ARTICLES BY MEMBERS

Greater Antilean Bullfinch
image of stamp by Chris Gibbins
http://www.bird-stamps.org
     Warm sun and cool breezes off the blue Caribbean, sandy beaches, low mountains, and eight long lovely days to explore the island of St. Kitts, to enjoy its flowers, birds, and friendly people.
     Our daughter, Lyn, who was there to house-sit for a friend over the holidays, had arrived a day before us and had rented a car. So right away we circled the island on the coastal road, finding places to visit later and spotting some familiar birds: Brown Pelicans, Laughing Gulls, and Royal Terns patrolled the shore. Frigate birds sailed above them and small flocks of Cattle Egrets foraged in fields. Grey Kingbirds were on all overhead wires, Barn Swallows darted over cane fields. The Dove Family was well represented by Zenaida and Eared Doves, resembling Mourning Doves somewhat, and little Common Ground-doves that flew up from roadsides with a flash of rufous in their wings, and there were flocks of all-white Rock Doves looking strangely beautiful.
     In the narrow part of the island where the sea could be seen from both sides at once and there was no development, we were enchanted to see little Green Vervet Monkeys scampering across the road and into the low vegetation. Once a baby was clinging for dear life to the underside of a running adult. If we were early enough in the morning, before too much traffic, they were not so skittish, often perching on a rock or a guardrail in the open, watching us as we passed.
    Once we spotted a Peregrine Falcon sailing around over a little bay - what a thrill. The Scaly-naped Pigeon, a large bird looking dark red in some lights, showed up occasionally on wires or roadsides. Carib Grackles were commonplace, as grackles tend to be.
     Our visit to a rain forest added to our list a good bit. After a long, steep, bumpy climb up a hillside in a land Rover, we walked a narrow trail through Cecropia trees, palms, tree ferns, trailing fig roots, and bright flowers. Across a deep ravine we watched an Osprey fly in from the sea to a high perch, and soon a Red-tailed Hawk sailed over the ridge. Ospreys have been missing from the island in recent years, our guide told us, and this one's appearance gives hopes for their return.
     In the dense forest around us black and yellow Bananaquits were flitting, and a Bridled Quail-dove's booming call could be heard across the ravine. A Lesser Antillean Bullfinch, black with reddish throat patch, appeared in the path ahead until frightened off by our too quick approach.
     Down in open country once more, we found a Black-faced Grassquit, also known as Parson Bird because of its dark coloring, and a Great Blue Heron glided by over a cane field on its way to a little inlet for a late afternoon snack.
     Altogether, a Christmas we won't soon forget.

     Each February Bob and I take a trip to Florida in search of warmer temperatures and wildlife exploration.  We are always looking for new and different places to investigate. 
     One of the first areas we visited was Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, which is located in the northern section of Big Cypress Swamp, just south of Fort Meyers. The sanctuary consists of approximately 11,000 acres and has over two and one-half miles of boardwalk meandering through the swamp.  It took us over four hours to walk from one end of the boardwalk to the other because all the wildlife that came into view.  Due to the terrible drought conditions, most of the wildlife seemed to be clustered around several pools of water, which let us view many species at one time.
     Some of the more common birds seen there were Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Common Yellowthroat, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Green Heron, White Ibis, Black Vulture, Common Moorhen, Red-shouldered Hawk, Palm Warbler, Great-crested Flycatcher and Red-bellied Woodpecker.  Along with the more common there were many unusual birds that we saw such as Limpkin, American Bittern, Anhinga, Purple Gallinule, Wood Stork, a Barred Owl and Yellow and Black Night Herons, some of which were “lifers”. There were also American Alligators, Raccoons, Florida Redbelly Turtles and White-tailed deer to be seen along the way.  We were told that the day before we arrived Painted Bunting and Red-cockaded Woodpeckers had been seen, but unfortunately did not appear during our stay. 
     At Big Cypress Bend, which is located near the southwestern border of the Everglades, is Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve.  It has a 2,000-foot boardwalk, which meanders through old growth cypress.  This was the place to see alligators galore!
     Another area that was well worth visiting was Fort De Soto State Park, just south of St. Petersburg.  Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, Black Skimmers, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Royal Tern, Oyster Catcher, Fosters Tern, Reddish Egret and Tri Colored Heron were quite plentiful.  In a small pond, just before entering the park, we were lucky enough to spot Pie-billed Grebe, White Pelican, Greater Scaup, Northern Shoveler and Blue-winged Teal.

