december-january 2005 avocet newsletter tampa audubon society

8/9/2019 December-January 2005 Avocet Newsletter Tampa Audubon Society

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Volume XVI, Issue 11 December 2005/January 2006

Tampa Audubon

The publication of the Avocet is funded in part through a grant from TECO Foundation

www.TampaAudubon.org

A Message from Your President

November 25, 2005

Dear Friends and Members of Tampa Audubon Society:

I have some exiting news- the Avocet is going electronic! Your issue of the December/January

Avocet is now available on our web site at www.tampaaudubon.org. Once you are on the site,click on the Newsletter link on the left hand side of the Home Page and you will see the cur-rent issue.

There are several advantages to this change in the way we distribute our newsletter. First off,we will decrease the amount of paper and ink that is consumed producing each issue of theAvocet. We will save almost 10,000 sheets of paper, not to mention the ink and energy it takesto produce an issue. As an environmental organization, your Board of Directors feels it is im-

portant that we send a clear message promoting waste reduction and a strong conservationethic. This elimination of a paper newsletter will also save our organization money (from both

production and mailing costs) and allow us to put our limited resources to more productive use

promoting our environmental education initiatives.

We realize that not everyone has access to the internet, or may still prefer to receive a papercopy. If you would like to have your copy of the Avocet mailed to you, please contact me at(813) 228-4257 and I will place a copy in the mail to you immediately. We will continue tomail out reminders for the next few issues.

We hope that you will support this new direction that we are taking and dont forget to take ad-vantage of our upcoming Programs and Field Trips listed on page 5.

Thank you for your continued support of Tampa Audubon.

Sincerely,

Stanley M. Kroh, President


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Tampa Audubon Society2005-2006 Board Members

President- Stan Kroh

[email protected]

Home: (813) 831-3653

Mobile: (813) 293-6869

Work: (813) 228-4257

Fax: (813) 228-1308

Immediate Past President-Ann Paul1st Vice President-John Costin2nd Vice President-VacantTreasurer-VacantRecording Secretary-Dee Dee Wells- LassiterCorresponding Secretary-Michael Turrisi

DIRECTORSRob Heath (2004-2006)Christine Malzone (2004-2006)Melanie Higgins (2004-2006)Sabina Espinet-Todd (2005-2007)Mike Donahue (2005-2007)Joe Bailey (2005-2007)

COMMITTEES & PROGRAMSConservation Committee Co-Chair-Tom RiesConservation Committee Co-Chair-Dave Sumpter

Field Trip Committee Co-Chair-Mary KeithField Trip Committee Co-Chair-Jo Anne HartzlerAvocet Editor-Sabina Espinet-ToddRegional Conservation CommitteeRepresentative-VacantChristmas Bird Count- Dave BowmanE-Mail Directory-Karl StevensARC at the Park-Andrea CollegeAudubon Adventures-Ann PaulAvocet-Ann Paul

Publicity/PR- Mike DonahueMembership Development-VacantFund Raising-VacantSabina Espinet Todd- WebsiteSpecial Events/Tabling Events-Sarah BrennanEndowment-Melanie HigginsProgram-Ann Paul

Volunteers Needed!

Tampa Audubon Society currentlyhas a couple of vacant positions onour Board of Directors. Current va-cancies are Treasurer and 2nd VicePresident. Our Board typically meetsonce a month for 1-2 hours and dis-cusses many issues that are vital toour Chapter.

If you are interested in helping tochart the direction of our Chapter,

please consider serving on our Boardof Directors.

The Board is also looking for vol-unteers to help with various projectssuch as fund raising activities, hospi-tality, membership management, let-ter writing, representing the Chapterat community events, etc.

Whatever your unique skill orinterest might be, we need you!

Please contact Stanley Kroh,President, at 228-4257 [email protected]

for more information.


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Cruising with Tampa Audubon SocietyBy Stanley Kroh

In October, we completed our first fund raising cruise on Carnival Cruise Lines, the Miracle. A great time washad by all who participated in this unique find raiser, especially our cruise drawing winners Robin Kurtzman andBrady Flores.

An interesting note about the ship- the staff represented over 70 different countries. I even met a man from

the Republic of Southern Antarctica. It was amazing to see how well these people from such varied backgroundsand cultures got along. It made me wonder what the world would be like without politics!

