be watered and weeded, especially in the first year after planting. Mulch is an invalu-able tool for keeping moisture in and weeds out.

includE imPortant Plant GrouPs

In general, try to include in your planting plan some of the following important plant groups that are particularly valuable for birds

* Conifers

* Grasses and legumes

* Nectar-producing plants

* Summer-fruiting plants

* Fall-fruiting plants

* Winter-persistent plants

* Nut and acorn plants

think “variEtY!” Looking for diversity?

Plants can provide birds with food in the form of flower buds, fruit, seeds, nectar, or sap, as well as nest sites and nest material, and shelter from adverse weather conditions and predators. The larger the variety of plants you grow, the more different kinds of birds your yard will attract.

choosE Plants wisElY Select new plants appropriate for

the lighting and soil conditions of your property. Consider how big a new plant might eventually grow and avoid the surprise of it taking over your yard!

Go nativE! Plant native species instead of

exotics. Native plants, such as those at right, are more likely to thrive, plus they offer the foods best suited to the birds of your area. Here, in summer, the red blooms of cardinal flower attract humming-birds, while wild bergamot and goldenrod harbor insects, an ex-cellent food source for birds. Later in fall when the goldenrod fades, finches and sparrows will feast on its seeds.

YEar-round attractions To keep the birds coming back

for more, select a variety of plants that will produce foods in different sea- sons. For winter residents as well as migrants that return ear-ly in spring, plants that hold their fruits through- out the winter (“win-ter-persistent” plants) are a vital food source.

GivE thEm shEltEr Provide dense thickets where

birds can nest, perch, and es-cape from predators, by planting some shrubs, growing a hedge, or

training vines over fence lines. Try to create an area of thick, wild growth to imitate a natural environ-ment.

dEad wood is Good wood! Try to leave dead limbs and trees

in place if it’s safe to do so. Insects that live under the bark and in the decaying wood are an import-ant food source for birds such as woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches. Cavity-nesting birds such as bluebirds and woodpeck-ers need old, hollow trees to nest in. To make a dead tree prettier, consider planting native vines, such as Virginia Creeper, to disguise its trunk.

lEavE a mEss! If you hate to tidy up your yard

and flower beds in fall, birds will love you for it. If you grow annu-als, especially daisy-relatives such as purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, and sunflower, leave the dead seed heads on them when they fade—goldfinches and other seed-eaters will feast on the seeds. Instead of bagging up fallen leaves for disposal, rake them under your shrubs to act as mulch. They’ll harbor insects that ground-dwell-ing birds will find, too. And, come spring, those dead leaves, grasses, and plant stems will be a treasure trove for birds searching for nest material in your yard.

Landscaping Tips for a Bird-friendly Backyard

Audubon News Page 6

Nest MatchingTHE MUD MOLDER

You’ll spot this medium-sized bowl-shaped nest about 5-25 feet off the ground in a tree, shrub, or on a building. The construction is distinc-tive because of the thick mud used to hold it together, which its builder painstakingly transports by the beakful during building season. Between the layers of mud which hold the nest together, fine, dry grasses poke out in all directions. The bird who created this nest is non-migratory and can be seen all year throughout the United States, although they appear in greater numbers during the summer in Canada and are seen more com-monly in the Southern states and Northern Mexico during colder months. These poised and purposeful workers will use their wrists to press the mud into the grasses, building their nests from the inside out.

THE BULKY BASKETMAKERThis next nester builds a large, messy cup of sticks, grasses, and some-

times even mud, which is then lined with small roots. Nests can be found 10 to 25 feet above the ground, in both coniferous and deciduous trees, placed between major forked and outer branches. Both the male and female collect materials, but the female does most of the building. Live twigs are broken off to build such a nest and the pair will often fly long distances to bring back the roots they’ve dug from shallow ditches. Al-though these bright residents of the Eastern United States are known for being noisy and bold, they have intricate social systems and family bonds that stay strong throughout the year.

THE TWIG TAMERThe female of this species is the primary architect—a common trend

among nest-building birds—although the male does supply her with materials for building and with food while she’s nesting. She’s resource-ful, too, and uses her thick beak to crush twigs until they are bendable, pressing them into a nest shape with her body. Several ingredients comprise her nest: coarse twigs, a leafy barrier, grapevine bark, grasses, stems, small roots, and pine needles. Mated pairs of this species have an interesting technique for deciding where to build their nest: the female will visit potential sites, with the male following close behind, all the while calling to each other with special songs until they decide on a spot. Their nests will usually be found wedged into forked branches of saplings and vines, such as dogwood, honeysuckle, rose bushes, hemlock, and black-berry brambles.