An interesting area, off the Gulf Coast near Clearwater, Florida is Honeymoon Island State Park, which consists of approximately 450 undeveloped acres.   The high point of this trip was spotting a Great Horned Owl sitting high up in a pine tree.  There were also plenty of Northern Parula Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers and at least two-dozen Osprey nests with uncountable nesting Osprey. 
     Toward the end of our three-week stay, we rented a boat for the afternoon.  As we cruised the inter-coastal waterways around Madeira Beach, we spotted a Magnificent Frigatebird flying high above us, which really made the day!
    As the temperatures ranged around 80 degrees most of the time, we spent quite a few evenings at John’s Pass, sitting outside on the pier eating “hot wings”, watching Cormorants, Brown Pelicans, Snowy Egrets, Ruddy Turnstones, Black-crowned Night Herons and porpoises playfully swimming by.   There was one particular resident Great Blue Heron that was quite entertaining.  He would jump into the water from his 8-foot pylon perch, catching a fish each time he landed in the water. 
     What a fantastic way to end each day, with warm evenings and plenty of bird watching.
     There was a total count of 83 species of birds for our three-week trip.

The excitement of a birding field trip takes on new dimensions when it is a COUNT expedition.  The Audubon Society has for years sponsored the Christmas and Spring Counts.  While these counts in no way comprise a true census (birds have trouble filling out all those forms!), these statistics have long been used to mark declines and increases in population trends.  The North American Migration Count (NAMC) has also been sponsoring the Spring Migration Count, to especially track the progress of the traveling species.
 The COUNT gives you a sense of larger purpose.  You are not just out idly and selfishly birding for the fun of it, you are contributing to an important cause, as bird populations are a great indicator of how humans effect the whole environment.  So you can justify, to non-birding family and friends, the fact that you will not be fixing lunch, mowing the yard, or doing any of the things others might consider necessary and important.  You will get up early, tiptoe out of the house, be gone all day, come back tired and smug, possibly muddy and sun burnt, and suggest that you go out to dinner, or order delivery.

 Since all the counting must take place within a 24-hour period, teams generally start as early as possible.  A tally sheet is used to record not only the species but the number of each.  This makes for intense watching. All senses are on alert, for even if you just hear a bird, as long as you can make positive ID, you can count it. 
 Spring is a busy time for birds, with many species migrating through, others establishing nest territories and raising families.  Big question- how do you count birds when there are dozens or hundreds or possibly even thousands of them swarming around, flying back and forth, in and out of trees and bushes?
 Don Allen once told me- if you are confronted with a sky full of birds, you have to figure how many are in one square section, then make an estimate based on how many sections of sky are full of birds like that. And you have to do it quickly- a lot can happen in a few moments.  It is hard – many birds are zooming around in circles, like swallows, or popping in and out of trees, like cedar waxwings or yellow-rumped warblers. 
 The Audubon Spring Count is based on a 15-mile circle divided into territories, each counted by a team. Our circle has its center point somewhere in Greensboro.  My team counted a territory around Buffalo Lake and Lake Jeannette, which includes lots of woods.  We saw 695 individuals of 52 species.  The most numerous species were 85 Yellow-Rumped Warblers. The best bird on that day for us was a Louisiana Waterthrush.  They are not often seen, being shy and retiring, and live in the dense underbrush around creeks. 
    Two weeks later was the Migration count- this time my team counted in Randolph County.  The habitats there are different. There are woods, but also lots of open fields and brush. We saw and/or heard a number of warblers including Yellow-throated, Prairie, Hooded, Chat, and Kentucky.  There were White-eyed Vireos, a couple of Yellow-billed Cuckoos, various flycatchers, Blue Grosbeaks and lots and lots of Indigo Buntings.  We saw 62 species, 431 individuals. 
   -Louise Brown 