Our first port of call was the island of Grand Cayman, where we anchored at the capital city ofGeorgetown. There was still much damage evident from last years Hurricane Ivan. The main tourist areas oGeorgetown have been spruced up and most of the buildings were sporting new roofs. However, once we trav

eled past the main tourist areas, we saw many damaged or destroyed buildings. It was interesting to see olderhomes built in the 1800s that were relatively unscathed, while newer construction was nearly leveled. There wasa veritable mountain of hurricane debris in the center of the island that could be seen from almost everywhereOur tour guide jokingly encouraged us to take some debris home with us. Our tour guide also bragged that citizens of the Cayman Islands pay no taxes, however, gas and milk are both $8 a gallon! We also saw a new homebeing constructed for the family of Bill Gates- a modest vacation home of 25,000 square feet!

Next we spent a day at Costa Maya in Mexico. We visited Uvero Beach, which is part of a national parkThe beach was lovely with swaying palm trees and virtually no development visible in either direction. However

once we hiked past the maintained section of the beach, the amount of trash that littered the shoreline was mindboggling. It was several feet deep in some areas! It made me appreciate the beach cleanups we have here at homeand also made me realize how far reaching the impacts of our wasteful lifestyles are.

Next stop was Belize City in Belize. Belize City is another area recovering from hurricane damage- thistime it was Hurricane Iris that had wreaked havoc. After a brief tour of the city, we took a boat trip on the Rio

Wallace river. The river was murky due to a tropical depression that had moved through the area the day before

our arrival, causing extensive flooding. In spite of this, we saw some very interesting wildlife and vegetationWe saw a manatee (a jaded fellow traveler from Florida remarked that all manatees pretty much look the same!)We also saw dolphins, green iguanas (the males were especially colorful, as it was mating season), black howlermonkeys, many types of wading birds and a freshwater crocodile. One interesting sight was the woven nests oMontezumas oropendula birds hanging from the ends of royal palm fronds. Our boat trip ended at a river outpost

called Burrell Boom where we enjoyed a traditional Belizean lunch of rice and beans cooked in cocoanut milkWe next boarded a bus for the Mayan ruin site of Altun Ha. The trip to the ruins took us through the countrysidewhere we saw the shack like homes of people barely eking out a living in a harsh environment.

Our last port of call was back to Mexico where we visited the touristy island of Cozumel. Cozumel isoff the coast of the Yucatan peninsula and as such shares a reputation for partying tourists with other Yucatan

spots. The water around Cozumel is crystal clear and afforded great opportunities for snorkeling. We drove tothe southern tip of the island to Punta Sur where there is a beautiful state park that boasts rocky coastlines andcrashing waves. We were unable to visit the eastern side of the island because roads were closed, due to, youguessed it- hurricane damage. And of course, Hurricane Stan passed over Cozumel the day after we left.

We returned home tired but grateful to be living in an area like Tampa Bay.

www.TampaAudubon.org



3 Pied-billed Grebes12 Double-crested Cormorants8 Anhingas3 Great Blue Herons4 Great Egrets2 Snowy Egrets3 Little Blue Herons2 Tricolored Herons

8 Cattle Egrets1 Green Heron16 White Ibis12 Wood Storks44 Black Vultures11 Turkey Vultures2 Ospreys1 Bald Eagle (immature)2 Coopers Hawks1 Short-tailed Hawk (light morph.)25 Common Moorhens4 Limpkins4 Belted Kingfishers4 Red-bellied Woodpeckers3 Downy Woodpeckers1 Eastern Wood-Pewee2 Eastern Phoebes1 Tufted Titmouse8 Carolina Wrens

Not many people from Tampa were along on the birding at Saddle Creek Park in Lakeland, but the birds werethere. We had 11 different warblers, including a wonderfully cooperative and close up male Black Throated Blueand some decent looks at Black Throated Green, Magnolia, Ovenbird and Black and White among others. Two

Coopers Hawks sailed over, and the Short Tailed Hawk made a couple of short appearances, but the Least Bitternstayed hidden this week. On the large end of the scale, an immature Bald Eagle floated past. Hope you join uson some other trips.

Mary Keith

2 House Wrens1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet35 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers16 Gray Catbirds4 Mockingbirds5 White-eyed Vireos1 Blue-headed Vireo

1 Red-eyed Vireo3 Tennessee Warblers1 Northern Parula Warbler2 Magnolia Warblers2 Black-throated Green Warblers (male & fe-male)2 Black-throated Blue Warblers (males)3 Yellow-throated Warblers3 Prairie Warblers4 Palm Warblers1 Black-and-White Warbler7 American Redstarts6 Ovenbirds2 Common Yellowthroats1 Hooded Warbler (female)1 Scarlet Tanager17 Northern Cardinals2 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks6 Indigo Buntings

Birds reported at Saddle Creek Park walkby Bob and Linda Snow-Lakeland, FL

Birding News



Come and Watch Your Tampa Audubon At WorkBy Mike Donahue

Several of your fellow members have an enjoyable time volunteering to run the ARC in Lettuce Lake Park

and theyd like to show it off to you! The Audubon Resource Center (ARC) nature center has a new leader and

its poised to complement the parks extensive boardwalk along the Hillsborough River even more than evera

great place for birding.