THE FLUFF STUFFERThis small, teacup-shaped nest can be spotted three to ten feet off the

ground in a small tree or shrub, typically in open woodlands or overgrown fields. The nest is composed of milkweed, thistle, and other fluffy or stringy plants that grow in fields, floodplains, roadsides, yards, and orchards. Its maker can be seen year-round in the Eastern and Midwestern United States, and also in the Northwest, except for California and western Ore-gon. These small, strictly vegetarian birds wait for their preferred nesting materials to grow and seed before they lay their clutch, as the seeds provide nourishment for newly hatched young. These swift little birds build their nests in three steps: first, twigs are connected by spider silk, then a tighter cup of small roots and debris is woven inside, and finally, soft, downy material is used to cushion the very center of the nest.

Additional resources for identifying these nests can be found at CornellLab’s NestWatch site [http://bit.ly/2Ucqn6m]

Can you match the nest descrip-tions on the right with the local nester on the right?

A

B

C

D

D, A, B, C

Illustrations by Raisa Kochmaruk, Cornell Class of ‘21

Audubon News Page 7

Nest box Cleaning at Latta Park

Pine Island Sanctuary

Noreen George and four students from Sedgefield Elementary School spent an afternoon cleaning out nest boxes at Latta Park in Dillworth.

Fifteen MASers drove to the Outer Banks to experi-ence Audubon’s Pine Island Sanctuary and the birds of winter. And they were not disappointed.

Wonderful Accommodations

Great food and fellowship

Welcoming a new day of birding

And some great brrrrriding!

Audubon News Page 8

Meet Your Board Member

Judy WalkerLike many birders, Judy has always been interested in

wildlife and nature. As a child she loved watching the House Sparrows under the bush near her back stoop. Through col-lege and twenties she became aware of the environmental issues that were and still are threatening wildlife. While living and teaching elementary school in Maryland she began to focus more on birds and their habitats. She took her first ‘birding workshop’ at a Baltimore nature center. It was on warblers. Definitely a challenge for a beginner birder.

Her move to Topeka, KS to be an education librarian was fortuitous as Topeka is on the central flyway with thousands of shorebirds, waterfowl and hawks mi-grating through the area in the fall and spring. She saw her first White Pelicans on the Kansas turnpike and participated in her first Christmas Bird Count there. The high for the day was 5 degrees.

Judy moved to Charlotte in 1987, to become the education librarian at UNC Charlotte. Her first new bird encounter was about a week after she arrived during a work picnic at Frank Liske Park. While playing softball a Horned Lark walked on to the center field. Shortly after that Judy began vol-unteering at the Carolin Raptor Center where she did both rehab and presentations for schools and the public.

Judy has been involved with Mecklenburg Audubon since 1990 and served as president for a num-ber of years. She created and maintains the club’s website and has been editing the newsletter for many years. Now retired she is getting to do what she likes the most, leading bird walks. She partic-ularly likes it when beginning birders see a new bird even if it’s just a common resident bird. It’s like

seeing the bird with new eyes. It keeps birding fresh and exciting.

MAS Executive Board

President: Jim Guyton [guytonj@att.net]

Vice President: Rich McCracken [richard.mccracken@gmail.com]

Treasurer: Jack Meckler [jmeckler1@gmail.com]

Secretary: Bill Blakesley [lclemons@mindspring.com]

Field Trips: Malia Kline [maliakline@gmail.com]

Outreach: Jill Palmer [jpalmer53@earthlink.net]

Communications: Drew Skinner [bigbadskinner@gmail.com]

Membership: Noreen George [heartreen@aol.com]

Conservation: Patty Masten [pmasten31@gmail.com]

Larry Leamy [larryjleamy@gmail.com]

Hospitality: Marcia Howden [howden32@aol.com]

Member-at-Large: Christine McCluskey [chrismcbirder@yahoo.com]

Newsletter/Web: Judy Walker [birdwalker@me.com]

Audubon News is published monthly from September through May by the Mecklenburg Audubon Society, a chapter of National Audubon. Local members receive the newsletter via postal mail and/or electronic mail. It is also posted on the Mecklenburg Audubon website - meckbirds.org.

BIRDS AND BIRDING IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

Thursday, March 21, 2019 • 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Speaker: Taylor Piephoff

Taylor Piephoff has been birding in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties for over 40 years. In that time, there have been significant changes in bird populations, diversity, and available habitat. Taylor will discuss the current state of the birds & birding in Mecklenburg with a historical perspective and an eye to the future. Hint: It’s not all bad.