october-november 2007 skimmer newsletter francis m. weston audubon society

8/9/2019 October-November 2007 Skimmer Newsletter Francis M. Weston Audubon Society

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Colombia to Bolivia. The urgent need for quinine permittedthe exploitation of species with relatively low percentages

of alkaloids in their bark. These ugly ducklings were

abundant, and until our new Latin American plantations

attained an exploitable age, these served as good pinch

hitters for plantation-grown cinchona.

Peru holds in her mountain fastnesses the very heart

of the cinchona belt found in the highest mountain forests

covering the eastern slopes of the Andean ranges. The belt

occupied by species of cinchona is a region of unbelievable

beauty unmatched by any forested zone in this hemisphere.

This area is the fountainhead of many Amazonian rivers the Tambopata and Inambari, the Madre de Dios and

Apurimac, the Beni, Maraon, and Huallaga. Born in the

snowfields that top most of the eastern ranges, hundreds

of turbulent tributaries of these parent rivers fall through

breathtaking gorges and ravines which so dissect the eastern

slopes as to make this rugged area almost impassable. Yet

from this land of perpendicular plateaus must come all of

Perus cinchona bark.

Walter H. Hodge, a FMWAS member, trekked the length of Peru in 1942 in search of Cinchona,a plant that promised the Americans and Allies a chance to win in WWII. Without cinchona,the Pacific Theater could certainly be lost. Searching the rugged forested mountain slopes

of the Peruvian Andes, Walter Hodge was engaged in cinchona procurement for the UnitedStates Government, Office of Economic Warfare. Dr. Hodge, a botanist, along with a forester,comprised the core of a survey party charged with hunting old stands of cinchona and finding

new ones. Weeks on rugged vertical trails from 2000 foot Amazon forest elevations to theupper limits of tree growth at 10,000 feet, Hodge and his party sought the alkaloid-rich bark

that yielded quinine, the urgently needed anti-malarial. With few editorial changes, excerptsfollow from Walter H. Hodges 1944 article in the Journal of the New York Botanical Garden,

Hunting Cinchona in the Peruvian Andes, (vol. 45, 32-42).

Hunting Cinchona in thePeruvian Andes

By Walter H. Hodge

The Province of Loja in southern Ecuador first achievedfame as an important source of cinchona, and up to the

year 1750 it was the headquarters for the industry. By

the middle of the last century, exploiters realized that

the wild stands in the Andes would never be able to supply

the increasing world demand for quinine. Interested persons

employed botanists who were sent secretly into the richest of the

Andean cinchona regions to collect quantities of the tiny winged

seeds. Seedlings raised from these eventually found their way

to India and to the Dutch East Indies, where with tender care,

scientific selection, and the aid of a bountiful and cheap labor

supply, the great plantation cinchona industry grew into being.

In Java, there were produced strains with bark alkaloid contentsthat far surpassed all barks ever found in the Andean home

forests. Little wonder then that Java provided the world with

practically all of her quinine.

After Japans island conquests in the south Pacific, climaxed

by the capture of Java, the U.S. government immediately shifted

into high on the road to cinchona bark procurement. A study was

made of the old South American industry and plans were drawn

up to make this region an immediate, safe, and independent

source of bark. Survey parties searched cinchona areas from Continues on page 3.

Oct.Nov., 2007

Vol. XXXIV No. 3


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It is no easy job to reach the forested eastern slopes.

Approaching from the west, one passes the dry Pacific coastland

with its deserts and hills, the latter supporting peculiar periodic

herbaceous vegetation dependant on the atmospheric moisture

of seasonal fogs. Then, the high mountain tableland, the old

Inca homeland with its cold deserts, dry valleys, grassy steppes

which support flocks of llamas, alpacas, and sheep, its heathlike

formations, and the curious cushion-forming plants of the

higher altitudes. Automobile roads of the coast and sierra are

numerous but peter out approaching the border of the montaa,

becoming mule tracks or tenuous foot trails which hug begonia-

or calceolaria (Ladys Slipper)-clad cliff walls or which descendprecipitously, finally threading their way through the forested

montaa. Cinchona survey parties thus oft walked over 200vertical miles in a two-weeks period, wearing out good hiking

shoes in a month!