Forsyth Audubon often publishes spring arrivals, fall arrivals, and migration sightings in their newsletter. The Chapel Hill Bird Club not only does that, but also has made up a list of arrival and departure dates from the reports that they have ac-cumulated over the years. I think it would be interesting for us to start doing the same thing.
I have been collecting arrival dates of our winter birds and have been pleased that quite a few of our members have participated. I suspect that there would be even more participation if the membership could see what everyone else is spotting. It also might generate more interest among some of the backyard bird watchers to watch their feeders and maybe even to join us on field trips.
Members who have additional sightings (species or earlier dates) are requested to contact Dennis Burnette to have them added to the list.
Common Loon: 11/09/01. Emily Tyler found 8 Common Loons on Lake Townsend. 
Pied-billed Grebe: 10/31/01. The Allens saw Pied-billed Grebes at Lake Brandt, and on 11/03 Louise Brown saw one at Country Park. On 11/04 Dennis & Lynn Burnette saw a few Pied-billed Grebes in several spots in the lakes north of Greensboro. On 11/09 Emily Tyler saw several Pied-billed Grebes on Lake Townsend.
Horned Grebe: 11/09/01. Emily Tyler found an Horned Grebe on Lake Townsend.
Double-crested Cormorant: 11/04/01. Dennis & Lynn Burnette noted a few Double-crested Cormorants in several locations in the lakes north of Greensboro.
Green-winged Teal: 11/26/01. Dennis Burnette noticed two Green-winged Teal, a male and female, in the pond on the Jamestown Campus of GTCC. On 11/28 Lynn Moseley saw four Green-winged Teal at the upper end of Lake Brandt off the 220 bridge.
Northern Shoveler: 11/10/01. On a PBC field trip members saw Northern Shovelers at the Bog Garden and on Buffalo Lake. On 11/13 a female Northern Shoveler was spotted in the pond at the Jamestown campus of GTCC by Dennis Burnette. On 11/26 Dennis again saw a female Shoveler on the same pond.
Gadwall: 11/04/01. Dennis & Lynn Burnette found 23 Gadwalls in a cove off of Lake Townsend north of Greensboro. On a PBC field trip on 11/10 members saw 39 Gadwalls in a cove at Lake Townsend.
Ring-necked Duck: 11/03/01. At Country Park, Louise Brown saw a couple of Ring-necked Ducks. On 11/04 Dennis & Lynn Burnette spotted about a dozen Ring-necked Ducks on Buffalo Lake in Greensboro.
Bufflehead: 11/10/01. One Bufflehead was located on Trosper pond on a PBC field trip. Dennis and Lynn Burnette counted 11 on Trosper Pond on 11/18 and 48 on Trosper Pond on 11/25.
Hooded Merganser: 11/10/01. Five Hooded Mergansers were seen in the Yanceyville St. cove of Lake Townsend on a PBC field trip.
Ruddy Duck: 11/05/01. Judith Pate reported seeing a male Ruddy Duck at Lake Townsend off Plainfield Rd. in Greensboro. On 11/09 Emily Tyler saw a Ruddy Duck on Lake Townsend north of Greensboro. On 11/10 PBC field trip members saw Ruddy Ducks at the Bog Garden and on Buffalo Lake.
American Coot: 11/09/01. Emily Tyler reported about 50 American Coots in a raft on Lake Townsend near her neighborhood in Browns Summit. Members saw coots on a PBC field trip on 11/10.
Common Snipe: 11/28/01: Lynn Moseley saw 8 Common Snipes on the mudflats at the upper end of Lake Brandt off the 220 bridge.
Ring-billed Gull: 11/10/01. A small flock of Ring-billed Gulls was in the middle of Lake Townsend on a PBC field trip.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: 10/08/01. Don and Carolyn Allen spotted a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in their yard in Greensboro. Lynn Moseley noted one on 10/19 in Greensboro, and Louise Brown also reported seeing one in that same week. On 11/08/01 Jane Lewis heard two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. On 11/10 PBC field trip saw at least two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers at the Bog Garden.
Golden-crowned Kinglet: 10/29/01. While walking a trail in Bur-Mil Park north of Greensboro, Don Allen spotted a Golden-crowned Kinglet. On 10/30 Louise Brown and Judith Pate saw one on a trail near Lake Brandt. On 11/07 Jane Lewis found many Golden-Crowned Kinglets.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 10/21/01. Carolyn and Don Allen found a Ruby-crowned Kinglet on the Nat Greene Trail in Greensboro. On 11/02 Nancy Prairie saw her first-of-season Ruby-crowned Kinglets in her crepe myrtle trees at her Greensboro home. On 11/03 Louise Brown saw some at Country Park. On 11/07 Jane Lewis spotted “dozens” of Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
Winter Wren: 10/28/01. Emily Tyler saw a Winter Wren in Irving Park, and Don and Carolyn Allen saw one at Starmount Park, both locations in Greensboro. On 11/05 Jane Lewis saw her first one of the season at her property near Asheboro in Randolph Co.
Hermit Thrush: 10/28/01. Don and Carolyn Allen saw four Hermit Thrushes in Starmount Park in Greensboro. On 11/07 Jane Lewis spotted two Hermit Thrushes. On a PBC field trip on 11/10 members saw one and possibly two Hermit Thrushes at the Bog Garden.
American (Water) Pipit: 11/23/01. Elizabeth and Henry Link discovered American (Water)  Pipits on the mudflats at the Plainfield Road end of Reedy Fork Creek about a 1/2 hour hike in from the road.
Yellow-rumped Warbler: 10/28/01. Don and Carolyn Allen found Yellow-rumped Warblers in Starmount Park in Greensboro. On 10/30 Louise Brown and Judith Pate birded a trail near Lake Brandt where they saw lots of Yellow-rumped warblers. On 11/10 members saw Yellow-rumped Warblers while on a PBC field trip.
Chipping Sparrow: 10/31/01. The Allens saw Chipping Sparrows at Lake Brandt.
Swamp Sparrow: 11/10/01. A probable Swamp Sparrow was seen at Plainfield Marsh during a PBC field trip.
White-throated Sparrow: 10/20/01. Dennis Burnette heard a White-throated Sparrow at Congregational Church of Christ as the PBC group was preparing to leave on the field trip. On 10/21 Jane Lewis found some on her property near Asheboro in Randolph Co. On 10/22 the Allens saw them in their Greensboro yard. On 10/24 Emily Tyler spotted them in her yard in Browns Summit.
Dark-eyed Junco: 10/28/01. Don and Carolyn Allen had their first Dark-eyed Junco of the season in their yard in Greensboro. On 11/02 Nancy Prairie saw her first juncos at her Greensboro home, and Emily Tyler had her first juncos in Browns Summit. On 11/06 Lynn Burnette enjoyed watching a single Dark-eyed Junco around the feeders on her deck in Greensboro. On 11/10 members saw Dark-eyed Juncos while on a PBC field trip.
Purple Finch: 10/24/01. Emily Tyler spotted a female Purple Finch in her yard in Browns Summit. On 10/28 Nancy Prairie saw five (3 females and 2 males) eating black oil sunflower seeds and dogwood berries at their home in Greensboro. On 10/31 Judith Pate had Purple Finches (2 females and 1 male) in Browns Summit.