Weve committed to keeping the ARC open every Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5. In my experience

this is no time at all, as the visitors are so friendly, inquisitive and interesting, the time flies. Lettuce Lake Park

is heavily used, even on the hottest days, by about every kind of outdoorsman, women and child you can

imagineour kind of people. Ive met them from all over the world, including birders on their once in a lifetime

excursion to Florida, photographers with thousands of dollars of equipment, and families who just like to picnic

Tampa Audubons history at the ARC started with Ged and all his years of good works. Then Marilyn

stepped in, in our hour of need, and now Andrea College has enthusiastically taken up the flag. If youve never

even visited, shame on you, as everyone needs to know the secret of the lake in the park. (Its not far east of I-75

on Fletcher Ave.)

I have fun holding down the fort one Sunday a month, but as a member of Audubons Board and ARCs

Steering Committee, Id like to meet and talk with more Audubon members while they are enjoying the ARC

too. We invite you to come, visit and check us out! Wed like to offer more programs and field trips if we can get

enough help! (If youd like to talk and have a cold one [water], e-mail me at [email protected], and Ill tell you

when Ive signed up next. You can also e-mail Andrea at: [email protected].)

Programs:All programs are held at the ARC begining at 11 a.m.

and are free and open to the public.

January 14, 2006- Tampa Bay: Living Legacywith Nanette Holland, Public Outreach Coordinator,Tampa Bay Estuary Program

February 11, 2006-Tampa Bay Conservancy withWilliam Lorenzen, Exec. Director

March 11, 2006-Exploring Floridas Waterwayswith Sandy Huff, author of A Paddlers Guide to theSunshine State

April 8, 2006-Least Terns: No Place to Tern

with Monique Abrams, Conservation Chair, St.Petersburg Audubon Society

May 13, 2006-Recent Efforts to ConserveFloridas Non-Marine Turtles with George L.Heinrich (Heinrich Ecological Services)

June 10, 2006- Learning the Bird Songs withDave Sumpter, Co-Chair, Tampa AudubonConservation Committee & Executive Director,PEER, Inc.

Tampa Audubon Field Trips:Dec 05- Feb 06

December 3, 2005-Oscar Scherer State Park

December 11, 2005-Ft. DeSoto Park

December 18, 2005-Alafia Christmas Bird Count

December 31, 2005-Tampa Christmas Bird Count

January 14, 2006-

Mosaic PhosphateFebruary 4, 2006-Violet Curry Nature Preserve

February 11, 2006-J. B. Starkey Park



Another huge success, was our Halloween Fun at the Park Event held on October 30th. We were vis-

ited by nearly 300 kids and 200 adults. The activities included face painting, decorating a halloween bag then

trick-or-treating. Everyone who wanted to had an opportunity to dissect an owl pellett, we had a demostration

on how to build a bat house, and the kids got to play insect bingo. Most exciting of all was the appearance of

a Great Horned Owl provided by Busch Gardens. A special thanks to Missy from Busch Gardens who did a

fantastic job educating our visitors about owls, snakes, oppossums, and Madagascar hissing cockroaches.

A huge thanks goes to PJ Waldman who built the bat house and donated to the ARC. We will be find-

ing it a perfect spot over the next few weeks. We are also super greatful to the Youth Group from NW Tampa

Church of Christ for volunteering their time during this event. Also to Ms. Margaret Hopson-Fernandez, Beth

Allegra, Chris Waldman, Scott McCarthy, William Lorenzen, Andrea Rodriguez and Shawn College for their

assistance. Without their assistance this event would not have been possible.

ARC at the ParkThe Audubon Resource Center at Lettuce Lake Park

was a-buzz with activity in October. We held our firstschool fieldtrip since our new Director took over in

August. Learning Gate Community schools first grade

classes visited the park on October 12th. The kids had

an opportunity to walk the boardwalk, then they were

divided into three groups of 18 kids plus chaperones

during their visit to the ARC. Each group had the

opportunity to visit our exhibit area and our volunteer

Tom Hutchinson read them a story about alligators,

then they conducted a wetland experiment led by our

Environmental Educator, Ms. Margaret Hopson-Fer-

nandez, Ph.D., they also had an opportunity to learnabout insects and butterflies from Andrea College, the

ARC Director while enjoying the butterfly garden.