Walter Hodge and his companions were bound to the land

and the sunlight. Daily hiking, collecting and surveying, theyhad to pitch tents and camp before the sun went down forimmediately it would be dark. Likewise, [they] had to be up at

dawn. The only lights they had were flashlights. Hodges survey

party traveled with cascarilleros, the men who actually cut thecascarilla (bark) in the forests. These Peruvians were pure-

blooded sierra Indians lineal descendants of the Incas - whohad quit their ancestral altiplano homes and were living on the

uppermost fringe of the montaa. Many of them had tiny forestfarms where they grew corn, bananas, coffee, yucca, papas, or

coca. At home and afield they were sure to have a stimulatingwad of their favorite chew, dried coca leaves, in their mouthsand a bountiful supply in a colorfully woven little bag slung

at their belts. Cascarilleros had to know their forests for therewere no rules on searching out cinchona trees. Our saying was:

Cinchona is where you find it.

And so is adventure.

Dr. Walter H. Hodge, Ph.D. Harvard 1941, has been a frequentcontributor to the Skimmer. His wife, Bobbie who worked at the

American embassy in Peru during his hunting cinchona days,

often contributed to his fieldwork, especially in the West Indieswhere the two of them catalogued the flora of Dominica. Thismulti-talented duo are now retired and live at Azalea Trace in

Pensacola.

by Morris ClarkMessage from the PresidentSandhill Cranes on the Platte

Hunting Cinchona,continued from the front page

Some of my most cherished memories in life are experiences

with birds in nature while traveling in faraway places. One

of those experiences was in March of this year on the Platte

River in Nebraska, which is not so far away.

The Platte River during spring migration of the

Sandhill Cranes is one of those experiences in naturethat you will never forget. It is magical. Approximately a

half a million Sandhill Cranes descend on an eighty-milestretch of the Platte River Valley in Nebraska, the largest

gathering of any crane species anywhere in the world. Thecranes come from scattered wintering grounds along theTexas Gulf Coast, northern Mexico, eastern New Mexico

and from as far west as southeastern Arizona.

This section of river valley is special to the SandhillCranes. The Platte River is a braided river containingnumerous vegetation-free islands and sandbars that pro-

vide the cranes with relatively safe resting and sleepingareas. The Platte River Valley is a rich source of food for

replenishing fat reserves needed for their long migrationjourneys to Canada, Alaska and Siberia.

Before heading off to the wide-open golden plains of centralNebraska this spring, I contacted three sanctuaries along the Platte

River to set up several blind dates. (Seriously, the sanctuaries, oneof which was Audubons Rowe Sanctuary, own strategically located

blinds which offer spectacular crane viewing opportunities at theedge of the river). One vivid memory was on the first morning right

before sunrise in clear, 24-degree weather as the Sandhill Cranesbegan their harmonious trumpeting sounds.

After the mornings very moving experience, I thoughtthis is good as it gets! Fortunately, I had already set

up another blind date for that same afternoon and waseagerly looking forward to it. It is difficult to describe this

experience with words that do it justice, but here goes.As the crimson sun was setting along the Platte, several

thousand cranes came in from all directions as if on cue,and landed 65 feet below our cliff-perched blind. They wereso very close that you could discern the different calls of

the adult and juvenile cranes as they glided to safe harbor

on the Platte River islands to perform their crane danceand then roost for the night.

Why am I relating this to you? Well, as chairman of

the Field Trip Committee, I am always looking for goodplaces to conduct field trips I believe the Platte River

is just such a place. I would be glad to set up an Audubonfield trip for four or five days in mid- to late March of 2008. How-ever, I need to know approximately how many people to plan for.

If you are seriously interested in participating, or just have somequestions, please send me an email at [email protected] or call

968-5498 before November.

Their cranemusiccontinued,and soonwaves andwaves of thecranes liftedoff the

silvery waterislands tomeet theday.


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by Bob Duncan

close as SW Louisiana. Mary Newman was lucky enough to see it

as well. Wood Storks are rare transients in our area. Eight birds

in Pensacola 23 August were a great find by James Pfeiffer. Alex

Harper watched 9 15 Robins flock on the University of West

Florida campus 23 25 August. They are rare breeders in our

area.