Goshawk at the Zoo

by Dennis Burnette 

Five of us made an impromptu trip on Feb. 10 to the NC Zoo in Asheboro to look for the Northern Goshawk that had been reported to Jane Lewis by some of the employees. We were unable to find it.

Jane's husband, Mark, met us in the parking lot and took us through the back gate into the North America section about a half hour before the zoo opened. We walked the short distance to the native duck enclosure in the swamp display, which is adjacent to the lake, where the raptor in question recently had taken a captive clipped-wing Hooded Merganser. (A bird buffet!) Mark reported that the hawk has done this at least once before. Zoo staff members have been seeing it off and on "for a couple of weeks." It was identified as a goshawk by comparing it to images in a bird book based on its size, brown plumage, and pale line over the eye, they said. Jane and Mark got a brief look at a hawk in the area on 2/9/02 that may have been it.

Because of the intermittent drizzle and a heavily overcast sky, we had the area pretty much to ourselves, except for occasional employees and a few brave visitors, for the hour and 45 minutes that we searched for the bird. The only raptors we saw were three Red-shouldered Hawks, including one very vocal bird that looked like an immature.

Other birds were quite active during our search. We spotted at least 22 species without even attempting to look for birds. Although PBC has visited the zoological park itself for years, the group concluded that the zoo grounds should be put on our list of field trips for the future.

We appreciated the efforts that Jane and Mark made to let us know about the bird and to help us look for it.