This was a very successful event, and we are currently

preparing for our upcomming Spring fieldtrips.

We look forward to many more successful

upcomming events. Keep checking the website for

updates. Programs are open to all members of the

public, free of charge and begin at 11 a.m. (withthe exception of the November program which will

begin at 3 p.m.) in the Audubon Resource Center

at Lettuce Lake Park.

Dont forget the Photography Clubs orga-

nizational meeting will be held November 19th at

2:00 pm. at the ARC. Anyone interested in

photography, please plan to attend.



Protecting the Little Manatee RiverBy Mariella Johns Smith

813-645-4218

The Little Manatee River is the Everglades of Hillsborough County. When Im kayaking her shallow watersdotted with countless mangrove islands, I smilingly say Im in the One Thousand Islands, because it feels somuch like kayaking in the Ten Thousand Islands of the Everglades. This river is still sparkling clean, pristine,and teeming with life.

But development is rampantly paving over south Hillsborough farmland and green space, and the priceof riverfront property is suddenly skyrocketing, bringing the builders of dense subdivisions and multi-familycondominiums to this rivers beautiful banks.

Pavement adds pollution to our waterways. A parking lot has 16 times more polluting runoff than ameadow of the same size. But its not only the builders with their bulldozers and cement, nor the driveways andpaved lanais, that pollute the river and banish the wildlife from the waterways and shoreline habitat. The newhomeowners inevitably eliminate native vegetation from the shoreline in order to improve their view, and thehomeowners associations hire companies to treat their landscapes with chemicals that run off with every rain intothe water, degrading the water quality of the river and Tampa Bay, impacting the seagrass beds, the fish, and allthe wildlife in and around this important estuary. Ruskin crabber, Gus Muench, eloquently compares us humans

to termites, busily dismantling natures glory -- a sand pine here and a mangrove there -- devouring the naturalshoreline bit by bit until it is all gone, finally and forever.

There is a movement afoot to try to protect the Little Manatee River and its shoreline from blindlyfollowing in the same footprints of other Florida rivers, trudging down the same path from pristine and wild tourbanized sod lawns and seawalls. This river is designated by the state as an Outstanding Florida Water, and itis an integral part of the Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve. It should have different standards for development thanthose we apply to the Tampa Bypass Canal. We are working with the county to implement general policies forfuture protection of the river, while we work to prevent specific development proposals from damaging the riverright now -- from the huge, dense Little Harbor subdivision proposed at the mouth of the river, which threatensto block a critical wildlife corridor and fragment habitat for bobcats, otters and foxes; to the upstream proposalfor housing on a skinny little spit sticking out into the middle of the river at Mill Bayou, home to gopher tortoisesand a lovely sand pine forest which is an integral part of the riverine wildlife habitat.

You can help by writing a letter,signing a petition, making a phonecall, or attending a meeting to tellour leaders and planners that thisriver and her water and wildlifeare important to you. Please callme if youd like to help, even justa little, to protect the Little Mana-tee River and the Cockroach BayAquatic Preserve -- before it istoo late.

Cartoon reproduced with permission from Paul Combs - [email protected]


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ATTENTION ACTIVE MEMBERS!New Field Trip, Program & Event Contact List

Would you like to be kept up to date on upcomming field trips, programs and

events? Were putting together two contact lists to do just that, and in the next

year were going to be working hard to collect information from all active mem-

bers. For field trips you may be kept up to date by e-mail and/or phone, and for

meetings and events via e-mail alone.

The catch is that if youd like to be added to one of the two lists, youll only be

able to do so in person, by filing out one of our new forms on a field trip, or at a

program, event, or the ARC. (Youll need to keep it up to date with any address

changes you may have by notifying the sender of any e-mail you may receive, or

by filling out a new form indicating the change.) Everything provided will be kept

confidential and used only for these purposes.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

YES!I want to join the Tampa & National Audubon Societies at the special introductoryrate of $25 and save over 35% off regular dues!

Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________________________________

City: ______________________________________ State: ____________ ZIP Code: ____________________

Phone: __________________________ E-mail: ___________________________________________________

Please make your checks payable to: Tampa Audubon Society

Mail to:

Tampa Audubon Society

P.O. Box 320025Tampa, FL 33679

I would like to include an additional contribution of $________ to the Tampa Audubon Society.

Your membership supports vital conservation issues. As a member you will receive the bi-monthly Audubon

Magazine, the quarterly Florida Naturalist Magazine and the bi-monthly Avocet Newsletter.

National Audubon occasionally makes its membership list available to carefully selected organizations. To have

your name ommitted from this list, check here.

december-january 2005 avocet newsletter tampa audubon society

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