Gulf Breeze and Bayou Grande.White-winged Doves

continue to proliferate in our area. For the first two weeks in

August I observed flocks of 15 25 flying around the west end

of Gulf Breeze. These are recent additions to our regulars for

prior to about 1993, they were considered rare. On 5 August, I

spotted a very rare Lark Sparrow* in the middle of the street

near my home in Gulf Breeze. Appearing usually once a year

in the entire state and usually only in August and only in Gulf

Breeze, an Olive-sided Flycatcher* broke precedent and was

spotted in Pensacola near Bayou Grande on 27 August by Ann

Forster and Sandy Lowery. Alan Sheppard had another at the Ft.

Walton Beach Spray fields on 11 September.

Pensacola Beach. Alan Sheppard also found a rare-in-August,

early Herring Gull at Pensacola Beach on the 28th. A great

find was a femaleYellow-headed Blackbird*, a bird of the

marshes of the west and Great Plains, found on 1 September at

Pensacola Beach by Joe and Dawn John and Peggy Baker. Chris

Davis spotted 35 40 White Ibis flying over Perdido Key on 3

September.

Jim Dyehouse observed 12 Common Nighthawks, a species

in decline, over Pensacola on 12 September, and the Duncans

spotted 25 over Gulf Breeze the next day. This would not

normally be noteworthy except that theyre in decline, as

evidenced by the maximum number ever observed in our area,

2000 in 1961, also on 13 September, seen by Francis Weston

and Charles Kahn!

The Skimmerwelcomes reports of noteworthy birds. If you havesomething to report, please call Bob or Lucy Duncan at 932-4792.

Species with asterisks require documentation so that they maybe processed to become part of the ornithological record.

Birding season is underway. With a sigh of relief I thank

the sun for its gradual migration south, heralding the end

of summer. At least, I speak for myself on this point. Some

folks relish summer, mostly Yankees I think, who shiver at the

prospect of a cold dreary winter. But for me and most of my

fellow birders, the first day of September means August has been

banished for another year and birding season is underway! But

with Ft. Pickens inaccessible, where can we go? For those of you

who regularly read the Skimmeryou know a few of us have been

going to the cut down Ft. Pickens road and enjoying the feast

of shorebirds, gulls, terns and egrets, the only positive byproduct

of Hurricane Ivan I can think of. At this point in time, those

noisy, feisty Least Terns have left for their wintering grounds in

South America, only to be replaced by thousands of Black Terns

migrating through. Shorebirding there will be good through

September.

For migrant passerines, however, we will have to look

elsewhere with Ft. Pickens unavailable. The Ft. Walton Beach

Spray Fields, my favorite haunt, is dry as bone and not very

productive. To have good birding we will have to look westward.

Ft. Morgan, about 58 miles and Dauphin Island, about 95 miles

respectively from downtown Pensacola, will be the places to go

for great birding during fall migration. See you there!

Gulf Islands National Seashore.Jennifer Waddell of Gulf

Islands National Seashore estimated about 500 young Least

Terns successfully fledged on Santa Rosa Island this year. Black

Skimmers and Snowy Plovers also had a great year.

At the cut on Santa Rosa Is., a very rare Bairds Sandpiper*

10 August, provided the first record for that month for our area

(Bob Duncan). On 13 August I found a Wilsons Phalarope* also

at the cut.

At the catfish farms near Walnut Hill, Laura Catterton foundfour rare Upland Sandpipers* 9 August and three more there

29 August as well as three rare Wilsons Phalaropes*. On 22

August she saw 7 beautifulBuff-breasted Sandpipers* there. It

was a good year for the latter, with 30 birds reported from three

different sites between 30 July and 1 September.

Providing only the 5th area record, Diane Lee observed

a Roseate Spoonbill 12 August at her pond in Beulah. This

beautiful wader from the tropics only occurs downstate or as

F I E L D M N O T E S

*


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includes 54 locations and 30 partners in the United

States, Mexico, and even Cuba. Our own Dauphin Island

Bird Sanctuary is one of these partners. Many of the

partner sites are now staffed by trained biologists sup-

ported by local and visiting volunteers. Environmental

education and habitat management have had an in-

creasingly important role.

The headquarters is in Lake Jackson, Texas. There

is an interpretive center, research center, nature trails,

hummingbird and butterfly gardens, and wonderful

handouts which include maps and where to find birds

guides. A visit is a must when you are birding the Texas

coastal area. They publish an excellent newsletterGulf

Crossingsand a membership is a bargain. Two years

ago they published a beautiful and important documentcalled Gulf Coast Bird Observatory Site Partner Network

Sourcebook. It has site maps, descriptions, and stun-

ning photographs taken by some of Texas finest wildlife

photographers.