Western Birding
by Rob Rachlin

In Arizona, I added six more birds to my life list at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, including a black-chinned hummingbird, phainopepla, brown-crested flycatchers, black-tailed gnatcatchers, gilded flicker and ladder-backed woodpecker.  I also saw lots of new birds in the South Mountain Preserve in Phoenix, including my first inca doves, curve-billed thrashers, cactus wrens, gila woodpeckers, verdins, a Cooper's hawk, and several others.  Probably the most exciting was a short-eared owl that hunted by day up and down a dry creek bed, passing in front of me a dozen times in twenty minutes.
The most unexpected sighting of all, though, was in the Grand Canyon.  I knew that a number of California condors had been released into the wild in a remote corner of the park. I was fortunate enough to see a pair fly right over my car!

Three adult Mississippi Kites were first seen on Thursday, July 29 by birder Scott DePue while working in a Greensboro suburban neighborhood. He ID’d them (without binoculars!) and told Henry Link, who confirmed the sighting and informed other PBC birders. The first immature was seen the next day and, on the 5th of August, Melissa Whitmire spotted the second juvenile.
     Herb Hendrickson, an ornithologist, offers this expert opinion:
“To the best of my knowledge, these are the first Mississippi Kites recorded in Guilford County. The nearest known nesting site in recent times was in Laurinburg, NC, about four or five years ago. Mississippi Kites are one of the few birds of prey that are known to use "helpers." That may explain the presence of three adult-appearing birds.”
    There is little doubt according to Lynn Moseley and Herb Hendrickson that the kites hatched here because the immatures were very dependent when first seen, unable to fly and being fed frequently by the adults. This is an exciting find for local birders!                                                                                                 -Emily Tyler, Louise Brown

Education Committee Activities October, 2005  - By Emily Tyler
	Our Booth at the New Garden Nursery Harvest Festival 10/22/05 L to r: Elizabeth Link, Emily Tyler, visitors, Beth Bursuck, Dan Chambers                                       Photo © 2005 by Louise Brown

    October was a busy month for the Club’s Education Committee. There were three opportunities to exhibit at local events, Discovery Day at the Edwards Library October 8, Fall Festival at Bur-Mil Park on October 15, and Harvest Festival at New Garden Nursery and Landscaping on the 22^nd. Altogether we estimated at least 200 people were reached, many of them children. It is encouraging to note how much interest there is in bird watching. Volunteers in teams of two or three covered the PBC exhibit from 2 to 7 hours each. Special thanks to Debbie Fleming, Judie Underkoffler, Mary and Terry Woodrow, Carolyn Allen, Peggy Ware, Kathy Gingras, Paul and Janet Morien, Beth Bursuck, Ann Walter-Fromson, Dan Chambers, Elizabeth Link and Jane Ariail. They interacted with the public, answering their questions about birds, explaining what we do in the Club and offering handouts as appropriate.
     Additionally, Elizabeth Link has been mentoring a NW High School student working on a birding project, and Jane Lewis has offered to help a Pfeiffer University professor who will be leading a group of students on a five-week field program related to biological sciences next summer near the Uwharrie National Forest.  Jane also has volunteered her husband, Mark, to help with reptiles.

Bird & Butterfly Meadow Dedication October 22, 2005
	L to R: Don and Carolyn Allen, Jean and Bob McCoy, Lyn McCoy    - photo by Dan Chambers

     A unique collaboration between the Piedmont Land Conservancy, Greensboro Parks & Recreation and the American Hebrew Academy honored two couples who have been cornerstones for the Piedmont Bird Club (PBC), Jean and Bob McCoy and Carolyn and Don Allen. These groups are dedicating the Bird and Butterfly Meadow at Price Park to these four people who have been well connected and well committed to several nature-oriented organizations over the last four decades. Besides the PBC, they are very active members of the T. Gilbert Pearson Audubon Chapter and the Piedmont Land Conservancy  (PLC). 
   The dedication ceremony was attended by well over a hundred people which included members of the McCoy family, the PBC, the local Audubon Chapter and the PLC, as well as others. The McCoy’s daughter, Lyn, announced that the occasion was very special to her family, in that, besides the dedication, it was the year of both her parents’ 90^th birthday and the year of their 65^th wedding anniversary!
    The ceremony was followed with a reception and tours of the new Meadow and grounds of the Kathleen Clay Edwards Library at Price Park.  This is indeed a wonderful site with a story all its own, and so appropriate to the occasion.                                                                                                                                  - by Louise Brown