When we enjoy seeing the migrating birds in the

spring and fall, we have GCBO and its partners to thank

for the survival of many of our favorite birds. Their in-

formative website is www.gcbo.org. It has a map to the

center which otherwise is a little hard to find.

In 1992, we received an announcement of the found-

ing of the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory (GCBO). The

mission statement and the names of the founders

caught our eye. This was an organization that had the

potential to do much good in our area of the bird world.

Their motto is Conservation, Stewardship, Partner-

shipsin and around the Gulf of Mexico. Their mis-

sion is the study and conservation of birds and their

habitat in and around the Gulf. Their purpose is to be

a catalyst for bird conservation through individual and

community partnerships and the sharing of expertiseand knowledge. Among the founders were some of the

most influential ornithologists and birders of our era. We

joined as charter members and have had a ringside seat to

the organizations growth in number of habitats protected

and in conservation influence.

The impetus for its creation was the decline of migra-

tory bird populations that must either cross or go around

the Gulf and must use coastal stopover habitat for rest

and recharging. From small beginnings, the network now

TRIPPING

by Ann Forster

The Center Committee is pleased to announce the hiring of

a new Audubon naturalist educator, Jennifer D. Hale, who

began work at the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center on 17

September. Jennifer is a graduate of University of South

Alabama (BS Biology, emphasis on Marine Biology) and University

of Southern Mississippi (MS Science Education, emphasis on

Coastal Science). Jennifer worked as a Wildlife Rehabilitation/

Education Assistant at the Environmental Studies Center in

Mobile, AL while an undergraduate. Following completion of her

Masters degree, Jennifer worked for 7 years at the J. L. Scott

Marine Education Center in Biloxi, MS as a Marine Education

Specialist until the MEC was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Since

then, she has been a research technician with the Gulf Coast

Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, MS until her relocation to

Pensacola early in September. While at MEC, Jennifer was involved

in a wide variety of education programs that fully prepared her tohit the ground running at RHEC. We are thrilled to know that she

will be teaching our 2nd and 5th graders this year.

At the Center byJames A. BradyO

ver the summer, the volunteers who support the

Center Committee completed two projects. First,

a wooden windbreak was installed in both raptor

cages, to provide shelter from high winds while

giving birds a view outside their enclosure. Second, thanks to

the team led by Morris Clark, a new water feature has been

installed in the landscape of the bird bus. This multi-tiered

feature has running water flowing from a small waterfall

across a series of cascades to a retention basin that serves

as the source of return water. Once fully landscaped (a fall

project in itself), this water feature will provide food, shelter,

and water for local and migrating birds, and is expected to

enhance the viewing opportunities for students in the bird

bus. Thanks to Morris, as well as Katie Nettles, Mo Michel, and

Richard Mason for their hard work.

Best wishes to Molly OConnor and Jennifer Hale, RHEC

educators, as they start the new year of field trips to the Roy

Hyatt Environmental Center.


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C O R P O R A T E S U P P O R T E R SArmstrong World Industries

Baskerville-Donovan, Inc.Kerrigan, Estess, Rankin, McLeod and Thompson

Pfizer

Solutia, Inc.

C H A P T E R C O N T A C T S

Presidents Council Peggy Baker .................934-3242

Jim Brady ....................456-5083

Morris Clark ..................968-5498

Annelise Reunert ..........492-4389

Recording Secretary Jan Lloyd ....................453-1660

Corresponding Secretary Ann Forster ..................456-4421

Publicity Cindy Guttmann ............549-3825

Treasurer Becky Grass ..................455-9666

Membership Annelise Reunert ..........492-4389

Field Trips Morris Clark ..................968-5498

Programs Dana Timmons ..............934-4521

Fund Raising Camey Hanks ................458-7979Conservation Alice Harris ..................478-2161

Education Peggy Baker .................934-3242

SkimmerEditor Lucy Duncan ................932-4792

SkimmerArt Director Lynn Gould

Webmaster Debra Jones

Francis M. Weston Audubon Society

P.O. Box 17484Pensacola, FL 32522

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october-november 2007 skimmer newsletter francis m. weston audubon society

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